Which Z4 and general info

[satans worm]

I have been posted to Bratislava with work, and whilst at first I decided I didn't need a car, I have now changed my mind and decided the summer will be much better if i have my own car to drive about in and explore the mountains and lakes on offer around.

Only intent to own the car for about 6 months, so dont want to spend a fortune, about 8k max(with always a bit of flexibility build in )
My requirements is that it is a 2 seater convertible and reliable as possible!
So for me it was Porsche Boxster S (ok, so add 2 k to the budget), Audi TT and the Z4.
Thing is I have owned a Boxster S before(and loved it) but would like something different, especially for 6 months, the TT doesnt look too good in convertible form (owned the mk2 3.2 as well, so this will feel like a back step so to speak ) so I am now focusing on the Z4

Thing is I know nothing of them, looks like 3 engine options, 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0
Are there any dogs in these ranges, rough performance figs would be good too, both 0-60sprints and fuel economy (im not looking for outright performance, just fun)
Any must have options or must avoid items?
Finally, but very importantly, exhaust note, does the 2.2 or 2.5 make a nice noise or just the 3.0( im assuming the 3.0 does sound good!)Are there sports exhausts to look out for?

Thanks

[AB]

Personal opinion follows;

2.2i - Didn't like it for some reason

2.5i and 3.0i sounded the same, there didn't feel much in it at any speed, if anything it pulled harder at the top end.

Differences;

3.0i comes with M Sport suspension as standard whereas the 2.5i comes without unless specified. 3.0i has electric memory seats, 2.5i does not.

Not sure there is an awful lot more difference between the two other than chrome looking kidney grills and clear (rather than smoked) headlights on the 3.0i, oh, and a 6 speed box on the 3.0i with a 5er in the 2.5i. Final drive ratio the same in both so no difference to fuel economy.

From speaking to people, the 2.5i and 3.0i achieve similar MPG figures, 2.2i is slightly better but I would disregard that as the jump from 2.2 to 2.5 felt much more than 2.5 to 3.0. Others will no doubt argue this case, but as I said at the start, it's personal opinion.

I had a few thoughts when buying mine (I got the 2.5i) and one was that I didn't need electric memory seats, adds weight and complications. Insurance was quite a bit lower and having not noticed too much of a difference I was happy to proceed with the 2.5i.

It also helped that the one I found was from a BMW dealership, warrantied, and with plenty of spec including the M Sports suspension (now on Eibachs as springs snap like toothpicks - known fault), Carver hi-fi (wonderful), heated seats (a must), wind deflector (a must), xenons (halogens are like candles - many owners don't rate them) as well as nice little extras like storage pack (cargo nets and drinks holders), electric folding mirrors etc.

They are similar prices down at that level for both engines, well they are here anyhow, so I guess if insurance isn't an issue (I was 22 so it was) and two similar cars fit the bill, you'd be stupid not to go for the 3.0i - I dare say it will be easier to sell on at the end of the 6 months when you need to shift it, due to the 'top of the range' perception (M-aside) and (rightly or wrongly) the perception it is the much better model.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: For typos, wrote it fast!

[sinizter]

Just get the 3.0i - Not much difference in running costs between the 3.0i and 2.5i.

For the record, I have a 2.2i.

[steve_bmw]

i have had my z4 since jan this year and its fantastic! 2003 2.5
when i was looking at spec ect i discounted the 2.2 as it didnt go as well as i would have liked.

test drove the 2.5 and the 3.0, not alot of difference between them, if i didnt know what engine was in it, i probably wouldnt have been able to pick out the 3.0 from the 2.5 in everyday driving.

mpg, its winter and i do only 5 miles to work and back so its not going to be fantastic for me but i still get 26 mpg on my short commute, however on a run, cruise set to 75 ish it does 39 mpg.


so when looking around the engine size wasnt top priority, i did want hid lights, heated leather MEMORY (were these an option on the 2.5) seats, cruise, and 108 style wheels, good history and a tidy body with a rare colour, didnt want business class gray, there too common.

The car i bought has all of these extras and i and very pleased with it.

mechanicaly i dont think theres much to go wrong, for your price range you will be looking at a 2003/2004, so buy on condition, so long as the body is good and the engine is sweet, any other niggles can be sorted for a very reasonable cost.

make sure the tyres are good, if they are runflats, on 18" wheels there approx £250 each for bridgestone, so factor that in when looking.

apart from that enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited by steve_bmw on Tuesday 22 February 12:11

[Mattt]

3.0 every time.

Same running costs, more power, more toys.

If you bought the 2.5, then you'd always be doubting or having to justify to yourself why you didn't buy the 3.0

[cheadle hulme]

satans worm said:

Finally, but very importantly, exhaust note, does the 2.2 or 2.5 make a nice noise or just the 3.0( im assuming the 3.0 does sound good!)Are there sports exhausts to look out for?

The exhaust note is nice, but not particularly loud.

