buying a Z4 (again) need advice

P

pudding

Member
 Derbyshire
Hi Guys,

I had a z4 coupe and sold it about a year ago, I'm now getting itchy feet and looking to buy a second hand e89 so i have a few queries.

I'm looking at the 35i because it seems the 35is is out of my price range (around £20000) is there a big difference and is it worth spending the money?

Optional extras? is there any you would really strongly recommend getting?

is anybody thinking about getting rid of theirs?

cheers of reading :)
 
I think the 6 cylinder is great ... but I would, I have a 35iS. All I would say is if you can stretch maybe consider a 28i ? They are dearer but newer and whilst they don't have the 6 cylinder engine noise they should be a lot cheaper to tax and run.
 
35iS ...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/z4-roadster/bmw-z4-e89-35is--vgc-with-11-months-comprehensive-bmw-warranty-included/4013833
 
As per SO8 if you can afford them the 35iS & the 28i are the ones to go for. The 28i is a peach, the best of the 4 pot engines & is better balanced than the 3.0l turbo powered cars. That said the 35iS is epic & feels special, much more so than any of the other Z4s.
 
Hi,

I come from an 335i, and now have an 28i - with the extra 100KG it is a much more nimble car to drive and I believe not an big difference in performance difference in real world driving.

I purchased the 28i due to reduced cost of ownership and similar performance. And I am saving around £2,000 per year - compared to my 335i.

But I would not trade up to an 35i but definitely for an 35is.

I did not drive an 28i, as there was none in the country, and the sales guy was really pushing me to go for the 20i, It was an brave decision - but looking at 328i comments and doing research I decided to go with my head. But to be honest my heart was with the 35is.
 
Well I know everyone will say get the 35is and it is a stunning car but I recently got a lovely 35i and it is an amazing car and for those who say the 35is is faster well yes it is but crikey how fast do you want to go as if I put my foot to the floor in mine the DCT drops down a few gears the car just howls and before you know it you are running out of road because my car absolutely flies :thumbsup: whatever car you get the E89 is a superb car so good luck with your search.
 
All food for thought :thumbsup: i'm definetly going to bide my time and wait for the right one, it's not going to be the an everyday car but i certainly can't wait to be in a z4 again
 
If its not an every day car - then my vote is 35i or 35is

Cost of ownership was an major factor for me

Highline
http://content.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/about/news/0,,1156___bs-WjQ%3D@bb-RTg5X1JP@co-181263203,00.html

However the 35i - has loads more items than an highline
 
Point of interest. My 35iS is currently sitting at 8.74l/100km (pump measured, not trip comp) but Twin Turbo is averaging 8.98l/100km in a 28i.
 
I kinda echo twin turbo's comments. Though I only had my 28i for a month it's more then capable of matching my 3.0es coupe in terms of straight line speed. So, compared to my coupe,

Pros
Much more comfortable. Even with RFT (my coupe had non RFT).
Spacious and much better interior.
Much better cabin noise
Steering wheel chunky and lovely to hold
Roof down action us great on good weather!
Handling is more stable and better for me as a daily car. I can see it feeling less enjoyable as a track car though.
Better interior lights!



Cons
Little bit of turbo lag. Not terrible but noticeable.
Fuel consumption no where near as good as the stats suggests. On the same road, it's only 3-4mpg better (official combined figure suggests 10mpg better then 3.0si coupe)
Engine sound not as good though it's ok for a 2I engine.
Smaller boot space. I can't fit my Swiss bike in this, where as I could do it in my coupe.

Over all, I'm very happy with my 28i. But as the major reason for not getting 35is was fuel consumption, I would probably advice you to go for 35is if you can afford it!
 
Tech, that's an interesting figure. I wish I knew this a few months ago, I would have probably bought 35is then.......
 
The 35iS v's 28i fuel consumption is going to be heavily influenced by the type of driving & driving style. I hired two F20 120ds one being an sDrive another being an xDrive, the latter is about 80kg heaver. Okay the 120dx was a higher milage car but the fuel usage was so close things like ambient temps could have changed the result of which was more economical. A lot of this is down to my fluid driving style & tendency to ride momentum on over-run into corners rather than brake into a turn. This driving style will help keep my 35iS fuel usage down, along with the fact I do very little (sub)urban driving.
 
I agree about the driving methods.

Having said that, as I'm almost at end of my running in period, I've been driving very gently on comfort mode. I was often pushing my e86 to 4-5k revs on the same road (as I often drive home late in evening from work), in m pretty sure I'm driving far more economically now then with e86. I'm not sure if there'll be any fuel advantage if I start to drive my 28i in the same way.

I'm not unhappy with 28I though. Just think buying 35is would have probably only costed me a fraction more over the next 5 years (my buying cycle) and if the amount was small, I would have gone with a straight 6 then turbo 4.
 
You don't want to be too gentle either or you'll never get the engine's full performance, using 75-80% throttle in the 2500-4000rpm range is okay after the first 3 or 4 hundred miles.. Also you should never get close to labouring the engine so all acceleration should be done over 1800rpm or so. Also best avoid constant speed & load driving, eg. motorways and trunk roads, during running in. In autos sport mode will run the engine in better than EcoPRO/Comfort (obviously the Z4 doesn't have the former).
 
35i, manual box (though not to everyone's taste). Love it. Make sure you get an upgraded sound system - BMW should hang their head in shame at the performance of the standard unit.

3 Good Things
Engine and Performance
Economy (yes really, considering it's a 3.0 L twin turbo)
M Sport suspension (again, not for everyone)

3 Not So Good Things
Run Flat Tyre noise (OE Bridgestones)
Interior leather is of poor quality
Some of the Ergonomics - nothing major but you can't see the heated steering wheel switch or the "on" lamp from the driving position

I don't think you can go far wrong with any Z4, it just depends on your personal musts, wants and individual circs. They're all fun.
 
bob4333 said:
35i, manual box...
Click to expand...

I'm kind of jealous to be fair. The DCT is a peach in traffic, especially the horrendously unpredictable "paying attention to my driving is seventh or eighth on my list of priorities after texting, phoning and turning around for extended periods to chat with the back seat passengers" drivers I have to put up with here. You have to really keep your wits about you to avoid an idiot ploughing into your P&J or opening a door on you (happened to me after four days of ownership: 750 Euros later I have a passenger and his name is Paranoia) and the auto function makes things a lot simpler.

But damn, every time I put my foot down, the car takes a couple seconds to start really accelerating, like the gearbox doesn't kick-down very fast at-all. It's frustrating and even in S mode the paddles don't always seem to respond immediately. I assume the manual is literally shift and squirt? Much more immediate.
 
Delays seem to be related to the DSC system. Turn that off and the 'box seems much more responsive to manual inputs.
 
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