Darwins Child

I don't think most buyers fully understand that when you pay big bucks for a post-warranty-period Mercedes or BMW, that that money is just the "entry fee" and that the buyer is not buying reliability and low-maintenance. Ironically, most times it's the opposite and this is why owners like yourself are selling their "great" vehicles.

I can say all of this with some authority because my wife and I once bought a used, cosmetically perfect 1988 Mercedes 560SEL, so I speak from painful financial experience. OTOH, if you are a competent automotive DIYr, you can dramatically reduce the cost of maintaining such vehicles, but you'll be "paying" a significant amount of your precious spare time, especially early on in the learning curve, to lower that cost.

Knowing what will come, I will advise what follows only once and say no more. Get the trouble-free auto, especially if you won't go to the track much, or at all, but will commute in stop and go traffic. It's a great compromise for all conditions.

IMO, the OEM backup cam with curving guide lines as you rotate the steering wheel is an especially useful feature in the rear-visibility-limited Z.

Last, but certainly not least, the Z is one fantastically beautiful vehicle. I can't help but smile every time I look at it. I just wish I could stare at it from the outside as I drive it down the road!