NYTransplant

Wife has a 2011 Cayenne S (Surly 99%). Car has 85k on it and has been very reliable. At this point, it needs front control arms, but that seems to be the norm for any Euro car. It's a ridiculously fast car for it's size, even in the normally-aspirated V8 model. If you don't have issues with kids f'ing up a perfectly fine automobile, I say "Have at it!" Oh, and I guarantee the Jeep will be a complete POS by the time it hits the same mileage.

That is going to be an awkward Thanksgiving.

Cost of the donor car would be maybe 10% of the build cost on the high end. Given what they do in the build process, I'm sure you can start with a pretty rough example for a donor. And it goes without saying, but you have great taste, ChiTown.

In a slalom course, you're supposed to drive the boat between the buoys, not over them. The course must have been pretty solidly anchored for the ropes to stop the boat like that, though. I'm impressed by the stop and the stupidity.

The early Boxsters ('98-'01?) had issues with cylinder wall failures, that can be catastrophic - it requires a new engine. The IMS bearings are a failure point for cars in the range that you're looking at, but it seems to be overblown. I've had two 996's with the same potential bearing issue, and both are still running. I'd plan to replace the bearing every 75-80k miles, or go for the solution provided by LN Engineering. Overall, the Boxster S is a great handling car with good power at a cheap price. I'd buy the best example that you can afford, and budget $2k/year for maintenance. Any other questions, let me know.

It's the trade-off for letting her sleep with her mechanic. He's picky about what cars he's willing to work on.

The e90 is the last BMW that I'll even consider. I've owned and been responsible for at least 10 BMW's (mine or my wife's), and love them up to ~2005 (e90 being a possible exception). When my wife decided to sell her e39 M5 for an SUV, her first choice was an X5. She ended up with a Cayenne S, as I wouldn't even let her test drive the X5. BMW has gone to hell, and the only new one that I'd consider is the M2 (Yes, I contradicted myself.)

For me, the answer is because it's a "modern classic" with the last true I6 Motorsport engine that BMW made. It's the best balance between the lighter, smaller, more manual cars of old and the newer more plush BMW's. I take my cars to the track, so turbo engines don't appeal to me for the long haul. To each his own, but for me it was the right platform after testing many other cars, old and new.

Been riding 10 years, now, and never heard this. I better catch up.

e46 M3 can be from mid-teens to mid-30k, depending on what condition/mileage you're looking for. The e90's are only about $5k more for similar examples from what I'm seeing. It's all about what you want from a car. I've driven both and prefer the e46, as the e90 just feels too big/heavy for the engine. I had the chance to drive an e90 M3 and e39 M5 back to back, and the M5 was a better car, IMO. Regarding how reliable the M3 is, you just need to be prepared to cover the cost of preventive maintenance, and do it up front, rather than wait for it to break. Replace the cooling system at 90-100k miles, rather than having it fail while your driving, and risk a blown head gasket. Replace the suspension at 90k, so that the car doesn't feel like an 80's Cadillac. Replace fluids at regular intervals, and just keep on top of things, and it should run for quite a while. If you do like to wrench yourself, they aren't bad to work on. You just need to add some extra tools to your kit, as the Germans love messing around with fasteners (torx, reverse torx, etc.).

I have an e46 M3, and really enjoy it. There are some known issues with the cars that should be monitored, but overall, I really like mine. I've had a couple of 996's and the M3 is a better car. If I was to go for a 997, I'd go for the 2nd generation, due to the engine, but it's a much different price range. Cayman S is worth checking out, as is the e90/92 M3. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. -Jon

MSF and additional training are well worth it. It's also worth checking out the books Twist of the Wrist and Total Control. If you have a wife, kids, or even a dog depending on you, you should do your best to learn everything about riding. Everyone on the road has the ability to kill you, and many of them seemed hell bent on completing the job. The more skills you have to keep this from happening, the better.

Wouldn't go near this, if you paid me. Might take my bike out to see the B-17, though.

I've heard some horror stories with Audi and VAG cars in general. I had a 2000 A4 1.8T that held up really well (think my ex-wife is still driving it), but not sure I'd risk another (used A3 is damn tempting, though). I tend to stick with normally aspirated BMW's with inline 6's, as they seem to be pretty bulletproof. Keep up with the cooling systems and the suspension maintenance, and they'll run for 200k miles and perform better than new with some mild upgrades.

Rather than listening to BS on the internet, your best bet is to find out the minimum factory spec for rotor thickness, check yours, and replace them if necessary.

I've been buying/selling 10-15 year old BMW's and Porsches for most of my car owning life (past 20 years). As I enjoy working on them, I've managed to avoid the depreciation hit entirely, while keeping my cost of ownership low. Fitting the 99%'er profile in the title, it blows my mind that people will opt to lose $30k+ on buying new. Current car is a 2004 BMW M3 that I expect to sell for what I paid for it in 4-5 years, assuming car ADD doesn't rear its ugly head.

I hope you don't do your own taxes.

Amazing Grace (especially on the bagpipes). "The Art of Racing in the Rain" - cried like a bitch more times during that book than I thought possible.