Z4MR any love?

[a340driver]

I just posted a similar thing on Z4forum. I've enjoyed maybe 15 years with an ///M roadster and I still love it more than my F82 M4.

Am I an idiot or are older cars actually more enjoyable?

[conanius]

You've come to the right place - welcome.

I think older cars are simply 'more involving' as they don't have the same disconnection refinement as new cars.

[AB]

Firmly Team Z4MR… it’s a wonderful thing to take out for a carefree blast.

[Mr Tidy]

Another fan of the Z4M here, except mine is a Coupe. I just love the combination of a smallish 2 seater with RWD, LSD and an S54 soundtrack.

I haven't owned anything newer than a 2007 1 Series, mainly because newer cars just don't appeal to me having more tech than I want that will only go wrong after warranty expiry, turbos, DCT or Auto gearboxes, mapped pops and bangs, sound piped into the stereo, etc.

[scz4]

Not going to piss on your fire as I appreciate this is to be thread celebrate the Z4M, but it wasn't for me, sold mine after a couple of years. Definitely not a sum of its parts despite some choice modifications. Shame as on paper it has everything, but just didn't work. Perhaps I should have fitted coilovers.

With that said, I bet if I drove one in todays digital era, I'd appreciate its qualities a lot more. The sound was certainly never in question, especially with a Gruppe M intake and aftermarket exhaust.

Edited by scz4 on Monday 4th August 22:09

[Jhonno]

Older cars are better.. My daily is a 2003 330i and there is nothing newer I'd change it for. The Z4M is a great thing too in Coupe an Droptop guise..

[AB]

Scz4 I think they probably are better to drive in this day and age. My last Z4 was circa 2005, I don’t remember enjoying it as much.

[Earthdweller]

I think the Z4M is a great car, albeit flawed, but perhaps that IS part of its charm

I've owned a Z4 for nearly 10 years now and been all over the UK and Europe in it, some 17 countries in total and at times for upto 3 weeks

I tried an M and in the end went for the 3.0si which I haven't regretted at all and in my very humble opinion is a better all round car than the M and the pick of the range

But that's just my opinion and I've never felt shortchanged by not getting an M

[Ruskie]

I have gone back a generation and having no start/stop alone has been worth it!

[scz4]

Earthdweller said:

But that's just my opinion and I've never felt shortchanged by not getting an M

I'd agree, in addition to the Z4M I mentioned above, I also had an early E85 3.0i, albeit Supercharged by ESS latterly and a E89 3.0i M Sport. Actually the E89 was the biggest surprise, expected it to be more of a GT car, but it handled much better than the E85 and much nicer cabin Defintiely under rated. An ///M version of that would have been fantastic.

[Earthdweller]

scz4 said:

Earthdweller said:

But that's just my opinion and I've never felt shortchanged by not getting an M

I'd agree, in addition to the Z4M I mentioned above, I also had an early E85 3.0i, albeit Supercharged by ESS latterly and a E89 3.0i M Sport. Actually the E89 was the biggest surprise, expected it to be more of a GT car, but it handled much better than the E85 and much nicer cabin Defintiely under rated. An ///M version of that would have been fantastic.

I've done a couple of 3k Mile euro trips with mates one of whom had a E89 3.0 and the other a G29 M40

I was I admit pretty envious of the luxury they benefited from

Edited by Earthdweller on Tuesday 5th August 12:23

[AB]

I've driven a G29 and it felt a bit compromised to me. Kind of a halfway option between the old Z4 and a 3 series convertible.

[Jonstar]

Love them, I've had 2, one of the great engines, worth the price tag alone and makes the e46 seem very overpriced.

[scz4]

Jonstar said:

Love them, I've had 2, one of the great engines, worth the price tag alone and makes the e46 seem very overpriced.

As mentioned above, I had a Z4M, but also had a E46 M3 and E36 M3 Evo for that matter. The E46 is the more competent car out the box, I felt it handled better and the engine felt more raw for some reason, raspier almost. The Z4M always looked and felt more special though.

[Polarbert]

At the end of the month I'll have owned mine for ten years and have put about ninety thousand miles on the thing. I agree its sometimes flawed and I've not driven an E46 M3 but I've been a passenger in a few and can see how its a more capable driving car. But for me I'm extremely happy with the Z4. Mine has a carbon airbox which sounds rather nice, and always puts a smile on my face. Second hand cars over in America are quite unusual, if you want anything decent the price seems to go a bit mental compared to the UK. That's mainly the reason I've held on to it is that I just can't seem to find anything for the price that compares. Plus mine has a few accidents on the VIN report now which I'm sure would hamper its value. I had the rod bearings replaced 15k miles ago and that for me is great peace of mind to hold on to it for as long as I can.

[Mr Tidy]

Jhonno said:

Older cars are better.. My daily is a 2003 330i and there is nothing newer I'd change it for. The Z4M is a great thing too in Coupe an Droptop guise..

They are but my 2002 E46 325ti was getting a bit crusty as E46s do, so I ended up replacing it with a 2005 E90 330i in 2019 before I bought a 2006 Z4M Coupe for fun times.