New boots….

[tomscott]

Wheels looks nice and with the Imola Red, but then I'm a little biased as I have a Z4MC in Imola Red as well.
That said I'm not a massive fan of the CSL's on either roadster or coupe as I think they make the car look 'over-wheeled'. They do look dramatic though no question about it.
I've always liked the 224's but if I was changing I would stick with 18" wheels and go for one of the superb Apex wheels which for me look similar to the CSL's but stay on the 18" size and suit the small size of the coupe and roadster better than the 19"s.
Reading how some of you have changed cars and then come back to a Z4M is interesting. I think moving from a Roadster to a Coupe or vice versa is not such a bad idea as they drive a bit differently although owning both I probably wouldn't do.
You have to be careful about selling a Z4M as they are hard to replace. I bought a Porsche 911 C2S 997.1 to replace my Z4M and great as it was, the engine was no match in character for the S54 so I sold the 911. Then I tried a 987.2 Cayman S and felt the same thing, great car and lovely balance but didn't feel at all special inside and the engine was no match for an S54.
Luckily I didn't sell my Z4M while trying the Porsches and had it in storage. I like a car with real character which the Z4M has in spades and I felt the Porsche's were a bit anodyne and easy to drive, which for many will be a good thing. But I like the challenge of driving the Z4M due to it's quirks and mastering those is very satisfying, plus those ITB's in the S54 give throttle response that is hard to match this side of a Porsche GT engine.

I agree with the Porsche statements. The S54 is a much better engine and I too like the character of the M kind of grab it by the scruff of the neck and keep it in line. That being said on UK roads that aren't smooth the Z isnt compliant and quite skitish so I think its a strange balance of enjoying it when you get it right but its pretty inconsistent which can be annoying when in another car its a different experience.

The 911 is just so good to drive and the pendulum effect is quite predictable so it has that scruff of the neck feeling too. I do quite a lot of European driving and the 911 is a nicer place to do the miles, the Z is quite tiring to drive long distance in comparison.

The Boxster on the other hand I just really disliked, didint keep it long too predictable. I had a 996 C4S vert that I loved but it was too heavy and the 4 wheel drive just wasn't a great sports car combo but it was a fab cruiser and the sports exhaust off the country lane walls just sounded awesome. The other benefit with the 911 is the 2+2. I have a little one on the way and the Z is pretty much useless apart from only for me.

[LawrenceW]

Just jumping back into the thread and building on a couple of the previous posts…..I adore 911’s in most variations and a Cayman S was on my shopping list before I purchased my Z4MC. I test drove both the Cayman S and a 997 and they were lovely things. So why did I jump into a Z4MC instead? For a few reasons really, and one of those was being able to see the engine which might sound a little weird but seeing that S54 in all its glory all added to the decision making.
So, was the driving experience better in the Porsches I test drove? I’d definitely say different, but not sure if better, to quantify I’ve just been reading the article on PH over the comparison of the M3 CSL V the new M2 and in amongst all of the opinion and in some of the angst someone makes the remark that no car is perfect, every car has compromises and therefore it comes down to what you want out of a car, and I think this is a great positioning for the Z4M in either guise - as we know, It’s a great car, with real character and charisma but like every other car has some real world shortcomings.
But for me it stirs my soul and is a great antidote from my Mon-Fri repmobile.
Btw if my ship comes in I’d definitely have a vintage 911 sat beside my Z4MC which would be parked next to an M3 CSL….