3.0si Coupe to Z4MC - worth it??

M

mattp64

Member
Topic is pretty self explanatory, just after a bit of advice really, especially from anyone that's gone from a 3.0 z4c to a z4mc.

I know thia one has been brought up before but I've had my Z4C for over a year now, i use it everyday to go to work and it's been brilliant. Very capable, comfortable on long runs (since ditching the run flats) and rewarding to drive.

BUT... :evil:

I've got to the point where the car seems a bit too polished, well behaved, smooth etc and is maybe lacking a raw edge. It sounds good, but to my mind there's too much sound insulation and a slightly clinical feeling to the steering.

So..

I read up on this forum and did what a lot of people advise, and took a trip to the dealer in Notts and drove a Z4M at the weekend. I was hoping that i'd take one out and either love it or hate it, and a decision would be clear - keep the 3.0 or get an M. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have been so simple.
After the drive, the impression i got of the M wasn't quite what i was expecting. The sound was great and it had the raw edge that that i was after with the gearshift, but i didn't walk away amazed - it didn't seem much quicker than the 3.0, and the clutch / first gear pulling away seemed hard to do smoothly, although i only had a brief drive (about 15miles) which raises some questions to people that know more:

- Do you have to red line the M and drive it hard to make it feel a lot quicker than the 3.0?
- Is the clutch something you get used to and can operate smoothly with practice?
- has anyone gone from a 3.0 to an M and regrets it at all?

to make it more interesting, the dealer offered me 18k for my 57 coupe with 24k miles, but i bought the 5yr service and maintenance pack, so going to an M would mean a considerable increase in running costs plus an extra 8K to get a similar age and spec M (a lovely black coupe in Solihul AUC caught my eye). So it's got to be really worth it to me and at the moment i'm unsure as a lot of members on here seem to modify the M's once they have them - do you need to uprate the suspension etc to release the full potential?. is it better to sell my coupe privately with the maintenance pack?

This post has turned out to be a lot bigger than anticipated :roll: , so apologies for that one. But any thoughts would be much appreciated!!!
 
Wait for Darren M to chime in, He's switched over......http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12710


And yes its worth it !
 
Matt,

this topic has been much debated! The 3 litre is a quick car - sub 6 seconds to 60 so the M isn't going to totally shock you on a test drive. I think it's when you get it out on the open road and get used to the 'nose heavy' feel that you can start to appreciate the differences. The first to second gear change isn't great but will improve with use.

There are many on here who went from Z4 to Z4M and haven't regretted it. If a test drive hasn't convinced you then try to arrange another test drive and see if that pushes you one way or the other!
 
Not having driven a 3.0 I can't really comment, but the smooth clutch problem you encountered can be fixed by deleting / modifying the CDV which is a very cheap and easy modification.
 
Now, this is just my answer so don't get all upset M owners. :P

- Do you have to red line the M and drive it hard to make it feel a lot quicker than the 3.0?
You have to drive at the top end to feel the difference, yes. But, I will say this, the handling is a lot better than the other Z4's because of the steering and non-runflat's. Actually the handling is the one thing that may have swayed me to buy an M, but it's not worth an extra £200 a year road tax (+ extra on servicing and insurance) for me just for that!

- Is the clutch something you get used to and can operate smoothly with practice?
I would say yes.

- has anyone gone from a 3.0 to an M and regrets it at all?
No one will admit to that one on here if they did have regrets, I wouldn't! :wink:


Just think if you really need another Z4 coupe. Day to day you won't feel the difference, year to year your wallet will. :wink:
As nice as our cars are, they are an old model now and there are some nice bits of metal for around the £28 - £30 K make these days.

Best to test drive one again.

I went to the local BMW Joy weekend and tested a Z4M roadster, just because it was there, and I'm still not convinced as I have no problems with my 3.0si. I'll tell you what though M owners, I also tested the new Z4. Top of the range. I think it has the edge on the M midrange! :wink: I'm starting to warm to the new one now, but it is very colour specific as to what looks good. This was the dark blue and it looked good.

Mind you, the funnest car I drove all weekend around the lanes was the new JCW MINI S. Still a great handling car and goes well. :thumbsup: The Misses is thinking of buying one now!

