[Hans Stuck]

I just received the letter today from Cal Western in San Diego. I've been accepted into their LLM Program!! WooHoo!

I've been trying to get out of Maryland for a while and this may just be the ticket to a brighter (figuratively and literally) future.

If I can work it out to enroll and move, it'll mean that I will no longer require the AWD services of the S4. Do you need AWD in San Diego? You need a convertible! Where better to have one? And as a student (34 yrs. old), with issues of student parking and apartment living, this scenario has S2000 written all over it. The Elise would be totally inappropriate.

Just another factor to throw into the mix. Two weeks to go until I find out if I get my 20% pay raise here in Maryland. That'll be another factor.

Why do you care? You don't. I'm just "sharing" with the group.

It's a big moment for me ... with the slight damper that the Elise dream may be put on hold. Of course, this all could mean more $$ down the road....to the extent where I may not have to pinch pennies and crunch numbers to get a Lotus. I am hoping to pick up a new car in Maranello someday. THAT is the ultimate goal!

 

[jdl8r]

San Diego is amazing. You'll never return to DC/Maryland - I can tell you that.

With the 998 - you'll get your canyon carving in... I use my RC for that very purpose. However, taking a passenger is a little difficult and not as fun. That's where the elise is perfect!

If you plan to commute to/from school/work - The elise's fuel economy you'll enjoy. Petro here in Socal is 240/gallon. Also, it hardly ever rains. But it's a toss-up when you think of parking lots and service shops etc.

If you plan on jaunting in canyons - forget the s2k and go with the Elise. You'll be glad you did! The roads here for bikes [and Elise's] are fantastic. I will never move anywhere else.

 

[shay2nak]

congratulations!

 

[jml1952]

We have a new rule. You can't move to California unless you get someone else to leave. Too many cars on the road already.

 

[tidalwdave]

We have a new rule. You can't move to California unless you get someone else to leave. Too many cars on the road already.

I use to live in Portland. Thanks to all you CA people, it got too expensive. You should all stay in your state and not jack up prices in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[rtking]

Congrats! My recommendation: Get yourself a used BMW convertible for daily driving and get the Elise anyway. With all the fun, twisty roads around Southern California, you'll really regret not having the Elise.

Bob

 

[Modern Wedgie]

I live in SD. I've got the elise for fun, and a beater daily driver to get to and from work.

To be honest with you, I wouldnt park even an s2000 in student parking. You'll acquire door dings faster than you can repair them. Trust me, a beater honda for the daily is a great idea, and have the elise for days you can enjoy it! Besides, with traffic around here, you wouldnt enjoy driving to and from work in any car.

 

[jml1952]

I use to live in Portland. Thanks to all you CA people, it got too expensive. You should all stay in your state and not jack up prices in the Pacific Northwest.

I lived in Florida for 3.5 years while completing graduate school and working for a bit. But at least I had the good grace to return to my native California when I was done.

 

[Sownman]

>>>If I can work it out to enroll and move, it'll mean that I will no longer require the AWD services of the S4. Do you need AWD in San Diego? You need a convertible! Where better to have one? And as a student (34 yrs. old), with issues of student parking and apartment living, this scenario has S2000 written all over it. The Elise would be totally inappropriate. <<<<

I seem to remember a "My cars on the boat" post from you where the Elise was out and the S2000 was the choice. Sounds to me like you're still trying to talk yourself into the s2000. Frankly, both are lousy choices for a single car owning student living in a dorm or apartment. Either the Elise or S2000 deserve a garage and you deserve a car that can easily carry stuff and friends.

No longer a student, but I remember

Steve

 

[Hans Stuck]

>>>If I can work it out to enroll and move, it'll mean that I will no longer require the AWD services of the S4. Do you need AWD in San Diego? You need a convertible! Where better to have one? And as a student (34 yrs. old), with issues of student parking and apartment living, this scenario has S2000 written all over it. The Elise would be totally inappropriate. <<<<

I seem to remember a "My cars on the boat" post from you where the Elise was out and the S2000 was the choice. Sounds to me like you're still trying to talk yourself into the s2000. Frankly, both are lousy choices for a single car owning student living in a dorm or apartment. Either the Elise or S2000 deserve a garage and you deserve a car that can easily carry stuff and friends.

No longer a student, but I remember

Steve

You're right. I am rethinking everything now. My plan -- as of today -- sell the M3 (pays for tuition) and the S4 (not needed) and buy a MINI Cooper S w/ Nav. for use in and around San Diego. It would be economical (decent on gas), fun to drive, practical (can carry some stuff around), and the NAV would help me find stuff in a new town. It would also be under warranty, etc.

I may even consider the John Cooper Works package if the MINI becomes my only car. I'll need to know if the JCW hurts driveability around town. The Ducati will stay in Maryland until I actually establish a new home out west. The 1st year will be apartment living and I don't want to be tied down with storage issues.

Your thoughts?

 

[Genjuro]

San Diego is amazing. You'll never return to DC/Maryland - I can tell you that.

While I love SD, I wouldn't move there unless I had some major cash. To live in SD and maintain my current lifestyle, I would have to increase my income 2.5x. Also, I'm 8 min from work, have a very low state tax rate, and I am able to enjoy the seasons.

While I've never liked MD, I think VA is great. Everything is moderate here. Not too hot for long, not too cold for long. The beach is 1.5 hours away, DC is 1.5 hours away, skiing is 1.5 hours away, the mountains are 1.5 hours away. While we don't have places like Coronado (SD), the River Walk (San Antonio), etc.... we do have housing for around $110 a square foot for the nice area and a little bit of everything in moderation.

