damonchoy
06-02-2014, 09:39 PM
Well, not too long ago I sold my Imola M-Sport. I bought her with 123,000km on it in August of last year and sold it with around 148,000km. I was able to enjoy 25,000km of excellent driving and a lot of fun!
After putting it up for sale only as a feeler with an aggressively low price because I had my eyes on a particular E36 M3, that M3 ended up selling... leaving me with a LOT of interest in my M-Sport, despite having listed a fair amount of issues with the car. I was faced with the decision to keep it or sell it. Less than two weeks later, the decision was made: farewell, red beauty.
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/10155336_10204060090368983_8541849049685365595_n_z psd986887b.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/10155336_10204060090368983_8541849049685365595_n_z psd986887b.jpg.html)
Why was that decision made, you ask?
Well... this is why:
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/IMG_1647EDIT_zpse01b658a.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/IMG_1647EDIT_zpse01b658a.jpg.html)
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/IMG_1655EDIT_zpsbad0a187.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/IMG_1655EDIT_zpsbad0a187.jpg.html)
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/IMG_1669EDIT_zpsc733b47c.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/IMG_1669EDIT_zpsc733b47c.jpg.html)
For better or for worse, this is my new ride: a 2003 Nissan 350Z Touring. LeMans Sunset Orange on black leather with orange stitching. Tasteful modifications include OEM Nismo floor mats, OEM Nismo door panels, Alcantara headliner (I thought I'd have to live the rest of my life Alcantara-less after selling the M-Sport), Tein MonoFlex Coilovers, Toyo Proxes R888s, SPC camber arms, Whiteline rear subframe bushings, 5/8" Skunk2 plenum spacer, idler pulley, Impul headers, Tomei test pipe, muffler delete, Exedy Stage 3 carbon disk clutch + lightweight flywheel, Central 20 3.9 final drive gear, Chargespeed carbon fiber trunk lip, ARC titanium shift knob, and a couple other things.
Some of you may not be in love with it, which is fine... but I'm absolutely loving it so far. Sure, it's horribly impractical.. but I figured that at 17, two seats is fine as all I need to carry are my girlfriend and myself!
My observations thus far:
- The interior isn't actually bad... at all. I actually love the styling inside, and the materials aren't as bad as everyone said they would be. Some of the plastics feel a bit cheaper than that of the BMW, but where it counts I there is soft leather and materials that are nice to the touch.
- This is SO much more fun than the BMW. It's not quite a fair comparison as this is modified and my M-Sport was pretty much stock, but still. With sticky tires and excellent coilovers, where the BMW would be rolling like crazy and the tires squealing, the Z is completely calm and flat, asking me to go faster.
- LSD > Open diff.
- Short gears are INCREDIBLY FUN! (Thanks to the Central 20 3.9 final drive).
- I have to open up the hatch to put anything more than my cell phone and wallet in the car with me, hahaha.
Anyway, I really enjoyed my ZHP/M-Sport ownership while it lasted. I'm sure I'll still be lurking the forums here, but I figured I ought to let everyone know I've jumped ships!
After putting it up for sale only as a feeler with an aggressively low price because I had my eyes on a particular E36 M3, that M3 ended up selling... leaving me with a LOT of interest in my M-Sport, despite having listed a fair amount of issues with the car. I was faced with the decision to keep it or sell it. Less than two weeks later, the decision was made: farewell, red beauty.
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/10155336_10204060090368983_8541849049685365595_n_z psd986887b.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/10155336_10204060090368983_8541849049685365595_n_z psd986887b.jpg.html)
Why was that decision made, you ask?
Well... this is why:
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/IMG_1647EDIT_zpse01b658a.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/IMG_1647EDIT_zpse01b658a.jpg.html)
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/IMG_1655EDIT_zpsbad0a187.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/IMG_1655EDIT_zpsbad0a187.jpg.html)
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa387/damonchoy/IMG_1669EDIT_zpsc733b47c.jpg (http://s1195.photobucket.com/user/damonchoy/media/IMG_1669EDIT_zpsc733b47c.jpg.html)
For better or for worse, this is my new ride: a 2003 Nissan 350Z Touring. LeMans Sunset Orange on black leather with orange stitching. Tasteful modifications include OEM Nismo floor mats, OEM Nismo door panels, Alcantara headliner (I thought I'd have to live the rest of my life Alcantara-less after selling the M-Sport), Tein MonoFlex Coilovers, Toyo Proxes R888s, SPC camber arms, Whiteline rear subframe bushings, 5/8" Skunk2 plenum spacer, idler pulley, Impul headers, Tomei test pipe, muffler delete, Exedy Stage 3 carbon disk clutch + lightweight flywheel, Central 20 3.9 final drive gear, Chargespeed carbon fiber trunk lip, ARC titanium shift knob, and a couple other things.
Some of you may not be in love with it, which is fine... but I'm absolutely loving it so far. Sure, it's horribly impractical.. but I figured that at 17, two seats is fine as all I need to carry are my girlfriend and myself!
My observations thus far:
- The interior isn't actually bad... at all. I actually love the styling inside, and the materials aren't as bad as everyone said they would be. Some of the plastics feel a bit cheaper than that of the BMW, but where it counts I there is soft leather and materials that are nice to the touch.
- This is SO much more fun than the BMW. It's not quite a fair comparison as this is modified and my M-Sport was pretty much stock, but still. With sticky tires and excellent coilovers, where the BMW would be rolling like crazy and the tires squealing, the Z is completely calm and flat, asking me to go faster.
- LSD > Open diff.
- Short gears are INCREDIBLY FUN! (Thanks to the Central 20 3.9 final drive).
- I have to open up the hatch to put anything more than my cell phone and wallet in the car with me, hahaha.
Anyway, I really enjoyed my ZHP/M-Sport ownership while it lasted. I'm sure I'll still be lurking the forums here, but I figured I ought to let everyone know I've jumped ships!