I think if you were to ask me, I'd say hold on to the 3.0si and wait until the ex demo new Z4 comes out on the used market. :wink:

The Z4M is a great car, but so is the Z4 3.0si. You already own a great Z4 so why change for another great Z4 that aesthetically when driving will feel very much the same! :wink:


Now all the above is based on the question "Should I sell my 3.0si and buy an M".
At the prices they are now, and if the question was "I'm thinking of buying a Z4, which should I buy", I'd say "Seriously look at the Z4M". :wink:
 
ali_b said:
Wait for Darren M to chime in, He's switched over......http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12710


And yes its worth it !
Click to expand...

Actually, that is a good thread to read. :thumbsup: as "Yes it's worth it" posts aren't going to really help you decide!! :roll: :P

I get the feeling though from that thread that it was more of a case of owning an M rather than buying because of extra performance to the 3.0si. Nothing wrong with that mind. :thumbsup:

Mind you, anyone who owns an M and gets an average MPG of anything over 22MPG doesn't need to be driving an M!

(Only kidding! :wink: )
 
Matt. You asked for a comparison: I have owned a 1.9 Z3, 2.8 Z3, 3-0 Z4R & currently a Z4MR.

My 2003 AC Schnitzer 3.0 Z4R was smooth & quick, returned approx 32mpg & cost £650 insurance. It tramlined all over any B roads or on motorways with "ruts" carved by lorries. Apart from the tramlining (225/35 & 265/30 x 19" before anybody else comments!) it was a great car & I regret selling it.

My Z4MR is something else (Lets face it, the difference between 231 & 346BHP is massive). The ///M car is a much more pleasant drive. You can trickle along in a traffic jam in 1st or 2nd with your foot off the throttle. It can be a pussycat or a Tiger. I personally get around 27mpg & incredibly my insurance is only £310 compared to the £650 of the 3.0 two years ago.I love it & can't possibly think of any other car available, other than a T350 TVR for around £20K that has this brutal performance.

I'm afraid that most Z4MR/Coupe owners don't realise the performance of these cars. If you drive them "normally" but quickly, yet change up before 6000rpm they are fast. If you drive the car as the BMW engineers intended & take it to 7500+ rpm between each change you will probably induce the traction control & frighten yourself.

I removed the CDV myself & it made an incredible difference to the clutch action. It's like a "normal" car now, without the vicious ON/OFF bite & kangarooing. My wife can now drive the car...

For me (retired) the major downside is the £405 Road Tax. That bothers me so much that I have put my car up for sale to buy a 123D with similar real world performance, better mid range acceleration, 54 mpg & £120 Road Tax......

Hope you find what you want Matt :thumbsup:
 
Breaker said:
ali_b said:
Wait for Darren M to chime in, He's switched over......http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12710


And yes its worth it !
Click to expand...

Actually, that is a good thread to read. :thumbsup: as "Yes it's worth it" posts aren't going to really help you decide!! :roll: :P

I get the feeling though from that thread that it was more of a case of owning an M rather than buying because of extra performance to the 3.0si. Nothing wrong with that mind. :thumbsup:

Mind you, anyone who owns an M and gets an average MPG of anything over 22MPG doesn't need to be driving an M!

(Only kidding! :wink: )
Click to expand...

That will be me then :wink:
 
SittingBull said:
I'm afraid that most Z4MR/Coupe owners don't realise the performance of these cars. If you drive them "normally" but quickly, yet change up before 6000rpm they are fast. If you drive the car as the BMW engineers intended & take it to 7500+ rpm between each change you will probably induce the traction control & frighten yourself.
Click to expand...

Good post and I agree. I also think that not many 3.0si drivers have driven their cars how they should be driven. If you don't drive a 3.0si hard, having an M engine won't make any sense as you have to drive them as you pointed out. And lets face it, how many times can you drive any car with over 200BHP as it was intended on normal roads. Having over 300BHP sounds good in pub talk, but do you really need/use it?

I was almost tempted to sell the Z4 for the new MINI JCW on Sunday (I actually speced one up! £28K for a MINI is a bit much mind!! lol) after driving one as you won't get much more fun than that on normal roads! I like the class of the Z4 though! :wink:
 
As a daily driver, no you dont really use the 300+.

As a weekend toy though, I'd say yes I do use it, if I want to break traction, then I want all 330 odd, if I want the passenger pinned in the seat likewise.
 
ali_b said:
As a daily driver, no you dont really use the 300+.

As a weekend toy though, I'd say yes I do use it, if I want to break traction, then I want all 330 odd, if I want the passenger pinned in the seat likewise.
Click to expand...

