Hi,
after years of combo cars (vw gti, saab 9-3) i finally was able to afford splitting into two separate vehicles. the element does all of the dirty work and the zed does all of the fun. no more performance compromises for me. actually i'm pretty consistent in that i first had an '03 orange element with a manual trans along with an '05 black z4, 3.0i with manual. then i smoked the honda dealer for a grand slam deal on the '05 and had to take the auto for my girlfriend (now gone). the current '07 z4 is also black/red, 3.0i and with the auto.
I've been manual driver for years and always said "no way", but like I mentioned previously this was a deal too good to pass up (probably the lowest monthly lease payment in the US [no kidding], picked it up on dec 29, 07 and it was the last one on the lot), and the only way was with the auto. only go for it, however, if you get the sports pkg for the little extra kick or the 3.0si with greater hp. either way i would always go for the sport pkg.
if i do it again, would go for the manual again, but with the paddle shifters you can hold the gears very well and once used to it can pretty much drive like you would with a clutch. definitely easier around town and in traffic.
if you are in south jersey, give brad or eric a call at bmw of atlantic city. they were very accomodating and gave a great deal, but bear in mind that the best incentives on z's come at the end of the year, and you will have to push hard and find the one you want and a dealer willing to negotiate. it's a crapshoot that you may find nothing at all if you wait to long. it took me almost 3 weeks of sticking to my guns on a lowball monthly payment/out of pocket costs, and the will to walk away, but in the end i scored an awesome deal that would be twice the price if done in the springtime. of course i sat on the car from jan to march, but now it is all worth it.
good luck.
after years of combo cars (vw gti, saab 9-3) i finally was able to afford splitting into two separate vehicles. the element does all of the dirty work and the zed does all of the fun. no more performance compromises for me. actually i'm pretty consistent in that i first had an '03 orange element with a manual trans along with an '05 black z4, 3.0i with manual. then i smoked the honda dealer for a grand slam deal on the '05 and had to take the auto for my girlfriend (now gone). the current '07 z4 is also black/red, 3.0i and with the auto.
I've been manual driver for years and always said "no way", but like I mentioned previously this was a deal too good to pass up (probably the lowest monthly lease payment in the US [no kidding], picked it up on dec 29, 07 and it was the last one on the lot), and the only way was with the auto. only go for it, however, if you get the sports pkg for the little extra kick or the 3.0si with greater hp. either way i would always go for the sport pkg.
if i do it again, would go for the manual again, but with the paddle shifters you can hold the gears very well and once used to it can pretty much drive like you would with a clutch. definitely easier around town and in traffic.
if you are in south jersey, give brad or eric a call at bmw of atlantic city. they were very accomodating and gave a great deal, but bear in mind that the best incentives on z's come at the end of the year, and you will have to push hard and find the one you want and a dealer willing to negotiate. it's a crapshoot that you may find nothing at all if you wait to long. it took me almost 3 weeks of sticking to my guns on a lowball monthly payment/out of pocket costs, and the will to walk away, but in the end i scored an awesome deal that would be twice the price if done in the springtime. of course i sat on the car from jan to march, but now it is all worth it.
good luck.