New car Z4M Roadster/Coupe help/advice required.
Discussion
Hello,
I currently own a Focus ST Mountune and i am considering switching to one of the above.
Ideally i would like the coupe but the roadsters are significantly cheaper at the moment and being a bike man (i have never owned a rwd,two seater or convertible) the roadster appeals too.
So if anyone has any experience on the two cars i would like to know so far i have made the following assumptions......
The petrol will be similar if not better than my focus(less than 20mpg average at the moment).
The road tax and parking permit in London will be around £900 pa
(currently £550ish for the focus).
I paid around £17.5k for my focus with everything including interest/upgrades,etc and will probably be lucky to see 11-12k for it on trade in in less than two years. so 5.5-6.5k cost (6k-7k including tyres and servicing) i am assuming that a z4m will be of similar cost to run and service over two years or better if i am lucky...............
My budget is not fixed as i am saving and the longer i hold out the better my position will be come the time of purchase.
(ps i have a mortgage and my bikes are all paid off.....well at the end of the month they are).
Cheers for any help or advice in advance!
I currently own a Focus ST Mountune and i am considering switching to one of the above.
Ideally i would like the coupe but the roadsters are significantly cheaper at the moment and being a bike man (i have never owned a rwd,two seater or convertible) the roadster appeals too.
So if anyone has any experience on the two cars i would like to know so far i have made the following assumptions......
The petrol will be similar if not better than my focus(less than 20mpg average at the moment).
The road tax and parking permit in London will be around £900 pa
(currently £550ish for the focus).I paid around £17.5k for my focus with everything including interest/upgrades,etc and will probably be lucky to see 11-12k for it on trade in in less than two years. so 5.5-6.5k cost (6k-7k including tyres and servicing) i am assuming that a z4m will be of similar cost to run and service over two years or better if i am lucky...............
My budget is not fixed as i am saving and the longer i hold out the better my position will be come the time of purchase.
(ps i have a mortgage and my bikes are all paid off.....well at the end of the month they are).
Cheers for any help or advice in advance!
Have a search of the site as there are loads of threads on these cars 
I've had my Z4M(R) for 16 months, and have put 21k miles on it (mostly A/B roads). I've averaged 25.6mpg and i drive it as fast as conditions allow Nothing has gone wrong on it.
Basic rules;
- They need 98 octane fuel, if you put the cheap stuff in you'll be lucky to get > 300bhp (people who report O2 sensor issues all seem to be putting crap fuel in too)
- Be nice to it until it's warmed up, then anything goes.
- Hammer the brakes every now and then, to prevent disk deposits
- Get the short shift weighted gearknob
- Roadsters are better - i went shopping for a coupe, they didn't have one, went for a ride in a roadster, heard the engine with the roof down, bought it.
I've had my Z4M(R) for 16 months, and have put 21k miles on it (mostly A/B roads). I've averaged 25.6mpg and i drive it as fast as conditions allow
Nothing has gone wrong on it.Basic rules;
- They need 98 octane fuel, if you put the cheap stuff in you'll be lucky to get > 300bhp (people who report O2 sensor issues all seem to be putting crap fuel in too)
- Be nice to it until it's warmed up, then anything goes.
- Hammer the brakes every now and then, to prevent disk deposits
- Get the short shift weighted gearknob
- Roadsters are better - i went shopping for a coupe, they didn't have one, went for a ride in a roadster, heard the engine with the roof down, bought it.
And remember that the solution to any understeer you feel on a RWD car is not lift off or put in more steering lock.
For light understeer on entry to a corner, a little bit more power usually helps. For heavy understeer a quick removal of some steering lock, bit of power and restoration of steering will do.
For light understeer on entry to a corner, a little bit more power usually helps. For heavy understeer a quick removal of some steering lock, bit of power and restoration of steering will do.
Fuel consumption is good for a 340 bhp car. 32mpg at 75-80 on the motorway. Ave all told on mine is 24.5mpg. Servicing will be more than your Focus, I recently paid £980, for a level one inspection, due around 25K. The level two inspection, I understand, is even more but not due until around 45-50k, will be cheaper at an independent dealer, but check they know the car, should not be a problem to find one in London. The Z4M has the last version of the 3.2 straight six engine and I've not heard of many Vanos issues, but still have a listen. Many reports of the rear springs failing, but not the end of the world if they go. Tyres will also cost a lot more than for your Focus.
On the performance side, the Z is probably not much quicker than your Focus, on a wet B road. But go near a decent A road or a track and it's on another planet. Just make sure you understand how to drive it, before you push too hard. The Roadster, in particular, takes no prisoners if you forget what your driving.
