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Tinkerbell is dead. I went to the dark side.
Where do I start?... Just before last Christmas I called Gary about coming down for a transmission swap and injector upgrade that weekend. Later that night I ended upside down on the side of the road after I was attacked by 2 giant mutant racoon's. late January I traded my rusty old Toyota 4x4 for a green '99 Miata named by my daughters Tinkerbell. Last Thursday I called Gary and made arrangements to come down that weekend for a timing belt and motor mount install on Tinkerbell. That night on my drive home Tinkerbell puked out all her oil from a front seal and burned up a rod bearing. There she died. I have decided to remove Gary from my friends and family calling circle.
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Some may recall a thread I made a few weeks back about choosing a Mazda MX5-c vs a Honda S2000 vs a BMW Z4. As expected nobody told me to choose the Z4. ... Tonight I drove home my 2004 BMW Z4. Please don't hate me because I am beautiful.
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She's a 2004 base 2.5i with only 58k miles. Beautifully garage kept by a hot cougar who said she just never drove it since she took it in the divorce. I am very happy with the price, though I may have payed high at $15.2. The low miles and excellent condition are what sealed it for me. I wanted a simpler base model with the smaller motor to keep it light and simple. Less electronic gadgets and gimmicks to go bad I feel. Simple 5 speed box as I am use to that in my Miata. No automatic or flappy things on the wheel. The smaller less expensive 16'' tires will be easier for me to replace more often rather than the big wide wheels that were available as an upgrade. Much like the 15's on Tinkerbell. I also feel good about now having side impact airbags along with the front airbags and traction control, run flats , and ABS considering how much time I spend in the car everyday.
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Impressions... Miata replacement? No, Tinkerbell will be brought back from the dead by Gary and built up as a dedicated track/funtime monster in time for GTG's and weekend runs. I was just joking about removing Gary earlier, I will just call him after I get home in the evenings and drive the pickup the next day just in case.
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Driving home tonight in the Z4 I felt the car was a much more perfect Grand Tourer and will fit my daily needs and long drives better than the Miata. It does not feel like the car pivots around my head in a turn nor as light and tossable as the Miata. It feels more like I follow it through a turn or curve slightly delayed rather than pivoting around one in the Miata. It feels more planted and smooth yet still potentially excitable. The Z4 does not excite me like the Miata does but for a 2 hour commute and some back roads I feel it will deliver me happy and relaxed. I can hear the radio, I can understand people on the cel without having to stop, I can have a conversation, it does not rattle and clank like the Miata. The Miata feels much more like I strapped a P51 fighter on and can take on anything. The Z4 I feel I sit in it and go for a ride. Best of all you can see the Z4 makes me much more handsome. If you don't agree I will just have to hit you with my purse.
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