Higgs Boson wroteover 200 cars! I take it back, I am far from the poster boy for a serial car buyer, clearly I am just small beans at 22 cars46, am in the 250 range (including about 25 motorcycles) since 14. have had at least 2 cars since 14 (no I couldn't drive them yet) and as many as 8 at one time, currently settled in at 6, have been swapping them every 6 months to 1 year but I guess I got tired of it and found a good base to work around for now, not really interested in anything right now, just waiting for ZR1X allocation at the moment, but otherwise...meh.
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04-14-2026LAST POST
I am a huge fan of the Emira but never driven one, if the engine and tranny are as lack luster as you guys say, it is hugely disappointing. I think it looks a million times better than an R8 TBH.
baege wroteIn 2003 I got a letter from the DVLA (The registrations authority in the UK) informing me that I was being investigated as they suspected I was a car dealer and not paying my taxes....holy cow! that is a lot of cars.
I am at 22 cars and similar age!
The number to trigger them? 14. I had 14 cars in 2003. It was even more ridiculous when you understand that from 98 to 2017 I worked at sea.
In 2003 I was home on leave for a total of 4 months. The other 8 I was in the Persian gulf on a tanker.
The cars I bought in 2003 were:
6x Ford Escort RS Turbos...
1x Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 (UK Only...kind of like a WRX, without any special bits)
1x Peugeot 205 GTi
1x Peugeot 309 GTi
1x Mk2 Golf 1.8 Driver
2x Ford Fiesta Mk2 XR2s
1x BMW E30 318is (This I should have kept forever....)
1x Ford Fieta 1.1 Bonus (Was a gift for my girlfriend at the time... Should have spent that money on something else....)
RabRS wroteI'm the exact opposite. I've owned 6 cars in 55 years, and 2 of those were "short lived" (less than 2 years).I’m 47. I’m on my 108th car. More than half of those were rubbish though.
I love the car I buy after doing months of research, then I mod it (OEM+), then I marry it...and drive the hell out of it (often until they die).
Socal_R8 wrotescheduled a test drive tomorrow ....hope I hate it
Not the R8 man!
big thanks to Dennis at Lotus of San Diego. Super chill no hard sell, just scannned my license and basically threw me the keys to the V6 manual demo car and said "have fun"
The demo car wasn't the greatest spec- black on black on black with the standard leather steering wheel and seats
Took the car for a spirited drive for about 30 minutes....
Things I loved
The looks...it is a great looking car in just about every color. I've always loved the 458/488 and this is very inspired by that look. Looks better in person than the pictures.
The steering feel... nice tight steering rack
The handling....car felt very planted
The super charger whistle.....pretty cool, especially with the window down
If you like attention, the gets plenty.
Things I liked
The exhust sounded pretty good for a stock set up.
The stick...once you got used to the gear box.
The seats...very comfortable with lots of adjustments.
The track mode...was the best out of the three.
The suspension ...Felt good and comfortable enough, even with the sports suspension.
Things I didn't like
The steering wheel....felt like cheap plastic even though it is "leather"
The Alcantara wheel option was much much better.
The pedals...they are tiny and all bunched up closely together. I get the heel toe thing, but I much prefer the set up in my R8 and previous Cayman...99% of the buyers arent going to be heel toeing on a daily basis...
Not a fan of the digital speedo ....I think some old school analog guages would be much better for such a vehicle
The seating position....I like to sit low in my sports cars, the seat does not go low enough at all.
The tech....didn't seem to want to connect to Bluetooth on my phone. it also didn't seem to want to pop the trunk using the digital screen. Maybe I was doing something wrong.
In conclusion ....
Love the car, would hope to have one someday but........made me appriciate the R8 after getting back in it after the test drive. It felt much more refined and the growl of the V8 makes it feel more powerful, even though the Emira felt quicker. The click clack of the gated shifter is hard to beat. Emira should have done a gated shifter.
Looks wise, there isn't anything in its price range that can compete ...a mini 488 with a manual for around $100K is hard to beat
The seat position and the pedals were a bit annoying, but all in all it is a great car for the money.
If I was in the market for a brand new mid-engine car with a manual with a little over $100K budget, this car would top the list....It just has so much more wow factor over its closest competition (718 GTS 4.0)
I won't be selling my R8 for one anytime soon, but I sure would love to have one someday.....I'm sure there is a way to fix the issues that I had with the car, which weren't many.
some of the other colors on the lot here
Socal_R8 wroteenjoyed your reviewwell....... my thoughts based on 20-30 the test drive.
big thanks to Dennis at Lotus of San Diego. Super chill no hard sell, just scannned my license and basically threw me the keys to the V6 manual demo car and said "have fun"
The demo car wasn't the greatest spec- black on black on black with the standard leather steering wheel and seats
Took the car for a spirited drive for about 30 minutes....
