The real reason why we let go of the Z

After planning for months to come, the best decision was to let go of the Z. And it sold very quick after many interest shown on the car. Read more to see why the Z had to be sold. 

Many people knows me for switching cars per 6-8 months this past 2 years. This is kind of my way of justifying why I had to let go of one of the most desired & fun cars. Though, we'd have to scroll back months before. 

The Z became my project & daily driver after selling my second BMW, an E46 Convertible 330Ci. It was then that I had made a promise to move on from European cars for the time being after my pocket was abused in the cause of cooling system casualty. A friend of mine recommended the Z and I was lined up to buy it 15 minutes after selling my E46. At the time, my father also let go of his Z3M also known as klownshoe for a Z32 Twin Turbo, which helped fuel my ego of purchasing the Z.  During the beginning of the ownership it was known that the maintenance on the car had to be caught up and things needed upgrading. 

At first it was simple what I had planned for it. Mostly suspension & brake upgrades and a daily-able track car. One month into ownership, I purchased a set BC coilovers and drove it hard through the mountains in Gatlinburg for SE Gatlinburg and my own 21st birthday. It was a good feeling, it had a sustained amount of power, and overall easy to handle. Months later, I got some new shoes for it (Konig Hexaforms) and ran a squared setup recommended by forum guys due to better handling as this car is mainly front heavy. I also experimented with daily driving a beloved set of tires that drift guys usually runs (Kenda KR20). Though Z33s are known to be easy to work on and pretty reliable, these cars are also known for burning through oil in which mine didn't do but was leaking upper pan. The subframe had to be dropped, alongside steering rack, which wasn't too bad to do but it was time consuming. 

While having power in a rigid coupe is fun, I started comparing it to other cars I've had in the past. It was easy to handle, very grippy, and pretty reliable. Well, for the most part. It was pretty similar to my old E36 (325is) but with more power, and more weight. It wasn't as quintessential as the E46 Convertible, and it was ergonomically awful comparing to my TSX (CL9). Alongside the time I had the Z, I was often busy with school and developing how Subtlenoise will be in the future, which lead to the quest of getting one car that can do most of these jobs. Most automotive enthusiast on tight budget understands this feeling and most of them are on the same quest of finding the "perfect car" that truly fits their standards. This made me realize that I had to let go of it, the upgrades needed were far out of my budget and it wasn't going to help if I had to travel to many events in the upcoming year. I listed it for trades, many gave me cash offers instead in which I took and the car was sold within 4-5 days after listing it. The Z will be missed, but there are more adventures to come with the next car.

What's next? as you might ask me.
Well the answer is still unknown. I've had my reason for selling each cars that I have had under my ownership. I'm looking for an ergonomically efficient car with decent power, easy upgrades and one that can make it to California and back. Stay tuned, and I'll be giving an update on it.

words & photos by : Basyir Nasution