Well - it's over!

[mach schnell]

It was a short, passionate, at times fulfilling, and at times extremely unsatisfying relationship, but its now over.

At 7pm PST, the Boxster (and VW) found their new home at Sterling BMW in Newport Beach California. My garage is now home to a very shiny Imola Red 2005 330 ci with the ZHP pkg and a 6spd, short throw (although i may have to make it shorter ) shifter. Alcantra and carbon fiber interior, Harmon Kardon audio system (which blows the doors off the Bose system in the Porsche!), Xenon headlights and the M-tuned suspension, exhaust and performance chip. Of course, the car drives completely different than the Boxster and I may have to install something behind the seat that roars like a jet engine, but the BMW is quick and smooth.

Rondog - if you're still thinking about the Schnell Short Shifter - go to Sterling BMW and test drive my (former) 987 and get a feel for how awesome it is!

It wasn't easy, but it had to be done. As I drove the Boxster to Newport (about 50 miles) I worried momentarily about what I was doing. However, when my irritating shimmy came with me the entire way (and didn't come back with me in the Bimmer) I knew I was making the right choice. When I signed the paperwork, pocketed a few grand (I only suffered $3000 depreciation on the 987), had the VW off my hands (my daughter actually hugged it as we left the dealership) and realized that the shimmy (or no shimmy if you're one of a couple soCal Porsche dealerships) was now someone else's phantom problem, my fret and worry ceased. There will be other Porsche's in my garage - hell, maybe in 4 years (2010 Cayman GTR3 400hp biTurbo a good starting fellowship gift to myself), when the lease ends on this lil coupe we'll come back to Porsche.

I appreciate everyone's support and comments on all my posts! Hopefully you won't mind if I still stick around and add some commentary here and there. Enjoy your P-cars and may you have no worries with yours!!!

[Biz-z Z]

R.I.P. Boxster ....hellooooo 330! Better luck this time around.

Time to change your siggy!

[Mantis]

Congrats!

(and glad to hear you're at least going to lurk)

MS- good luck! Will the BMW be your only car? With 2 kids and a wife, how will you get by with one vehicle, if it is?

I feel very sorry for the next unsuspecting person who buys your traded-in Boxster.

[986Jim]

Kinda makes me laugh, you got rid of the car because you couldn't sort out a shimmy.. lol. Well whatever makes you happy. Some rims and tires would have solved your problem and cost around 3k so you would still be even and have your Boxster.

Oh well at least teh BMW is nice (barf) ... They styling is just so ugly, I have no idea what they were thinking when they did the latest BM's..

[Marc Gelefsky]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

MS- good luck! Will the BMW be your only car? With 2 kids and a wife, how will you get by with one vehicle, if it is?

I feel very sorry for the next unsuspecting person who buys your traded-in Boxster.

Why? Im sure the issue will get sorted out under warranry.

Good luck with the 3 Series, may it always be shimmy free

[Brucelee]

Good Luck Mach.

The M3 is a sweet car and on my fav 10 list. Drives wonderfully and should prove to be most reliable.

I am also glad you will be hanging around here.

Best of luck!

[mach schnell]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

MS- good luck! Will the BMW be your only car? With 2 kids and a wife, how will you get by with one vehicle, if it is?

BMW is my driver (the Porsche and VW were my cars) My wife has a Subaru (yeah, she chose it over a Volvo) - now she wants an MB - so as soon as I can get her to actually care about someting and respect her car (translation - keep it clean and organized for longer than 2 minutes) we'll look at an upgrade for her. She also doesn't know how to drive a manual, so it helps to keep her away from (and trashing) my car (s)

I feel very sorry for the next unsuspecting person who buys your traded-in Boxster.

Ya know, though - i had almost 10 people from two different Porsche dealers drive my 987 and they all denied the vibration or defective tires was anything serious. So, who ever buys that car will have something that Porsche has declared perfect!

[mach schnell]

Originally Posted by 986Jim

Kinda makes me laugh, you got rid of the car because you couldn't sort out a shimmy.. lol. Well whatever makes you happy. Some rims and tires would have solved your problem and cost around 3k so you would still be even and have your Boxster.

Oh well at least teh BMW is nice (barf) ... They styling is just so ugly, I have no idea what they were thinking when they did the latest BM's..

