Nothing Close for the Money!

R

Ruofdez

Member
 Southampton
I know I’m preaching to the choir with this one but I’ve had a few cars over the years and never have I been so completely content with one as I am with the Z4. Small, fairly lightweight, 6 cylinders, manual gearbox, convertible, plenty of power, amazing noise (with a few mods), even good fuel consumption. I genuinely can’t think of another car I’d rather have without spending 4-5 times as much. I find it amazing that you can get them for such little money even though the prices for certain models do seem to be creeping up a bit.

I’ve had a much faster car than this in the past but this is just so much fun! My dad has a tuned Impreza STi that was always a bit of a dream car of mine but even after driving that I’m pleased to get back into mine and wouldn’t swap which I would never have predicted a few years back.

If I didn’t need any practicality then I’d probably go for something like a TVR, Lotus or Caterham with a bit more money, but because I use this as my every day the next cheapest car I think I’d see as a good upgrade is probably a Jaguar F Type.

I thought it would be interesting if others could share what they would upgrade to if they had a bit more to spend. Obviously we’re all after something a bit different.
 
I sort of did this in December 2019 when after 5+ years of 3.0Si E86s I bought an M Coupe!

So maybe an Alpina or an M Roadster might be an option?

By all accounts the F-Type is a bit lardy and not really a sports car, so I think I'd rather have a manual 35i E89 if I wanted a newer car.

But for now I'm more than happy with my MC. :D
 
Not certain I will upgrade. I always hankered after an early DB9. But it's the looks and the badge that pull me in. In the real world I have always talked my self out of it on running costs. The F type again looks nice, but it's a heavy old lump like the Aston. More a GT that sports car. One day I expect I will be old enough to want/need the comfort. But not just yet. :wink:
 
I'm looking at getting an XKR coupe (X150) to scratch a powerful V8 itch. That's a powerful itch for a powerful V8. But I'm lending my Z to my folks for a year or so as I suspect when I'm tired of the running costs on the XKR and have scratched that itch it'll be the Z I'll want for b road, roof down fun again. As you say, nothing close for significantly more money.
 
Totally agree! When I was looking for a car after years of being car-less, it had to be a multi cylinder as I didn't want another 4pot and the e86 (in my case) hit the mark in so many ways. I had no idea there was a coupe version of the Z4 at the very beginning of my car research!

I'd never of cited the Z4 as a dream car in the past but it really is for me now.

I love the F Type looks wise and that V6 but driving it was quite dull in comparison to the Z4, it was auto though so maybe a manual might help.

Would love to join the TVR Club (nearly bought an S3 before the e86) prob with a Chim realistically but deep down I'd love a Cerbera Speed Six.
 
Ole gits rule said:
Like yourself I would probably go to a Jag F Type or an Elise (again). :thumbsup:
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Yes

I've driven a V6 S Jag and a slightly modded track S1 Elise... I loved the Jag, the pure and absolute theatrics of it were just brilliant but the Elise S1 was the single best thing I have ever driven it just flowed through the corners, nothing else I have driven felt so pure and natural :driving:

That being said, the E86 although more of a GT sort of vibe it can and does perform exceptionally well in the corners and does sound excellent with some mods to unblock her throat! Yet can get 40mpg on the motorway and is comfortable enough to drive in for hours and hours
 
When I was looking to replace my E85 I looked at a V6 F type as my mate has one.
But in the end we ended up blowing most of the budget on a Range Rover so there was "only" enough money left for an E89.
I'm pretty much sold on open top motoring especially as a 2nd/weekend car which is already highly impractical with just 2 seats.
I'm looking forward to getting it modded up to 250-300 brake once it's out of warranty.
E89 vs E85 feels more different than I expected - perhaps the E89 is a bit less raw?
 
Flyingfifer said:
Ole gits rule said:
Like yourself I would probably go to a Jag F Type or an Elise (again). :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Yes

I've driven a V6 S Jag and a slightly modded track S1 Elise... I loved the Jag, the pure and absolute theatrics of it were just brilliant but the Elise S1 was the single best thing I have ever driven it just flowed through the corners, nothing else I have driven felt so pure and natural :driving:

That being said, the E86 although more of a GT sort of vibe it can and does perform exceptionally well in the corners and does sound excellent with some mods to unblock her throat! Yet can get 40mpg on the motorway and is comfortable enough to drive in for hours and hours
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I had a series 2 Elise and loved it to bits, best car I have ever driven for pure fun, as you say it flowed through the bends and was ok for a few hours, after that it was not the best but I would have another tomorrow without hesitation, for me as a weekend toy it is the way to go provided you stick at under £20k
 
Loved my s2 Elise, surprisingly comfortable once you’ve managed to get yourself inside, possibly one of the best handling cars ever made :driving:
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Rob
 
Smartbear said:
Loved my s2 Elise, surprisingly comfortable once you’ve managed to get yourself inside, possibly one of the best handling cars ever made :driving:
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Rob
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Really is a lovely thing
 
The obvious upgrade path is a 981> Boxster/cayman or a 911 of any calibre.

