Coupe convert?

H

Herminator

Senior member
 Edinburgh
My 8 has sold, I'm finally looking seriously at Z4M's :D

The problem is, I've always been thinking I want a roadster. They're more affordable and I loved my previous roadster, nothing beats driving with the roof down on a country blast. But....

There's now a few coupes in my budget range and, well.... they are so darn nice to look at :oops: One in particular is my favourite colour combo and it's really turning my head.

Part of me is concerned about the road noise and rattles of a roadster, especially coming from a nice 8 (BMW don't build cars like that any more :poke: ) The coupe is slightly more practicle is terms of boot space and not having roof issues. (not that the M's seems to suffer roof issues)
The coupes in my budget are slightly higher milage though, usually 50-60k, but that does mean they've had the expensive Ins 2 taken care of. I'll not be doing high milage myself, so I can either balance out a high milage car or keep a low miler low.

Has anyone had the same thoughts? gone for a coupe, then wished they had a roadster?

Isn't the ride supposed to be subtly different?
Such a difficult choice... but a nice one to have :)
 
I've had a Coupe and now have a Roadster.

The Coupe is absolutely unbeatable for the looks. I still think it's a future classic, in a way the Roadster will never be. When I had my Coupe, I had a few people ask me what car it was, as they had never seen one! The Coupe will also be a lot quieter in the cabin, in my experience.

The Roadster is unbeatable for the roof-down experience, and a lot of people will tell you that there's nothing like dropping the roof and being able to hear the engine and exhausts really singing.

It's a hard choice, but as you've had a Roadster, you will at least know how much you love roof-down motoring. If you have quite the love for roof-down motoring, and want to save yourself some money, get the Roadster. If you want the looks and a quieter cabin, and don't mind spending more for the privelege, get the Coupe.

As for mileage, I personally wouldn't let 60,000 miles put you off. It's more important to find one that is well looked after, and with 60,000 miles, it's likely to have been used quite well. As I understand it, the M engine really likes to get used regularly. At the market you're looking at, I'd rather a higher mileage car than a lower mileage one, if I'm honest (though that is personal preference). As you say, they'll all have had the expensive Inspection 2 carried out, too.
 
Agree with IK. If you love the roadster experience then you can pick up a good bargain. I went from roadster to M coupe as my heart was yearning for the looks and shape. I do miss the open top driving when its warm but thats outweighed by the fact I have something I've always wanted, aesthetically pleasing, very individual and wonderful to drive. Its a ticked box issue for me really. My advice is go with your instinct. If you get it wrong you can always change.
 
I cant really help you with the coupe roaster decision, because I haven't driven the roadster. But for me I wanted the coupe because your in an exclusive club with them, you rarely ever see them. I was swayed to buy a coupe because they are more usable, especially with the british weather. It would be amazing to blast around the lakes in the sun with the roof down but realistically it rains about 90% of the time up here in Cumbria. I also plan on keeping my car for a long time and the roof in my opinion is another thing that could go wrong that I dont want to pay for. I am generally a low milage kind of guy, usually wont buy anything with less than 30k on it. But this time I bought the M with 46k on it, now this did worry me a lot especially with it being a performance car, one thing I would say is try and get one with a warranty to give some piece of mind. I managed to get a 2 year warranty with mine, but they are pretty bullet proof. Also mine seems to be really well run in, im getting very good mpg figures of between 26-36 on my M which is ridiculous, but obviously the lows of 10-12 too. So I would say dont be too scared about the milage, just make sure everything is correct and all the history is good and check the possible problem areas.

Ive had mine a week now and its the best decision I think ive ever made, completely made up with the car, everything from the endless power, mpg, kit to the sleek lines and those exhausts, they make the most amazing noise, I cant help but smile every time, and give them a cheeky blip! :P

Tom Scott
 
I had the same dilemma. Started with a 2.2 roadster which I loved. Then wanted to upgrade to an M and really loved the look of the coupe. Took an MC for a test drive and all I could think was 'I really want to put the top down...but I can't'

Took an MR for a test drive a couple of months later and bought it there and then. I just love top-down motoring especially the noise of the engine...it's just really great fun.

Still prefer the look of the coupe though and I may still get one some time in the future but at the end of the day the only time I'd really see it from the outside is when getting in and out.

In addition, I wouldn't worry about high mileage. I bought mine with 67k on it and it currently has 73k. Never missed a beat. High mileage is likely to have been easy motorway miles anyway.
 
Squeaks & noises from a roadster, supposedly goes with the turf but my 05 is surprisidly well put together. Coupe does look v good, but by the sheer number of convertible sales people hv obviously preferred the rag top coz to me owning one has never been about the speed & handling
 
Drove the roaster and the experience is really great with the noise. I also found it just that little but less jitery on crap road surface but that could just be an impression.

Apparently, the steering rack and suspension are slightly different in settings.

