Hi All,

I'm looking to switch things up for my car setup. At the moment, I have a 2012 Stage 1 Mazdaspeed3 as my daily driver and a blue/white stripe 1997 Hennessey package Dodge Viper as my weekend car.

So here is the problem. I absolutely LOVE the Viper, but to be honest, I stare at it in my garage more than I drive it (1,000 miles in 2 years) for a few reasons:

1. I don't drive it on weekdays because I don't want to standout at work. I am a manager at an accounting firm and there are people here making $500-$1M+ year and they drive your "standard" Audi/BMW/MB. Even though they likely own exotics, they leave those at home.
2. Even if I drive it anywhere, I seem to worry more about the car than whatever I end up doing because I'm concerned with what will happen to the car (vandalism)

With that said, I've been looking at a few options to switch up my setup to hold me over until I'm ready to buy a Porsche 911 Turbo (2-3 years). The purpose of these setups is to be able to drive either car at any time and have a blast driving it. See the setups below and let me know which you think would be best or even better, recommend your own setup!

Setup 1:
2000 Tial 770 S4 Avant - I've owned a Stage 3 S4 and really miss the car. The Tial setup will put you around the 600awhp
2000 Miata - This is really just to toy around with. I've owned one before and surprisingly enjoyed it. Doesn't matter if something breaks, because parts are so cheap and I'll end up turboing. 230rwhp in a 2200lbs car is fun
$25-$30K in the bank - Selling both current cars and having the setup above, will result in me having around $25-$30K left over to save

Setup 2:
2000 Tial 770 S4 Avant - I've owned a Stage 3 S4 and really miss the car. The Tial setup will put you around the 600awhp
E55 Eurocharged - I want manual cars, but open to this. Haven't done much research on E55, but I know they are known for being monsters "with class". I love torque and from the looks of it, these guys are torque monsters and easy to mod.
$20-$25K in the bank - Selling both current cars and having the setup above, will result in me having around $20-$25K left over to save

 

Non specific advice but this is a no brainer. To me, 2-3 years is a very short time frame. I'd not spend a dime on anything but the goal car (Porsche 911 Turbo for you). Patiently wait for the right buyer for your Viper and continue with your existing daily driver. Should result in more $$$ in the bank and possibly acquire your 911 sooner than planned, or a better specimen of it. When you get close to finding your 911, figure out what to do about the daily driver then.

It seems possible to me that you could be without weekend car for a shorter period than you might think (perhaps only a year or so).

 

Highly recommend you drive an E55 as it's a very different experience from the S4 and Miata. Obviously it has way more motor than the other two, but with air suspension and brake-by-wire, it's not going to be as engaging, or "fun" per se.

It's very much an apples and oranges comparison. Plus, you mentioned the Tial Audi twice...you may be telling yourself something

The E55 is truly a great car that's both easy to work on and can bring a smile to your face when you bury the throttle. You just need to drive one to see if will bring you the kind of engagement you're looking for. Oh, keep in mind if you test drive, a large portion of the used ones out there have dead or dying intercooler pumps, and may not live up to your expectations.

 

If you want to spend 15k or less on the 2nd car in both those options, id go with a e55 or e63. cheap, fun.

If you have $25k-$35K hands down no brainer id go 09-14 CTS-v. Ive had both and the CTS-v is hand down a better car in every aspect. They are cheaper to mod as well.

Only reason i sold mine was to to get the two cars below in my sig, and i have no regrets. Very happy with my e55/355

 

So here is the thing. The 911 Turbo is my "future" car that I am wanting but I keep coming back and asking myself "is it really worth spending $70-$80K for ONE car at my age right now?" I'm 30 years old, got married last year, already own a house but looking to buy another and kids will be coming in 2-3 years I'm sure. My priorities for that money will likely change and in reality, don't know if it will work out in the next 2-3 years and will likely happen further down the line.

I've been searching CL/here for cars that have been well maintained and actually already modified to hopefully get the "full experience" of a car. I agree that I'll need to drive one as I'm sure it will be completely different than what I'm used to. The E55 seems to be the car where you just cruise around in, but it has the "go" when you want to have a little straight line, emphasis on straight line, fun. Something you can drive to work with, be in traffic with, and just "relax" with your driving.

