Which one? E82 135i/E89 Z4 3.0

[euroandjdmfan]

Looking for a weekend car to complement my B9 S4.

Which is the more driver's focussed?

I'm leaning towards the E82 but the thought of N54/N55 maintenance scares me. Also, are the autos in these any good or are they rubbish? I'm based in Australia and most of them are auto. The manuals all command a hefty premium.

I've previously had a E46 330Ci with the 5sp steptronic and that was surprisingly good for an old slushbox.

The Z4's are starting to appreciate in value, even the autos, so maybe these are a better buy.

I intend to keep this car for a long time, so even buying an auto and then doing a manual conversion is an option.

[Mr Tidy]

euroandjdmfan said:

Looking for a weekend car to complement my B9 S4.

Which is the more driver's focussed?

I'm leaning towards the E82 but the thought of N54/N55 maintenance scares me. Also, are the autos in these any good or are they rubbish? I'm based in Australia and most of them are auto. The manuals all command a hefty premium.

I've previously had a E46 330Ci with the 5sp steptronic and that was surprisingly good for an old slushbox.

The Z4's are starting to appreciate in value, even the autos, so maybe these are a better buy.

I intend to keep this car for a long time, so even buying an auto and then doing a manual conversion is an option.

If you might ever find rear seats useful I'd say E82 every time, although I suspect the E89 would probably be more driver focused and would definitely feel more sporting as it's lower and you sit just in front of the rear wheels!

I don't know if you got the same models in Australia so can only base my thoughts on UK spec. cars.

A like-for-like comparison with a 30i Z4 would be a 125i as it had the same 3 litre N52 engine, just detuned to 218bhp although a quick remap gets it up to 250+ like the Z4 30i.

I really rate the N52 engines as they seem pretty bulletproof. So much so that I've had two in E86 Z4s and am on my second in a 3 Series. Current one has done over 130k miles and still performs brilliantly.

If you feel brave enough for an N54 in a 135i why not a 35i or 35is Z4? The 35i had a manual box as standard but the 35is only ever had DCT.

But if you might want to increase power at some point the N54 is the engine to choose. With upgraded turbos, intercoolers (and probably much more) I know a 35is owner whose car is producing 550bhp!

FWIW given their age E89s can suffer from problems with the roof mechanism, especially failed Salmon Relays which are apparently cheap to replace and split wires in the loom where it folds.

I haven't owned an E89, but have read plenty about them on z4forum as I've had E86s for over 12 years.

[Slippydiff]

If you're going E82, I'd suggest look for the later N55 engined cars with the DCT 'box.
The N54 has a catalogue of expensive issues, the N55 less so, and the DCT 'box is superior to the slush box fitted up to '08.

The N55 doesn't have the ultimate tuning capabilities of the N54, but is a more modern engine.

[helix403]

The Z4s are quite creaky and feel flexible.