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MjC
Kevin
My previous ZX2 didn't have a sunroof, and I was all gung ho to have a custom one installed. There is a new range of "slim line" roofs that go for several hundred more. Curious little thing about those, is that the Controls where in the Doors. I have seen them and they take up only about 1 inch of headroom. Versus the 2 inches that the factory installed ones do. Still I have always like sunroofs and I think they are terrific.
The local Ford dealer called me today - wants me to stop by and visit tomorrow. He still has his two black S/Rs. We are still a thousand away from trading. Somebody locally just showed up with a zinc yellow s/r - looks great. Hate to trade for black, but choices are thinning out fast. Found 2 yellow ones in Wichita, but they want an arm & a leg for them.
I have noticed a considerable improvement in performance in the last few months. I am starting to believe that it takes a while for modern cars to free up. May be my imagination, though.
Tires...ouch. My stock Goodyear RSAs are just about shot at 17,000 miles. They may not make it to 20K. I didn't think I was being that hard on them. Sure couldn't recommend them as a replacement tire.
Floridian
Thank you all again...
Andrew
I can already see what you mean about Tropic Green being a pain to keep clean. We had a brief shower here today and my car is now covered in little splotches of pollen and dirt. Nice to see somethings are still the same; as the Black ZX2 was the same way. Thankfully my car dealership still has those free car washes and I will be making use of them. Funny thing about the colour, I went with it after driving that Mirage sedan which was in a similar shade of green and thought how classy it looked. I wonder what the president of Mitsubishi would say if he knew that his New Zealand Green Mirage influenced some one in buying a competitor's car... Another motivation for this colour was that in this area most of the ZX2 are either black, white or red. The green I thought may stand out in the pack slightly. Yet today I saw THREE other Tropic Green ZX2s AND one was parked only a couple cars away from mine at work. I suppose now I will be seeing the green ones everywhere.
I still keep thinking though, this new seat feels different from my previous ZX2s seat. This one seems to hug my body a little better, and feels just a little more plush. Very strange indeed. Admitedly I have been driving a variety of strange rental cars since my first Accident. None of which realy had bragging rights for comfort, so perhaps that maybe a part of it.
As for dealerships for some strange reason beyond picking up some parts and the Car Washes I have no desire to visit a dealer again. Well maybe for a photo op involving that Red Cobra. I have some cool ideas that involving triping slaves off in the interior and long exposures that I may try. Perhaps I can sell the photos back to the Dealership???
Floridan,
Please don't scare me with tales of Bad luck and the colour of my car. That's what stopped me dead in my tracks from getting the Red S/R or an used fully loaded Black ZX2 with low mileage. I was scarred away mostly by the colour! According to my family, freinds and co-workers they have never seen such a paranoid driver who is in his late 30s. My cage as they say was rattled pretty badly.
Last night (friday) they had a show on MSNBC covering how they crash cars with dummies. I watched about 10 minutes of and was amazed at how much damage can be done in a 40mph crash, yet I was involved in 75mph crash and walked away practicaly unscathed!!! The insurance company told me that my seat had indeed broken it's mounts as I orginal suspected. They also said that if my seat was one more inch forward I would probably have broken my legs, knees, and anckles rather badly. Pretty terrifing to say the least as I mostly likely would have been crippled for life. I guess I am pretty damn lucky to be in one piece. Still I am a firm believer in the ZX2 abililty to keep the driver safe in a crash now.
Other Stuff,
On the funny side my new ZX2 has power windows, and I keep reaching down to crank the window up and down, and keep forgeting that the switch is how is how it's done now. I also keep forgetting to shut off the alarm with the keyless entry, and insist upon using my keyes to open the doors. As a result all my neighbors now know that I have a car alarm in my new car. Damned annoying actually.
I was also unprepared for the acceleration in the manual version of the car. My Black one was shamefull as it is to admit an automatic. As I have very bad anckles and knees, I thought it might make life a little less painfull when I chose an auto. However I am now glad I chose the manual incarnation of the car for my replacement. The auto was fast, but NO where near as fast as the Manual. On my way to work on Saturday I exited on to the highway and I decided to take her up, and WOW!!! I was up to about 90mph in bare seconds. I had to brake it down quickly as I was upon popular police speed trap, before I realized how fast I was traveling. I now think this car is indeed a worthy successor to my old and much missed late 1987 Accura Integra. With the black ZX2 I was a little cynical in my comparisons to the old girl. Because the Integra, though having much lower Horsepower was in fact much faster off the mark. Not so with the Manual version of the ZX2, it realy does fly like the proverbial rocket!!!
Damn does it feel good to be back in the ZX2, and even better to be driving a manual trans again. I have a feeling I may regret the Manual Trans a few times as I sit in the Washington Dc Area's infamous traffic, however I still say for the sheer pleasure of driving you can't beat a manual trans. I didn't realize how much I had missed it after being so long away from it. Suddenly I feel as if I am driving a car again. Rather than just steering a car.
