The MX5's owner was very gracious and let me drive the car on the way down - we stopped in Sherwood , where we had a snack; got to the little village around 3 pm. Interestingly, in the cafe's parking lot, there was another, identical-looking mx5; when the driver returned, she actually hovered around confused - not knowing why the key wouldn't work and wtf her door was open! ("I have a car identical to yours!"
(it might have actually been a 2.0, judging by the sound).
The seller was great - showed me around the car, inside and out, including under the bonnet, which looked very clean throughout; knocked another hundred pounds off the price for the cable issue (and shared two ebay links for the parts, which I ordered). Car's had a recent oil change and came with a thick, thick file of service history; considerable expense has gone into maintaining this boy. I've even glimpsed a +£1,000 invoice in there; maybe we'll explore the whole folder in due time. I also appreciated the fact that the 2.2. badge had been removed (though included in the sale). Thumb's up from me.
Coming straight from driving the mx5, first impressions were biased and excessively subjective on the first day. He feels bigger, more solid; a mature car; it's a different, different drive. The steering is heavy and mechanical and really quite muscular to handle; I like it. The engine's larger displacement makes him a more refined drive, very smooth, including in 1st. The MX5 is jumpy and nervous in low gear, it can be driven elegantly but doesn't really seem to want to do that! The Z3 is more confortable and far more spacious-feeling. The car's particular interior does not feel dated, it still carries some of the elegance and understatement I was hoping for. Storage space is beyond generous! Huge boot comparatively. Velvet-lined coin holder (?) inside the driver's door! Gigantic glovebox (not saggy!). Chunky storage compartments. Short stick in chrome that isn't garish and matches the very nice headlight switch. Old-school details here and there. Beautiful.
Power delivery: mixed impressions on the first day. Slowly I realized that while objectively the slower car, the MX5 is built to create the impression of a faster, sportier ride - this is what the car wants most - it does this at the expense of comfort, and is quite a masterpiece in delivering this experience while not being dangerously fast. It's safe and exciting and provides a very particular ride. Ah, but the Z! Ok, so what happens after 5,000 rpm-s on this engine makes me think of what I imagine is M3 territory. It's laughs and smiles and shake your hair stuff. Somewhat alarmingly, actually, and not helped by the fact that the RPM counter wasn't working (possibly a soldering issue - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't; mostly it does; owner tried to fix it; am cool about it), I hit the rev limiter on the first motorway ramp, I think maybe in second or 3rd? VUM-VUM-VUM-VUM - poor old boy!!! I felt quite bad and then kind of cruised along, roof down, following the MX5. With the windbreaker on, doing 70-80ish is actually relatively comfortable and doable for hours - the RF (even being more of a targa than a full convertible) is noisy-noisy compared with the Z.
Back in Durham, I drove and picked up the half-cover. Around town, I became a bit obsessed with hitting that peak power in first gear - like, I wanted it instantly: to the point I was thinking that the torque delivery is kind of lazy mid-range, and felt disappointed. Also, oddly, no wheel spin (I'm sure it's possible, but it's not as accessible as I thought it would be). Anyway, I corrected this unfair impression this morning, when I saw that, without even pushing him hard, the car can jump from standing to 50-60ish in a way that is faster, more elegant and effortless. Also, 2nd is dangerous in this machine; it's freakin' fast and not really safely usable around town if one is inclined to sporty driving. So I am already learning to cruise in him: he has this pleasant and reassuring torquiness at low speeds - again superior to the MX-5, which, if driven leisurely like this, is disappointgly slow to accelerate. (The board computer recommends up-shifting to 6th around 40mph!). Even so, I am not excluding a possible re-map and/or engine upgrades to further sweeten the Z's torque across the whole range of rpms, if feasible.
Sound-wise: Right, so I'm smiling now. Like, a lot. Actually I'm laughing as I write this. I don't know how standard this exhaust is, seeing it's been repaired and updated - whoever did the job, did it well, in my opinon. It's hard to describe it, it's, uh, incomparable to the MX5's. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the latter sounds bad, I actually quite like its little maxigrowls and Japanese character, but it is a little demonstrative- it's studied, and probably as succesful as they could get it to be, but it is a small engine on a kart-like chasis and has certain limitations, and this is one of them. The straight-line six on the BMW sounds amazing, both in its lows and highs. It's throaty and it's mature down low, and psychotically violent, mechanical and shrill up high - I guess a bit like its owner, so a definite plus here.
The roof will need replacing. It's gonna be expensive, but hey I started with a highish budget. The sand-coloured mohair is beautiful, works very well with the black, it raises the car a level above the black on blacks. I was actually tempted to dress similarly, but actually went for my kilt to mark the special occasion. I will also say the kilt is very comfortable to drive in.
Phone ran out of battery so limited photos.
Took selfies and offered a ride at Church today. It all feels like an underserved and humbling experience for me.
Finally, for all the comparisons above, please note I haven't made them in a competitive way - there's no winner, no loser; the MX5 is a superb car both in the rearview mirror and up ahead. For those that can afford both, by all means: have, enjoy and appreciate both.
If I had to choose right now, I would choose the Z.
Which I did.
Thank you for all the help again.
(Might create another post for him moving ahead. I do hope someone gets and fixes up the one I started this post about!)