Coupe is awsome for looks.
 
the only way is coupe :thumbsup:

being serious for a moment hehe, i think the coupe will definately be more of a keeper than the roadster, i went on looks ony, i just think the coupe is better looking
 
I adore the Coupe's looks but the Roadsters aren't half bad either and i will admit that i've said plenty of times "You moron, you should've got a Roadster", usually when on a nice drive somewhere scenic. But then i park the car and get out to look at it, or catch my reflection on a store window as i'm driving along and think to my self, damn that is a sexy man.. erm.. car... I meant "car". :rofl:

One thing really bothers me about the Roadsters though, that silly keyhole on the back. The Coupe's have that lovely swivelling BMW emblem instead, they should've added that to the whole range come facelift.
 
ga41 said:
One thing really bothers me about the Roadsters though, that silly keyhole on the back. The Coupe's have that lovely swivelling BMW emblem instead, they should've added that to the whole range come facelift.
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Yes! I can't understand why they did this. It looks disgusting for such a modern car! But then there's a few things which are behind the times on the Z4... Like door pins that protrude... Why?!
 
I agree about the boot release, it's a simple thing but makes the coupe seem a generation newer (more accurately the roadster is a generation behind where it should be)

I handed over my 840 today and went to see the nearest Z4M, a good hour or so away but it's about time I drove one...
The car was a roadster with 44k miles on it but unfortunatly it's too tired to bother buying. Definitely hasnt been looked after enough :( The interior was considerably rougher than my 8 which is three times the age and twice the milage.
The dealership was good though, they deal with all sorts of high end cars which generally looked in much nicer condition, they just asked for my drivers licence and let me go for a drive on my own :driving:
I had to remember to use the clutch to put it in gear :roll: but it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be to get back into driving a manual. Steering feel was good, seating position was nicely familiar, engine noise was phwoar! :evil:

On the way back I remembered to put the roof down for a bit..... I need a roadster :D
 
Well, the good thing is that the Roadster is cheaper to buy - so you'll save yourself some money!

A 44k-miler shouldn't feel tired though! Definitely not looked after.
 
That's a tough decision... Open air driving is wonderful, but that's why you should also own a BMW motorcycle. I say buy a coupe. The car looks fantastic from every angle and I love the intimacy of the coupe's cabin. You won't see many of them on the road and most people think they're an exotic. The absence of wind noise lets you to hear the engine sing!
 
IK. said:
Well, the good thing is that the Roadster is cheaper to buy - so you'll save yourself some money!

A 44k-miler shouldn't feel tired though! Definitely not looked after.
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yep, the roadster is cheaper, enough said :wink:
 
I tried both before mine. I don't GET the coupe of I'm honest.

It looks nice from rear 3/4 and profile, but I still prefer the look of my roadster with the roof down.

I drove both, after coming from an Audi TT coupe. Thing is, with the TT coupe you get two extra seats and a much bigger boot.

With the Z4M you get a slightly bigger boot. But once inside you would struggle to tell which one you are in.

And then with the roadster you drop the roof and listen to the beautiful straight 6 music. As is said on here so much, it's two cars in one. The coupe for me doesn't offer enough in terms of looks or rarity to counter the fact that you can't drop the roof.

I guess the only real solution is to buy one of both.
 
I hadn't really thought about that, but it's quite right - it's two cars in one, in a way. Yesterday, even though it's an M, I was just cruising the entire day. I had the roof down, and was just enjoying taking in the scenery. I have always loved convertibles, but more often than not find the coupe better looking with cars (for example, I'd never get a convertible V8 Vantage).
 
Don't worry Hark, I'm pretty set on a roadster :wink:

I think having the roof down was a big part of what I loved with my previous Z4. Working in an office all day, not being the sporty/outdoors kind of person, it's nice to be able to get some sun whilst enjoying a drive in the car.

It's a shame the coupe isn't technically a true coupe, by definition it shouldn't have a b-pillar and if the rear windows went down similar to the 8 it would be much closer feeling to open top motoring.
 
OK... Still not convinced by emotional appeals? Check out Ian Kuah's review of the 06 Z4MC: http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=100&i=15562. He cites "some very clear differences" between the coupe and the roadster. Among other things, the coupe has more than double the roadster’s torsional rigidity: "This extra structural strength means that the engineers have been able to dial in much more aggressive suspension settings knowing they will be maintained better even under high lateral loadings on a racetrack." In addition: the coupe boasts a quicker steering ratio (12.8:1 vs the roadster"s 13.7:1) and a 1mm thicker rear anti-roll bar, which, according to Kuah, "combine to mitigate some of the understeer you feel in the Roadster." Summing up, Kuah quotes BMW M's chassis guru, Gerhard Richter: “Because the Coupé shell is much stiffer, we can load the chassis more on initial turn-in and so improve overall handling response.”

Coupe vs roadster? They're both great cars, but in my mind, the coupe's lower production numbers, superior handling and eye-catching good looks give it the edge.
 
I spoke to two peope who had owned tracked a coupe and a roadster and they said that they couldn't tell any real difference, never mind exploit it. I've also driven both back to back and can't say I noticed any difference in rigidity.

I'm no racing driver though, so maybe people that are can make better use of the handling. :wink:
 
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