Replacement for a Z4
Discussion
TameRacingDriver said:
Shifter1 said:
Congratulations. Hope you will enjoy it. 
Would be interesting to see a comparison in running costs with your Z4C once you have owned the Porsche for like a year or so. Having never owned a Z4 I have heard conflicting info on how cheap or expensive they are to run. But maybe the people saying it's expensive had the M.
Thanks mate.Would be interesting to see a comparison in running costs with your Z4C once you have owned the Porsche for like a year or so. Having never owned a Z4 I have heard conflicting info on how cheap or expensive they are to run. But maybe the people saying it's expensive had the M.
I only had my z4 coupe a year, and it was generally pretty reliable. One thing that went wrong was a coil pack which caused a misfire and loss of power. The big one though was when the auto box started misbehaving. At first I paid £400 for a gearbox service but that didn't solve the issue and I was quoted £2500 for a rebuild. A manual car would have been fine, I'm sure.
I was told to keep a close eye on the water pump, apparently they're quite fragile. I think they were a few hundred to fix apparently but the danger was you not noticing the engine overheat with potentially catastrophic consequences.
It's the reason I came back to one.
C70R said:
The real beauty of the Z4 is that none of its few inherent issues are unique to the model. All of the oily bits (and most of the brakes and suspension) are shared with the E46 (and other BMWs of that era). There are no catastrophic issues to deal with, and all of the common faults are well-known and easily remedied as a result of the parts-bin design.
It's the reason I came back to one.
Agreed, the z4 must be one of the safest bets around I reckon in this category of car. It benefits not only from the shared parts as you say, but the fact that the engine is an absolute peach is a double bonus, almost hard to believe it was primarily designed for a rep mobile as it seems far too good for that It's the reason I came back to one.
Now this discussion has me looking at old Z3 reviews again.
By the comparison test:
Z3: very neutral handling behavior, very little understeer or body roll and the chassis feels super stiff, steering feedback is very good and brakes quicker than the SLK.
SLK: Also stiff chassis. But not as good around the curves, rolls more and gives less steering feedback. A bit quicker on the straights, because of the supercharger and extra power. But not as stable as the Z3 at higher speeds.
Result: Z3 very well balanced, exciting to drive. A true all around sports car and the purer sports car. SLK more like a fast autobahn cruiser.
They chose the Z3 as the most fun and the one to buy. They had a lot more nice words for the Z3.
Tiff also raved about the Z3M's handling and fun on old Top gear and chose it over the Ferrari 360 and Mitsubishi EVO. I doubt he would have done that if he found the car wobbly and soft.
But the one Clarkson drove was an early car and not the M and he complimented the handling a lot. In another video he also chose the Z3 over Alfa Spider, MG F and Barchetta for being more fun.
C70R said:
Time and nostalgia have been kind to the Z3. Most contemporary roadtests didn't rate it, and I thought it was pretty pants when I drove an early 2.8. Wobbly, soft chassis, terrible seating and controls positions, and mostly underwhelming engines certainly didn't make it a 'grown up MX5' in my eyes.
That said, I could imagine a tweaked one might be fun if the issues were addressed.
I'm also thinking the Z3 didn't get it that bad when it was new. I just watched a motorweek comparison between Z3 M and SLK AMG. They say basically the opposite of what you are saying. So maybe the 2.8 is very different to the M?That said, I could imagine a tweaked one might be fun if the issues were addressed.
By the comparison test:
Z3: very neutral handling behavior, very little understeer or body roll and the chassis feels super stiff, steering feedback is very good and brakes quicker than the SLK.
SLK: Also stiff chassis. But not as good around the curves, rolls more and gives less steering feedback. A bit quicker on the straights, because of the supercharger and extra power. But not as stable as the Z3 at higher speeds.
Result: Z3 very well balanced, exciting to drive. A true all around sports car and the purer sports car. SLK more like a fast autobahn cruiser.
They chose the Z3 as the most fun and the one to buy. They had a lot more nice words for the Z3.
Tiff also raved about the Z3M's handling and fun on old Top gear and chose it over the Ferrari 360 and Mitsubishi EVO. I doubt he would have done that if he found the car wobbly and soft.
But the one Clarkson drove was an early car and not the M and he complimented the handling a lot. In another video he also chose the Z3 over Alfa Spider, MG F and Barchetta for being more fun.
C70R said:
Downshiftup said:
But the one Clarkson drove was an early car and not the M and he complimented the handling a lot. In another video he also chose the Z3 over Alfa Spider, MG F and Barchetta for being more fun.
Hardly esteemed company... 
Downshiftup said:
Now this discussion has me looking at old Z3 reviews again.