Things I loved
The looks...it is a great looking car in just about every color. I've always loved the 458/488 and this is very inspired by that look. Looks better in person than the pictures.
The steering feel... nice tight steering rack
The handling....car felt very planted
The super charger whistle.....pretty cool, especially with the window down
If you like attention, the gets plenty.
Things I liked
The exhust sounded pretty good for a stock set up.
The stick...once you got used to the gear box.
The seats...very comfortable with lots of adjustments.
The track mode...was the best out of the three.
The suspension ...Felt good and comfortable enough, even with the sports suspension.
Things I didn't like
The steering wheel....felt like cheap plastic even though it is "leather"
The Alcantara wheel option was much much better.
The pedals...they are tiny and all bunched up closely together. I get the heel toe thing, but I much prefer the set up in my R8 and previous Cayman...99% of the buyers arent going to be heel toeing on a daily basis...
Not a fan of the digital speedo ....I think some old school analog guages would be much better for such a vehicle
The seating position....I like to sit low in my sports cars, the seat does not go low enough at all.
The tech....didn't seem to want to connect to Bluetooth on my phone. it also didn't seem to want to pop the trunk using the digital screen. Maybe I was doing something wrong.
In conclusion ....
Love the car, would hope to have one someday but........made me appriciate the R8 after getting back in it after the test drive. It felt much more refined and the growl of the V8 makes it feel more powerful, even though the Emira felt quicker. The click clack of the gated shifter is hard to beat. Emira should have done a gated shifter.
Looks wise, there isn't anything in its price range that can compete ...a mini 488 with a manual for around $100K is hard to beat
The seat position and the pedals were a bit annoying, but all in all it is a great car for the money.
If I was in the market for a brand new mid-engine car with a manual with a little over $100K budget, this car would top the list....It just has so much more wow factor over its closest competition (718 GTS 4.0)
I won't be selling my R8 for one anytime soon, but I sure would love to have one someday.....I'm sure there is a way to fix the issues that I had with the car, which weren't many.
some of the other colors on the lot here
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its always a nice feeling to get back in your car after a test drive and I say I like this better
I kinda called it...you like the engine character and sound and manual better in the R8
if they put a V8 in the Emira with a manual...we both may be R8 to Emira V8 converts...
baege wroteyeah, definitely a different animal....had the demo car been a better spec, say zinc grey with white interior with the Alcantara (my dream spec) it probably would have been a much better impression.....still a very sexy car, just not quite ready to sell the classic R8 for one just yet....enjoyed your review
its always a nice feeling to get back in your car after a test drive and I say I like this better
I kinda called it...you like the engine character and sound and manual better in the R8
if they put a V8 in the Emira with a manual...we both may be R8 to Emira V8 converts...
Alfisti wroteno denying, the Emira is a great looking car....just don't know if looks are enough to get me to bite just yet.This is great feedback, love it, great to get an honest opinion. When i see the cars side by side like in that last picture, I feel like I couldn't resist the EMira.
the seating position was ruinous
The car I traded in to get the M2 I bought in February? I'd had it 15 months.
The car I traded in to get that one? 24 months.
The car I traded in to get my truck (which I still have and is my second car)? 18 months.
The car I traded in to get that car? 36 months.
The car before that? 21 months?
And so on.....
My truck is by far the vehicle I've had longest. It will be 6 years this June. And no plan to get rid of it anytime soon. Just too practical. And built like a tank.
bimmermookie wrotesimilar pattern for meAnother serial buyer here. Not that I'm proud of it. Or for that matter embarrassed by it lol.
The car I traded in to get the M2 I bought in February? I'd had it 15 months.
The car I traded in to get that one? 24 months.
The car I traded in to get my truck (which I still have and is my second car)? 18 months.
The car I traded in to get that car? 36 months.
The car before that? 21 months?
And so on.....
My truck is by far the vehicle I've had longest. It will be 6 years this June. And no plan to get rid of it anytime soon. Just too practical. And built like a tank.
12-24 months between cars
except for the E86 which I had for 4 years, the longest I have had any car, still miss it!
and oh yeah the C7 is the car I had for the shortest amount of time, 3 weeks, did not vibe with that car!
baege wroteAnother similarity we have is that we've been keeping the BMWs longer -- then missing them when they are gone!similar pattern for me
12-24 months between cars
except for the E86 which I had for 4 years, the longest I have had any car, still miss it!
and oh yeah the C7 is the car I had for the shortest amount of time, 3 weeks, did not vibe with that car!