I drove a ZX3 before buying the ZX2. The ZX3 is a taller, bigger, car with more utility. It steers well and handles o.k. It is not very quick. It has better seats. It is also much more refined than the ZX2.
The ZX2 will accellerate significantly better than a ZX3 but it will also vibrate more. it will also handle better with its lower center of gravity.
The ZX2 is a sporty car. The ZX3 is a sporty hatchback.
If you are of the opinion that the 'New Edge' Focus is a great looking car, then the ZX3 is for you. If you cant get past the ZX3's ponderous creases, then the ZX2 might make you happier in the long run.
If you need a hatchback and extra room to haul people in the back seat, the ZX3 has an edge.
I hope this helps you out!
You will find that dealers are wanting to move out the ZX2s to make romm for various Focus models. In addition to the 1500 dollar rebabte on ZX2, dealers should be soft on their price. The ZX3 on the other hand is selling quite well, has a lot of company advertising behind it and the dealers can hold out for a better price. If you find the right dealer, you might be able to snag a ZX2 S/R in the low 14's (depending on options). The ZX3 will probably go for sometning much nearer sticker. Of course if you have a trade, they will play the numbers around to drive you nuts. They are both very good cars, you can't go wrong either way. Most seem to think the ZX3 has more of a European feel to it (I agree) and the ZX2 seems to be a miniature muscle car that handles very well (in the case of the S/R, extremely well)
If you have children to haul around, you may want to opt for the ZX3. If it is just yourself and one other, the ZX2 is a hell of a lot of fun! Spend the extra money and go for the power and comfort group. I have been running the Air almost every day since I took delivery. Also love the Keyless entry. Unlike others, I have never used my key to get in the car or to access the trunk (Sorry Photog :-)).
Saw a ZX3 Kona at the dealership Saturday. It had 16 in wheels, decent tires. Looked nice, but screw that bicycle business. That's one of the lamest ideas Ford ever had (and they have had a few)
Early this evening I ran my new ZX2 through a car wash after going through some mud. Afterwards I spent about 30min polishing off all the water spots and WOW... Does the Tropic green ever polish up nicely, it realy does shine... This Sunday I hope to shoot some photos of it. I may ask my friend with the silver Focus to pose his car along side mine. I am also still waiting for the photos of my demolished black ZX2. I will call the insurance company in the morning to ask about them.
Well today I ordered the replacement center console today. Happily this time I don't have to pay for the installation. They say it should take about a week to get here. With luck I can enjoy this one for more than 9 days. Which is about how long I had with the one on the my late Black ZX2. My previous Center Console, I sold to a reader of this thread and was Med Priare Tan. In a faith in human nature restoring move, the guy at the service desk recognised me and gave me a deal. He reduced the price further from the originaly quoted $110, and knocked it down to $90. Rather nice of him I thought; especialy as I didn't even ask him to. He also told me the dealer cost was $75 on this part. So any interested purchasers of this item can hopefully use this in their negotiations. I will of course take a few shots of this for anyone considering the Center Console.
In a door edge saving move I also installed some black rubber edge savers. I was a bit concerned about the black, however with the black mudguards left over from my prior Black ZX2 they look rather good.
So now my new new ZX2 is almost complete. I have just about given up on the Topless model idea for the moment given the dismal state of my wallet. Perhaps next spring I can find a willing poser.
The next job is paying for the damned thing.
Consider this:
My recent replacement Tropic Green ZX2 cost $12,300 when I had finnished haggling. The other three ZX2s I was working on was a white one with an indentical package to my green one and a fully loaded white one with anti lock brakes at a different dealership and we came down $12,530. In the latter instance once we agreed upon the price, the dealer started to play games with all sorts of additional charges, so I ruled it out and went back to my original dealer. The Fourth ZX2 that I took a stab at (though only half heartedly) was Red S/R loaded probably the same way as your Black one. For this one we eventually came down to $12,560 on. My problem was that I couldn't get past the colour, and a fear of what it may do to may insurance. IF I where you, I and I wanted it very badly I would try to bring him down to at least $12,700. These prices ARE AFTER ALL the discounts and REBATES.
Ralex is correct about the suspension. Though I suspect the Goodyear F1 tires may play some part in the "bounciness" you mentioned. These are very soft tires, and from what I hear do wear rather badly. Despite this though they deliver truly superb performance, and when combined with a good suspension system realy enable the car to hug the road. The Red S/R I test drove was exactly the same way. However within one country road you will become a believer in the S/R. Try my unofficial test if you like, take the car out to a completely deserted shopping center, and put it through it's paces.
Good Luck in this venture...
Today at work there was a funny and wacky coincidence. A total of 5 ZX2s all year 2000 parked in a row, three of them where Tropic Green (mine was the middle one) the two at the ends of this row where Black and Malibu Blue. It actually looked pretty interesting to see. If I hadn't been with a customer I would have taken a picture of it.
