Re: sports car
Would a 1.9 litre petrol with 70,000 miles be good for another 5 years?
yes 70k is not much mileage.
2 seaters are great fun but not very practical. based on having owned both 2 and 4 seaters in the past, here are a few things to look out for
smelly boot
damp carpets
hood not sealing at drivers door.
rear window type - plastic or glass. glass is far better as plastic can get damaged easily and can be hard to see through in winter. if the car your looking at has white marks on the plastic window, you can ask the dealer to knock off the cost of a new hood and then polish them out using brasso.
scuttle shake - cabrios are a lot weaker than normal cars as they have no roof. this can cause them to rattle and vibrate quite badly when driving over bumpy roads some are worse than others so google this phrase in regard to any model you intend buying and see what the verdict is. test drive one over a bad back road to see if you can live with the ride
hardtop - most 2 seaters and some 4 seaters have these as an option. nice to have for security and can reduce noise and scuttle shake but a pain to take on and off and store. the last car i had, i never used it.
test drive - drive the car with the top up and down over good and bad roads and a good range of speeds. some cars are quite unpleasant to drive with the top up.
lastly DONT buy a convertible unless you are going to use it with the top down. if you want one just cos they look prettier , you will hate owning it.
i dont like the look of the z3 myself but thats a personal opinion. some alternatives to consider
rover mgf - nicer,cheaper,prone to hgf(head gasket failure)
3-series, very nice, plastic window,scuttle shake, 4 seats
audi 80 cabrio, very classy, uncommon
ford escort cabrio, 5 seats, very cheap , solid, rollbar , well insulated hood with glass window
golf - similar advantages to escort but a bit more boring and common