At the moment, I have about $70k worth of cars sitting in my garage. As I noted above with the marriage/priorities, is it really something smart to have that much tied up in cars? Especially one that I seem to "boast" more about having than drive it (Viper). So why not bring down my "car setup" to $40K and bank $30K towards another downpayment or whatever it may be. Regardless, I buy all my cars in cash so I can always liquidate the cars if I need cash for something. Only the Mazdaspeed is where I'll lose money (never buying a brand new car again hah).

I think I am set with the Tial S4 but I have yet to drive one. At the moment, I'm just looking at what other "options" I have out there. For the price, here is what I'm seeing what I would likely have to spend:

Built Tial S4: $20-$25K depending on build
Miata: $5-$7K for a well kept not beaten one
E55: $20K seems to be a good medium for a well maintained/modded one

 

FWIW, I have two E55's (W210 and W211) plus an NA Miata (normally aspirated).

*Very* different cars but I like them all; the Mercedes are much more civilized but the Miata is a "tossable" car and gives the full driving experience.

A W211 E55 (well-maintained) and an NB Miata with maximum of 12 psi boost would be a good pair. Anything over 12 psi on the NB engine and you're going to need to install forged rods. And don't even think of installing under-drive pulleys on the turbo'd NB (or NA) motor; oil pump failure is too often the outcome due to crankshaft flexure and rotational dynamics.

As far as the W211 E55, I would insist on fuel pumps and filter and relay every 60K miles ($1000). I would also rebuild the front and rear suspension at 80K miles based upon my experience with my car. Torque is awesome, creature comforts are nice, navigation system is dated, one needs a diagnostic system to own one for a reasonable cost. Be sure to install a scatter shield around the supercharger clutch; a failure of the clutch can (and has) taken out the oil line to the oil cooler located an inch or so away from the clutch.

Good combination of cars you are looking at.

 

You could look at this
Its a plug for my own car I'm selling it's fully done with top parts and spares. Comes with 2 sets of wheels and STAR SDS. you can't beat that.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/222309951765...84.m1555.l2649

 

You're right in the stream with the B5 S4 guys. The usual progression is B5 S4 -> E55 -> 996 Turbo.

I own a B5 S4 Stage 3 K04 car now, and seriously looked at building a motor for Tial 770's, but the pricing came out to around $18k to do everything right (that's just parts and specialized labor. I planned to do a lot of work myself). That's just the motor. And good luck getting that money back when selling the car...which will take a while.

The E55 can make the same power for much less cash, and many less modifications.

But like it was said above, be patient. Find the right buyer for the Viper, replace it with an E55 or a Stage 3 B5 S4, and you'll be all set up to pull the trigger on the 911 when you see your unicorn.

Nothing worse than not having your ducks in a row when the perfect car comes around.

 

Problem is this. I have a Avant Tial 770 built 2.8L B5 S4 already lined up in my sights. It is going to be very rare to get picky for this exact setup (avant, built motor, tial 770 setup) so I have a feeling I'm going to end up with the S4 and then try to get rid of my Mazdaspeed3. I don't want to be in a position where I am forced to sell my Viper quickly for some low price as you noted.

 

I say go for the E55 and Tial'ed B5S4.

I have the exact same combo in my driveway (but with 2868's)
The E55 is the family cruiser and the B5 is for fun.

 

How is the GT28 setup? I owned a Stage 3 S4 about 5-6 years ago and loved it but have been looking at Tial setups because 400awhp cars are no longer "exciting". The Tial setup I'm looking at puts down 514/539 to the wheels on 91 pump gas and 630/668 to the wheels on 103 oct. I'll drive it to see how the power band/turbo lag is, but should be doable I'd think.

 

Sorry to bump this back up, but wanted your thoughts @sonu_e55

 

The turbos provide pretty good mid range in comparison to most similar sized engine/turbo combos making this kind of hp. It was my daily driver for a few years and I loved it. Very different from a k04 setup, you have to get used to living higher up in the rev range.