Z4?

[Jonboy_t]

Howdy all. been looking at VX220's for some time now (done a few threads already, sorry...) but one of my neighbours is getting rid of a (I think) '53 plate, 3.0 Z4 with about 40k on it and has said I can have it for £9.5k.

Question is, is it gonna set my pants on fire like I want it to, or is it going to be the watered down BMW sports car that I've always presumed it might be? I've never driven one myself, but the kind of people I know who have owned one only did so as it was more of a status about them than the car itself, so I'm not sure!

[Silent1]

absolutely nothing like a VX220, so you'll be disappointed if that's what you want.

[Targarama]

Take it for a drive, only you will know whether it works for you. It's no VX/Elise replacement but they are very good cars. 3.0L has plenty of grunt too. Price looks good if FSH and ideally has a few options (Xenons/heated seats).

[kambites]

Well obviously the handling is nothing like a VX220 but the Z4 is still a good car if you can live with the dopey looks.

[Jonboy_t]

I've not actually seen it for a while, but that's a good thing as it's constantly garaged, so I'm not entirely sure if it's top or poverty-spec. Given who owns it, I would imagine it's pretty top spec though.

I would kill for a VX, or even Elise, but I have said in previous threads that I am 6'4" and not as thin as I used to be (I used to be 11 lbs 8 oz's but let myself go a bit) so I struggle driving them 'comfortably'.

[Jonboy_t]

kambites said:

Well obviously the handling is nothing like a VX220 but the Z4 is still a good car if you can live with the dopey looks.

Just out of interest, where in Southampton do you live? I swear I saw the Elise in your profile being driven round Hedge End with a blonde lass behind the wheel?

[300bhp/ton]

Jonboy_t said:

Howdy all. been looking at VX220's for some time now (done a few threads already, sorry...) but one of my neighbours is getting rid of a (I think) '53 plate, 3.0 Z4 with about 40k on it and has said I can have it for £9.5k.

Question is, is it gonna set my pants on fire like I want it to, or is it going to be the watered down BMW sports car that I've always presumed it might be? I've never driven one myself, but the kind of people I know who have owned one only did so as it was more of a status about them than the car itself, so I'm not sure!

Well if you are coming from the Astra Vert in your profile, then I'd say a 3.0 litre Z4 would be quite a riot. It'll feel like a rocket ship and corner like it's on rails as a comparison.

However, if you've driven a VX220, then it will likely feel a lot bigger/heavier and no where near as sharp or focused.

I quite like the look of the Z4 (the coupe more so). And it will certainly be quicker than most other cars on the roads.

But I personally couldn't spend nearly £10k on one considering some of the other tasty motors available for this money.

[kambites]

Jonboy_t said:

kambites said:

Well obviously the handling is nothing like a VX220 but the Z4 is still a good car if you can live with the dopey looks.

Just out of interest, where in Southampton do you live? I swear I saw the Elise in your profile being driven round Hedge End with a blonde lass behind the wheel?

It wasn't mine but there is another Type-25 coloured S2 Elise in the area - I've seen it in Southampton on occasion. No idea where it lives, though.

I'm in Chandler's Ford. I used it live in Hedge End but that was before I bought the Elise.

[Jonboy_t]

I am moving from the Astra so a lot of cars will be an upgrade for me. I've had experience in a number of cars over the years, but obviously not owned them and don't want to go and make a stupid mistake now!!

It's going to be the last (as far as I know) chance I get to have a decent motor for a while coz me and (soon-to-be) Mrs Jonboy are thinking of having kids pretty soon and I wanna scratch the itch before I spend all my cash on nappies and breast feeding paraphernalia - and then have kids.

[Jonboy_t]

kambites said:

Jonboy_t said:

kambites said:

Well obviously the handling is nothing like a VX220 but the Z4 is still a good car if you can live with the dopey looks.

Just out of interest, where in Southampton do you live? I swear I saw the Elise in your profile being driven round Hedge End with a blonde lass behind the wheel?

It wasn't mine but there is another Type-25 coloured S2 Elise in the area - I've seen it in Southampton on occasion. No idea where it lives, though.

I'm in Chandler's Ford. I used it live in Hedge End but that was before I bought the Elise.

Cool. Spot on colour by the way , very nice!

[RobM77]

I've currently got a 2003 Elise S2 111S and a 2007 Z4 Coupé. I can agree with all of the above: the Z4 is good, but it's totally different to the Elise. The biggest issue is the controls: The Z4 has electric power steering without much feel at all, a clutch delay valve which will drive you mad, and a delay on the throttle. If you put that to one side, although the Z4 is a totally different car to the Elise, it goes like stink (my friends say it feels quicker than the Elise, but bear in mind my Z4C has a low ratio back axle and 6 speed box) and it handles very well too in wet or dry conditions. The controls divide them though. There's no way I'd see the Z4C as a replacement for the Elise, it's just my practical car for motorways, bad weather etc. I do often take the Z4C on a B road journey just for a change though, I don't want to run it down too much.

[Sk93]

If you get a Z4, just remove the CDV (clutch delay valve) and stick it in sports mode, and you will love it every day.

It's obviously not the same as a VX220, which will give you a much more focused driving experience, but it won't give you a boring drive either - not by a long way.

It handles really well in the wet and can be reasonably economical if you want it to be.

If you're after a more "stipped down" driving experience, then the VX220 is for you.
However, if you want an interior with some luxuries to go with a great driving experience, then it's the Z4!

As standard, you get aircon and electric windows, which I don't think you can get at all on the VX220?
You also get a cd player standard - which is an option in the VX220?
Boot wise, the Z4 has a suprising amount of space - at least a quarter more than the Vauxhall.

As options on the Z4, you can also get xenons, heated leather, electric memory seats, 10 speaker audio, 6-disk cd changer, iPod interface, navigation, heated and auto-dimming mirrors, and more....

[RobM77]

Sorry, I forgot to say - you can get a blank CDV for about £30 which goes in the clutch line but doesn't produce a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now, but if I was then I was just going to get my local garage to fit it for me.

[reggie82]

RobM77 said:

Sorry, I forgot to say - you can get a blank CDV for about £30 which goes in the clutch line but doesn't produce a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now, but if I was then I was just going to get my local garage to fit it for me.

On my e36 I just took the CDV out, then put it back together without it. Can you not do this with the newer BMWs?

[Sk93]

reggie82 said:

RobM77 said:

Sorry, I forgot to say - you can get a blank CDV for about £30 which goes in the clutch line but doesn't produce a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now, but if I was then I was just going to get my local garage to fit it for me.

On my e36 I just took the CDV out, then put it back together without it. Can you not do this with the newer BMWs?

you need to modify it:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&a...

[RobM77]

reggie82 said:

RobM77 said:

Sorry, I forgot to say - you can get a blank CDV for about £30 which goes in the clutch line but doesn't produce a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now, but if I was then I was just going to get my local garage to fit it for me.

On my e36 I just took the CDV out, then put it back together without it. Can you not do this with the newer BMWs?

If there was a CDV on the E36 then I didn't feel it in anywhere near the same magnitude as the Z4C! I had a 1993 325i and a 1998 328i, and my Z4C is a 2007 model. Did the E36 really have a CDV?

[300bhp/ton]

RobM77 said:

a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now

What have you decided to get instead Rob?

[reggie82]

RobM77 said:

reggie82 said:

RobM77 said:

Sorry, I forgot to say - you can get a blank CDV for about £30 which goes in the clutch line but doesn't produce a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now, but if I was then I was just going to get my local garage to fit it for me.

On my e36 I just took the CDV out, then put it back together without it. Can you not do this with the newer BMWs?

If there was a CDV on the E36 then I didn't feel it in anywhere near the same magnitude as the Z4C! I had a 1993 325i and a 1998 328i, and my Z4C is a 2007 model. Did the E36 really have a CDV?

Yup, not all of them had one, but 328's definitely did.

It's quite a popular mod to remove them - so maybe your one had already been done?

Also, to be fair, although people moan about the CDV in the e36, I really didn't notice much(if any) difference when I removed mine.

Edited by reggie82 on Wednesday 21st July 15:14

[RobM77]

300bhp/ton said:

RobM77 said:

a delay. I'm not keeping my Z4C now

What have you decided to get instead Rob?

Hi there My Dad's trading in his base spec 2007 320d for a new car either this autumn or next spring, and I'm going to buy that off him at trade-in price, and sell the Z4C privately.

I had three choices:

1) Keep the Z4C and buy a cheap runaround third car for my kayak, bikes etc.

2) Forget owning a nice sports/GT car for everyday use and have something reasonable (e.g. RWD and manual gearbox) but economical and spacious, and make more use of the Elise. The reasonable car must not cost too much, because I don't want to spend money on a mundane car.

3) Buy a performance saloon.

I discounted option 3 after test driving an RS4 and M3 and being unimpressed (that's not true - I was impressed by what they did for what they were, but not in absolute terms). That leaves option 1 or 2. Option 2 appeals because it's cheaper, and frees up some money to secure next season's racing In the future if I have more money, I may revert to option 1 with an Evora, 997 C2S or something like that instead of the Z4C.

[Mastodon2]

Whats so bad about the CDV? Is it really obtrusive?