honest advice

J

j0z0d34th

Member
Hi!
I'm new to the forum. I'm thinking about buying my wife a z4 for her birthday/anniversary, and i sort of really want an honest opinion about the car, the good things AND THE BAD. she already has a daily driver (ford escape) so this would be a fun car. id prob be getting the 3.0 rag top. i cant honestly take it for a test drive and get a good opinion on it b/c i look for different things in a car (i have a twin turbo corvette at 750 whp & an acura TSX at 350 whp after stage 3 mods). so please be brutal about the car.

thanks in advance
 
Wait, there is a bad thing about this car? :P

j/k

Some of the bad's IMO are
the low bumper which may take her getting used to
The runflat tires that come with the car are super bad for tramlining
The odd creaks/sound and stuff while in a ragtop (though IMO not terribly distracting)
The clutch if it hasn't had the CDV replaced
Maintenance costs if it's out of warrenty

I confess I'm biased as I have had no problems really with mine, and it thus far is the most performance driven car I have driven in terms of horsepower and handling. I love this car, after a year of owning it I still have a smile on my face when looking at it. It handles great, the runflats do handle well, just they'll tramline on you. I replaced with Falken 452's and absolutely love the tires. The car stops on a dime and the 3.0 doesn't have a problem getting up to speed at all.
 
From a female's perspective, I LOVE my 3.0Si Coupe. I haven't had trouble with the CDV-you just have to take you time with shifts. The RFTs aren't that bad, my 325Ci tramlined, too. I knew it would happen and I anticipated it on one road in particular. The coupe gives me room to run by the grocery store and get enough for the week. Going from an escape to this, the biggest thing she'll have to get used to is being WAAAAAAAAy closer to the ground! lol


These cars aren't about sheer horsepower (like in the 'vette), they're about a balance of HP and handling. I like to say these cars are more quick than they are fast, and they're damn fast enough! :driving:
 
j0z0d34th
A great car and no real knockout problems with them, but you have to want one as sports cars are emotive, not practical purchases which therefore leads me to feel that your post disturbs me slightly:

Buying a car unknown for a partner always seems a risky idea to me. If she drive a Ford Escape as her daily does she really want a 2 seater softtop? My wife turned her nose up at several much more expensive Porsche, loved the hardest suspension of an ///M, wanted a softtop when I though she'd try for a coupe and loved only 2 colours. Point being I got what I wanted, but could have got it oh so wrong in her eyes.

You drive powerful cars but cannot test and have an opinion on a Z4? I drive 400hp Jeeps, an X5 and previously many others. I still can tell if a car is 'right' or not.

I'm not criticising just think there are many other decisions than being 'brutal', which you probably won't get on a dedicated Z4 forum.
Colour
Engine size
Age, If not new
manual or auto
///M sport or softer standard
etc.

Go test one and see what you think. I think you will like it and am sure your wife will.
 
If you are looking to buy new you won't have any problems... in the 6 years of making this car BMW has worked out all the quirks. I had a 2003 2.5i and now have a 2008 3.0si. Everything I didn't like about the 2003 they have fixed... even the RunFlats don't tramline as much as they used to (they still do a bit though). If your wife is petite, skinny, or athletic build then she'll love the //M Sport seats. If she's got a wide torso/broad shoulders or is well endowed in the rear (as many women do after having 3 kids) then she'll enjoy the standard seats better.

That's all I can think of.

If you are looking at a used one, tell us about it and we'll be glad to collectively warn you about any potential probs or quirks with it. There is a LOT of experience on this forum and we'd be glad to help you pick out the right one (even a few girls in the mix as you have already noticed).
 
Hi! I came to this forum looking for advice on the car before buying as well, so I don't know if I'm fully qualified to comment, but I feel I must mention two things:

First off, I first looked for the car used and found '05 and '06 Z4 3.0's that were barely under the invoice price. Considering I could probably haggle my way into a new car for less than the invoice anyway, so I figured I might as well look into a new car. I know you'll get the new car anyway, but the point is that the depreciation isn't that bad, so if you do want to return it you won't lose THAT much money (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm just speaking from my observations).

