ex-ex-CC'er

carl · Post by **carl** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:18 pm

OK, my wife is now two cars on from the CC. First we replaced it with a Merc CLK 320 Coupe. TBH it was (a) a bit of an "old man's" car, (b) extremely thirsty -- low 20s! and (c) depreciated quicker than a new PC. So it's gone (bizarrely, I don't have any pictures of it) to be replaced by this 6 month-old BMW 320 Cd Sport.

Now, I'm the last person I thought would be joining the diesel revolution (our other car's a TVR Cerbera, which when I sell it I'm hoping to replace with a Porsche 991 Turbo or a Ferrari 355, providing the finances work out OK of course!). But the Beemer is great. It has the M Sport interior, bodykit, wheels and suspension. The torque's amazing and it goes pretty well too (0-60 in 8.8, flat out at 137). MPG is supposed to be 36 on urban cycle, 49 on extra urban, although we're averaging around 38 at the moment so we'll have to see how that goes.

PS: found a pic of the CLK. Now up for sale for Â£5k less than we paid 10 months ago. And that includes the dealer's markup :eek:

Post by **Lyndon** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:38 pm

nice motor,even if it is a diesel

get the 355 u know you want one (so do i)

carl · Post by **carl** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:03 pm

This is part of the problem, Lyndon. I keep looking at more sensible stuff (BMW M3, 645 Ci, Porsche 996) but then I think that for the same money (or not much more, in the case of the M3) I could get a 355. Whatever comes next must be a convertible, though. We've never really recaptured the fun we used to have in our CC!

Was thinking of a dark colour, with a manual gearbox (not F1). May have to go LHD as they're cheaper. This one's nice, but I need to wait until next year before I have the money together:

Post by **Lyndon** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:10 pm

wot, your gonna buy a piston heads banner

if u do get a 355 can ya take me for a spin in it ? (pretty please

)

carl · Post by **carl** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:36 pm

Can you not see the picture then? It works fine for me.

I was speaking to a guy I work with, who did have a Ferrari (it's a 456, currently for sale at Carl Verdi). I said "Look, I'm thinking of buying a 355 but then again I could just pay a big lump off the mortgage". And he replied "Don't worry about it, the insurance will pay the mortgage when you die."

If I do buy one (and I really hope I can) then (a) it won't be until next April at the earliest, and (b) it will probably only be insured for about 3,000 miles a year, so I won't want to waste 300 by coming to visit you. Unless you come down here, of course.

Post by **Lyndon** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:39 am

can see the pic now

we'll have to work something IF u do get one

can u get a red one tho

carl · Post by **carl** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 11:29 am

Red ones cost more though...

Post by **Lyndon** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 4:24 pm

pity

how about yellow

carl · Post by **carl** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 7:23 pm

Yellow is called "Gallo Fly" -- you can get Fiat Puntos in that colour too!

Personally I can't stand it, but let's be realistic. Should I be in a position to buy a 355 next year, and should one come up at the right price and the right spec, then I'll buy it regardless of colour. As long as it's not green...

Post by **Lyndon** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 6:11 pm

sorry didn't mean to sound pushy or howt

just think that the 355 is THE best looking ferrari

good luck in your ferrari chase

carl · Post by **carl** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 8:02 pm

sorry didn't mean to sound pushy or howt

No problem, I didn't infer that.

just think that the 355 is THE best looking ferrari

So do I, but I saw a picture of it side-by-side with a 360 and there's no doubt that the 360 is a more modern design. Apparently they drive better too, but that's not everything. Looks and sound are important too (as is price -- 360s seem to be around 80k!)

good luck in your ferrari chase

Fingers crossed.

Post by **Lyndon** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:41 pm

phew

at the end of the day it's still a ferrari

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 12:33 am

Just seen this post - BMW looks very nice

If you get a Ferrari, feel free to drive to Scotland in it and I will get a shot too

Merc is a nice car too but I was never keen on the headlights, look very out of place and boring for some reason

carl · Post by **carl** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 12:12 pm

Update: decided to keep the TVR a bit longer and do some work on it (suspension, remap, etc.) Then get a cheapish convertible next spring as a runabout (Â£10-Â£15k). Then get a Ferrari when I can afford to buy and run one.

One of the key drivers is that I have my heart set on a Spyder. Was happy with the 355 Spyder but then I saw the 360 Spyder with the speedster humps. Never been a fan of the 360, because it doesn't look like a proper Ferrari, but the rag top version is stunning!

Goal is to get one by the time I'm 35 (3 years to go)...

Post by **Lyndon** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 5:57 pm

nice plan

hope ya dreams come true