A little over a month ago I sold my P2 Volvo S60, which was a fix and flip I chronicled over in the build thread section. I put about 10k miles on that car, and it was a comfortable and pleasant cruiser, but not a ton of fun to daily drive. I live in an expanse of windy 2 lane roads leading out of a small city, I have a couple of RX-7s that I keep out of the winter weather, and I prefer not to daily drive my truck if I can help it, though that's what I've been doing in the interim. My "commute" is only 4 miles, no traffic lights, just fun hill roads. Initially I thought I'd replace the S60 with a scruffy NC Miata and a set of snow tires, but the NC values have held up a lot better than I anticipated. The Z4 however, is relatively easy to find with high miles under $5k. I've never driven one, but in theory they seem like a nice daily solution with 6 cylinder grunt, but it doesn't look like much ink has been spilled about them here. Are they of shoddy build quality compared to other BMW models of the same vintage? Drafty/leaky tops? Just not much fun to drive ? I have no real need for a back seat and I'm not afraid to work on the car myself, and if the weather goes really sour (rare these days) I can just drive the truck that day. I've also considered an E46/E39 and various 3 pedal Audis, but I don't want a repeat of my IS300 experience, which despite my efforts via modification, always leaned more toward function than fun, while getting lackluster mpg. The last BMW I owned was a 1974 model over a decade ago, but nothing on the Volvo seemed too far beyond my scope to fix, so I imagine German cars are similar.
Following with interest. Any older BMW is a question mark, but I sure love the looks of the Z4s - especially the coupes.
Pictures for, well, just for yums...
I've heard a number of people say the Z4 Coupe is the best modern BMW. That seems like a good sign. I've never driven either and unfortunately.
I mean these, E82 1 series, E90/1/2/3 are all basically the same under the skin. Suspension, brakes, drivetrains, most of it swaps around between them and that is a good thing. Get a 2.5i and feel the wind in your hair, or the 3.0 and enjoy that flat torque curve or pony up for an M an enjoy the best motor that came in the previous generations of BMW (S54). I presume a coupe will bring more money than a convertible.
Check out this thread for an idea of what you are getting into chassis wise and BMW's of this generation - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/e82-128i-when-your-projected-track-car-turns-into-your-daily/258441/page1/ or this one - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/my-1st-bmw-live-and-learn-chronicle-2009-128i/271909/page1/
Obviously there are differences, mainly that folding roof so you'll need to figure out how stout they are before jumping in.
I've got an 06 E90 330i myself with 350,000 km on it, it's always going to need some attention at its age and mileage but it really drives nice and has held up remarkably well for being almost 19 years old. If you are paying someone else to maintain it/catch up it is going to add up quick but if you aren't afraid to go at it yourself (it is all pretty well documented) and have the time to do that you'll be rewarded with a very nice car.
In reply to adam525i :
The coupes are substantially more money, but they do look quite a bit better. I'll have to see if I can find one locally to test drive and find out if the chassis plays well.
The e85/6 z4's were a nice upgrade over the e36/7 z3. The early cars came with the 2.5 & 3.0 m54 & the later ones came with the 3.0 n52 in various tunes. The s54 m was also available but as you were looking at $5000 I am guessing you are looking at the non m cars. The electric steering on the non m cars has a bit of vagueness on center & the soft top hydraulic unit sits in a pocket that the drains clog & fills with water. The pump is a top out repair but the top does come out fairly easily.
I've never driven an E85, but they seem like an odd duck of a car:
-I believe the chassis is actually based on the E46 (not the E90).
-I also believe the early non-M cars used the M54 engine while the later cars swapped over to the N52.
-They seemed to be an experiment for BMW, with the non-M cars using electric power steering, whereas both the E46 and E90 were still running a hydraulic setup.
roninsoldier83 said:
I've never driven an E85, but they seem like an odd duck of a car:
-I believe the chassis is actually based on the E46 (not the E90).
-I also believe the early non-M cars used the M54 engine while the later cars swapped over to the N52.
-They seemed to be an experiment for BMW, with the non-M cars using electric power steering, whereas both the E46 and E90 were still running a hydraulic setup.
I'm not sure why I had it in my head these were based on the later cars but looking at realoem the chassis/suspension is very E46. Not really a bad thing at all but something to be aware of.
In reply to dannyp84 :
There's a very reasonably priced coupe near me that I'd consider buying, but it's a salvage title and my insurance company will only give me liability on it. Dadgum it!
wspohn
UltraDork
12/28/24 1:43 p.m.
I own a Z4M coupe and I enjoy using it a lot. Relatively long stroke straight 6 with a 7900 rpm red line (and mine has aftermarket rear exhaust boxes which allow it to scream when used in anger). Buy one - you'll like it!
My other modern street sports car has a bit less weight and a 40 bhp advantage over the Z4, but the styling isn't as good, IMHO. Both are a lot of fun!
The early Z4s drive great, particularly the 3.0--way more playful under throttle than my Boxster. I've almost bought one several times. I strongly suggest you find one to test drive.
buzzboy
UltraDork
12/28/24 4:33 p.m.
Sonic(or maybe his wife?) had a Z4Mcoupe for a while. I recall him adoring that car.
I have a 2003 E85 Z4 3.0 and I enjoy it immensely. It makes great noises and is just the right level of quick to be fun but not dangerous. The top is double layered so tho I have a tear in the outer, it's never leaked. The power tops tend to not work but with the Allen key it's 45 spins and the top comes down. I can lift it back up and over my head while seated.
It's been reliable just is getting worn out in my 6.5 years of hard driving it. Also, only replace with BMW parts, even German off-brand won't work. I have threads documenting this.
In reply to P3PPY :
How has the interior held up and what kind of mileage does yours have? Anything about the driving experience you really like or dislike? I'm definitely intrigued enough to test drive one, just can't find anything local that isn't automatic so far.
In reply to dannyp84 :
Interior plastics aren't Honda, by any means. I mean, it's not like the dash or handles split, but like cup holder is the first to go, then the upright console's button. The seat backs disconnect from the seats exposing gooey glue.
I think I'm at 150k, I've driven it since 114k. Track and all that. I am not experienced enough to give out driving impressions other than it doesn't make me nervous.
I happen to have an auto and it's the most fun auto I've driven. Manual mode feels like you shift in the right direction, if that makes sense. I drove a stick Z4 once and needed to keep on top of it; it's got the oomph to spin the tires up into redline, I'm used to the nanny of an auto in that regard.
Regarding working on it, there's way more room than the E46 to work on anything, the water pump and radiator are easy, for instance.
I love the thing through and through. =D
PM if you want, too
Also, Hammond did a pretty glowing review of one back in the day. Theres some Japanese comparison race, too, and IIRC the dude was impressed
EDIT: found them. There's like 5 diff top gear Z4 vids, but here's the Japan track session. It's not an E85 tho