I can do that in my 3.0si. :P
 
I haven't owned an 3.0, but the M is more than just a bit more power over the 3.0, its has better brakes, steering and is better setup as standard than the 3.0. It's a comparison which can not be explained on the internet in a few words or with a 0-60 times, maybe 0-125 mph :D

The chaps with the 3, 0 cars might not think there's that much in it, but there is, if you drive as BMW intended :driving: ..Of course there's not much difference at lower speed, but that's true of the 2.0 vs. the 3.0 also. The M has a mental side which I have no trouble unleashing. The M diff. allows me to use the extra grunt every time I go out, you don’t need to be on a track to appreciate the differences.

I went on the recent Yorkshire meet and was able to see the difference for myself, following a 3.0 car and even though I had to wait for the 3.0 driver to get on the power first out of the corners, the M was still able to close the gap easily, this is on country lanes, so the speeds weren’t that high, a fair bit of grunt is required to close gaps like that on country lanes. The 3.0 seems about as fast as the S2000, the M is another level up again when you’re on it.
 
This is an interesting discussion from my point of view, as I'm currently mulling over a similar move (albeit with slightly less commonality between the vehicles than in the case of the OP). I'm thinking about going from my existing 2004 3.0i SMG to a (probably 2007) Z4MR, and here are my musings on the matter, so I'd welcome any advice, alternatives, etc.

In my case the change is not just a quest for performance per se, but rather through attrition. I love my 3.0i, and the performance is (as Bentley would say) "adequate", but I'm aware that all good things must come to an end and it won't always be in the fine fettle it once was. Rather than bankrolling the local stealer by supplying this metaphorical brush with four new heads and three new handles, I find myself inevitably looking at the market for replacement vehicles, which is where I encounter a problem. There aren't any other cars that excite me like getting my E85 did.

Cars I'd thought about moving to include a 987S, an E89, or a six-cylinder 1-Series Convertible, but they're all either such poor value that I'd feel like I'd been ripped off, or not quite desirable enough to justify the outlay. So I keep thinking "stick with what you know" or rather, in the case of the Z4M, what I like to call "What You Know+".

The Z4M has to be the biggest bargain on the market at the moment and, whilst I wouldn't normally go for a car with that level of performance, the power would add a degree of "specialness" to the mix and certainly reduce the feeling of paying for the same car I already have. Moreover, the fact that it's an M-Car and the last of the six-cylinders will help offset the feeling of previous-model-dom (at least until the E89 Z4M arrives), and they come with all the toys which would again help differentiate it from my car. Finally, the massive capital saving over an E89 or Z4M can go to offset the additional runnning costs (which are comparable to a 987S anyway), and whilst they won't be recoverable in the same way value in the car is, I can't help but think proportional residuals on the Z4M will be significantly better than on the E89 at the moment.

One outstanding matter is the colour combination which, again to differentiate it from my 3.0i, would have to be less opulence and more techno. The prime contender at the moment is Imola Red, with either a red or a black interior, but Interlagos Blue is also possible. However, whilst it looks good in the brochure, I've yet to see a photograph of an Interlagos car that looks the same, so: can anyone point me to a picture of a (preferably freshly detailed) car with the sun shining on it?
 
Only have a qucik moment. As others have suggested, read the thread I posted up.

Breaker, nope wasn1t just for the M experience, was for the extra performance but hard driving performance especially as I want to venture on track again in the next few years and there the car is more capable and has more track friendly parts.

If I regretted it I would honestly state that here as I`m known for my complete openness and honesty in my everyday life, heck I`ve even lost a lucrative business contract due to being overly open and not telling the company what they wanted to hear. Anyway, I don`t regret the M purchase but I do regret not being able to keep the 3.0Si Coupe also. But I will say that some people probably WILL regret it the upgrade.

For me, I loved the 3.0 Si COupe and didn`t see me owning anything else for a long while. SO I thought about upgrading to a late very low milage Si COupe or just go to the top of the range M for the extra performance. if someone owns a Z4 3.0Si and wants to get a completely different car in the next few years then their passion for the Z4 probably isn`t high enough so should keep to what they have and save their money.

My car is still returning 28.8 MPG on the computer so I shouldn`t own one :D . But there`s nothing wrong with driving normally day to day but with the extra performance levels on tap for when needed.

No doubt about it,the Si COupe is fantastic also. I
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom