Discussion
Now I have always been an absolute car nut. Eever since I was a kid and the E36 m3 was the car to have if you had the cash. I grew up loving that car...
Then came the E46 m3 and it was, in my eyes the best car on road. I always foamed at the mouth whenever I saw one.
Then came the z4m.. Hardly ever saw these cars around. Maybe the odd one when driving out of town.
Recently then, I bit the bullet and bought the z4m Coupe. Now I had owned a couple of decent BMWS before (e36+e46m3) so knew it would be pretty fun to drive. After taking a month or so getting used to the thing, I'm now totally in love!
What an absolute ripper of a car. Styling is awesome and it does not look aged at all. The rear is stunning, such gorgeous lines!
The ineterior is also pretty neat and holds up well.
The negine and gearbox are just perfect. I find the car to be quicker than the e46 m3 as is a bit lighter and feels more nimble. Without the DSC these things can be handful, especially in the wet so I would advise it kept on at all times on public roads. Despite reading negatives surrounding the ride of the car, I find mine to be spot on. I do have the added benefit of Eibach pro springs all round and unless you want to upgrade the whole suspension I'd say its a bargain. The seats are comfortable too and hold the driver well.
How do I rate the car
Well, if you like BMWS then this car does embody the soul of an M. I find myself looking for reasons to drive it, and love the noise of the exhaust. Value are very strong and I don't expect them to drop anymore than they already have. Considering they produced around 800 - 400 coupes and 400 convertibles (rough figures!), you are always in an exclusive club. If Z3M values are anything to go by then these cars will start increasing in price at some point.
Beautiful body, great engine, awesome fun to drive in short bursts or longer journeys on windy roads. If you like M cars, then you will love this.
Servicing can cost quiet a fair bit - I spent almost 2k including replacement brakes. But every performance car will cost you a lot. Economy isn't too shabby, If I drive 70mph, I will see around 30mpg +/- 2/3 on a run. Around town I get 22-23.
In my opinion, there really is not much on the market that beats this for under 20k with a good amount of power, manual gearbox, soemthing that doesn't depreciate too much etc- You could buy a Porsche but then that's a different club all together and they all look too similar to one another anyway :-).
Then came the E46 m3 and it was, in my eyes the best car on road. I always foamed at the mouth whenever I saw one.
Then came the z4m.. Hardly ever saw these cars around. Maybe the odd one when driving out of town.
Recently then, I bit the bullet and bought the z4m Coupe. Now I had owned a couple of decent BMWS before (e36+e46m3) so knew it would be pretty fun to drive. After taking a month or so getting used to the thing, I'm now totally in love!
What an absolute ripper of a car. Styling is awesome and it does not look aged at all. The rear is stunning, such gorgeous lines!
The ineterior is also pretty neat and holds up well.
The negine and gearbox are just perfect. I find the car to be quicker than the e46 m3 as is a bit lighter and feels more nimble. Without the DSC these things can be handful, especially in the wet so I would advise it kept on at all times on public roads. Despite reading negatives surrounding the ride of the car, I find mine to be spot on. I do have the added benefit of Eibach pro springs all round and unless you want to upgrade the whole suspension I'd say its a bargain. The seats are comfortable too and hold the driver well.
How do I rate the car
Well, if you like BMWS then this car does embody the soul of an M. I find myself looking for reasons to drive it, and love the noise of the exhaust. Value are very strong and I don't expect them to drop anymore than they already have. Considering they produced around 800 - 400 coupes and 400 convertibles (rough figures!), you are always in an exclusive club. If Z3M values are anything to go by then these cars will start increasing in price at some point.
Beautiful body, great engine, awesome fun to drive in short bursts or longer journeys on windy roads. If you like M cars, then you will love this.
Servicing can cost quiet a fair bit - I spent almost 2k including replacement brakes. But every performance car will cost you a lot. Economy isn't too shabby, If I drive 70mph, I will see around 30mpg +/- 2/3 on a run. Around town I get 22-23.
In my opinion, there really is not much on the market that beats this for under 20k with a good amount of power, manual gearbox, soemthing that doesn't depreciate too much etc- You could buy a Porsche but then that's a different club all together and they all look too similar to one another anyway :-).
Had a couple and not sure I agree
Great S54 as expected but far too fidgety and unsettled on Uk roads. It didn't feel like a thoroughly resolved M product, more of a brutal Z4.
Also, despite the obligatory quad exhausts there is little to differentiate it from the lesser models and without wanting to sound awful, all they appear to have done is placed 3 random M badges on it that look like an afterthought and something I would expect on an ebay car.
That said, a long straight road and a heavy foot - not much would keep up no matter how exotic. Not a great M car for me though
I enjoyed the Roadster more than the coupe as it was ever so slightly 'softer' which was needed imho.
Great S54 as expected but far too fidgety and unsettled on Uk roads. It didn't feel like a thoroughly resolved M product, more of a brutal Z4.
Also, despite the obligatory quad exhausts there is little to differentiate it from the lesser models and without wanting to sound awful, all they appear to have done is placed 3 random M badges on it that look like an afterthought and something I would expect on an ebay car.
That said, a long straight road and a heavy foot - not much would keep up no matter how exotic. Not a great M car for me though
I enjoyed the Roadster more than the coupe as it was ever so slightly 'softer' which was needed imho.
I've got a roadster and thought long and hard about getting it - to replace a 3.0i. It's an entirely different car to the 3.0i which felt utterly anodyne. The M is an event in every way - and looks better than a standard Z4 which still looks pretty good - it's amazing how much presence the different bonnet adds on the M. I though about a Boxster S and have no doubt it is a more accomplished car, but didn't feel enough of an event and will depreciate more as they're not as rare. The Z4M does feel special, and brutal, and a little bit mad - which I kind of like. However good and accomplished the e46 m3 is, it is neither brutal or mad. I also find the Z4M less fidgety than the standard Z4 (even with that on standard tyres). I paid quite a lot for mine (£16,000) 6 months ago from a BMW dealer as an AUC with only 30,000 miles - but unless I stumped up another 9k for a 997 911 with more mileage and bigger bills, not sure what I would have got instead!
lord trumpton said:
It didn't feel like a thoroughly resolved M product, more of a brutal Z4.
That is precisely why I loved mine. M cars after this one have become a bit too refined IMO. The Z4M still had a good bit of engine and exhaust noise and some NVH to remind you you're in something special all the time you're driving it.I've just purchased a 2007 Z4MR and have previously owned a 2.5i Z4, E46 M3 and a V8 Vantage - it's far more brutal than any of my previous cars. Very very quick in a straight line, the steering has great weight and whilst it's a firm ride, it's not all at sea over bumps / crests. I'd probably like a little more travel in the shocks for the roads in the UK, but overall(excepting a lack of noise from the exhaust even vs M3) is a great package.
I laugh everytime i drive mine.
I had an M3 before and vairous other Jap turbo toys, i currenlty drive my brothers M3 quite a bit, so they get driven back to back a lot.
I love it, i think its hilarious, quick, pointy, quite hooligan-ish when you want... which seems to be all the time for me, since its now a toy.
Definalty not a daily, i ran it as a daily for quite a while, and it lost its charm quite quickly. I now run a real POS as a daily and use the Z4 for Fridays and weekends.
I think its a great car, and enjoy driving it a lot.
I had an M3 before and vairous other Jap turbo toys, i currenlty drive my brothers M3 quite a bit, so they get driven back to back a lot.
I love it, i think its hilarious, quick, pointy, quite hooligan-ish when you want... which seems to be all the time for me, since its now a toy.
Definalty not a daily, i ran it as a daily for quite a while, and it lost its charm quite quickly. I now run a real POS as a daily and use the Z4 for Fridays and weekends.
I think its a great car, and enjoy driving it a lot.
krisdelta said:
I've just purchased a 2007 Z4MR and have previously owned a 2.5i Z4, E46 M3 and a V8 Vantage - it's far more brutal than any of my previous cars. Very very quick in a straight line, the steering has great weight and whilst it's a firm ride, it's not all at sea over bumps / crests. I'd probably like a little more travel in the shocks for the roads in the UK, but overall(excepting a lack of noise from the exhaust even vs M3) is a great package.
The exhaust note sounds great from outside the car 
shibby! said:
Definalty not a daily, i ran it as a daily for quite a while, and it lost its charm quite quickly.
I ran mine as a daily on the shocking ditchfinder tyres that I bought it on. It was hilarious in the wet, with powerslides coming on occasionally at NSL speeds with less than 3k rpm showing. I then bought 4 new Michelins and then shortly after, sold it. 
bennyboysvuk said:
lord trumpton said:
It didn't feel like a thoroughly resolved M product, more of a brutal Z4.
That is precisely why I loved mine. M cars after this one have become a bit too refined IMO. The Z4M still had a good bit of engine and exhaust noise and some NVH to remind you you're in something special all the time you're driving it.Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff