Z4 3.0si - next car

[MattHall91]

Hi all,

I'll be looking to buy in a couple of months and keen to hear any info from owners/previous owners. I have been on the Z4 forum but just thought there might be some valuable advice on here like has been provided on many occasions!

My budget could possibly get me into a coupe but I could get a much nicer soft top for the same price. Is it worth upping the budget to get a good coupe? Are they noticeably better as a drivers car? I've driven a coupe briefly so got an idea of what they're like.

I'll get familiar with the buyers guides between now and the time of purchasing to know what to look out for when viewing cars.

Cheers.

[MattHall91]

Vroomer said:

I find the coupe a very practical car in addition to a sporting drive. It is also quite rare and likely to hold its value much better.

Thanks Vroomer. I was also thinking this, any extra cost when buying could be made up for when selling on if they hold their value better.

[MattHall91]

lilwashu said:

They are both very poor driver's cars in my opinion. The M version is much better if you can stretch to it.

Unfortunately not. If I could, I definitely would.
I considered E46 M3 but insurance is over double, as are other running costs, more fuel etc.

It's not set in stone, still open to suggestions. I just want a proper engine and relatively low running costs with reliability.
I'm absolutely useless with a spanner.

[MattHall91]

Mr Tidy said:

I bought a Coupe last year and just love it!

Never considered a Roadster as I don't like convertibles, I think the Coupe looks better anyway, as has been said Coupe's are much rarer, Coupe has a bigger boot so a bit more practical if you need it and the Coupe shell (according to Wiki) has much greater torsional stiffness.

I half thought about an M but couldn't really justify the much higher running costs. And I haven't found the 3.0 litre N52 engine to be lacking in performance!

Good luck whichever you go for (and I could have told you this on Z4 Forum)!

Ha - thanks Tidy.

I also prefer the looks of the coupe! I'll be monitoring the classfields over the next couple of months.

[MattHall91]

Billy_Whizzzz said:

I had a convertible - didn't see the point of a tin top when the offer of an open air could be had instead - which has a real old fashioned roadster feel to it. The 3.0 was a little anodyne and ended up selling it after 6 months and getting a Z4M which is in another league in every possible way - like a different car. For the money, instead of a 3.0, I'd get an E46 M3 (or porsche 996)

I would consider an M3 but the insurance is 150% more, fuel bills will be circa a third higher, plus extra servicing and RFL. I may scratch that itch in a couple of years, but the Z4 offers the best blend of engine, performance and VFM for me at the moment.

[MattHall91]

Been reading a bit this morning and heard complaints from owners saying the torque drops off after 6,500rpm and its sluggish (relatively) as a result when you change up trying to make decent progress.

The video below looks noticeably sharper and quicker than other Zeds.

Anybody know why this could be?

http://youtu.be/_YsLslp-cVQ

[MattHall91]

Been reading a bit this morning and heard complaints from owners saying the torque drops off after 6,500rpm and its sluggish (relatively) as a result when you change up trying to make decent progress.

The video below looks noticeably sharper and quicker than other Zeds.

Anybody know why this could be?

http://youtu.be/_YsLslp-cVQ

[MattHall91]

wiggy001 said:

I can't comment on roadster ownership but I have owned a 3.0Si Sport Couple (Auto) since April last year.

Looks are obviously a subjective thing, but I get a lot of comments about my car which I put down to the looks but also the rarity of it - roadsters are extremely common in comparison.

Occasionally I will check out Coupes currently for sale and I've never found one comparable for less than I paid. No idea if the same is true of roadsters but the coupes are at least holding their price since I started looking 18 months ago.

The buyers guides I read all said that the cabin felt cramped - again this is a personal thing but I don't feel that at all. The coupe is, however, surprisingly practical in terms of boot space.

Mine does mainly motorway runs and I get around 30mpg (and I'm never deliberately easy on the fun peddle).

The worst thing about the car when I got it was the handling - it would skip over the smallest of imperfections in the road and tramline badly - changing the run flat tyres for Eagle F1s has completely changed the car and made it one I have confidence in - definitely recommended.

In summary, if you're hankering for a coupe I'd go for it - my original plan was to keep my Z4 for a couple of years then trade up but I've genuinely no idea what I could replace it with for under £15k that could be used daily, need no "special" looking after, not cost a lot to run and can be left anywhere without drawing the "wrong" sort of attention.

Thanks for the valuable info!

That's the same situation as me really, nothing comparable for the price that won't bump up running costs significantly.

