Mod 2.5i or Upgrade to Z4M

A

Add H

Member
 Darlington
I've been thinking for a while about supercharging my 2.5i, it's the basic 5 gears, no sat nav, no heated seats etc, until a friend suggested I buy the Z4M, I've had a shop around and the cheapest I've found is around 13 - 15K, a supercharger would be around 3-6 depending on where I got it from so splitting it and calling it £4,500 which is what I paid for the car near enough means I would have spent £9000 on the car.

The list so far.

Z4M
Newer (mine is on 54 plates)
Less mileage (I've just hit the 90,000 mark on mine)
All the extra's (sat nav, heated seats etc)
still a nice amount of power and a 6th gear

Supercharged
More power if I got the more expensive one
Still cheaper overall
Get to keep my first zed (as I'm sure you can all imagine I'm a little reluctant to let go :D)

What do people think? I've been stuck thinking about this for a few weeks now, if you've made the jump up to Z4M would you do it again?
 
I would go to an M :)

Will always be worth more than your 2.5 and also has better Brakes, LSD, Suspension etc already. and that would need to be done on your 2.5 if supercharging it!

M will also be more reliable. :)
 
Yeah that's true, I don't mind the work of upgrading the brakes etc means I can still enjoy the car when it's raining :P, sorry one more thing I forgot to put in I could supercharge it now but I'd have to wait a few months to get the M although tbh that wouldn't really bother me. "M will also be more reliable." is probably going to be the winning factor here, although i don't mind working on the car when it's raining I hate having too when It's sunny. :)
 
No doubt in my mind - go for the ///M - already has performance and the suspension brakes chassis steering set up as a whole package.

You'll only regret it if you don't - they are sought after and will command a higher price than your 2.5 even with modification.

The 2.5 basic spec is also not the best basis for the work you wish to undertake in terms of outcome and ownership.

Yep - my decision would be an ///M before modifying your 2.5.

:driving: :thumbsup:
 
M will be more reliable and a better investment, you won't see back any of the money that you pump into the 2.5, but Z4M prices have been very strong for the past 18 months and have suffered virtually no depreciation....in the case of decent examples they have appreciated.

Also, the benefit of the hydraulic steering, LSD, uprated brakes and other M specific components makes it any easy decision imo (but I would say that ;))
 
To be honest Sam, if it was my second or third zed I would go for the M straight away it's the fact it's my first one so I'm pretty attached. :P
 
Add H said:
To be honest Sam, if it was my second or third zed I would go for the M straight away it's the fact it's my first one so I'm pretty attached. :P
Click to expand...
I've had 2 Z4's before my current one, a 3.0 and a Z4M. I don't think about them now I'm in my 3rd (an other M)
 
Add H said:
Think I've been persuaded, I'll be going for the M, Thanks for making it easy :D
Click to expand...

No brainer for all the above reasons :thumbsup:

I still enjoy my 2.5 but it would be crazy to spend the value of the car on mods, however nice the result it's money down the drain and is never going to be an ///M
 
Add H said:
To be honest Sam, if it was my second or third zed I would go for the M straight away it's the fact it's my first one so I'm pretty attached. :P
Click to expand...

I did loads to my first Z, though nothing like charging it. I loved it. But when I got the chance to buy a very good M - at what has turned out to be a very good price - I jumped at it. My heart was always there, even when I bought my 3.0. The only thing I miss is how it looked in the sunshine all polished up... I do not miss it being dirty 10mins later though :D
 
I used to have a ESS supercharged 3.0 back in 2007, had more power then my current ///M. That was however back in the day the ///M's for £40k or £20k for a 3.0. It doesn't make sense to do that now.

It's nice to have something individual..... but the ///M wins every time. Full of character and aggression, much more of an occasion to drive, not to mention the better brakes, LSD, nicer sound, looks better.......... list goes on. Not to mention the hassle of custom tunes, if/when it goes wrong waiting for parts

Don't waste you money, buy the real deal! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: One is a "waste" of money, the other could potentially make you money given the current market
 
Having supercharged mine and read your thread, I would suggest getting an M. Reason being you car is basic, not the best starting point. Like others have said you will need to unrate your brakes, engine mounts, clutch, suspension etc. The power output is still going to be below 300 bhp if you want more then is internals of the engine upgrade which is big money.
 
Unfortunally its MS45 based ecu, so FI isn´t a cheap option. If it would be based on MS43, you could have M power figures for as low as 2000€, maybe even less if you have some mechanical skills.

I still haven´t gotten my fingers on a FI tune for MS45, if theres anyone out there who wants me to have a look at it, [email protected] :driving:
 
If you want something reliably fast it will always be cheaper and easier to buy it out of the box.

If you want a challenge or there is no out of the box example sure go and mod it.... In a couple of years you'll look back and either loved it or regret it!

Madness to try and recreate an M when BMW with their deep pockets for r&d have done it for you!!
 
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