Happy hunting let us know what you buy.
On the performance side, the Z is probably not much quicker than your Focus, on a wet B road. But go near a decent A road or a track and it's on another planet. Just make sure you understand how to drive it, before you push too hard. The Roadster, in particular, takes no prisoners if you forget what your driving.
Happy hunting let us know what you buy.
Cheers for all the advice so far, is there any major pitfalls.
I have read about rear springs, the top of the suspension mounts and the bonnet catches.
Do these have any issues with the rear boot floor as per the E46 M3?
Just for reference i am hoping to get a car that has just had its inspection 2 ( 40-50k) i figure most of the servicing (oil service and inspection one will be relatively cheap) and if i keep the car till 80k++++ then ill have plenty of time to work it out.
I know a friend of a friend who works for BMW and another person who works at eurocarparts so ill check the prices of consumables (or if anyone knows the price of discs/£550?, pads/£250?,etc then post away).
Does anyone know how long clutches last on these (i know its subjective but a ball park figure)?
I have read about rear springs, the top of the suspension mounts and the bonnet catches.
Do these have any issues with the rear boot floor as per the E46 M3?
Just for reference i am hoping to get a car that has just had its inspection 2 ( 40-50k) i figure most of the servicing (oil service and inspection one will be relatively cheap) and if i keep the car till 80k++++ then ill have plenty of time to work it out.
I know a friend of a friend who works for BMW and another person who works at eurocarparts so ill check the prices of consumables (or if anyone knows the price of discs/£550?, pads/£250?,etc then post away).
Does anyone know how long clutches last on these (i know its subjective but a ball park figure)?
I recently priced up discs and pads all round at £680 from bmminiparts.
Tyres can be tricky to find in the right size for both front and rear in the same brand, can get pricey too if you go for michelins, etc.
I think the coupe is the nicer looking car and there are some cheaper ones appearing now but I have a roadster. Having the roof down just makes it more fun.
I've not seen any reports of boot floor problems, very few top mount issues either. Z4forum is a great place for info and one of the friendliest forums around.
£980 for an Inspection 1 seems quite high, most BMW dealerships will charge around that for an Insp 2, mine recently quoted £830 when 4+ was taken into account.
I used to have a 3.0 pre facelift Z4, I missed it so bough my Z4M. I love it even more, it's a very rewarding drive and I'm planning on keeping it for a very long time.
Tyres can be tricky to find in the right size for both front and rear in the same brand, can get pricey too if you go for michelins, etc.
I think the coupe is the nicer looking car and there are some cheaper ones appearing now but I have a roadster. Having the roof down just makes it more fun.
I've not seen any reports of boot floor problems, very few top mount issues either. Z4forum is a great place for info and one of the friendliest forums around.
£980 for an Inspection 1 seems quite high, most BMW dealerships will charge around that for an Insp 2, mine recently quoted £830 when 4+ was taken into account.
I used to have a 3.0 pre facelift Z4, I missed it so bough my Z4M. I love it even more, it's a very rewarding drive and I'm planning on keeping it for a very long time.
Froomee said:
Cheers for all the advice so far, is there any major pitfalls.
I have read about rear springs, the top of the suspension mounts and the bonnet catches.
Do these have any issues with the rear boot floor as per the E46 M3?
Just for reference i am hoping to get a car that has just had its inspection 2 ( 40-50k) i figure most of the servicing (oil service and inspection one will be relatively cheap) and if i keep the car till 80k++++ then ill have plenty of time to work it out.
I know a friend of a friend who works for BMW and another person who works at eurocarparts so ill check the prices of consumables (or if anyone knows the price of discs/£550?, pads/£250?,etc then post away).
Does anyone know how long clutches last on these (i know its subjective but a ball park figure)?
I've never heard of anyone having a boot floor problem. Oil services are reasonable even at main dealers, I paid about 250 for mine which included a time-based brake fluid change (2 years) which was probably a third of it.I have read about rear springs, the top of the suspension mounts and the bonnet catches.
Do these have any issues with the rear boot floor as per the E46 M3?
Just for reference i am hoping to get a car that has just had its inspection 2 ( 40-50k) i figure most of the servicing (oil service and inspection one will be relatively cheap) and if i keep the car till 80k++++ then ill have plenty of time to work it out.
I know a friend of a friend who works for BMW and another person who works at eurocarparts so ill check the prices of consumables (or if anyone knows the price of discs/£550?, pads/£250?,etc then post away).
Does anyone know how long clutches last on these (i know its subjective but a ball park figure)?
