Looking at buying my first E85 - a few questions

[PBandeira]

Hi All,

sorry if this sort of post comes up too often

I am looking at buying my first E85 (current thought is a 3.0L pre-facelift Roadster) and I've got a few questions:

BTW - I've read the FAQ and the check list
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15177
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2128

so...
- M Sport Seats - are they worth it? desirable option? (I am not the smallest of blokes at 5'10 and just under 16st)
- M Sport Suspension - same as above (main use of the car would be weekend traveling - motorways and B roads
- Any other options I should avoid/desire?

cheers

Patrick

 

[mjennings23]

The seats, to me, are absolutely worth it. I know some people find them a bit too tight on the bolsters, but I find them perfect and I'm not exactly small (6'1 and around 15 stone). Be aware that they were an option on the pre-facelift so not so common. Facelift models were split into SE and Sport, the Sport coming with the seats, suspension and the thicker steering wheel.

Regards suspension, be aware that its firm. Not harsh or crashy, but you do feel every bump. On the plus side it also feels well planted on the twistys and very little roll (in my experience anyway).

All 3.0 models pre-facelift (and possibly post, unsure!) had sport suspension as standard, with the option to change to standard.

10 speaker hifi is very good, but if you plan on installing your own new head unit then perhaps avoid the DSP system as it complicates connecting aftermarket parts. If you aren't planning on changing, get DSP

Wind deflector is very useful, BMW did two different ones. One is a screen fitted to the hoops via a hardware kit and one that slides over the top and ties onto the hoops. Preference here is yours but I'd advise making sure you have one, or make a custom one yourself if so inclined.

 

[Marlon]

Welcome Patrick, mjennings23 has covered most of what I would have said.
I found the sport suspension on my facelift a tad too hard, whereas the SE suspension is more forgiving. However, I couldn't live with the standard sports seats and swapped them for M sports seats, I find that the deeper seats and bigger side bolsters hold you in the bends and are much comfier for longer journeys.
Also the 'sport' has the M sports steering wheel, which is a great improvement over the standard wheel.

 

[PBandeira]

Excellent, thanks mjennings23 and Marlon

Sport seats seem to be quite rare as you mentioned on pre-facelift cars - not many available currently on autotrader/ebay/pistonheads

Sport Suspension, as well as the seats, seem to be the way to go for me, however, isn't there an easy way to tell which suspension is which? apart from looking up with VIN search

It seems to be much easier on facelift cars as the models are more defined, but unfortunately my budget currently can't streatch to facelift levels

Interesting that you mentioned ICE - Once I decided I wanted an E85, the one of the first things I looked up was how to get bluetooth A2DP to work - seems like there are a few options around...

 

[philbo909]

When it comes to alloys/suspension/steering wheel/seats between SE and sport it really is a case of try before you buy, everyone has a different opinion.
I owned a sport 2l and the seats weren't great, hard and shoulders didn't seem to fit comfortably. Suspension was a bit crashy, but not excessively so with normal tires. Steering wheel was fat
Now on an SE coupe the seats are better (still crap) suspension is nice, sporty but not crashy (SE sits a bit too high for me liking though), steering wheel is thin, which I've got used to but I miss the thick rim!
Alloys at 8j square 17" look a bit strange on the SE, staggered 18s look much better but that's a personal choice like all the rest of the options!
Plus changing alloys is easy with refurbished at good prices coming up all the time.
Xenon lights are well worth it, I don't want to go back to halogen now!
Good luck on your z4 hunt!

 

[Chris_D]

Welcome along! Always a good idea to do extensive research and you sound like you know what you want in general
If you can find sport seats theyre a definite improvement over standard and are on my current wishlist. E46 M3 seats are also possible to swap in without too much hassle.
the 6 speed 3.0L was my must-have over the 2.5 5 speed.
Heated seats, cruise, xenons are all worthy option wants IMO. the satnav works but it's pants in comparison to a phone with googlemaps and that's what i find myself using.
The bluetooth phoneprep option is very handy for streaming music via phone/player.

However, most important for me was to research mechnaical integrity and look for oil leaks, noisy vanos, bad gearbox etc.
Make sure you OBD scan any potential purchase. I tell that to anyone looking for any new zed as it can show up a littany of error codes relating to issues that a visual inspection/test drive might not otherwise highlight.
Can also be a good bargaining chip at the offer stage. got mine for a grand less after spotting various issues!

good luck!

 

[ben g]

16 stone seems a fair weight to try and fit into the sport seats I'm 6ft and 13 stone and when I had some fitted in mine they hugged me rather tight.

They are nice seats though and much better than the standard seats.

Sport suspension, in my opinion is a must. The car looks better as it sits lower and you also get the thicker anti roll bars.

When I got my Z4, over 5 years ago, I wasn't too concerned with optional extras as I purely just wanted the car and engine.

Xenons would be nice, but they're old tech stuff so would need upgrading either way.

Sat nav is ancient and pretty much redundant.

10 speaker hi-fi is added weight, not really needed. Unless you like your music making your panels rattle.

 

[Ducklakeview]

If you get a car with the 10 speaker dsp system, then Bluetooth streaming is VERY easy, just fit a parrot kit or the likes with a standard SOT lead and that's it! The dsp feeds line out to the amp, so the parrot kit works perfectly, using the oem amp, volume and bass treble etc, rather than the crappy parrot amp.

The sound quality is excellent.

Mike