Z4 as a first car for a 21 year old?

[Steve11235]

I'm currently deciding what car I'm going to buy in the summer when I graduate and start my first proper job. Seriously considering a 2005ish Z4 2.2, love the looks and the (relatively insurable) BMW straight six really appeals. I considered the S2000, but insurance group 20 makes it nonviable.

Any words of wisdom from current owners? I tried to drive a friends MX5 Mk3 and couldn't fit behind the wheel (I'm 6'4"), so if any taller owners could shed some light onto how suitable the Z4's driving position is that would be great.

[Fun Bus]

And students plead poverty...

[junglie]

I bought a 2003 3.0i a few weeks ago and I love it!

Economy is around 34 - 36 mpg (Shell 99).

Build quality is good - maybe not as solid as an E39 but still fine.

Sounds great and goes very well - I would go for an older 3.0 over the 2.2 as the additional power is noticeable.

Servicing is similar to a 3 Series but consumables last slightly longer as the car is lighter but may get driven harder so probably works out even.

Only you know if you can afford one / insurance / fuel etc so that is your call.

I found it better than the S2000 (S2000 is a cracking car but no substitute for cubes!). A 3.2 Boxster S is another good car but I have heard some horror stories and I am not keen on the looks. SLK 320 is well built but not my sort of thing. Crossfire is cheap but that is for a reason. The MX5 is a good car but only a 4 pot so not a great sound for open top motoring - great car though.

Good luck.

[Steve11235]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I'd love to get a 3.0, top quality engine by all accounts, but I'm already pushing the insurance as it is, and the 2.2 is a couple of groups lower. I've read that it is a bit underpowered, but seeing as I'm coming from a 1.4 83BHP Honda Jazz, hopefully I'll still enjoy it! It would probably be wise for me to not drive a 3.0, just so I remain naive about what I'm missing out on...

I'd discounted all the competitors for pretty much the same reasons as you give, and am pretty much set on a Z4. Just need to spend a couple of months justifying it to myself! The MX5 is obviously a more sensible choice, but it just doesn't have the appeal of the zed, plus two secretaries at my new company have got them...

[sparks_E39]

If I wanted a convertible BMW it would either be the new Z4 or an older 330i.

[David111]

I had a z4mc and it was the best car I have ever owned. Beautiful car fabulous build quality and although 2.2 will be slower it will feel special every journey. I considered the cars mentioned and Exige, 350z and TVR. The BM won for me and I still miss it...

[Sticks.]

Lots more friendly advice here http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/index.php No regrets with mine. Roof motors can fail (ouch) and coil springs break (£120?), check for corrosion on star-spoke 18s (108s) but no other major worries.

As an old f4rt I'd say your insurance at 21 is expensive for a reason. Perhaps invest in some extra training and you'll enjoy it all the more.

[obscene]

You should get insured easily on an E46 330 if you want a 3 litre under the bonnet. No sure on the performance difference with the 2.2 z4 but I'd imagine the E46 to be the faster car.

[Romanymagic]

I had a 2.2 and it was a nice car, not rocket fast but still had 170bhp under the bonnet, I believe the 2.5 has 190bhp so not too much of a drop I guess.

Very nice build quality etc. only problem I had during three years ownership was the catalytic converter breaking up which was replaced under main dealer warranty

I managed to keep up on a couple of Kent runs and a number of tunnel runs, I think 0-60 was around 7 odd seconds. It would make a fantastic first car, my first car was a 1.6 Cortina

[AB]

Romanymagic said:

I had a 2.2 and it was a nice car, not rocket fast but still had 170bhp under the bonnet, I believe the 2.5 has 190bhp so not too much of a drop I guess.

You say that but there is a bigger step in performance between 2.2/2.5 than there is 2.5/3.0

I'd definitely plump for the 2.5 - I did at 22 and insurance was about the same, definite step up in terms of insurance to the 3.0 and the S2K was a none starter for me.

[Sticks.]

FWIW

2.2: 170bhp
2.5: 192bhp
3.0: 231bhp

[Steve11235]

Thanks for the comments guys, everything seems pretty positive about the car! Sticks - I totally agree about the reason for my expensive insurance, I'll probably be looking at some tuition, or at the very least driving very sensibly in my shiny new(ish) wheels!

Thanks for the insight AB, just did another comparethemarket on the 2.2/2.5 to check the difference and they were exactly the same. I'd assumed higher grouping would mean even pricier quotes, but apparently not, so seeing as the MPG is similar for all the straight 6's I might as well take the extra cubes. Whilst on the site I also tried adding my mum as a named driver, which dropped the quote by £400 - Top result! I really don't get the logic behind this, as I'm not likely to let her drive it!

[scoby type r]

I bought the 3.0 and test drove the 2.5 not a massive difference in performance you will love it make sure you get a good warranty my car needed a new steering coloum due to the sticky steering problem which only shows itself in high temps or when the heaters are on flat out 2k fix ,have a look on the z4 forum also rear springs can fail and the roof motor as metioned before on this topic my user name on the forum is z4phill be nice to see you there

[a11y_m]

Sounds like the OP is sold on buying a Z4 now but I'll add my thoughts anyway.

A 2.2 or 2.5 would make a great first car IMO. I've owned a 3.0i (231ps) for 12 months now and it's been great. Not too much power to make things unmanageable, but certainly enough to keep things interesting. I'd love an M version but thought that was a step too far for my first RWD car at the age of 30. Mine's been 100% reliable (that's that jinxed) since replacing 2 snapped rear springs when I bought mine.

MPG = 30-31 on my 3.0i
Springs - yep, they snap but a cheapish/easy fix
Easy to retrofit most things on a pre-facelift (pre-05 plate) model as most of the wiring is already there: cruise control, MP3-playing headunit, heated seats, electric seats, and more.

You're also buying at the best time of year - cheap prices. Go get one

And you'll find more helpful info on www.z4-forum.com as mentioned by Sticks above.