By the comparison test:
Z3: very neutral handling behavior, very little understeer or body roll and the chassis feels super stiff, steering feedback is very good and brakes quicker than the SLK.
SLK: Also stiff chassis. But not as good around the curves, rolls more and gives less steering feedback. A bit quicker on the straights, because of the supercharger and extra power. But not as stable as the Z3 at higher speeds.
Result: Z3 very well balanced, exciting to drive. A true all around sports car and the purer sports car. SLK more like a fast autobahn cruiser.
They chose the Z3 as the most fun and the one to buy. They had a lot more nice words for the Z3.
Tiff also raved about the Z3M's handling and fun on old Top gear and chose it over the Ferrari 360 and Mitsubishi EVO. I doubt he would have done that if he found the car wobbly and soft.
But the one Clarkson drove was an early car and not the M and he complimented the handling a lot. In another video he also chose the Z3 over Alfa Spider, MG F and Barchetta for being more fun.
I didn't find the Z3 wobbly and soft and I never drove the M. I much prefer the Z3 steering over the Z4's as well. But this is low hanging fruit. It's also nicer that the Z3 feels much lighter. I think this is a combination of it actually being a bit lighter plus it not having the ultra high window line the Z4 and more modern cars have which make them feel chunkier and heavy by perception alone. C70R said:
Time and nostalgia have been kind to the Z3. Most contemporary roadtests didn't rate it, and I thought it was pretty pants when I drove an early 2.8. Wobbly, soft chassis, terrible seating and controls positions, and mostly underwhelming engines certainly didn't make it a 'grown up MX5' in my eyes.
That said, I could imagine a tweaked one might be fun if the issues were addressed.
I'm also thinking the Z3 didn't get it that bad when it was new. I just watched a motorweek comparison between Z3 M and SLK AMG. They say basically the opposite of what you are saying. So maybe the 2.8 is very different to the M?That said, I could imagine a tweaked one might be fun if the issues were addressed.
By the comparison test:
Z3: very neutral handling behavior, very little understeer or body roll and the chassis feels super stiff, steering feedback is very good and brakes quicker than the SLK.
SLK: Also stiff chassis. But not as good around the curves, rolls more and gives less steering feedback. A bit quicker on the straights, because of the supercharger and extra power. But not as stable as the Z3 at higher speeds.
Result: Z3 very well balanced, exciting to drive. A true all around sports car and the purer sports car. SLK more like a fast autobahn cruiser.
They chose the Z3 as the most fun and the one to buy. They had a lot more nice words for the Z3.
Tiff also raved about the Z3M's handling and fun on old Top gear and chose it over the Ferrari 360 and Mitsubishi EVO. I doubt he would have done that if he found the car wobbly and soft.
But the one Clarkson drove was an early car and not the M and he complimented the handling a lot. In another video he also chose the Z3 over Alfa Spider, MG F and Barchetta for being more fun.
But I also try to adjust my filter when I drive older cars. Not much point in driving a 430 and a 458 and just comparing screw for screw. Engineering changes. But I would say between the Z3 3.0 roadster and the Z4, the Z3 is the more fun car IMO. This has nothing to do with numbers or even pure performance. It's about the experience.
TameRacingDriver said:
I absolutely love the way they look, particularly the wide body cars in the right colour, with the right wheels. I just couldn't get past the driving position (too high) and the softness of the chassis in the one I drove.
coldel said:
Had four contact so far, mostly just asking for more pics, one offering a Px etc. Just nibbles rather than bites.
But no problem, I am still enjoying taking the car out and giving it a run.
What spec/price is yours? I dont think we are allowed to post adverts here but you can explain...!But no problem, I am still enjoying taking the car out and giving it a run.
Yeah I dont want to get into trouble. Its on ebay for sale only at the moment. And Facebook.
I would say as its relatively low miles and one of the last ones made its put at a price in the top 25%
Happy to wait until the right person arrives, no hurry to sell, in fact enjoying it each weekend!
I would say as its relatively low miles and one of the last ones made its put at a price in the top 25%
Happy to wait until the right person arrives, no hurry to sell, in fact enjoying it each weekend!
TameRacingDriver said:
jm8403 said:
I wish I felt the same about mine. I like it but far from love, it's a nice engine. I don't think I have ever taken it for a blat.
Maybe not taking it out for a blat is part of the problem?I drive it hard when I am going places but never just for the sake of driving...
jm8403 said:
TameRacingDriver said:
jm8403 said:
I wish I felt the same about mine. I like it but far from love, it's a nice engine. I don't think I have ever taken it for a blat.
Maybe not taking it out for a blat is part of the problem?I drive it hard when I am going places but never just for the sake of driving...
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