F-Types are a completely different proposition and if your talking E89 then maybe that's a better upgrade path because both are heavier GT style cars. From a touring point of view the boots are so ridiculously small you couldn't do a trip for two without compromising and that is a main priority for me that we could do a eurotrip and be comfy and have fun in the passes.

As much as I like the Ms and have had two imo they aren't as much of a rounded package as the Porsche competitors.

Its the Z4s flaws are what I like about the M, the fact it wants to put you through a hedge backwards and keeps you on your toes as a driver. I ended up buying a 987 Boxster S which I didn't get on with then a 996 4S after then decided I wanted a Z4M again but a roady instead of a coupe. I decided to buy the Z and keep the 911 as the MRs are such great value but will loose minimal value and the 4S has already appreciated since buying. I wanted both experiences and the porche being worth maybe 25k and the M was 14k, for 40k that's an incredible amount of cars for the money. In the future my next purchase is probably a 997.2 which will probably mean selling both. I also like the idea of buying an early 996 GT3 as they are sitting around the 60k mark.

So far I have really enjoyed having the dual experience rather than plowing big money into one asset. Obviously the downside is consumables and tax but its not the end of the world.

I haven't tried a lotus and would like to but I think they are too compromised to do a road trip for example and not enough comfort for the mrs to be happy on a longer trip! As a blokes toy tho they would be ideal.
 
OP, I agree. Most (sub M) Z4 verts are £3000 to £8000 cars and at that, the only other relatively swift convertibles are the Nissan 350Z and the Porsche Boxter...I quite like them both, but I think as my daily driver, my 3.0si is preferable.

I was looking at S2000s, but for the value of my 2008 3.0si, they are much older, often rotten and very leggy (not in a good way!).

For £12000 I considered a 5 year old 2 litre sport MX5 (ND)...but that's another £5000 on top of my Z4 and at the moment, they're just don't grab me enough!

A Toybaru GT86/BRZ would be fun and is almost in a comparable budget now, it's not a soft top...but might well be my next £10,000 daily.

As above, the Elise is an extraordinary car...but I wouldn't buy one with a Rover engine because I don't enjoy fixing them as much as I used to! A good friend has a very tidy S1 (111?). When the motor blew up, he fitted a 2.3l Duratech with Jenvey throttle bodies. Now it is extraordinary, but not my idea of a user-friendly daily driver!
 
lets see, ive had an MX5, a 350Z coupe, and a Z4 roadster. next on my list is an early Boxster S... not yet tried an S2000, or a elise.

i suspect early boxsters will be comparable to early Z4s... both are convertible sportscars, boxsters are a bit more than Z4s but not by that much. but still, looking forward to seeing how they compare.

And yes, a 350z/370z/f type is definitely a sports GT. too big to be a proper sportscar IMO... but on the other hand, some GT qualities wouldn't go amiss in a Z4 if you wanted to use it for touring.

As an aside, i've never been that fussed on an Elise - one of my mates has a VX220, and it was tiny inside, very uncomfortable, and felt like it was made with paper. I prefer my cars a little more substantial and with at least 6 cylinders, even if they do weigh 200-300kgs more.
 
I suspect I have reached the 'sweet spot' with my current fleet, each have their strengths and weaknesses but enjoy them all! :)
 
Timely thread.

I bought my Z4 for a bit over £3k.

I want a RWD convertible, relatively light on it's feet, that I can drive a bit like a hooligan, that doesn't rust.
Ideally I'd like a turbo and an LSD in it's replacement.
A generation newer - i.e. something with iDrive or equivalent - might be nice.

350Z / S2000 don't really feel like a step up, and I'm not sure a Boxster fits in the "hooligan" box.
A Z4M roadster does fit the bill, but at £10k is it three times the car?
At that money, the E93 M3 seems much better value at £12-£13k - hooligan and RWD yes, but it weighs 200KG more than my 335d E91, and it seems mad to have two variants of ultimately the same base car.

I've skipped the E89 as that's a different class of car - although I think a remapped N20-engined E89 could be interesting.
35is would be lovely but the prices are just too much IMO.

In hindsight I regret not splashing out a bit more on one of the £5k 3.0si's when I bought mine.
 
Some great replies. For the people that have driven an Elise or something really lightweight did you miss having a larger engine? The Z4 has taught me fun doesn't equal power but I think for a daily car I'd miss the grunt/torque and particularly the noise with something less than 6 cylinders. It's what made me choose the Z4 over an MX5 after test driving both but I know that's not a fair comparison to the Elise.
 
I got rid of my MX5 because it was too slow. 140bhp doesnt really cut the mustard. my mates vx220 didnt feel that quick initially either, which made a paltry 145bhp from 2.2 litres!

the z4 moved along a lot nicer with 230bhp from a 3 litre. plus it obviously sounded way nicer than both the 4cyl.

if you havent tried a 350z yet you really should - 280ish bhp from a 3.5 V6 is really torquey, and with a simple cat back exhaust it sounds lovely. plus its a really meaty drive which can take some getting used to at first (first time you get in you'll think all the tyres are flat and the clutch is broken, such is how heavy everything is) but once you get it sussed its rock solid.
 
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