Imagine you're driving a car that has the wicked shimmy or stutter when you hit the brakes (can you picture that). If so, now picture that shimmy occurring in your >$50k performance sports car all the time! Further, that shimmy made your 'supposed to be incredible handling' german roadster feel both unstable and irritating to drive! Consider then, that in the time span of just over a month - you had the car looked at 4 different times by 2 different P - dealerships and each time got half ass responses and bull**************** with little to nothing done either to investigate or actually fix the problem. I guess, if you're the kind of guy that buys a new car (with a problem) and then says - da huh - i'll go spend more of my money to fix a warrantied car's problem, rather than having the company take care of it - then you're probably the perfect customer for Porsche - is this instance. On the other hand, you might have a point 986Jim if my car was a used 986 purchased without a warranty rather than a 4 month new 987.

Either way, you gotta now it wasn't easy - the day I drove off the lot with that Porsche - my first one and a virgin at that - I was damn proud and excited. And the first couple thousand miles were great. But then....

Sure, it's a little different now when I open my garage, but as I said before, I'll come back to Porsche - the slut's not crossed out of my black book yet!

[2kwiq]

Originally Posted by 986Jim

Oh well at least teh BMW is nice (barf) ... They styling is just so ugly, I have no idea what they were thinking when they did the latest BM's..

he's got the coupe so it's the E46 99-05 style.



We need PICS.

[Rondog]

Mach,,, my office is 5 min from Sterling, so i think i will go test the shimmy-mobile....gotta wonder what the sales guy thinks when i pull up in a car that looks identical to yours --(sans yellow calipers!).....anyway good luck with the Bimmer.

Post some pics!!!!


AUF WIEDERSEHEN!

[mach schnell]

i'll post pix this weekend!

if you drive the car - take it on a route where you can get it into 4th or 5th gear so you can run freeway speeds wit rpm's over 3000. the shimmy/stutter should be obvious!

[eslai]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

The M3 is a sweet car and on my fav 10 list. Drives wonderfully and should prove to be most reliable.

He didn't buy an M3, Bruce.


Good luck Mach, hope this one proves satisfying!

[wild1poet2]

Originally Posted by eslai

He didn't buy an M3, Bruce.


Good luck Mach, hope this one proves satisfying!

I'm confused now. Is it an M3 (ie: is the ZHP package the M3 spec?)?

If not did you, MS, consider the M3?

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by wild1poet2

I'm confused now. Is it an M3 (ie: is the ZHP package the M3 spec?)?

If not did you, MS, consider the M3?

Opps, I must have been projecting.

Well, the 330 is also a sweet ride! I have a 328I in stock right now and am very impressed with the car.

[blinkwatt]

Best of luck with your new car!

[denverpete]

Originally Posted by 986Jim

Kinda makes me laugh, you got rid of the car because you couldn't sort out a shimmy.. lol. Well whatever makes you happy. Some rims and tires would have solved your problem and cost around 3k so you would still be even and have your Boxster.

I think SOMEONE (won't say who) hasn't read all of the posts, trials, and tribulations surrounding MS' car - but whatever makes you happy....

Best of luck with your new BMW, MachSchnell! We'll miss your Porsche related comments - but I think you're always welcome here...

[Perfectlap]

good luck and please consider a 2003-2004 986S in the future.
(a bargain sportscar with all the bugs worked out).

newer is not always better

I'm sorry to hear you decided to give up the Box, but under the circumstances, I do not blame you.

I do have one question though, and I realise this is hindsight at this point, but I am curious nonetheless....

When you went to the dealerships to inform them of these problems, did you ever actually take a tech or the service manager out on a test drive and reproduce the problem for them? I know that when I had a problem with one of my previous cars, and I'd drop it off for the dealership to fix it, they could not reprodue the symptoms. I had an intermittent power loss that resulted in the car bucking hard, and a blip on the engine light. Usually whilst trying to merge into freeway traffic. Finally I said, "Let me drive." And I took the disbeliever out and reproduced the problem. They couldn't very well deny it when my car bucked so hard it threw the guy into the dash (he wasn't wearing his belt... tsk tsk.) "Did you feel that?"

They kept the car until they could solve the problem. Took 3 weeks to track down the broken coil pick up wire, but I never had a problem with that car after that.

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck with the Bimmer.