The 3.0i has a sound generator. Basically, it pipes and amplifies induction noise into the passenger footwell. It has a foam baffle in it which can be cut down to provide more noise if required.

The kit is retro fittable with ease to all the 6 cyclinder models. Sounds a bit Halfords I know, but it does add to driving appeal. I have on my 2.5i.

[satans worm]

Thanks for the replies, sounds like the 3.0 is the one to go for, unless a bargain 2.5 comes up.

Wife is hankering my for the Boxster, but i think its a case of the first bargain i can get so i dont lose as much in 6 months time.

[steve_bmw]

yer, dont rule out a nice spec 2.5, go drive a few see what you think, i am sure you will be very happy with either

i had the choice of a boxster or my z4, i think the z4 looks better

[AB]

satans worm said:

sounds like the 3.0 is the one to go for, unless a bargain 2.5 comes up.

To be fair, I think that sums it up nicely.

[Fox-]

The 3.0 is better than the 2.5 in every way and costs no more to run, so unless there is a really cheap 2.5 there is no reason to buy one.

[AB]

Mattt said:

3.0 every time.

Same running costs, more power, more toys.

If you bought the 2.5, then you'd always be doubting or having to justify to yourself why you didn't buy the 3.0

I think this has pretty much been done to death over the years, more power - yes, but genuinely, in day to day driving, you won't notice the difference, as has already been mentioned by a couple of people.

More toys = (IMO) more to go wrong. Electric seats with memory? I can operate my own seats thanks, I don't need the extra weight or electronics to fail. Lights and wipers? There's a stalk there and my eyes pretty much know when it's going dark or raining and how heavily. I think that's about it?

The above isn't me doubting or justifying to myself, but rather making people aware that it'd be wrong to write off a nicely spec'd 2.5i just because of the .5 of a litre.

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/justdriven/03...

For the record, this is mine... 2005 2.5i SE - I've owned it for 2 and a half years and have done the best part of 50k miles in it.



It popped up locally with FBMWSH, warranty, low mileage, and with a whole load of extras such as;

- Carver
- Xenons
- Wind deflector
- Heated seats
- Electric folding mirrors
- Storage pack
- I forget what else

As far as I'm aware it's missing parking sensors (not an issue, I can park) and sat nav/bluetooth (I have a Parrot fitted and use my iPhone as sat nav) so all in all, if something like this pops up, don't hesitate due to engine.

As for colours, grey was always a popular colour, and is pretty common but I think it shows off the lines of the car pretty well, I would have liked black with red leather in an ideal world but beggers can't be choosers.

I suppose I should list a few of the common problems that I am aware of. I think it's fair to say that the Z4 isn't the best build quality BMW could have offered, I speak from experience of niggly problems.

- Washer jet covers seem to pop off, BMW blame water getting into the cracks and then freezing and effectively prizing them off. Common problem on the E9x models as well I'm told. I've lost my nearside one and I've not got around to having it replaced yet.

- Snapped springs is another very common issue. I was getting new tyres a couple of days before an MOT and the fitter noticed cracked springs at the rear. I swapped them for Eibach which had the effect of lowering it a little also - it was already on sports springs so IIRC it was a 15mm drop.

- The seat back on the passenger side has fallen off, due to a broken clip, many have seen the same thing happen.

- Door handle cables prone to stretching and ultimately snapping/becoming detached. I believe this is due to BMW using plastic cables to cut costs. A £12 part and a relatively easy fix. I did, however, leave my stranded in the middle of a road with the engine running unable to get back into the car a couple of weeks ago.

Other than the odd rattles here and there its otherwise been a fairly solid car and considering it's knocking on 90k miles it still feels as tight as the day I bought it and I'm more than happy. No major repair work has been needed other than the springs and some new suspension bushes. I look after it, service it regularly and make sure the oil is in good condition.

Averaging 29mpg at the moment, I reset it a few months ago when I stopped my long commute (it was on 34 at that point) and now I really only drive it around town and the drive time is shared with other cars so it's having an easy life now.

Rabitted on more than enough now.

[Fox-]

AB said:

More toys = (IMO) more to go wrong. Electric seats with memory? I can operate my own seats thanks, I don't need the extra weight or electronics to fail. Lights and wipers? There's a stalk there and my eyes pretty much know when it's going dark or raining and how heavily. I think that's about it?

Ok, so spec is bad?

AB said:

The above isn't me doubting or justifying to myself, but rather making people aware that it'd be wrong to write off a nicely spec'd 2.5i just because of the .5 of a litre.

But now you are saying buy a well spec'd 2.5 over a 'low spec' 3.0? I thought spec was more things to go wrong?

Even with no options the spec on a 3.0i is more than enough for the sort of car it is.

Buy the 3.0. It's just better.

[Mattt]

[AB]

Fox- said:

AB said:

More toys = (IMO) more to go wrong. Electric seats with memory? I can operate my own seats thanks, I don't need the extra weight or electronics to fail. Lights and wipers? There's a stalk there and my eyes pretty much know when it's going dark or raining and how heavily. I think that's about it?