Again, if I had a few million, you would find me in a large house on Coronado beach...

 

[shay2nak]

forget the JCW package... you should check out the West Tuning kit for the Cooper S. 244 HP! It was just introduced recently and was featured in Top Gear or Car magazine. (I'm not sure which issue). Strip out the Mini to save weight and 244HP will get that mofo runnin'.

I checked on the JCW, it's a rip off in my opinion. The dealer wanted 5k plus installation. The body kit was another 3 or 4k. Get that and the body kit and you'll be spending $30k easy, stripped out too!. For a mini...i don't know sounds too much. You can get kits from AC Schnitzer, Hamann and other tuners that will give you same HP/ Torque for much less.

 

[MattG]

I use to live in Portland. Thanks to all you CA people, it got too expensive. You should all stay in your state and not jack up prices in the Pacific Northwest.

Hey, I'm doing my part to balance things out. I used to live in Oregon (Silverton) but moved to California.

 

[Randy Chase]

While I love SD, I wouldn't move there unless I had some major cash. To live in SD and maintain my current lifestyle, I would have to increase my income 2.5x. Also, I'm 8 min from work, have a very low state tax rate, and I am able to enjoy the seasons.

Curious why you would have to increase income by 2.5x???? What here is that expensive?

 

[Derek]

forget the JCW package... you should check out the West Tuning kit for the Cooper S. 244 HP! It was just introduced recently and was featured in Top Gear or Car magazine. (I'm not sure which issue). Strip out the Mini to save weight and 244HP will get that mofo runnin'.

I checked on the JCW, it's a rip off in my opinion. The dealer wanted 5k plus installation. The body kit was another 3 or 4k. Get that and the body kit and you'll be spending $30k easy, stripped out too!. For a mini...i don't know sounds too much. You can get kits from AC Schnitzer, Hamann and other tuners that will give you same HP/ Torque for much less.

Yeah, but you'll void your factory warranty in the process.

 

[Hans Stuck]

While I love SD, I wouldn't move there unless I had some major cash. To live in SD and maintain my current lifestyle, I would have to increase my income 2.5x. Also, I'm 8 min from work, have a very low state tax rate, and I am able to enjoy the seasons.

While I've never liked MD, I think VA is great. Everything is moderate here. Not too hot for long, not too cold for long. The beach is 1.5 hours away, DC is 1.5 hours away, skiing is 1.5 hours away, the mountains are 1.5 hours away. While we don't have places like Coronado (SD), the River Walk (San Antonio), etc.... we do have housing for around $110 a square foot for the nice area and a little bit of everything in moderation.

Again, if I had a few million, you would find me in a large house on Coronado beach...

I'd only be in San Diego for a year at most. I've been there to visit and loved it. I know it's expensive. The grad. program has it's Fall Semester classes at night so that students can earn some money during the day. I'll try to work with some law firm if I can. The Spring semester is entirely clinical stuff with a Federal Agency. They can place students in San Diego, LA, or even in Nevada or Arizona. I'd volunteer to go to Nevada or Arizona because I'd rather live there. I'll be trying to network my internship into a permanent position.

Anyway, my fiance is a nurse and she can work anywhere. What's more -- she can be placed with a Traveling Nursing Agency. They do 3 months assignments in hospitals. The beauty is that she gets a FREE 1 bedroom apartment wherever she works. We can upgrade to a 2 bedroom (if we want to) for maybe $300 / month. So my housing expense will be minimal.

With regard to my car situation, I could just take the 4 year old S4 out the San Diego, but the twin-turbo V6 sucks down gas. It's also out of warranty. I thought the MINI Cooper S might be the better move. It wouldn't cost much more and would be ideal for a city environment. I still wouldn't want to get it all beat up though. I'd think about leasing it, but I suspect we'll be taking a lot of weekend drives. And although people have gotten along with road maps for 70+ years, the NAV feature sure would be nice for a new city. San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, wherever.

 

[Au111]

Buy a Thomas Brothers Guide (excellent map-book) instead of a new car with GPS. (No need to put auto debt on top of LLM debt.) Sell the S4. Take the M3 with you. Even after you drive it for a year, I suspect that you'll be able to sell the M3 in SoCal more easily than in MD.

And as a displaced San Diegan looking to move back, all I can say is that real estate prices there are out-of-control.

 

[Au111]

If you really want GPS, add a Garmin StreetPilot (or something similar) to the dash of your current car.

 

[Hans Stuck]

Buy a Thomas Brothers Guide (excellent map-book) instead of a new car with GPS. (No need to put auto debt on top of LLM debt.) Sell the S4. Take the M3 with you. Even after you drive it for a year, I suspect that you'll be able to sell the M3 in SoCal more easily than in MD.

And as a displaced San Diegan looking to move back, all I can say is that real estate prices there are out-of-control.

But do I want to take a 14 year old concours garage queen to California so that I can park it in student parking? Granted, it's not a $50k car, but it could age significantly during one year of daily use. Also, if the S14 engine in the M3 needs anything, that would require $$ and a mechanic with the know-how to work on it. No loaner-car option.

I'll give it some thought, but the last thing I need is my old BMW leaving me stranded in a town where I don't really know anyone.

 

[John Stimson]

Hans: Used Miata. Light, RWD, convertible, great handling, and cheap/common enough that you can park it in student parking with no worries.