I think it's time we faced facts ZX2ers... Much as we love our ZX2s unless new buyers buy. Our chosen steeds will be gone after next year. I am late buyer to the breed, but even I have fallen in love with it. So there must be something in the car as I usually don't latch on to cars like I have this one.
I am curious did you ever get that S/R you where trying for???
Funny tale about racing here as well. I inadvertently raced a White Dodge Neon sedan. I say inadvertently because I was only trying to see how fast I could get up to 65 from a dead stop. When I was passing through third and into fourth I glanced over my shoulder and there was this Neon with some kids in it trying to keep up wiht me. In a strange move rather than backing off and letting them go on. I just put my right foot all the way down and "poof" like magic they where receding in my rear view mirror. Talk about power on demand. This had better not become a habit for me as I have come to detest street racing. Still it was pretty cool to be able to do it.
Also I discovered yesterday that the Red S/R at Ted Britt ford here in Fairfax was sold. Apparently the salesman got "full boat for it". Someone came in out of the blue, test drove it, wrote a check and drove it away.
Also my ZX2 Web page has now been updated to reflect the changes in my ZX2 world. I hope to be adding a real gallery to it. If anyone is curious the address is:
http://sites.netscape.net/photog0264/ZX2Page.htm
I will add some more photos, and a couple interior shots as well when my new Center Console arrives.
IF that clutch is still around in two or three years I may have one installed in my own car. As I do remember how nice it felt. Please correct me if I am not mistaken Ralex, but I think the S/R has a slighltly different gear box as well. I seem to remember a shorter shift distance between the gears.
Oh my Center Console arrived today, and will be installed on Thursday morning. Latter on tonight I will post some pictures of it on my web sight of it prior to installation. Along with couple other views of both my ZX2s.
Point of interest.
If anyone wants to add the leather wrapped steering wheel and cruise control after the fact. Because of the Airbag it would cost around $1200 including installation. Somehow I am not so desperate for a little bit of leather under my hands. I think I would call in Trak Auto and pick up the immitation leather wrap for about $30 and install it myself...
http://sites.netscape.net/photog0264/ZX2Page.htm
Even more confusingly what it the difference between Cloud Nine white and Oxford white, or Midnight Blue and Twilight Blue? Also I have seen a Bright Atlantic Blue on 1998 model, but not on a year 2000 model. I do know that the Zinc Yellow was an S/R only colour, However the others I am not too sure about. A strange oddity to be sure.
Curiously about the only colours I do NOT like for this car are Autumn Orange, Malibu Blue, Zinc Yellow (sorry Ralex), and Florida Green.
My favourite Colours in order of preference for this car are Midnight Blue, Tropic Green, Black, Silver Frost, Toreado Red, Citrus Yellow, and White (which version of white it happened to be I am unsure of).
I must be way too bored these days to have picked up on such a finite details such as this.
About the three most common colours in Northern Virginia seem to be White, Red, Black occasionaly the odd Tropic Green and Silver Frost. Despite seeing three Tropic Green ones together this seems to have been an Exception. The rarest colour is the Atlantic Blue, followed real closely by Citrus Gold and Autumn Orange. Of these later colours I have seen one each.
Oh and I saw a Florida Green ZX2 in the parking lot when I was out with my co-workers last night. Very weird shade of green almost a teal but a touch brighter.
Also there are various references to a considerable hyped up concept version of the ZX2. This is a version that never made it to the production lines, and features something like 205 horsepower engine (wouldn't that cause a few Cavalier drivers to freak?). Does anybody know where I could find some definative information about this car? I have heard "Car and Driver" had an article about this "Super ZX2", but I havent been able to track down anything about it.
Console and a listing of the ZX2 models.
http://sites.netscape.net/photog0264/ZX2Page.htm
In my second car fantasy that may, or may not happen late next year. I wonder about picking up a used moderate mileage Auto Trans. ZX2 (maybe a Black one?). That in reality would probably be a little stupid and redundant. If I do spring for a second car and an auto I would probably try for something like an Aspire, Hyundai or a pre 1998 Escort. Both of these cars are ridiculously slow with the auto trans. Both do have a few saving graces they are dirt cheap used and reliable, they are also Hatchbacks and for commuter runs in bad weather orthe odd runs to the shops or bad weather they would be perfect. Obviously in my second car fantasy I am not looking for performance, driving pleasure, looks, or comfort. There is no way such a car could or would be used on my runs to the Mountains in summer. Can you imagine climbing, mountain roads in one of those cars with the A/C going? Yeah right... One 7 mile up hill run would take me about an 4 hours.
Why the current auto manufactuers can't create a simple 3 or 4 cylinder with enough power to support the Auto is beyond me. My late 1987 Accura Integra had an auto Trans, and it could and did run circles around most of it's contemporaries. The most amazing thing is when you check the specs. It only had something like 97hp.