ARE 'M' CARS OVERRATED AND OVER PRICED?

chetalien

Active member
As the topic says are they or arent they? Just a thought. SO much is made of M cars and people put M badges on them(when its not an M). Many people who are not into beemers dont know about M(except real car enthusiasts). The reason I post this is- one of my neighbours walked upto me yesterday and asked where I got the M badges. I used to have a 2.5i roadster before I got my MR. I have the same colour combi as the 2.5i. after 8 months of having owned the car he asks me. I was truly pissed off but just told him i changed to the M. It was funny explaining to him the difference- i felt i was justifying myself(should'nt have).
What do u guys think?
 
That's the only downside I can think of for a Z4MR.

With my current M3 there is no doubt about what it is but the Z4 differences are more subtle and unless you are a petrolhead you probably won't know the difference. Adds to the kudos though and the rarity is great too.

Already had the 'Oh a Z4M - they are that 2 seater middle aged man's car, aren't they' - er no it's not and it's the 'M' too - 'no real difference though is there?' :headbang:
 
stufarri said:
That's the only downside I can think of for a Z4MR.

With my current M3 there is no doubt about what it is but the Z4 differences are more subtle and unless you are a petrolhead you probably won't know the difference. Adds to the kudos though and the rarity is great too.

Already had the 'Oh a Z4M - they are that 2 seater middle aged man's car, aren't they' - er no it's not and it's the 'M' too - 'no real difference though is there?' :headbang:

To be honest those who dont know what ///M's are probably wouldnt notice the difference between a ///M3 and a non model, bonnet, wheels, exhaust, and front wings, bumpers are different, but so are they on a Z4 ///M (except for the wings).

If I swapped mine for a black ///MR my wife wouldnt know :evil:
 
srhutch said:
stufarri said:
If I swapped mine for a black ///MR my wife wouldnt know :evil:

That exactly what I did and it took her sometime to notice. Had the same colour combi. The only difference she noticed was surprisingly the power. She said "How come the car is faster and sounds good today". :rofl: :rofl:
 
The answer to your question is "depends'.

It 'depends' on whether an ///M car is worth it too YOU. No one else can really make answer that question. If they do answer that question, it is only for themselves, and no one else.

Value of a thing, is all relative.
 
M car's are as highly rated as they are because of the performance, not the way they look. If non-petrolheads don't recongnise one to look at, then so what, it wouldn't bother me tbh.
 
dan_i said:
M car's are as highly rated as they are because of the performance, not the way they look. If non-petrolheads don't recongnise one to look at, then so what, it wouldn't bother me tbh.
+1
 
I like it is not too in your face that its a powerful car, I have had, is that really an M, but the best kick is when a real car person comes up and says nice car. Everyone else i do not care what they think. I would have bought the 911 if i wanted to be obvious, though i love my M badges and do not want to remove them, just a hint of power is perfect.

Is it worth it - definetly as it never fails to put a smile on my face, not sure how you put a monetray value on that, but i am prepared to pay for it, depends on your personal choice though. I would be proud to drive any model of Z4, not sure my smile would be quite so wide as with an M, but that is me.
 
I agree with most of what has been said here and in the end, all the really matters is what it is worth to you.

IMHO (which is in the minority around here :)) the Z4M was not worth the fairly significant premium it cost when new. Remember that the Z4M was more of "parts bin" car rather than a complete rework. I have not checked recently, but last year when the bottom fell out, there were some extremely tempting bargains that closed that gap quite a bit. There is no question about the superior performance of a Z4M, but for me it was just a question the price/performance ratio.

That said, I also feel that in the case of an M3 the difference is truly warranted. Non "petrol-heads" may not appreciate the difference, but the M3 was designed ground up as separate vehicle and shares very few components with the base 3 series.
 
Very similar thoguhts to mine. As inuit said-I've never stopped smiling since I got the car(when i'm in it). Generally my threshold has been 3-4months I start looking for something differnet. But 9 months and so far hant felt like I want to change. I love the car irrespective what people think. The exhaust note, engine sound and the drive is enough to justify everything for me. I feel its much better than the Cayman S and similar performances But every day usable car.
Cheers guys I feel better and happy listening to your comments
 
Well a stranger walked up to my car at the lights last night and said it was a s**t car - I'm sure they enjoy driving their Vauxhall Nova :D Did it bother me what someone else 'thought', not a bit.

I know what the ///M badges mean and the heritage that goes with buying such a car, I know that car enthusiasts will appreciate what it is and I'm happy to explain to anyone that doesn't know what it represents.

As for value for money the Z4M in particular I think has now become a bit of a bargain for what it is, try finding a similar aged Porsche for the money you can get a Z4M for :o
 
I owned Z4 3.0 for nearly 3 years. I've owned my M for two years now. For ME, not overrated or over priced, but I bought t at a time when prices were a little low. I didn't pay much more than when I bought the 3.0. I just love the way it accelerates, brakes and handles. To me, it is definitely worth the extra money. :thumbsup:

I don't really care if people know why the ///M on the back makes it special, but I must admit, when someone who does makes a positive comment, it feels pretty good. :D
 
I was looking at BMW website yesterday. But I think either 3.0si Coupe are over-priced, or Z4M Coupe are under-priced. A 2-year-old 3.0si Coupe Sport with Sat Nav is about £23k, whilst 3-year-old Z4M Coupe (with Sat Nav) has the same price tag. I would have bought a Z4M now if there was no new Z4.
 
I don't think their is too much of a price differance. I just got a 06 M roadster that is CPOed for less than 30K. I see the same car not CPOed and not M's for only about 3-4k less
 
When new the Z4M was a similar price when specced to a Porsche Boxster S and less than a SLK AMG. So was it over priced when new? -I don't think so. It's a bargain at today's prices as the equivalent Boxster will cost a lot more.

Overrated? well, most road testers loved it for being 'old school' and not a techno fest which the M3,5,6 etc all are. It shares many parts with the later E46 M3 which can be no bad thing. The engine has won more trophies and acclaim than Sir Alex Ferguson.

To sum up, it's a great car..enjoy :thumbsup:
 
I has an si before the M. By the time I would have done all the upgrades (sound system, brakes, exhaust, engine power etc) it would have cost me the same as buying the M. Suffice to say, I'm not planning any mods for the M - perfectly happy with it.

I had a guy come out to look at purchasing the si, and when I told him the difference between the 2004 and 2006 engines and other upgrades, he said he didn't really know anything about cars/engines and he just wanted a car that looked good. He bought a 2004 2.5 instead as it was cheaper.

When I drove the M to work instead of the si, people asked if I had painted my car, but there were a few people who actually knew what an M was. Having said that, It took me a while to narrow down which sports car to buy before I decided on a Z4, and didn't buy the car to impress other people, so couldn't care less what they think.
 
I feel better with most of u echoing my thoughts. Its good to know we are all driving a great car perhaps an 'ICON'.
 
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