I finally bought a Z4 - Ownership thread!

[DaveP]

Buy a 14k E46 M3 and you will realise how fast a car can eat money.

I think my track record with this car suggests I'm not afraid to throw money at maintenance (I'm probably in for about £3-4k in a year), but I suspect the M3 would be the most expensive of those three to run by some margin.

I’m not saying you not willing to spend money Dave. Just simply a warning. I’ve owned many E46 M3’s over the years and sold over 150 when I ran a specialist garage.
It was just a word of warning about the costs. You could triple what you have spent on the Z4 easily with a cheap M3.

Forgive the lack of tone - my reply to you wasn't a challenge, more a statement. The 370Z is currently winning for me, but that's still only in theory as I haven't even managed to sit in one yet...

[DaveP]

Took the opportunity to avoid some work this morning, and popped out to test a Z4 35is and a 370Z that are for sale at dealers local to me.

I fully expected to come away sold on the 370Z, and the Z4 was there more as a 'palate cleanser'. I couldn't have been more wrong. The 370Z was an absolute ergonomic nightmare. The steering wheel didn't adjust for reach, and barely moved up and down. To get comfortable at 6ft3 required my seat to be so far away from the wheel that my arms were almost straight. A really awkward position that could get uncomfortable on long trips. That notwithstanding, even with the wheel in its highest position, my knees still didn't have much room either side.

By contrast, the Z4's cabin was like a Tardis. It's barely bigger than my E85, but I had boatloads of room. The seats were also significantly more comfortable.

I didn't get the chance to stretch the legs of either, but the 370Z sounded the better of the two as standard. However, the accelerator felt really poorly mapped, and almost a bit like a diesel where there's absolutely nothing going on in the first inch or two of travel. The Z4 rode a bit clumsily on its 19s (not my choice), but the engine felt strong, responsive and gutsy at relatively low revs.

Wasn't expecting that at all.

[Mr Tidy]

It sounds like maybe you'll be looking for a 35is then!

Actually you're a step ahead of me:- viewtopic.php?t=146822

I'm sure some of them came with 18s as I bought a set of them from a 35is owning forum member.