Back when they launched the car in June 2003 my mum picked up a launch model and I was really fed up when I was unable to get insurance on it. Three years later I finally managed to get insured at lest than £1k a year and I picked up my 2003 2.5i Z4 Roadster for £16,000 
Spec'cd to the hilt I picked it up for £16k from a dealer and was pretty pleased - Xenons, Comfort pack, Cruise Control, Professional Sound System, Heated Seats, Auto Dimming Mirrors, 6 CD changer, Wind Deflector, 17" alloys and rear PDC, it was so nice - every mile was a smile
In the last 12 months things have very much changed though - gone are the days where I drive the car for fun, gone are the days where I didn't care for the cost of petrol or just how many miles I got from a tank. Now the cost of servicing, road tax, tyres and more are really starting to hit home. The £1,000 on servicing and tyres in December were hard to take, the 10% increase in my insurance renewal hit home this month, as did the road tax renewal which arrived on the same day :thumbsdown:
Alas at just under 7 years old the Z4 has finally started to cost me far too much to bear anymore - I've lost £8,000 in depreciation alone
. I paid a deposit for a new vehicle today and I am finally getting out of the petrol fast lane.
A 120d 3dr M Sport is bought and being prepped for next week's collection (it too has depreciated, its a March 2009 car, already £9,865 down on the original purchase price
) - sure its a complete change, but its figures of circa 60+ avg mpg were the swing factor compared to the 19/20 the Z4 is now giving me.
I am going to miss the roofless motoring, I am going to miss the way it cleared most things off the line - it was a fantastic ride for 3+ years but the time has come to move on to something more reasonable, something with a fairer return, something with a bit if value beyond solely the smile on my face.
Who knows, I might revisit if the values drop enough for a secondary car, but for now, Goodbye Z4 - it's been emotional
Spec'cd to the hilt I picked it up for £16k from a dealer and was pretty pleased - Xenons, Comfort pack, Cruise Control, Professional Sound System, Heated Seats, Auto Dimming Mirrors, 6 CD changer, Wind Deflector, 17" alloys and rear PDC, it was so nice - every mile was a smile
In the last 12 months things have very much changed though - gone are the days where I drive the car for fun, gone are the days where I didn't care for the cost of petrol or just how many miles I got from a tank. Now the cost of servicing, road tax, tyres and more are really starting to hit home. The £1,000 on servicing and tyres in December were hard to take, the 10% increase in my insurance renewal hit home this month, as did the road tax renewal which arrived on the same day :thumbsdown:
Alas at just under 7 years old the Z4 has finally started to cost me far too much to bear anymore - I've lost £8,000 in depreciation alone
. I paid a deposit for a new vehicle today and I am finally getting out of the petrol fast lane.A 120d 3dr M Sport is bought and being prepped for next week's collection (it too has depreciated, its a March 2009 car, already £9,865 down on the original purchase price
) - sure its a complete change, but its figures of circa 60+ avg mpg were the swing factor compared to the 19/20 the Z4 is now giving me.I am going to miss the roofless motoring, I am going to miss the way it cleared most things off the line - it was a fantastic ride for 3+ years but the time has come to move on to something more reasonable, something with a fairer return, something with a bit if value beyond solely the smile on my face.
Who knows, I might revisit if the values drop enough for a secondary car, but for now, Goodbye Z4 - it's been emotional
south yorkshire