Secondly, this is purely an opinion matter, but I'd ask your wife casually what she thought about the car. Maybe if you see one in the streets point it out or something. I say this only because my girlfriend hates me for wanting to buy this car. She thinks it's the ugliest thing ever, while I think it's beautiful. She told me to get a Miata instead.. I've heard lots of other very polarized opinions about the looks, from friends to online car reviewers. I think it's a more masculine looking car, and I find that guys tend to find it more attractive than gals do. Though if you know the lucky recipient likes the styling, I'd say go for it, since I know I am. My girl said I should get a Benz SLK300, but I thought that car actually looked too feminine.. But would your wife like that more? (its a little short of $10k more expensive than the base z4 in the us). Personal, I'd take this (for pure driving pleasure alone! though I do love the styling) over the SLK, but depending on how she likes the styling, your case could be different.
 
she also liked the audi tt, which is redesigned for this year :| the tt is cool, and has lots of standard features, but I'll still choose z4 for myself for unmatched driveability!
 
thanks for the advice up until now. i want to clarify a few things before i continue when i said i cant get a good opinion on it its because i look for different things in a car then she would. her old boss had one and she liked it so i know she wants one. also I'm looking at automatic with the softer suspension (not the ///M). its not that i cant appreciate a good ride and i am doing my research on the car to get more info so I'm not unknowingly going to buy a car.

on a different note. the specs I'm looking at are: soft-top and auto. those are the two requirements. other than that I'm probably going to get the body kit new wheels and tires and new paint on the whole car to a pearl metallic red (cinn maybe). also im going to need a navi unit in the car for trips to her parents.

in short i was wondering what mechanical/electrical problems keep recurring in the cars....
 
If you have time, have a read through the problem section. That's what I do if I'm thinking of buying a new car. :thumbsup:

See here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3
 
Breaker said:
If you have time, have a read through the problem section. That's what I do if I'm thinking of buying a new car. :thumbsup:

See here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3
Click to expand...


The only bad thing with problem sections is you have to remember it's not every car. I was terrified of getting a 2003 because of this, but now I've owned one for a year and I have had 0 problems besides roadside curbs. Just remember to take it with a grain of salt. Also since you are buying new you'll get the full warranty, so while it's an inconvenience if something is bad, at least it won't cost.


Oh, on the soft top, make sure it is an auto soft top...There are two versions (a manual and auto), you should only have to push and hold the button to lower the top with the auto.
 
PhilDZ4 said:
flypanam said:
... my girlfriend hates me for wanting to buy this car. She thinks it's the ugliest thing ever, while I think it's beautiful. She told me to get a Miata instead...
Click to expand...


Time to broom the girlfriend... :evil:
Click to expand...

She may already have a broom...and drives it often. :evil:
 
You guys are horrible. He's not even a newbie yet and y'all are :hijacked: his thread with your antics (don't stop though, I love it.. just wanted to give you a hard time about it :D )

As for the repaint.... I highly recommend AGAINST it. BMW's go thru a 4 step paint process that is unmatched by any other manufacturer and painting over that just ruins the car. HOWEVER, to each his own. Just my humble opinion, and I'd assume the opinion of 99% of other BMW owners that know better. 8)
 
Watch the BMW factory thinger episode that aired on the discovery channel....then you'll see just how good the paint job is. I'm pretty much certain that no one will come that close to perfection.
 
OH - I think a decent aftermarket paint shop, especially those working with the customisers and tuners can lay down a decent coat of paint. One of my Jeeps has a better aftermarket paint job than any factory ever laid down, technology or not. :)

I have not personally ever seen a respray Z4 that I liked the look of, but that's probably because they go OTT and then fit gullwings, etc.
 
I'll give ya that. Any painter worth his salt should do great, I just was blown away by BMW's original process.....though I'm willing to bet if they have to paint parts (i.e. replace dmg'd stuff) that it doesn't go through that process.


That being said, the yellow Z4's by those two fellers on this here forum look super hot!
 
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