Why do you like your E89?

[RobbiZ4]

..as my entry into roadsters was the E89 and my exit out will be E89s..!

Same with me.

[tiglon]

I put a lot of thought into buying my current car, it's the most expensive I've ever owned. To start with I wanted something different, having had an E89 before, but once I went through my preferences the 35i/is was the only option.

5+ cylinders (for the noise and sense of occasion), sensible mileage, no slower than 5 seconds to 60, less than 10 years old, roadster, under approx £25k and exterior and interior looks that don't upset me. A fun colour was a bonus.

You can waft along on a wave of torque, or flick a few switches and unleash all kinds of unnecessary mechanical ferocity. Perfect.

It doesn't handle nearly as well as some other roadsters I've had, but they didn't have nearly as exciting an engine. Sadly N54 power AND sub 1,000kg in the same car tends to be very expensive!

With regards to reliability and costs, I've had mine 2.5 years and 25k miles (just passed 70k). I've had to replace coils (possibly only because of the remap) and the cam cover gasket (still not convinced it was needed). Very different to the horror stories on the Internet, most of which seem to come from earlier N54's (but maybe that's because most N54's were produced much earlier than mine).

Yes, tyres and breaks and fuel are expensive, but that's just part of owning a performance car, and nothing compared to an SUV. If dampers go, I'll just pay relative peanuts for a bilstein setup and improve the chassis in the process.

I have spent less on non-routine maintenance for the Z4 than I did on my 1.0 Focus during the same time period.

[Pondrew]

Very different to the horror stories on the Internet, most of which seem to come from earlier N54's (but maybe that's because most N54's were produced much earlier than mine).

That's because BMW kept going with the N54 in the Z4 for years after they had superseded it on all other models. The N55 came and went and the B58 had been born before the end of the E89 (IIRC).

Yes, tyres and breaks and fuel are expensive

For what you get I think the consumables are pretty good TBH
225 and 255 18" or 19" tyres are pretty standard across a lot of the BM range. A 318D M-sport uses the same size tyres.
Have you tried pricing brakes for an 'M' car? The 35is is peanuts in comparison. For the price of one disc for, say an M6, you could change all four and probably pads too.

[sars]

Apart from the overall look of the e89, the other standout feature was the N52B30, that flat torque curve up to 6500 rpm really did make you want to hold onto the gears, oh what fun

Then they said the change to N20 was progress, yeah okay I'll believe you BMW, whilst it didn't ruin the car, it did not make it better either and I can remember the furore on here over that decision.

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[flybobbie]

Owned mine 11 years. Bought at 29k miles now 101k.
Still nothing out there i like, that i can afford. Possibly go F Type if i had the cash, but why?
Fell in love with the shape when i saw one on local car park.
That guy still has his car, local shop owner. Never seen it with roof down though?
Still most expensive car bought, i went into debt to buy.
All other cars i owned were never over £2k, but after a few years got sold for far less.
So treated myself, determined to ring every £ out of this car.
Couple of things that bug me, the gearbox and steering.

[Pondrew]

Then they said the change to N20 was progress, yeah okay I'll believe you BMW,

It was. But only for 'eco warrior' reasons....oh and profitability. Less emissions, better efficiency.....and they could change the maps and sell it in three guises, all with a different RRP for almost zero cost to them.

BTW I hope you sorted that broken roof tile. That would drive me mad!

[sars]

Pondrew, Not my circus, not my Monkeys I only rented a room there whilst in Bristol before buying a house

[Dave 2 dogs]

Mark

Thanks … yes, one each side

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[Silverstar]

If you want to, you can make a good case for not buying ANY car with ANY engine. Thanks to t'internet there is so much information about everything. When it comes to cars most of the information is only the negatives, as that's what people want to know.

When it comes to Z4s, if you want to listen to all the negatives, the only one to buy would be the N52 because these are regarded as 'bulletproof', despite being prone to oil leaks, fuel pump failures, water pump failures, etc, etc.

To be fair though, oil leaks fuel and water pump failures goes across the board. Saving grace for the N52 is that they have no other major issues unlike the N20 with its cam chain problems or the myriad of expensive issues that afflict the N54.

[CliveN]

BMWs aren’t as expensive to run as an equivalent Porsche. That’s a fact. And I think the e89 and e85/86 are reasonably reliable. As Robbi says most of the problems are wear and tear rather than design faults. Even the 35i engine seem to have its problems at later mileages (but probably not as late as people would like it to be). I personally have a thing in my head that engines should last at least 100000 miles before anything needs to doing outside service items (my hyundai coupe was one such car and I reckon I can get my Talbot samba to that as well) but we seem stuck to undertake other stuff on our BMWs. The good news is that places like the z4 forum mean you can go in with your eyes open. Before I bought my Z4MC I read everything in here. So knew all about big ends, vanos, etc. still didn’t stop me getting an air bag warning light 200 miles into my return journey home. Hmm - still to be sorted, have bought a OBD reader!

[RobbiZ4]

As Robbi says most of the problems are wear and tear rather than design faults....

Well, we 89ers are not alone.
The roof chain begins with nearly all E85 in the first 10 years, followed by E46 after 15 years, E89 after 6-12years, F33/F83 after 5-7 years, F12 after 8-10 years, ... And don't discuss about Audi!
Others will follow soon.

[MikeyH]

Okay guys, yes I agree, the E89 is a lovely looking car and was the one I wanted but they were to highly priced for me when I was ready to buy as it is only a fun car for weekends and coffee runs with the wife.
So I looked around at the E85 and I was never happy with how the front end looked but after 2 years of ownership I have grown to like it and now love the car to bits and can't see I'll ever swap for an E89. So each to his/her own I suppose.

[mr.tourette]

I've not got it anymore but I always thought the e89 was a lovely looking motor, especially in the dsb/ivory combo and I do still miss sitting in that interior even with the 981 on the drive. Once the mortgage is done in a few years I think I might pick another one up