In reply to docwyte :
We used to have USAA, but switched over to State Farm a few years ago, to the tune of considerable savings. We are also both from here, but I lived all over the country as well before coming back. I love the scenery here, but one of the last fly-and-drives I did resulted in driving a 1999 Miata Sport (that I wanted in order to run in SCCA ES) through the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee- I fell in love on that drive and we've been considering a move to Tennessee ever since. We'll probably hold off until the older kids graduate and start moving out. I also have family here, but over the last few years my mother, grandparents and brother passed away, followed by my other brother moving out of state, so there's not much left to hold me here anymore.
I didn't know you guys were small business owners- very cool! If you don't mind me asking/sharing on a public forum, what kind of businesses?
Honestly, I'm not sure if I would replace the 128i. I've been tossing around ideas, but I don't have much of a need per se. Like most of the addicts on this board, I've owned 30-something odd cars (not counting my wife's cars) over the years- I don't miss most of them, but I occasionally give thoughts to getting another one of them:
-EK Civic hatchback. My last EK was a dog-slow POS, but I loved that car. I added sway bars/Type R/Si controls arms and it was a hoot to pitch around! The best part is I didn't give a damn about it getting scratched up. With a set of Blizzak's, that was one of the best snow cars I've ever owned. It was a straight beater! There's something to be said about a car that you give yourself permission to not worry about and don't care if it's parked outside. My main issue is I'm then stuck paying insurance and maintenance on another old car.
-Another NC Miata. AKA, my favorite Miata. When I owned my last NC, I drove it considerably more than my S2000- mostly just because I felt like it was more disposable, so I again gave myself permission to really hoon around in that car, not worrying about scratches or parking it outside. But again, that would be another older 3rd vehicle to pay for that serves no extra purpose.
-Another Jeep Wrangler. I've kicked around the idea of picking up another TJ. I don't think I would hit the trails much anymore- most of the trail buddies I used to go with to trails occasionally, moved out of state during the pandemic. I was never a huge off-road guy, but I can't deny that sometimes driving a Jeep around at low speeds or finding random things to run over is a bit of fun. Although I don't know that I miss the life of "identify what's leaking this week!"
-Since selling my wife's Suburban and then selling my Xterra, the smarter thing to do would be to buy another utility oriented vehicle. Honestly, we don't need the extra utility very often (almost never), and if we do, Home Depot truck rentals are cheap, but having a boxy vehicle is a nice convenience. I would enjoy a 4Runner, but man, those things don't depreciate and I can't stomach their prices for the very seldom I would need one. When I last owned my Xtrerra, I think I only drove it ~1000 miles in a year, and that was when it was my winter beater (the Mazda 3 Turbo is AWD- a winter beater is no longer needed). A fairly rare Jeep LJ (essentially a TJ Unlimited with more storage space/longer wheelbase) might fit the bill here, but I'm not sure I'm passionate enough to make the investment.
-I've considered selling both the 128i and the Mazda 3 Turbo and replacing them both with one of the recently popular ute-truck-things: I've driven both the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. I liked them both, but in the end, I preferred my Mazda 3 Turbo for a daily-esque vehicle. The extra utility would be nice, but I found myself driving the Mazda for hours in a plethora of traffic recently- relatively stress-free, no knee pain, very comfortable and easy to drive. I couldn't justify it to myself.
I've also considered just selling the 128i and investing the money. Or using the sale as an excuse to do what I've been talking about doing for years: putting a Science of Speed Supercharger on the S2000.
And I agree, if you're not tracking a car, most of the more powerful sports car out there are just too fast/powerful for the street. Here in the last few months I drove and reviewed a few cars I was interested in as faster alternatives:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/random-car-reviews-tales-from-a-nut-with-too-much-time-on-his-hands/262322/page3/
I absolutely loved the F87 BMW M2 6MT I drove... but I couldn't see replacing my S2000 for it. They're just different experiences and as fun as the M2 was, my little Honda is just a different kind of fun I wouldn't be willing to part with. I would absolutely replace the 128i with the M2 if the prices were anywhere close to comparable- they're not even remotely close lol. I can't justify the extra cash difference in price between the 2.
I enjoyed driving a C7 Corvette 7MT w/Z51 package, but you are absolutely correct, the car is too fast to really be enjoyed on the street. Although I drove my 128i to the dealership and after driving the C7, I drove back home in the E82, only to find the 128i now felt slightly clumsy (probably just the higher seating position), a bit more disconnected, painfully slow (by comparison) and like a massive downgrade for a "sports car"... whereas I took my S2000 out later that evening and again, had more fun in my torque-less little Honda than I did the big powerful Vette.
I really enjoyed driving the Lotus Evora, but after driving it, I honestly didn't think I would get much use out of it on the street, for a long list of reasons listed in my review.
At this point, I have no idea if I would replace the 128i and if I did, I'm not sure what I would replace it with... or if I would just use a sudden infusion of not-budgeted-for cash to pull the trigger on a supercharger for the S2000...