When I buy, if it hasn't already had the run flats ditched, that's the first thing I will do. Is it also worth getting the geometry checked? I've not been able to find much information on this so far. Cheers!

[MattHall91]

wiggy001 said:

One other thought I had about my car - it has the "Business Radio with DSP" (or "Carver") system, giving better sound over the standard options (10 speakers including subs behind the seats). This is great for a standard system but be warned - you can't just swap out the head unit for an aftermarket one if that is something you might want to do. And if you don't have an aux in fitted as standard, there are no cheap options to plugging in an ipod.

Cheers Wiggy. I read all models from 2007 had aux as standard? Would be nice to have, but not a deal breaker.

[MattHall91]

Wills2 said:

I've had my Z4C for over 8 years, bought new in April 2007 it doesn't have the aux cable as it was a 2006 build.

Lovely cars, I went out in it the other day and didn't feel short changed comparing it to my daily F10 M5, not much goes wrong barring the well known springs and alarm issues, the wing mirror glass can delaminate as well I've just replaced mine at a cost of £175 for the glass.

They are holding value better than the roadsters if that matters to you and for me look so much better.

Thanks for the information. Great to hear from a long term owner! I wasn't aware of the wing mirror glass so I'll definitely keep an eye out on any I go and view.

This is not helping my patience waiting until I change jobs to buy one. I want one now along side my company diseasel!!

[MattHall91]

Mr Tidy said:

Wills2 said:

I've had my Z4C for over 8 years, bought new in April 2007 it doesn't have the aux cable as it was a 2006 build.

That is strange - mine was registered December 06 but I went and checked last night and it has the Aux In on the bottom of the dash.

Bonus find when checking the VIN Archive properly was I discovered it also has the "Professional" Hi-Fi Speaker System mentioned above - no wonder it sounds a bit better than the same head unit in my E46! Trouble is I generally prefer to listen to the engine sound generator in the Z4!

I assume you've removed the foam in the sound generator pipe?

[MattHall91]

sjj84 said:

I've had my coupe since 2011, didn't even consider the roadster. It's a great car, I've been meaning to sell mine for nearly a year, but every time I take it out for a drive I put it off. I ditched the run flats early on, made a massive difference. Pretty cheap to run to, I get 31-33mpg normally. Servicing isn't too bad even at the main dealers.

I think there are 3 different stereo options, basic which is supposedly rubbish, an upgraded one and then the carver one. I have the carver one, sounds pretty good to me. I believe the aux in is easy to retrofit to, although I haven't bothered, I've got an intravee connected to use an iPod.

Thanks sir
More reassuring words to confirm things. Now I need to get things moving! Keep enjoying yours.

[MattHall91]

TR4man said:

I bought this beauty in April this year and have loved every mile driven. Still only done 46,000 miles from new. I looked long and hard for this spec as I feel some Z4s can look a bit basic inside.

I've changed over to Michelin Pilot Sports which revolutionised the handling.

Attracts a lot of attention too. Have to say that the Coupes are quite rare and even now a very good looking car.

Looks lovely! I would be very happy with that spec too.

[MattHall91]

ocrx8 said:

Matt - do it, they're great cars. I've had mine (roadster) for 3 years now and still love it. Agreed about the point above - the right spec makes a massive difference to the interior.

Great looking Zed mate! I am definitely pulling the trigger once the job move is confirmed. I've seen a couple for sale that look good. Some seem way over priced for spec/condition, but I will hopefully view a couple of solid examples.

[MattHall91]

sjj84 said:

How much are you looking to spend? No idea what the values are like at the moment, still a fair bit more than the roadsters?

Took mine to work last night just to give it a run out, don't think I've even done 2000 miles in it this year!

9k ideally. Maybe a bit more for a great example. From what I've seen, coupes are demanding about a grand more than a comparable roadster.

Hopefully there will be more opportunities for you to get out in over summer.

[MattHall91]

sjj84 said:

I use it every now and then, getting less and less to be honest. When I first bought it, it was my only car doing about 12k a year. Then I got a banger for tip runs/chucking bikes in/going to work, so the z4 became a weekend car doing about 6k. Bought my wife a newer car last year which we now seem to use at weekends as it's more comfy, so I'm down to about 2k. Z4 just sits in the garage plugged into a battery conditioner, shame really, must be losing value by the day, but I wouldn't want to go back to one car again so will have to replace it with something that might get used a bit more.

Coupes haven't tended to depreciate much (at least in the last 12-18 months). If you're not putting many miles on it then you shouldn't be losing too much. It will be my daily so I expect some depreciation, but definitely worth it.