Discussion
What's peoples opinions of them
My thoughts are I'm coming up to 30 and me and me and my wife are trying for a baby. Currently I'm drive a Bmw 3 e90 diesel. My wife has a mini, which were thinking of getting rid off and my thoughts was to have something a bit different like a petrol 2 seater whilst it's still possible. Then when it gets closer to the serious time, move it on and buy something a bit more practical.
We would keep the 3 series which would be a a ideal family car and my wife would use it for work as she commutes about 60 per days, where as my daily commute iis below 15 miles, so I would have the z4
I generally like bmw, I know the z4 will get the usual girl car comments, but I'm not bothered about that. Lie it a good steer and will I tick the 2 seater car experience I'm looking for, whilst being a good daily car. Looking at early cars and will look to sell on around June as summer kicks in. Hopefully break even or there abouts
Thoughts appreciated
My thoughts are I'm coming up to 30 and me and me and my wife are trying for a baby. Currently I'm drive a Bmw 3 e90 diesel. My wife has a mini, which were thinking of getting rid off and my thoughts was to have something a bit different like a petrol 2 seater whilst it's still possible. Then when it gets closer to the serious time, move it on and buy something a bit more practical.
We would keep the 3 series which would be a a ideal family car and my wife would use it for work as she commutes about 60 per days, where as my daily commute iis below 15 miles, so I would have the z4
I generally like bmw, I know the z4 will get the usual girl car comments, but I'm not bothered about that. Lie it a good steer and will I tick the 2 seater car experience I'm looking for, whilst being a good daily car. Looking at early cars and will look to sell on around June as summer kicks in. Hopefully break even or there abouts
Thoughts appreciated
The wife has an 07 plate 2.0ltr and it is a far better car then i thought it would be
It is not a sports car as it is a bit leaden on its feet but i am comparing it to the Caterham i used to own (everything feels lardy after a caterham)
The heater is savage which is what you want in a open top car
The rid on the 18" wheel it came with was shocking
We moved onto 17" wheels and it has improved the ride
Does 38mpg which is good
It is not a sports car as it is a bit leaden on its feet but i am comparing it to the Caterham i used to own (everything feels lardy after a caterham)
The heater is savage which is what you want in a open top car
The rid on the 18" wheel it came with was shocking
We moved onto 17" wheels and it has improved the ride
Does 38mpg which is good
Edited by McWigglebum4th on Sunday 26th October 14:42
Bit of a mixed bag, in the handling stakes.
The chassis is inherently well balanced but the suspension is too firm making grip levels rather erratic on anything but smooth roads. The steering is sharp enough but has absolutely no feel. If fitting smaller wheels and ditching the run-flats sorts out the ride, it's easily good enough to be enjoyable.
The chassis is inherently well balanced but the suspension is too firm making grip levels rather erratic on anything but smooth roads. The steering is sharp enough but has absolutely no feel. If fitting smaller wheels and ditching the run-flats sorts out the ride, it's easily good enough to be enjoyable.
I don't own one but I drove a E89 2.0 (4-cylinder turbo, automatic) for a week. Good looking car but the very long bonnet took some getting used to. Trunk space was shockingly small with the roof down, maybe an eighth of what you can get into a Mini Cooper with the rear seats folded down. I expected a small trunk but we couldn't drive from the airport to the hotel with the roof down despite our only baggage being two carryon bags!
Other than that a decent car but felt far less sporty than it looks, most likely due to the engine and gearbox which completely ruined the car for me.
6-cylinder or look elsewhere.
Ultimately that week convinced me that I need to buy a manual Boxster while I still can (similar position as yours) and before they too go 4-cylinder turbo.
Other than that a decent car but felt far less sporty than it looks, most likely due to the engine and gearbox which completely ruined the car for me.
6-cylinder or look elsewhere.
Ultimately that week convinced me that I need to buy a manual Boxster while I still can (similar position as yours) and before they too go 4-cylinder turbo.
Edited by EricE on Sunday 26th October 15:07
I loved my 2004 Z4 3.0 , the gearchange from 1st to 2nd was a bit naff but everything else was great. Get one with heated seats (i didn't and missed them). facelift gets better looking lights and slight more power, nicer looking seats. I always think about buying another but as circumstances change i think a 125i 'vert may be the more practical option for me.
I don't enjoy the gear shift at all on my wife's and I imagine the automatic is a more pleasant car. It's not enough of a driver's car that having an auto would be the main thing spoiling the experience. Hard ride, even on 17s (though that's still with runflats) and difficult to see out of. I wish she'd have gone for the mx-5 which I suspect is a lot nicer in most ways apart from looks, possibly. Amazingly good turning circle, which I always mention on these threads because it's so surprisingly good.
sparks_E39 said:
Might as well get the 3.0 as it offers no disadvantage over the 2.5.
The 2.5 is normally cheaper though due to this which does level the playing field depending on what budget you have to play with. The girlfriend bought a e85 2.5 last autum for £5000 and loves it. It's on 125k at the and still feels fresh. In our time with us, all it's had is a new rear spring and a couple of bushes outside routine servicing and some disks and pads. It handles well on 17s but the ride is firm. It's still on run flats which explains this though, it's going onto 16s for the winter which should make things a little better too.
She wouldn't change it for the world and wishes she had bought one earlier.
I've had a 130i (LE with N52) and now have a Z4 (3.0i with M54). Apart from the engine capacity being the same they couldn't be different in character. The Z4 is much livelier and makes you want to drive faster. The 130i could easily be used as a daily, commuter and generally felt like a much more luxurious place to be. It was nippy and grunty enough but didn't give the feedback that the Z4 does.
As stock the Z4 felt a little bit light at the front end which gave it a nervous but fun feeling where as the 130i was more flattering and I felt as though the limits were farther so could push it more.
As stock the Z4 felt a little bit light at the front end which gave it a nervous but fun feeling where as the 130i was more flattering and I felt as though the limits were farther so could push it more.
I was lucky enough to pick up a sub 20k mile 2006 Z4 Roadster a month ago. I had mixed feelings about it at first, having come from a long line of soft top sports cars - the last 3 being MX5s - I was concerned I'd find the Z4 a bit "lardy". I kind of fell out with Mazda after the power roof (2.0 Litre Sport Black) gave problems and although still just in warranty they didn't want to know. I was faced with a huge repair bill so decided to cut my losses and get rid.
The Z4 is a 2.5Si Sport, 218 HP and 0-60 6.5 secs, so it's not exactly slow. It's in the very rare Phoenix Yellow & mine has black wheels as well. At first it felt very harsh over bumpy roads but unlike the Mazda which felt crashy and skittered across the road if a bump was hit mid-bend the Z4 feels very planted (it's on standard M suspension and 18" wheels)although the electronic power steering feels a bit dead - you do get used to it though and it weights up nicely if you press the "sport" button".
The intention is to get rid of the run flats asap and fit normal tyres as I believe the improvement in ride is incredible. The more I drive it the more I grow to like it, it's not a car you can take for a 20 minute test drive and get to know, you have to get to know it slowly and it'll pay you back 10 fold. The hum of the straight 6 is lovely and very addictive. It's not due a service for a good while yet but to satisfy myself it's all ok I did a complete oil change myself - engine, gearbox and diff and all the filters. Apart from having no dipstick (electronic readout on the dash) it's a very straighforward car for home maintenance.
Roof motors can be a problem if the rain drain channels aren't kept clear as the water level will rise in the section where the motor lives behind the passenger seat and it will drown. If buying a Z4 Roadster try for one that's been garaged, if not budget for a new roof motor at some point as it will eventually pack up - DIY about £250, for someone else to do it allow a bout £8 - 900. You may find someone to do it cheaper if you shop around but it is doable as a DIY, it's just time consuming.
Running cost wise, at present it's showing just over 30mpg, mostly urban driving with some countryside blats. Road tax is £285 for the year, £156 6 months and my insurance, fully comp with LV was a bit over £250. All the oils / filters for the service cost about £100 - the engine takes 7 litres of oil!
The Z4 is a 2.5Si Sport, 218 HP and 0-60 6.5 secs, so it's not exactly slow. It's in the very rare Phoenix Yellow & mine has black wheels as well. At first it felt very harsh over bumpy roads but unlike the Mazda which felt crashy and skittered across the road if a bump was hit mid-bend the Z4 feels very planted (it's on standard M suspension and 18" wheels)although the electronic power steering feels a bit dead - you do get used to it though and it weights up nicely if you press the "sport" button".
The intention is to get rid of the run flats asap and fit normal tyres as I believe the improvement in ride is incredible. The more I drive it the more I grow to like it, it's not a car you can take for a 20 minute test drive and get to know, you have to get to know it slowly and it'll pay you back 10 fold. The hum of the straight 6 is lovely and very addictive. It's not due a service for a good while yet but to satisfy myself it's all ok I did a complete oil change myself - engine, gearbox and diff and all the filters. Apart from having no dipstick (electronic readout on the dash) it's a very straighforward car for home maintenance.
Roof motors can be a problem if the rain drain channels aren't kept clear as the water level will rise in the section where the motor lives behind the passenger seat and it will drown. If buying a Z4 Roadster try for one that's been garaged, if not budget for a new roof motor at some point as it will eventually pack up - DIY about £250, for someone else to do it allow a bout £8 - 900. You may find someone to do it cheaper if you shop around but it is doable as a DIY, it's just time consuming.
Running cost wise, at present it's showing just over 30mpg, mostly urban driving with some countryside blats. Road tax is £285 for the year, £156 6 months and my insurance, fully comp with LV was a bit over £250. All the oils / filters for the service cost about £100 - the engine takes 7 litres of oil!
Edited by Dewi Sant on Monday 27th October 00:02
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