mk1 Z4 3.0 Opinions

[MrWhale]

What do people think of the Z4, I'm looking at a getting a z4 or 986 Boxster S in the winter when they are abit cheaper?

[a11y_m]

MrWhale said:

What do people think of the Z4, I'm looking at a getting a z4 or 986 Boxster S in the winter when they are abit cheaper?

Can't fault mine, but I don't think it's a comparable car to a Boxster S - you'd be better comparing the Z4M instead of the 3.0i in terms of performance.

3.0i:
Good fun
Handling good
Ride quality surprisingly good for a limited-suspension-travel car on 18's (but only once you've binned the run-flats)
Quick enough to be interesting
Economical enough not to cost a fortune to run
Appears to be reliable
Better looking than the Boxster

[x12yhp]

The comparison to a 986S should not be too bad... what you should note is that the BoxsterS (of this era) never really recovered from the crash last year. As such they are bargain basement as it is and the 'winter saving' may not be just as much as for more expensive convertibles.

[MrWhale]

Interesting I know 5th gear (i think) compared the 987 to the z4 and they came out pretty much even.

I would doubt there would be that great a performance difference between the 986s and z4si.

I drove the 986 2.7 boxster recently and it felt abit gutless compared to my current Audi TT which is pushing about 260Bhp.

[Pulse]

I think you'd find (as you have said) the Boxster S and 3.0si fairly comparable in performance. Not sure about the 3.0i.

I think as an overall ownership experience, you'll be better off with a Z4. You'll get something that's newer, better looking (although I'm biased), and doesn't cost as much to run.

[Sticks2]

When I looked to buy mine in 04 a comparable spec Boxster was going to be about £10k more.

The interior of the Z4 is a bit cheap, and you need to lose the rfts, but otherwise it's been a thoroughly enjoyable, hassle free car, and cheap to run.

More here http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/

Edited by Sticks2 on Wednesday 5th August 18:22

[scot_aln]

I have test driven the Z4 several times, had one as a courtesy car for a day when our BM was in for service and driven a friends for a few laps on a track day but have owned a Boxster S for 18 months.

I think the Boxster feels more special than the Z4. Other than an MR2 and tahst quite a different proposition there aren’t any other mid engined cars I can think of in the affordable performance bracket. With the roof down the engine singing right behind you is amazing especially at high revs (not noisy just nice). The brakes are exceptional even on track. The ride comfort is astounding for a car with such high levels of handling. It’s also amazingly practical with the front and rear boot but…

The Boxster needs super unleaded and whilst it will run on 95 can make a 3200cc feel a bit flat in the mid range.

Many of the parts of a Boxster and especially an S are shared with the 911 and not surprisingly they tend to price them as £65k car bits as opposed to £40k car. As an example doing front and rear disks and pads at the main dealer is a £1k job. If you want an idea of running costs then the service costs are available as a pdf from the Porsche site.

That special feeling of having a mid engined car I mentioned earlier has a big price as the car ages and things need replaced in that it’s a pain for access and you pay for that anytime anything needs done.

The Porsche dealer network is comparatively small and there are far fewer specialists than BM. Most towns of any size have a BMW dealer.

Many owners derisk their ownership by buying aftermarket warranties. Use any of the online companies for a quote and you’ll notice that there is a huge premium for the Porsche one. I think the cost and likelihood of failure is much higher.

The Z4 shares many components with others cars in the range so as the car ages there shouldn't be any major headaches. There are some horror stories of the watercooled six in the Boxster which is expensive to put right. In fact there is a nice sticky on the Porsche forum but I’m sure they were colluding to force the residuals through the floor.

Considering even a lightly spec'd Boxster S commanded around a £8k to £10k premium over the Z4 3.0 when new they seem pretty much in line now.

I don’t know about Z4 trade in offers but having sold the Boxster 3 months back a lot of traders don’t want to bid and those that do offer surprisingly low prices.

I don't regret owning the Boxster (obviously) but although I personally think it's the better car to drive I don't think it is to own (depending on the size of your pockets) and next time we'll be buying a Z4 most likely one of the 3.0si engined cars which even manage to offer decent emissions.

