3.0l Roadster

[Pabz]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum. I'm looking for a second car to use at the weekends and to do the occasional track day.
Im after a 3.0l, manual roadster. As a ball park figure maybe £4k to avoid much depreciation with it being a second car. I know theres been a couple of nice roadsters that have been advertised arround that price within the last couple of weeks.
Is it worth paying a premium for a later 3.0l si over the earlier 3.0l models?
Im also willing to wait until the spring if there is nothing suitable at the minute.

Thanks

 

[Armscarf]

I wouldn't swap my 3.0si for a 3.0i, the performance difference is noticeable even before you go to the trouble of a standard re-map to 280bhp and 336Nm of torque Expect to pay £5k for a good example though.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The 3.0i is often referred to as the pre-facelift model and has the M54 engine that produces 231 bhp and only came in one trim level so not many have the very desirable M-Sport seats as they were a cost option. But I've not owned one!

The 3.0Si are facelift models and have the N52 engine that produces 265bhp and revs a bit higher to 7,000rpm, although I think BMW only claim it is 0.2 of a second quicker from 0-100km/h! I've had two of those both Coupes, no Roadster but it's a great engine. And these came in 2 trim levels, SE and Sport. The Sport models have the M-Sport seats as standard which is a bonus as used ones seem to sell for £700/800 a pair. If these engines have a weakness it's the electric water pump as it will fail at some point and when it does you get no warning, it just stops working and you don't want to drive the car like that. And BMW will relieve you of over £500 for a new one, although you can buy the same Pierburg pump elsewhere for around £300!

But other than that both engines easily get well past 100K miles with no major problems, although the way prices have been just lately I think you might be looking at more like £6K for a 3.0Si. Then again prices may drop when temperatures do and days get shorter and wetter!

In case you aren't familiar with them here's a photo of M-Sport seats.

 

[Pabz]

Thanks for your replies. The interior looks very nice in that colour. Tbh I am wondering if a coupe would be more suited, especially if I want to do some track days. I think they are the better looking car (personal preference) but the experience of a roadster is what I was drawn to. Maybe I should keep an open mind and see what comes up.
The budget is flexible, so looking at coupes wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Mr Tidy]

That interior is Pearl Grey. I just liked the contrast with the exterior as I'm not a fan of black everywhere!

There was a Carbon Black Coupe on here for less than £6K recently, but due to a lack of interest it's just gone on Ebay. Here's a link:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=123933

It was cheap because it had high mileage but if you don't mind that I'm sure you could find it on the bay!

I've only had Coupes because it was how they looked that drew me towards Z4s in the first place, but plenty of people do track days in Roadsters as well - it just depends what you want from the car. I've never had any sort of convertible and have never wanted one, but that's just me. :laugh:

 

[Armscarf]

Or you can have the mad blue one like mine - I like Marmite as well

 

[MortenSorth]

Hi Pabz, and welcome to the forum! Can I just say, probably one of the best car forums I've experienced - the amount of useful information on here is incredible, and the tone of discussion is pretty much always positive.

I currently drive a black 3.0i from 2004, and I absolutely love it. It's got the optional M-sport leather cabin in black, and the 18" wheel upgrade - the roof motor has been relocated to the boot for water-proofing, and an AUX port has been installed, but other than that the car is stock with whatever marks 92k miles leave on a car.

Unfortunately, the time has come to replace it with a more practical car (rear seats - boo!).

I don't know how these things normally go, but happy to send you more information etc

 

[Pabz]

Thanks MortenSorth. I've sent you a pm.