Ok, so spec is bad?

AB said:

The above isn't me doubting or justifying to myself, but rather making people aware that it'd be wrong to write off a nicely spec'd 2.5i just because of the .5 of a litre.

But now you are saying buy a well spec'd 2.5 over a 'low spec' 3.0? I thought spec was more things to go wrong?

Even with no options the spec on a 3.0i is more than enough for the sort of car it is.

Buy the 3.0. It's just better.

You know exactly what I'm saying and not once have I said that spec is bad. But in the scheme of things there are certain options that make the car more enjoyable and nicer to live with on a day to day basis and those things, in my opinion are;

- Xenons as the halogen in the Z4 are terrible.
- Heated seats for those colder days
- Wind deflector if you intend to have the roof down a lot
- Carver as the standard sound system is poor and if you do a lot of roof down driving, its just better.

Things that really don't add anything to the car from a comfort and driving pleasure/experience side of things;

- Automatic lights - is it too much effort to flick a switch?
- Automatic wipers - in case you forget to turn them on when it rains?
- Electric seats with memory - same applies.
- Electric folding mirrors - arguably better to have over the 3 above, but still, i wouldn't say important

I rate the storage pack over the 4 options above, cup holders and the storage nets are quite handy.

I appreciate that you two above have either owned, or parents owned and therefore driven, the 3.0 - but the simple fact of the matter is that I based my decision on the above - I decided that the 2.5 with lots of (important) options was 'better' than the 3.0 with no options (apart from the standard pointless options it has over the 2.5).

This is coming from someone who wouldn't enjoy his car as much if it didn't have what I see as the important options.

OP, in an ideal world you find a 3.0i with the options and within budget, I'm not going to deny that faced with two similar cars, one with a 2.5 and one with a 3.0 that you wouldn't definitely go for the 3.0 - just don't discount the 2.5 based on engine alone.

[Fox-]

The Z4 has projector headlights therefore a safe and effective Xenon upgrade is about £50. The wind deflector is about 70 quid off Ebay and an easy retrofit.

The 3.0 is just.. better.

[Vladimir Pukin]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned but there is a 3.0i and the later 3.0si - there's 25 bhp (and some £s) difference.

Edit - just saw £8K max so 3.0si probably not an option.

Edited by Vladimir Pukin on Tuesday 22 February 12:45

[AB]

Again, our views differ on your safe and effective use of an HID kit in none-xenon headlights.

Concede the point about the wind deflector, but is a pain in the arse though.

However, you've not mentioned Carver/heated seats - both of which enhance the enjoyment of the car and for me, are worth more than 0.5 of a litre is.

I've made my views and opinions clear, having driven both.

Although interested to hear your views on why you think none spec'd 3.0 is better than a fully spec'd 2.5

Presumably you can justify it through the stonking increase in performance, as that is the only possible difference.

[Mattt]

I found electric memory seats useful, as my parents drove my Z4 quite a lot, I could press a button and the setup returned to how I liked it.

Heated seats, I didn't miss, but found M Sport seats useful.

I've never had xenons so didn't miss them.

[Sticks.]

Mattt said:

I found electric memory seats useful, as my parents drove my Z4 quite a lot, I could press a button and the setup returned to how I liked it.

Heated seats, I didn't miss, but found M Sport seats useful.

I've never had xenons so didn't miss them.

The elec memory seats also have smaller increments of adjustment, which I find useful. My other car has heated seats but I never use them.

Wish I had M Sport seats, though too narrow for some folk. I'd opt for xenons again.

Bonnet catch can stick in the same way as door handles. Did I miss mention of roof motor failure?

Had mine nearly 7 years. Largely hassle free, still love it, moreso since ditching the rfts.

[Fox-]

AB said:

Again, our views differ on your safe and effective use of an HID kit in none-xenon headlights.

The actual projector housing is the same - the only thing the non-Xenon cars are missing is the self levelling function (Which is there to account for differences in loading, not to auto level on the fly anyway).

AB said:

Concede the point about the wind deflector, but is a pain in the arse though.

Nah, it took 30 minutes!

AB said:

However, you've not mentioned Carver/heated seats - both of which enhance the enjoyment of the car and for me, are worth more than 0.5 of a litre is.

No heated seats in ours either - I've driven it when it's 1c outside and not had an issue, I find I warm the seat up PDQ anyway. The 525i does have heated seats and I never use them.

AB said:

Although interested to hear your views on why you think none spec'd 3.0 is better than a fully spec'd 2.5

The Z4 is a poorly built, cramped, rattley roadster. It has absolutely no pretensions of cruising ability - it's purely a drop the lid, have a great time sort of car. You don't need heated seats or a navigation system for this but being able to hit 60 from rest in 5.9 seconds goes a long towards helping with the fun factor.

The 3.0 is an absolute blast to drive - the extra power of the 2.5 is hugely useful and it comes with zero running cost penalty. It's a no brainer.

If you want Nav and luxury buy a 3 Series Cab.