RE: ?BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe: Spotted

[RobM77]

I had one of these for a year and was bitter sweet about it to be honest. Mine was 18 months old with 10k on the clock. On the plus side, it had a huge boot, it was pretty light weight, very stiff (check out the torsional rigidity values!!), lovely sounding engine, nice enough handling (although it understeered in the dry), decent performance, and a great driving environment. Mine also didn't rattle or creak at all. Oh, and I averaged 30+ mpg and once got 42 on a long run! However, on the negative side the steering had no feel at all, the clutch delay valve was very noticeable (can be fixed though), and the drive by wire throttle lag was annoying. I also found the throttle not responsive enough without the sport button engaged, but too responsive with it engaged. The steering wheel could also be close and/or the pedals further away. It came achingly close to my perfect car though; if those negatives were fixed it would pretty much be perfect.

[Paddy78]

SpudLink said:

oceanview said:

I've had mine 18 months, now. Really are great cars (electric steering not great but much better with decent non-run flats and proper alignment), fantastic revvy engine and I think they look great (which is why they originally appealed) and they are rare, don't really depreciate and just feel special to drive compared to the usual suspects.

Any car on original suspension will have tired/knackered dampers by now- I changed mine for a nice set of Bilsteins and fitted new suplex springs all round. Also new drop-links , poly bush for front and rear anti-roll bars, along with, crucially a PROPER alignment- one that ignores the original BMW settings and set up for "fastroad" use, instead. Mine was carried out at a dedicated motorsport alignment garage.
All these additions made a huge difference, for the better, to the drive!

Great cars, that you don't see everywhere- the prices seem to be holding and even rising slightly, so got to be a "modern classic" already!

Mines in stratus grey- even fewer coupes in this colour.

Impressive grip.

I’ve had mine for years, but can’t bring myself to part with it. Future classic for sure.

That's really impressive grip...

[unsprung]

*Al* said:

Usget said:

J4CKO said:

Wow,13 grand for a ten year old non M car, that kind of money will get you a 2/3 year newer 370Z with another 80 or so bhp or all manner of other stuff, not least one of these and a good few quid change, maybe even the odd Z4M convertible.

Yeah but what will the 370 be worth in three years? The Z4 will probably still be worth £10k or more.

Hopefully the 370z (great car which I preferred over my Z4 coupe) will hold it's money.

The 370Z is another great car. Similar, but not the same. Certainly not as easy on the eye. But it has great potential for mod's, either light or many.

I'm delighted that it's still produced! In terms of sales volume, it's hanging by a thread, apparently.

[SCEtoAUX]

I had the convertible version, and whilst I loved it, it was not what you'd call "fun". Sold it for what I paid for it, stuck £7k in my pocket and bought an MR2 Roadster with the £2k left over. Never looked back.

[cerb4.5lee]

I absolutely love the shape of the Coupe(yet I didn't really like the looks of my Z4M Roadster), lovely creamy and smooth engine too. It's a shame that both the Z4 Coupe and Z4M don't really deliver what you expect from them sadly.

BMW should stick to what they're good at...making highly regarded sports saloons, they suck at making sports cars for me(It saddens and baffles me in equal measure how they manage to get their sports cars so wrong).

[unsprung]

cerb4.5lee said:

I absolutely love the shape of the Coupe

It's truly a thing of beauty. In an automotive world teeming with jelly beans and half-melted chocolate bars, this coupe is at once both modern and classical.

[breakfan]

Sold mine a couple months ago after a year ownership. Fell in love with the shape years ago, had to have one. Can't corroborate the squeaky interior claims, mine was fine, stereo even sounded decent. It was on 76k miles and wore its age well, no one could believe it was a £9k car. Steering was quite dull and I never got comfortable with how long the bonnet stretched out ahead of me, just didn't have much confidence in placing the car. But apart from that a real nice whip and I'm yet to find a nicer all-rounder sub £10k.

The only reason for selling was I wanted to try something else and can't have two cars at once. Gratuitous pic of mine

[99t]

I'm lucky enough to have had the choice of driving one of these two for the last couple of years





I wrote this on my Monaro thread back in early 2016:

"The arrival of the Z4 has to some extent put the Monaro out on a limb and by most objective measures the Z4 is the better car.

The N52 is a peach of an engine and the straight line performance is at least a match for the big Aussie (helped by lesser weight). Throw in a few fast corners and the Z4 would be opening a gap. Throw in a few slow corners with heavy braking and the Monaro would be left floundering."

Yet nearly two years on, it is the Z4 that I am considering selling next year. It is undoubtedly a fine car and I do enjoy driving it.

It has done less than a quarter of the number of miles the Monaro has, is utterly rust free and has been absolutely trouble free during my ownership. Any sort of logical argument would conclude, hands down, that the Z4 is the one to keep.

But for some reason, I haven't ever really bonded with it. I'd struggle to say why exactly. Perhaps nothing more than a lack of that indefinable virtue "soul"?

[J4CKO]

Usget said:

J4CKO said:

Wow,13 grand for a ten year old non M car, that kind of money will get you a 2/3 year newer 370Z with another 80 or so bhp or all manner of other stuff, not least one of these and a good few quid change, maybe even the odd Z4M convertible.

Yeah but what will the 370 be worth in three years? The Z4 will probably still be worth £10k or more.

370Z's seem to hold their money very well, check how much 2008 350Z's for an indication, I sold my 350Z after two years for what I bought it for.

point being really that this seems overpriced and you could get something newer and a bit more powerful for the same money.

