3.0 coupe to M

D

dan_88

Member
 Derbyshire
I've had my coupe for 4 months now and have covered around 4k and have enjoyed every minute. Only problem is I keep looking at M's! My question is, would upgrading be noticeably different? Would it be worth it for the extra costs? Obviously I'd my first choice would be an Mc but would consider an roadster. Is there much difference in the driving experience of the two?

Thanks dan
 
As long as its a coupe, I'm sure you wont be disappointed..

What I would say is do you need the extra power / exclusivity and can you afford the cost?
 
Friend of mine owns an MC and he doesn't use it for every day driving, as to really get the best out of it, you have to drive it the way M cars were made to be driven.
Saying that, that's his opinion.

I have a Z4C Sport and I love the fact that I can chill most of the time, and if i'm feeling spirited on a drive home later when it's clear, I just push the sport button.

Plenty enough in the Z4C for me to enjoy myself without the envy, even without the sport button pressed.

It's all about your own personal preference, and i'm sure plenty of M owners will say go for the M, and they'd be right as it's awesome, but the 3.0 sport is still a beast and certainly not second best.
 
ba3bas said:
Friend of mine owns an MC and he doesn't use it for every day driving, as to really get the best out of it, you have to drive it the way M cars were made to be driven.
Saying that, that's his opinion.

I have a Z4C Sport and I love the fact that I can chill most of the time, and if i'm feeling spirited on a drive home later when it's clear, I just push the sport button.

Plenty enough in the Z4C for me to enjoy myself without the envy, even without the sport button pressed.

It's all about your own personal preference, and i'm sure plenty of M owners will say go for the M, and they'd be right as it's awesome, but the 3.0 sport is still a beast and certainly not second best.
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This is how I feel also.. but thats why I asked the questions above..
 
bluestreak56 said:
As long as its a coupe, I'm sure you wont be disappointed..

What I would say is do you need the extra power / exclusivity and can you afford the cost?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say I really 'need' the extra power, but then again who does really? Although would be nice to have. Exclusivity doesn't really matter as I have that already with the coupe, have only seen 1 other on the road since I've owned mine. Regarding the costs I think I'd be ok, well if hope so

Dan
 
ba3bas said:
Friend of mine owns an MC and he doesn't use it for every day driving, as to really get the best out of it, you have to drive it the way M cars were made to be driven.
Saying that, that's his opinion.

I have a Z4C Sport and I love the fact that I can chill most of the time, and if i'm feeling spirited on a drive home later when it's clear, I just push the sport button.

Plenty enough in the Z4C for me to enjoy myself without the envy, even without the sport button pressed.

It's all about your own personal preference, and i'm sure plenty of M owners will say go for the M, and they'd be right as it's awesome, but the 3.0 sport is still a beast and certainly not second best.
Click to expand...

Mine isn't used as a daily so when it does get taken out its because I want to so I would drive it for enjoyment a lot of the time

Dan
 
I doubt there is a lot of difference in running costs between the 3.0 and M car...

Maybe £15 a week depending on mileage..... A few pints of beer,or a couple of packet of fags..

But you get a LOT more car.....Its a no brainer if money isnt tight...
 
If you are doing lowish mileage the biggest differences will be Road Tax (£475 pa in the M) and servicing (M servicing costs nearly twice as much as the 3.0 would do).
 
I went from 3.0 to M.

In a nutshell - Its quicker and more expensive. A lot more than the 'packet of fags' previously suggested.
 
in what way ALOT more car? appart from the BHP increase i know the M's have a lsd but what else... bigger brakes and stiffer suspension can be achieved without the changing of the car.

i have wondered tthe same question. my 3.0 has almost all the toys that people upgrade to so on that front im not bothered. for me it would be the better mechanicals IFSWIM.

im like the others with regards the sport button. for me it just makes the car like a blunt instrument. As i drive mostly around the city and the fact liverpools roads are akin to the cobbled test track at mira i find with it on its just a bit too lurchy and jumpy. i like the sort of lazy attitude of the car with it off and if you want the power just push the pedal more.
 
