Z4 2.2/2.5 or VX220 Turbo - advice please
Discussion
I'm looking to buy a 2 seater car in the very near future, and have received some good advice so far from you guys. The way I see it is that it's probably a good time to buy, with it being winter so there should be discounts to be had.
I was originally considering a Lotus Elise, but have ruled that one out as being just a bit too hardcore.
The VXR 220 Turbo is a bit more of a compromise, looks to have a few more creature comforts, and an airbag unlike the Elise!
The other option is a Z4, either 2.2 or 2.5 as I insurance on the 3.0 is too high.
Are there any major mechanical issues/faults I should be concerned with a 4 year old 35k mile Z4? From what I've read they seem to be pretty reliable.
I'm guessing the VXR220 is a pretty simple affair as there's far less to go wrong with them.
Opinions greatly received.
Cheers.
I was originally considering a Lotus Elise, but have ruled that one out as being just a bit too hardcore.
The VXR 220 Turbo is a bit more of a compromise, looks to have a few more creature comforts, and an airbag unlike the Elise!
The other option is a Z4, either 2.2 or 2.5 as I insurance on the 3.0 is too high.
Are there any major mechanical issues/faults I should be concerned with a 4 year old 35k mile Z4? From what I've read they seem to be pretty reliable.
I'm guessing the VXR220 is a pretty simple affair as there's far less to go wrong with them.
Opinions greatly received.
Cheers.
It's not quite as hardcore, in that it has ABS, leather seats, airbag, better insulation so there's less noise, I can go get it serviced at a main dealer should I wish, etc...
Don't get me wrong, I know they're made by the same people in the same place, but it seems the VX is just a bit less raw.
Don't get me wrong, I know they're made by the same people in the same place, but it seems the VX is just a bit less raw.
theundecided said:
It's not quite as hardcore, in that it has ABS, leather seats, airbag, better insulation so there's less noise, I can go get it serviced at a main dealer should I wish, etc...
Don't get me wrong, I know they're made by the same people in the same place, but it seems the VX is just a bit less raw.
At the risk of getting jumped on again by Cyberface, I had my VX serviced at a main dealer because I had it from nearly new (bought it as an ex-demo), and I thought it was important to maintain the FDSH stamps.Don't get me wrong, I know they're made by the same people in the same place, but it seems the VX is just a bit less raw.
I had lots of problems, mostly arising from the fact that Vauxhall sold comparatively few VX's compared to the 'mainstream' models, so not all dealers would / could service them. Then you had the problem that even the ones who were authorised to do services didn't see many of the cars, so getting them to fix problems was a bit tricky.
IMHO, given the age of the cars, you'd be better off going to a specialist for anything more complicated than an oil change. They will see lots of them, will know what goes wrong and will be able to fix them properly.
I have my car serviced by Plans Motorsport. They normally have lots of Elises waiting to be serviced, but last time I was there VX's and VXT's outnumbered the Elises by about four to one.
Dakkon said:
Can you explain how a VX220 is less of a compromise than an Elise, they are all but the same car....
Vx220;- More torque available lower down revs so easier around town (alledgedly).
- Much larger boot (actually brilliant compared to rivals).
- ABS so you can actually stop the car in the wet
- Not a K-series engine so you don't have to worry about the headgasket going.
- Hardtop can be fitted much easier (again alledgedly).
Edited by G_T on Tuesday 1st December 11:14
Edited by G_T on Tuesday 1st December 11:46
How much do you need the boot?
The likes of SELOC are heavily biased towards the Elise and provide a huge amount of support for people wanting to do basic jobs on the car themselves, plus main dealer Lotus servicing isn't actually as bad as you might fear. I seriously looked into buying an Elise and Castle Lotus weren't aasking that much more than my local garage wanted for servicing on the daily driver. I also think teh whole K-Series head gasket failure thing is rather overstated. I'm on my second K-Series car and I've not had any issues. I have, however, had head gaskets go on one of those ultra reliable Teutonic BMWs, so I wouldn't read too much into the stereotypes. Plus, I suspect the Elise will hold its value better as a 'modern classic' - it's a bit like the 205 GTi versus the 309 or the Griffith versus the Chimaera. On the whole it's every bit as good - in some respects better - but in pop culture it's still Griff Rhys Jones in his underpants.
The Turbo, however, is a different matter, unless you'd consider an Audi/Honda transplant for an Elise.
The likes of SELOC are heavily biased towards the Elise and provide a huge amount of support for people wanting to do basic jobs on the car themselves, plus main dealer Lotus servicing isn't actually as bad as you might fear. I seriously looked into buying an Elise and Castle Lotus weren't aasking that much more than my local garage wanted for servicing on the daily driver. I also think teh whole K-Series head gasket failure thing is rather overstated. I'm on my second K-Series car and I've not had any issues. I have, however, had head gaskets go on one of those ultra reliable Teutonic BMWs, so I wouldn't read too much into the stereotypes. Plus, I suspect the Elise will hold its value better as a 'modern classic' - it's a bit like the 205 GTi versus the 309 or the Griffith versus the Chimaera. On the whole it's every bit as good - in some respects better - but in pop culture it's still Griff Rhys Jones in his underpants.
The Turbo, however, is a different matter, unless you'd consider an Audi/Honda transplant for an Elise.
<Whistles> My Z4 is for sale...
But seriously, the VX and Z4 are two totally different cars really. Z4 is seriously less hardcore, many more creature comforts, softer ride, the car you'd want to do the miles in.
I dare say the VX would be more fun.
Is insurance really cheaper in a VX Turbo than a Z4 3.0? There was a large difference for me when it came to it between the 2.5 and the 3.0 though.
But seriously, the VX and Z4 are two totally different cars really. Z4 is seriously less hardcore, many more creature comforts, softer ride, the car you'd want to do the miles in.
I dare say the VX would be more fun.
Is insurance really cheaper in a VX Turbo than a Z4 3.0? There was a large difference for me when it came to it between the 2.5 and the 3.0 though.
Chris71 said:
How much do you need the boot?
The likes of SELOC are heavily biased towards the Elise and provide a huge amount of support for people wanting to do basic jobs on the car themselves, plus main dealer Lotus servicing isn't actually as bad as you might fear. I seriously looked into buying an Elise and Castle Lotus weren't aasking that much more than my local garage wanted for servicing on the daily driver. I also think teh whole K-Series head gasket failure thing is rather overstated. I'm on my second K-Series car and I've not had any issues. I have, however, had head gaskets go on one of those ultra reliable Teutonic BMWs, so I wouldn't read too much into the stereotypes. Plus, I suspect the Elise will hold its value better as a 'modern classic' - it's a bit like the 205 GTi versus the 309 or the Griffith versus the Chimaera. On the whole it's every bit as good - in some respects better - but in pop culture it's still Griff Rhys Jones in his underpants.
The Turbo, however, is a different matter, unless you'd consider an Audi/Honda transplant for an Elise.
Would agree with most of this except for the HGF thing. Its definitely a serious issue. Like you, I never had a problem on an 80,000 mile Elise but you only have to look at all the HGF posts on SELOC or the Elise forum on here to see that it is definitely real. That said, its not an expensive fix in the grand scheme of things so I'd never let it put me off an Elise.The likes of SELOC are heavily biased towards the Elise and provide a huge amount of support for people wanting to do basic jobs on the car themselves, plus main dealer Lotus servicing isn't actually as bad as you might fear. I seriously looked into buying an Elise and Castle Lotus weren't aasking that much more than my local garage wanted for servicing on the daily driver. I also think teh whole K-Series head gasket failure thing is rather overstated. I'm on my second K-Series car and I've not had any issues. I have, however, had head gaskets go on one of those ultra reliable Teutonic BMWs, so I wouldn't read too much into the stereotypes. Plus, I suspect the Elise will hold its value better as a 'modern classic' - it's a bit like the 205 GTi versus the 309 or the Griffith versus the Chimaera. On the whole it's every bit as good - in some respects better - but in pop culture it's still Griff Rhys Jones in his underpants.
The Turbo, however, is a different matter, unless you'd consider an Audi/Honda transplant for an Elise.
To the OP, I love the VXT so I'd not particularly argue strongly against it in favour of an Elise but what I would say is that they are in the same ball park in terms of refinement and comfort. Most other cars are leagues better so if you can stomach a VXT, you can stomach an Elise. An Elise costs a fair chunk more to insure though.
shalmaneser said:
G_T said:
Dakkon said:
Can you explain how a VX220 is less of a compromise than an Elise, they are all but the same car....
- Not a K-series engine so you don't have to worry about the headgasket going.
waits for 300bhp/ton to turn up...
To be fair they're probably not as bad as a lot of people think they are.
I am amazed that a VX220 turbo/VXR220 is possibly less to insure than a 3.0 Z4!
But as others have said, they're totally different cars -- to be honest it sounds like you need to spend some time thinking about what it is you actually want. Living with a Z4 through the winter is no harder than living with a Ford Focus, living with a VX220 or Elise is a totally different experience, and only you know whether the rewards will be worth it.
But as others have said, they're totally different cars -- to be honest it sounds like you need to spend some time thinking about what it is you actually want. Living with a Z4 through the winter is no harder than living with a Ford Focus, living with a VX220 or Elise is a totally different experience, and only you know whether the rewards will be worth it.
vxsmithers said:
[quote=G_T}
Vx220;
Vx220;
- ABS so you can actually stop the car in the wet
have a read up about how good the abs is on these cars, and treat with caution! not the best abs system in the world...
regarding the airbag, I've never heard of one going off in a crash yet, but better than nothing i suppose!
As a second car they are nothing short of brilliant, but on a winters day when the heater is barely panting luke warm air in your face you'll wish you had some mod cons. Wouldn't swap mine (VXT) for anything though
edit to fix quotes!
Edited by vxsmithers on Tuesday 1st December 12:04
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