Z4, but which one?

[Withavee]

Hi All.
After having owned Lotus Elise's and MX5s I am giving serious consideration to getting myself a Z4 but have some questions after reading the FAQ section:

Headroom - at 6' 2" I'm tall sitting down. A short test drive in a 13 plate sDrive M Sport has just enough headroom. Are there any versions with more or less headroom I should look for or avoid. An 11 plate 2.3i S Drive seems to be about the same.

Performance - the 2ltr is plenty fast enough for me, but a 6 cylinder would be nice, any advantages \ disadvantages to the 6s?

Gearbox - the manual 6 speed was nice to use on the test run, but the sport automatic sounds like it might suit my needs 99% of the time

I would like to spend £10 - 14K

[Mr Tidy]

Welcome to the forum OP.

Any Z4 2009 onwards will be an E89 model and as they all have the same roof mechanism I would imagine they all offer pretty muich the same headroom.

As for your other questions, hopefully this thread may help:- viewtopic.php?f=23&t=93940

[buzyg]

Welcome to the forum. Are you looking for a daily driver or a weekend toy?

[kis]

Hi and Welcome!

Not being overly familiar with e89's myself the only input I'd add is that if you went for the 2.0 you might find yourself in a situation where you've tired of the 2 litre and yearn for more power! Bite the bullet and get the 3 litre with the 6 cylinders (which you've said you like)... That way you won't find yourself thinking you need to upgrade or regretting getting the 2.0!!

[Buckz]

as far as being a drivers car a Z4 will not match mx5 or elise for fun factor a Z4M might get close

if you want something raw/fun etc go for s2000.

other than that, 6cyl all the way surely.

[Smartbear]

Hi and Welcome!

Not being overly familiar with e89's myself the only input I'd add is that if you went for the 2.0 you might find yourself in a situation where you've tired of the 2 litre and yearn for more power! Bite the bullet and get the 3 litre with the 6 cylinders (which you've said you like)... That way you won't find yourself thinking you need to upgrade or regretting getting the 2.0!!

Depends what 2litre the op gets, if it's the 2litre turbo version they are easily remapped to exceed the na 3litre power
Rob

[Withavee]

Mr Tidy - Regarding the roof mechanism, I had assumed they would all be the same. I was more concerned about seat options and whether any of these 'stole' headroom, Comfort Vs Sport etc.
Not looking to compare with the Elise (yet to find anything that does), there were too many compromises with that wonderful car. I am a little disappointed that you think that it would not compare with the MX-5 Buckz.
Not looking to rip up the roads these days but a well balanced 2 seater that I can drive most of the time with the roof down is my aim. I did look at S2000s a couple of years ago, might have to revisit that one.

Thanks for your feedback peeps.

[buzyg]

Mr Tidy - Regarding the roof mechanism, I had assumed they would all be the same. I was more concerned about seat options and whether any of these 'stole' headroom, Comfort Vs Sport etc.
Not looking to compare with the Elise (yet to find anything that does), there were too many compromises with that wonderful car. I am a little disappointed that you think that it would not compare with the MX-5 Buckz.
Not looking to rip up the roads these days but a well balanced 2 seater that I can drive most of the time with the roof down is my aim. I did look at S2000s a couple of years ago, might have to revisit that one.

Thanks for your feedback peeps.

If your looking at older cars then take a look at the older Z4's too. Plenty of head room in the E85 , I'm 6ft 4" & a fine drivers car IMHO.

I went out intending to by an Elise 16 years ago. Couldn't fit in one and change gear.

I ended up buying a FIAT Coupe 20VT. Which I loved for 10 years. But still secretly wish I had manage to squeeze into that little Lotus.

[lordgrover]

Did you crank the seat as low as it goes? I'm similar build; 6'1" with 31"inside leg so tall sat down. Plenty of room once seat is properly adjusted in the two I've tried so far - 30i and 20i.

[sticky]

E85 3.0

[andyfanshawe]

Welcome!
Im 6 foot 3 and no problems.
i have the 2 litre, and the comment about wanting more power??? Err......NO. Not for me. 2 litres is lovely.

Mines manual but have just driven an auto z4 for a few days and loved it! So easy and relaxing.

i enjoyed the test drives of all the z4's before buying! So go for it. Try them out.

Andy.

[patriot66]

The heart and soul of any decent BMW is its straight six cylinder engine. For me it is THE main reason to own one...it is what they are all about and has been since 1933. Buy into the history, the heritage, the smoothness, the torque and the finesse !

[SpiketheBike]

204hp/151mph/6.6 to 60. Thats enough for me. 23si is a cracking car. Sounds great when you rev it, and drives like a dream. IMHO.

[Baza]

Avoid a future disappointment. Has to be a straight 6 . A BMW icon

[Smartbear]

The heart and soul of any decent BMW is its straight six cylinder engine. For me it is THE main reason to own one...it is what they are all about and has been since 1933. Buy into the history, the heritage, the smoothness, the torque and the finesse !

But the 2litre turbo has more torque, Go to page 10 & look at bmw's own figures comparing it against the 3litre six...
http://www.bimmerpost.com/goodiesforyou ... ERPOST.pdf

Rob