My first Bimmer was an 09 E90 LCI M-Sport that I got CPO with only 14k miles on it. One of the few cars I've bought used. I had that 38 months. Outstanding car, absolutely loved that straight six and many others things about it. Also got it for a great price. But grew to hate the color combo (which combo was prob part of the reason for the great price LOL). And I wanted to go back to a manual trans.
Traded that in on a MK7 GTI. Was a lot of fun but reminded me that I really don't like FWD. Also it had some weird electrical gremlins.
Sooooo that quickly went in trade on my second Bimmer, a 2016 M235i with 6MT. Ordered it to my spec from the factory. At that point in my life this car was a big reach for me and I was over the moon. It was far and away the most impressive car I'd ever had. I was amazed at how competent it was. How well engineered. But it was so much so that it felt a bit sterile. I wanted something more raw and visceral. So that car lasted 36 months. But trading it in proved to be my biggest car regret. It's one of the few cars I wish I still had. Based on the miles I put on the cars since, it would have less than 120k today.
Fast forward to my new M2: Time will tell of course. It's only been about 6 weeks and 1800 miles. But so far this car is what I loved about the M235i -- but more so. And with an edge that car didn't have, making it more visceral, with a sense of danger that the M235 never quite mustered. So I'm in love. Assuming no mishaps or big mechanical issues, I see being with this car longer than the others.
My BMWs have made me a fan of the brand.
By these standards I keep my cars forever!
In this vein: I know a guy that restores cars and does a fantastic job. Every single one he does he swears that this one is the one, he's never getting rid of it. Every single one has been sold shortly after he finishes. I think he enjoys the chase more than anything.,
bimmermookie wroteI also loved my M2 Comp manual so I think you will really grow to love your M2 and it may just be your longest termer!Another similarity we have is that we've been keeping the BMWs longer -- then missing them when they are gone!
My first Bimmer was an 09 E90 LCI M-Sport that I got CPO with only 14k miles on it. One of the few cars I've bought used. I had that 38 months. Outstanding car, absolutely loved that straight six and many others things about it. Also got it for a great price. But grew to hate the color combo (which combo was prob part of the reason for the great price LOL). And I wanted to go back to a manual trans.
Traded that in on a MK7 GTI. Was a lot of fun but reminded me that I really don't like FWD. Also it had some weird electrical gremlins.
Sooooo that quickly went in trade on my second Bimmer, a 2016 M235i with 6MT. Ordered it to my spec from the factory. At that point in my life this car was a big reach for me and I was over the moon. It was far and away the most impressive car I'd ever had. I was amazed at how competent it was. How well engineered. But it was so much so that it felt a bit sterile. I wanted something more raw and visceral. So that car lasted 36 months. But trading it in proved to be my biggest car regret. It's one of the few cars I wish I still had. Based on the miles I put on the cars since, it would have less than 120k today.
Fast forward to my new M2: Time will tell of course. It's only been about 6 weeks and 1800 miles. But so far this car is what I loved about the M235i -- but more so. And with an edge that car didn't have, making it more visceral, with a sense of danger that the M235 never quite mustered. So I'm in love. Assuming no mishaps or big mechanical issues, I see being with this car longer than the others.
My BMWs have made me a fan of the brand.
BMWs definitely bring a joy to the driving experience few other brands can match!
Phillies8008 wroteI see you keep the right ones with your Z4M there!Man, I kinda sorta thought I might qualify, but some of you guys are in a whole different ballpark, lol.
By these standards I keep my cars forever!
In this vein: I know a guy that restores cars and does a fantastic job. Every single one he does he swears that this one is the one, he's never getting rid of it. Every single one has been sold shortly after he finishes. I think he enjoys the chase more than anything.,
baege wroteThat one's never going anywhere, unless I somehow found a sweetheart deal on a Z4M Coupe. But that seems somewhat unlikely, lol.I see you keep the right ones with your Z4M there!
Phillies8008 wrotegood call, wish I had kept mine!That one's never going anywhere, unless I somehow found a sweetheart deal on a Z4M Coupe. But that seems somewhat unlikely, lol.
also always sort of looking for a Z4 coupe manual (would prefer M but will take SI), the good news we are in different markets!
baege wroteWent thru 5 cars in a 6 year span in the early to mid 2000's. Got the E86 M Coupe in late 2007 and have had it ever since. Love it!except for the E86 which I had for 4 years, the longest I have had any car, still miss it!