One negative beside the run flats and it’s really only if you were to do the occasional track day is that I don’t think the Z4 brakes are particularly great in this kind of use. For even extreme road use perhaps but not for repeated high speed braking that track use brings.

[Pulse]

That's a brilliantly un-biased and refreshing review Scot - and with a conclusion I didn't expect.

[madmatt1985]

i have just spent a long weekend driving a friends Z4 around mont blanc and i was very imprest. it ate up the miles to and from the UK with the roof down at fair old lick and onse we were in the mountains it never missed a beat. just get one with a years warrenty as sadly with alot of new BMW little isses do seem to crop up every so often. the boxter S will hold the road better and the z4 run flats do make the ride o hard for my liking.

hope that help.

[Luvmyzed]

Z4 will be massively cheaper to run. Porsche servicing is expensive, whereas a good independant beemer specialist costs relatively little.Depends on what you want,one is a long bonneted roadster, the other a mid engined more concentrated sports car.A work colleague has a Boxter S which developed an oil leak between the engine and the gearbox, £ 800 to fix, ouch!!! A Z4 oil service is just over £ 100. I think the Z is much better looking than the Boxter too.It's down to individual preferences as you'd love both of them as they are both great cars.

[christer]

The Boxster is more car for the money (if prices are even now) but will cost more to run. Whether you are willing to pay for "more" car is a personal choice. I am sure a Z4 is a better car than a Gallardo as well if the benchmark is low running costs, but thats just retarded.

[Vroomer]

I have a Z4 3.0si coupe, having come out of an M3 (E46).

It offers as much real-world performance as you need, has a quality feel and is relatively cheap to run.

The issues associated with Porsche engine failures make a non-warranted Boxster a complete no-no in my view.

[christer]

Vroomer said:

real-world performance

I like this phrase and look forward to using it when I have a car that is slower than the one I really want

[Vroomer]

The point I was making was that the number of times I need/use the extra performance my M3 had over my Z4 is absolutely minimal.

[christer]

I see. In your case your decision makes a lot of sense

[soprano]

Agree with much of what scot aln says above. I currently have a 986S and Z4 3.0i, although i've only just bought the latter so havent had a great deal of chance to compare the two. It really depends what you want from your car.

If you want a sports car, the Boxster is the way to go, it will handle better and feels more urgent when you put your foot down. The boot space is surprisingly good, perhaps better in fact than the Z4 in terms of overall space. It will almost certainly cost you more to run. I'm not sure that mine has ever had a service much less than £1000.00 plus tyres will be more (rears are c. £200.00 each). In terms of useability I have used mine as a daily driver since last July, covering about 16,000 miles in that time. I have loved every minute. It is perfectly comfortable on long motorway journeys and you don't have to be 'on it' to enjoy driving it.

Compare the Z4, you will not get the same out and out driving pleasure on a good A/B road blast, but that is not what it is designed for. It is a brilliant roadster, power is plentiful for most driving. The interior is far more modern than the 986. Although my cars are only 2 years different in age, the Z4 was released in 2003 (I think!?) and the Boxster in 1997 (again I think?!) so the materials/design are noticably better. Bearing in mind the 12 year old design it is not surprising that the model is showing a little age. Roof operation is far better in the Z than the Box. In terms of creature comforts, my Z is pretty fully loaded. The Carver upgraded system kicks the Porsche Bose system into next week in my view, although the Bose is by no means bad. Its more a reflection of how good the Carver system sounds, even with the roof down.

As for ride quality in the Z4 I don't think i've driven enough to really comment, plus i've not ditched the run flats yet so should wait until I do that before I can compare the two. That being said, even on the run flats the ride feels pretty good to me. Z4 externally looks more modern, whether you are a fan or not is obviously subjective. I think it looks really good.

In summary, it depends what you are looking for. If its a weekend car to go for a good blast on a summers day, the Porsche is incredible to drive. If you want a great daily driver, which will give you plenty of fun but be a motorway basher at the same time the Z4 is more likely to be for you. If running costs are a consideration, the Z4 is likely to be a fair chunk less to run.