Dan,

I'm facing a similar dilemma to you.

I want a car for weekend use and am deciding between a 3.0si (coupé) and an ///MC.

I looked at some (estimated figures) and if you are only using on a "toy" basis the difference isn't too bad. Servicing is more on an M, but with the lack of miles you'll only need a service every 2 years, so the difference can be spread out of 24 months (instead of a potential 12 were it to be a daily driver).

Tax is £200 more per year, but again spread out this is less than £20pcm. From the quotes I received (25 years old, 5 years NCB and 3 points) insurance for the 3.0 was around £500 and ///M was only £600 so again less than £10pcm.

Basically the difference between the two is maybe £50pcm, which imo isn't too bad.

Anyway, I started a thread about it which may have some interesting points to note:

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=46955
 
Heart over head. The M wins every time.

If you need it as a daily get the 3.0

The M has the bells, whistles and Kudos, the S54, LSD, hydraulic steering, quad exhausts that sound fantastic, M body kit, M specific interior dials etc But its harder to live with as an everyday car. Clutch and steering are heavier, suspension is harder and driving it through town is a pig, also parking it in a city environment is more difficult, it is also louder on long commutes and will do about 1/3 to 1/2 the MPG the 3.0 will 23-30 compared to 35-45. The 3.0 0-60 is about 5.7 the ///M is quoted at 5 but more like 4.8 but will you notice? probably not. But the power delivery is awesome from the S54, 80% of torque from 2k revs and it screams all the way to red line.

The M you will look at paying around 5k more than the 3.0si, depending on milage/age/conditions but a good one will be 15-16k private or 17-18 from a dealer. If you want a higher milage slightly tired/interesting history version they can be found from 13.5k.

But for me it was the only one, the 3.0 was a disappointment compared to the M and all my roads are A-B lake roads so its just amazing. There is something special about the M and it puts a smile on my face every time i drive it, both are brilliant cars but depends what you want to use it for. I use mine as a toy although I did 6.5k in it last year :D

Depends what you are, head or heart?

Life's too short, have what you want while you can. Thats how I made my decision.
 
Steven, i read your thread. And having done both, owned a 3.0 as a daily and now an M for weekends and a VW polo for kicking about in. I kinda wish i had a 3.0 again.
One thing people forget to mention is how frustratingly boring it is to own a car that you hardly touch. Its crap. Theres defo something to be said for owning a great car that costs less, is not overshadowed that much by the flagship and you can enjoy 7 days of the week. Your costs dont seem to factor petrol or a new set of brakes etc This is where the wallet gets absolutely battered.

Buy an M and you have two options, pile on the miles and forget the costs (good luck selling it for more than peanuts if it tips over 60k!). Or keep it nice, turn into Gollum and get frustrated.... Of course you should be somewhere between the two :D
 
I had a prefacelift 3 litre, loved it, sold it and regretted it so after a couple of other cars, I wanted back into a Z4 and only the M would do as I#d always be wanting the best possible. They're bargains at current values.

Insurance differences were minimal, less than 10%. Buying the car around 18 months ago, the difference between two similar aged cars, M and non M, was 1-2k. It seems in that time, the M has depreciated less than the 3.0si
Tax is a pain, fuel isn't as good as toms figures for the 3.0 as far as I know. For me, comparing to the older 3.0, the M gets roughly 5mpg less, for any given type of driving.
Noise on a cruise is the same, it's only when you put your foot down do you get a different growl from the motor. You do notice the extra power, the M edges more towards animal :evil:

Steering is much better in the M, as is the feel of the LSD. Ride isn't all that different, in fact the 3.0 is worse if it's on run flats.

For me it seems a lot of peoples non M's don't make much sense on this forum, they're often paying to put M bumpers on them, quad exhausts, M sport seats, xenon conversions, m wheels.... :fuelfire:
 
Really the 3.0 only hits 28mpg? over 6.5k my Z4M has managed 23.3 which is what its quoted but regularly see 30mpg on motorway runs. But I have seen 3.0SI owners quoting 35-45mpg? Thought they were pretty frugal?

