E85/E86 owners... is there any reason why you did not go for an E89?

eBrooker · Post by **eBrooker** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 2:54 am

Curious why you might have opted for an E85... was it just the price difference, or something else?

Z4Mariner · Post by **Z4Mariner** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 4:04 am

Hope it's okay for an E86 owner to say why I didn't go for an E89. My personal story is that I thought I had an agreement to buy an E89, but when the owner told his wife he was planning to sell, she wanted him to keep the car

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The E89 that I nearly bought was a 2011, with the N52 engine and a manual transmission. My E86 3.0Si has both, it's lighter, it has more boot space, and it looks much better to my eye than the E89's. A low percentage of the E86's sold in the US had manual transmissions, so I feel fortunate to be driving one of the ca. 1,000 (maybe fewer?) of those.

eBrooker · Post by **eBrooker** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 4:49 am

Z4Mariner wrote: Fri Jun 20, 2025 4:04 am Hope it's okay for an E86 owner to say why I didn't go for an E89

I've updated the title just for you Z4Mariner

(And I'd agree, your E86 is stunning! Would be my first choice too!)

GG_Gramps · Post by **GG_Gramps** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:18 am

First post but long time lurker.

For me I wanted a Merlot but also an M54 engine.

Should probably do an intro post now...

Ste333 · Post by **Ste333** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 7:07 am

Came down to budget for me. I was looking for a cheap project car to play with and wanted a convertible. I was initially looking at MX5's.. but then spotted a few E85's and snapped a 2.2 up quite cheaply around the 2k mark. I've put a few more £££ in now to sort a few bits and pieces out but it still only owes me around 3k, and theres nothing that looks like a Z4, and drives / sounds the way it does for this pricepoint. Love it.

I'm not personally a huge fan of the E89 looks... I just think the E85/86 have more personality.

Zedebee · Post by **Zedebee** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 7:41 am

There’s no real comparison in my opinion. I’ve had E85s and an E86, but I’d never consider an E89 (or even a G29 for that matter). The E86 is a thing of beauty and a very competent car underneath. The E85 is a blast, getting the blend between old-school and modernity just right. The engines have real character, particularly the M54. Both cars’ lack of electronic trickery means they are easy for a DIYer to work on. And the E85 looks great too, when the top’s down

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I have nothing bad to say about the E89, it just doesn’t tick my boxes in the same way.

damocell · Post by **damocell** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 8:06 am

Didn't consider an E89 due to the looks and how heavy it is (actual weight and heavy looking)

TriggerFish · Post by **TriggerFish** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 8:37 am

damocell wrote: Fri Jun 20, 2025 8:06 am Didn't consider an E89 due to the looks and how heavy it is (actual weight and heavy looking)

As a fellow coupe owner, same

I loved the E86 shape for years. The e89 does nothing for me (although some 35i power would be nice!)

Gebbly · Post by **Gebbly** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 8:47 am

I started out looking at Toyota GR86 and Mazda MX5. Decided against the GR86 for a few reasons. Took a nearly new MX5 for a test drive and it wasnt nearly as fun as I thought it would be, just lacked the oomph and I would be paying extra for it being convertible which I would never use (I prefer a hard top).

Looked around and saw some discussion of BMW Z4 being an alternative. Once I started reading about the Z4s I immediately wanted the Z4M. Old enough not to have loads of computer gadgetry so easier to learn car maintenance and repair, looks pretty, famously reliable engine, oomph in spades and about half the price of the modern MX5s I had been looking at. Then Mr Tidy took me for a spin in his and I was sold. So, Z4M meant it had to be E86.

Rockhopper · Post by **Rockhopper** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 8:56 am

I like the useable boot on the E85 with the roof down. That reason alone would put me off most hardtop convertibles.

buzyg · Post by **buzyg** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:04 am

The E89 was not in production when I bought my ///MR.

bigwinn · Post by **bigwinn** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:19 am

The gap between each car, especially between e36 z3, e85/6 z4, e89 and new g series is generational. Having driven them all they all have their pros and cons.

You can’t relax and drive a z3, so if you enjoy that level of involvement it’s for you.

The 85/86 is usable as a daily, plus with all the facets the guys above note.

The 89 is a step along the journey again with levels of comfort, dare I say detachment from experience and refinement.

I drove a g series m40i and found it to be a very similar experience to all g series cars, but not for me

So it’s what suits you and floats your boat… with a broad church to suit all tastes what’s not to like?

deltasierra · Post by **deltasierra** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:50 am

We liked the boot space on the E85 for touring, E89 has much less roof down, plus roof is a pain to fix if it has a fault, we jumped straight to G29 which suits us well.

darich · Post by **darich** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 9:58 am

I prefer the look of the E86 to the E89.
In some photos the E89 does look really nice, other times, not so much.

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:00 am

It is a bit like my Golf MK1, it was/is the model for me, so newer is not better for me in that case. The same with the E85 - that is the model I like, the rest is more modern but not what I am after.

The soft looking rear of the E89 is also really not working for me. The G29 is much better looking, but not the type of car I am looking for.

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