There are various big brake upgrades which are popular but unneccessary unless you are planning significant track time. The result of this is that there are often lightly used stock brake parts available second hand. Can't remember what they are new but your figures seem about right for all 4 corners, i think front disks are around £150 each, rear ones cheaper.
Clutches last forever as long as you either (a) know how to operate one and (b) don't remove the clutch delay valve (which is there to protect the clutch from people who don't fulfil part a - removing it is the other very popular but unnecessary modification)
If you're buying approved used the warranty covers a lot and can be extended.
Cheers again for all the help.
If i allocate £150 per month for servicing and repairs not including insurance and petrol then i should be along the right lines according to everything i have read.................or purchase warranty for £70-£80 and then its just consumables.
To be honest it is looking like this car may be cheaper to run (providing i buy a decent example and deprecation is low) over a few years than my Focus ST.
Petrol alone in my Focus. For 8000 miles @ 20mpg and 134.9pl(£6.13pg) = £2452 for a Z4M @ 25mpg = £1961 ?????????
Ill let you know how i get on hopefully ill find the right car sooner if not then ill hold out as long as possible to find the right car.
If anyone has any other advice feel free to add it here.
If i allocate £150 per month for servicing and repairs not including insurance and petrol then i should be along the right lines according to everything i have read.................or purchase warranty for £70-£80 and then its just consumables.
To be honest it is looking like this car may be cheaper to run (providing i buy a decent example and deprecation is low) over a few years than my Focus ST.
Petrol alone in my Focus. For 8000 miles @ 20mpg and 134.9pl(£6.13pg) = £2452 for a Z4M @ 25mpg = £1961 ?????????
Ill let you know how i get on hopefully ill find the right car sooner if not then ill hold out as long as possible to find the right car.
If anyone has any other advice feel free to add it here.
I would add 2 more things;
1 - they are a "grower" - you need to spend some time with them before you fully appreciate what they are capable of. I think i needed about 3,000 miles before i properly "got" mine
2 - if you do get one, you will find yourself in a bit of a hole - they are such extraordinary value for the performance you get, it is a f
king nightmare working out where to go next. You can spend twice or even 3 times as much and not go any faster. It's so bad that I'm basically keeping mine until i can afford a 997 Turbo, or forever (whichever comes first )
1 - they are a "grower" - you need to spend some time with them before you fully appreciate what they are capable of. I think i needed about 3,000 miles before i properly "got" mine
2 - if you do get one, you will find yourself in a bit of a hole - they are such extraordinary value for the performance you get, it is a f
king nightmare working out where to go next. You can spend twice or even 3 times as much and not go any faster. It's so bad that I'm basically keeping mine until i can afford a 997 Turbo, or forever (whichever comes first )I'd just like to add to what others have said. I owned a Z4MC for 18 months and its the best car I have owned. You need to give it time to get used to it and learn to live with its minor faults. For example when cold first to second can be a choppy experience but you learn to drive round it. Pulling out of junctions (especially when parked cars are involved) can feel a bit of a lottery because you have to poke a good part of the bonnet out into the road before you can see oncoming traffic.
Dont buy one without nav unless its significantly cheaper than similarly specced cars with nav. Check condition of tyres, discs + pads, service (is an inspection due). If all 3 of these need doing within a short space of time you are looking at £2K - £2.5K.
Put a list of your desired colour combos, options together and then decide where you are willing to compromise. For example I wanted either Imola Red/Black or Blue/Black. Whilst I didnt dismiss other combo's but they would have had to have either been cheaper, better specced, lower miles, better history than the ones at the top of my list. I ended up with a Blue car with two tone leather.
Also dont be suckered in by main dealer cars, buying privatley from an enthusiast will land you a better car a better price.
Good luck, you wont regret it.
P
Oh and buy a coupe. They are better.
Dont buy one without nav unless its significantly cheaper than similarly specced cars with nav. Check condition of tyres, discs + pads, service (is an inspection due). If all 3 of these need doing within a short space of time you are looking at £2K - £2.5K.
Put a list of your desired colour combos, options together and then decide where you are willing to compromise. For example I wanted either Imola Red/Black or Blue/Black. Whilst I didnt dismiss other combo's but they would have had to have either been cheaper, better specced, lower miles, better history than the ones at the top of my list. I ended up with a Blue car with two tone leather.
Also dont be suckered in by main dealer cars, buying privatley from an enthusiast will land you a better car a better price.
Good luck, you wont regret it.
P
Oh and buy a coupe. They are better.
Edited by paulmon on Wednesday 4th January 15:18
This is one of the best and well advised Z4M threads I've seen.
Great cars, incredible value but you will get stuck as you won't know what to change it for.
The point about it taking time to understand the car is one that most just don't get. It's a bit like trying to explain why an iPad is so good.