Agree with the moding non Ms to look like Ms.
 
i went from an m3 to a 3.0 coupe, and i do miss the surge of acceleration the s54 gives.

this debate's been done to death, personally i think the difference between the 2 cars is reflected in the price - the £5k difference is possibly a little optimistic and, as the cars age, the difference will come down, as the risks and costs that come with the m will become more acute as they age. unless they achieve classic status... :)

if the only thing competing for your finances is a car, and you can afford it, go for the m. at the risk of sounding boring, weigh up the next few years of your life too, life is too short, but sometimes priorities change quite quickly.
 
tomscott said:
Really the 3.0 only hits 28mpg? over 6.5k my Z4M has managed 23.3 which is what its quoted but regularly see 30mpg on motorway runs. But I have seen 3.0SI owners quoting 35-45mpg? Thought they were pretty frugal?




Agree with the moding non Ms to look like Ms.
Click to expand...

+1 ! My daily drive to work with a steady foot gets circa 35 mpg time and time again (v power). Combined at the moment it is on around 30 having not reset it for a couple of fills - and that driving includes a number of days of thrashing in the mixture, not just the steady daily drive!

I'm pretty amazed by the MPG it can achieve when you need it to ...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Dreamer said:
Steven, i read your thread. And having done both, owned a 3.0 as a daily and now an M for weekends and a VW polo for kicking about in. I kinda wish i had a 3.0 again.
One thing people forget to mention is how frustratingly boring it is to own a car that you hardly touch. Its crap. Theres defo something to be said for owning a great car that costs less, is not overshadowed that much by the flagship and you can enjoy 7 days of the week. Your costs dont seem to factor petrol or a new set of brakes etc This is where the wallet gets absolutely battered.

Buy an M and you have two options, pile on the miles and forget the costs (good luck selling it for more than peanuts if it tips over 60k!). Or keep it nice, turn into Gollum and get frustrated.... Of course you should be somewhere between the two :D
Click to expand...

Cheers Dreamer, sounds like good advice.

I have been wrestling with the decision all weekend and have changed my mind numerous times. Effectively I will either get the 3.0si as a daily or the ///M for weekends.

A few people I have spoken to (outside this forum) have basically advised to get the car as a daily for the exact reasons you have said.

But in your opinion is the M a completely different "machine" to the 3.0si?

Also, how often would you expect to have to change brakes etc? and what sort of costs?

I would only be looking at 3-5k PA in the ///M so hoping I wouldn't have to change the brakes too often?
 
I used to get 34mpg on a steady commute from Darlington to Newcastle in the older 3.0, the M will get 28-29mpg on the same run.
I'm currently averaging 22mpg though, my commute is much shorter and I tend to have more fun in the M :evil: I doubt the 3.0 would get much above 27mpg with my current commute.

As JaEdBa says, if you can afford it, do it. But definitely don't over stretch your finances for one.
 
-Tom- said:
tomscott said:
Really the 3.0 only hits 28mpg? over 6.5k my Z4M has managed 23.3 which is what its quoted but regularly see 30mpg on motorway runs. But I have seen 3.0SI owners quoting 35-45mpg? Thought they were pretty frugal?




Agree with the moding non Ms to look like Ms.
Click to expand...

+1 ! My daily drive to work with a steady foot gets circa 35 mpg time and time again (v power). Combined at the moment it is on around 30 having not reset it for a couple of fills - and that driving includes a number of days of thrashing in the mixture, not just the steady daily drive!

I'm pretty amazed by the MPG it can achieve when you need it to ...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

But if he goes with a 3.0 he will obviously want to 'enjoy' it as well as commute in it, so 30-33 would be a more likely average?

Effectively the difference between the two is say 7-10 mpg rather than 12-22?
 
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