[Billy_Whizzzz]

Better than the M? Rubbish. I've had both, and the plane jane 3.0si is a pretty anodyne car compared with the M which, with THAT engine is always an event to drive anywhere at any speed.

[aka_kerrly]

Yay, another topic about a car that I have been secretly hoping would drop off the map and become a good buy.

[talksthetorque]

They're going up in value because they're an all round better proposition than their competitors*.
No plasticky cabin ( 350/70)
No engine worries (cayman)
It's basically between the TT and this for a premium, reliable sporty coupe.
Both are great cars as ownership propositions at this age.
13K is for a very low mileage car with impeccable history and desirable set of wheels ( although they don't look like or profess to be Genuine CSLs)


* and they're being dragged up by the M's price rise.

[TR4man]

talksthetorque said:

It's basically between the TT and this for a premium, reliable sports coupe

Agree with all your points but for the fact you can drive 10 miles down the road and see 10 TTs - TTs are not exactly rare.

I've enjoyed my Coupe for nearly three years as my daily driver and have kept it longer than any other car quite simply because I don't know what I'd replace it with. They are rare cars and many people don't know what they are, or believe me when I say that mine is 11 years old.



The interior is a lovely place to be as I trundle up and down the M6

[flight147z]

I bought mine in September 2016 and I think it's brilliant. I was never really interested in BMW's (I came from an Alfa Romeo which I had for four years) but I love cars that you don't see around a lot. One of my friends used to have one of these and wouldn't stop recommending them when I decided I wanted to upgrade to my first sports car.

I was 99% sold on buying a TT as I thought that the z4 coupé was getting a bit old, nevertheless I decided to drive one and I was hooked. I love the driving position, the spectacular looks, the long view down the bonnet and the practicality! I can get my road bike in the back with "some" disassembly and it gets 30mpg seemingly however I drive it.

The sound of the straight six is addictive, the power is "just right" - enough to have fun but not too much to take the revs up to the redline and it's not too expensive to run. A couple of things have gone wrong on mine but I think you have to take that on the chin when you buy a 10 year old car.

Mine has been lowered on eibachs, has a full stainless exhaust and drilled and grooved disks which look great behind the CSL's.

I can see myself keeping hold of this for a long time - I don't think there is anything for the same money that can touch it. If I wanted something similar with a Porsche badge on the back I'd be looking at spending twice as much and there aren't many other manufacturers that make a car like this - the Japanese alternatives are nice but in my experience the interior just generally isn't in the same league.

It's opened my eyes to how good BMWs can be and I'd love to get into one of their "M" cars one day!

[Gruber]

Billy_Whizzzz said:

Better than the M? Rubbish. I've had both, and the plane jane 3.0si is a pretty anodyne car compared with the M which, with THAT engine is always an event to drive anywhere at any speed.

Exactly. I've also had both and agree entirely, for that exact reason: the engine.

Personally, if I were buying today, my £13k would be spent on an e46 M3, which IMHO was better (better built, better sounding, better handling, etc) than both of the Z offerings. But each to their own.

[SteelyP]

I had a 3.0si coupe when they were a couple of years old, for about a year, I came from a Z3 M Coupe and although I liked the Z4, it didn’t have the raw appeal of the M coupe and I really missed that, fast forward 7 years (and 3 or 4 non-BMW’s) and I now have a Z4M coupe..

I started looking at 3.0 coupes, then had the opportunity to drive an M coupe back to back with a 3.0, and that was that! The steering is miles better and that S54 is just amazing!
It just so happened that a very good high mileage but impeccably maintained (cam shells, arp bolts, vanos rebuild, bushes replaced, no scratches, dinks or even seat bolster wear) Stratos-grey M coupe was up for sale on the forum (not advertised elsewhere) and I managed to do a deal for not much more than the Z4 in this article (well a few grand more), will do some suspension work in the coming months, but so far I am loving it, it’s not quiet the thrill of the Z3 M coupe, and doesn’t have the wow factor to look at either (but it’s still a great looking ageless car), but it’s as near as..

Edited by SteelyP on Wednesday 13th December 22:11

Edited by SteelyP on Wednesday 13th December 22:13

Edited by SteelyP on Wednesday 13th December 22:14

[s m]

aka_kerrly said:

Yay, another topic about a car that I have been secretly hoping would drop off the map and become a good buy.

You could get an early 130i hatch with hydraulic steering a fair bit cheaper chap? Similar performance and you can tweak the suspension

[parabolica]

Love the Z4; beautifully proportioned in my eyes. Looked at a few back in 2012 but oddly insurance on a 6 series was around 50% of what I was getting quoted for on a Z4 and ended up going that route. Totally different cars obviously; Z4 is definitely on the wish list for future cars.

[flight147z]

Billy_Whizzzz said:

Better than the M? Rubbish. I've had both, and the plane jane 3.0si is a pretty anodyne car compared with the M which, with THAT engine is always an event to drive anywhere at any speed.

I'd love an M but wouldn't enjoy driving it these days knowing how much money would be coming off the value as I put the miles on it - if you have the means not to mind that I bet they are great!

[TR4man]

flight147z said:

I'd love an M but wouldn't enjoy driving it these days knowing how much money would be coming off the value as I put the miles on it - if you have the means not to mind that I bet they are great!

..and the Z4M costs more to service and is £200 per year more in VED.

I'd still love one though..