Great cars, incredible value but you will get stuck as you won't know what to change it for.
The point about it taking time to understand the car is one that most just don't get. It's a bit like trying to explain why an iPad is so good.
I had a focus st before owning my Z4MR.In my opinion there is no comparison what so ever in performance.
I tottaly agree with the comments on the car being a grower though,you really need to get it out on a good few long runs to fully understand how it handles brakes etc.I have owned mine for just under 2 years now and have thought about changing it recently but just cant seem to find anything i want/can afford with the same reliability performance,also the Z4 forum is an very helpfull,friendly place to visit with lots of good advice given if/when needed.
I tottaly agree with the comments on the car being a grower though,you really need to get it out on a good few long runs to fully understand how it handles brakes etc.I have owned mine for just under 2 years now and have thought about changing it recently but just cant seem to find anything i want/can afford with the same reliability performance,also the Z4 forum is an very helpfull,friendly place to visit with lots of good advice given if/when needed.
Glad to see its all good news i suppose the only downsides are small boot (can borrow my gf's or dad's car for shopping or use the passenger seat) and two seats (give people less lifts as there is no space = save petrol)!
A lot of the cars i have looked at are just passed the inspection two service (40-50k)and have recently had tyres and brakes or are around this mark and slightly cheaper as they need a few bits.
Im going to look at one on saturday (hopefully get a test drive) but its a Z4MR and i prefer the coupe (especially living in London most of the time).
If i hold out ill definately get the coupe but if i can get a roadster sooner then ill have no complaints as i have yet to own a soft top.
It all depends on the cost to change i suppose....................would be much easier to justify if i didn't have three bikes (one of which i need to pay off before i get the M so my out goings remain lowish).
Ill report back on Saturday in the mean time if anyone else has advice/is considering selling theirs,etc then add it here or pm me.
A lot of the cars i have looked at are just passed the inspection two service (40-50k)and have recently had tyres and brakes or are around this mark and slightly cheaper as they need a few bits.
Im going to look at one on saturday (hopefully get a test drive) but its a Z4MR and i prefer the coupe (especially living in London most of the time).
If i hold out ill definately get the coupe but if i can get a roadster sooner then ill have no complaints as i have yet to own a soft top.
It all depends on the cost to change i suppose....................would be much easier to justify if i didn't have three bikes (one of which i need to pay off before i get the M so my out goings remain lowish).
Ill report back on Saturday in the mean time if anyone else has advice/is considering selling theirs,etc then add it here or pm me.
Had mine for six months. As above the performance and sound is staggering with roof down. The pops and bangs on down shift. Yum! Mine being only 6k miles and was like new. Only cost me £16750. Only down sides are servicing can be pricey at main dealers but i would use specialist now and cost of fuel is a pain. Got 34mpg out mine brining it back from london but averaged 23 back and forward from work. Brilliant compared to my R32 lol. Defo check insurance as your postcode won't be cheap. Brilliant cars amazing performance but you will not come out and think "what a nice relaxing drive". They are a heavy car to drive and require concentration.
Wish I still had mine but separation killed that lol.
Wish I still had mine but separation killed that lol.
Cracking cars, had mine since June and having a ball. The sound with the roof down is epic. I've been searching a few years now for something to replace my old 993C2, needed to have plenty of character as well as grunt / handling.
Get a convertible. They were designed that way and are plenty stiff. The roof down experience, when you open those throttle bodies is epic
Just great on track too, brakes grumble but didn't fade at all.
Get a convertible. They were designed that way and are plenty stiff. The roof down experience, when you open those throttle bodies is epic
Just great on track too, brakes grumble but didn't fade at all.
Got one too, going for almost 3 years now. It's my daily/fast road/track car and i'm not thinking of replacing it any time soon. Brakes are excellent on the road but will fade like mad on the track if you're using stock brake fluid and are being aggressive with your braking. If you won't track it then no problem. A few things did go wrong with mine but i guess mine is somewhat different in the sense that it's a UK car in very hot, humid, dusty, rubbish fuel quality Cyprus. I had my O2 sensors replaced twice (fuel), throttle actuator replaced because it completely failed (don't know why), rear springs cracked (wear/tear?) and the most recent i had my catalytic converters replaced with used ones because mine were destroyed (fuel/heat/bad O2 sensors making fuel mixture too rich) and i also had my MAF replaced (wanted to try and cure a slight hesitation at low revs). Apart from the MAF, the others had to be done. I wont lie, it's cost me a lot but hey i knew what i was getting into when buying this car. As i said mine might not be a good example as i use it every single day and it really has led a rough life.
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