Old car vs your zed

[john-e89]

Hi,

Been thinking if the last car before the 3 zeds did anything/felt any better than said zeds and so I've no idea if this has been discussed before but thought it might be interesting to hear from anyone else on the same if anyone wants to contribute.

EG: my last car was an MR2 sw20 and it turned in to corners more sharply than my 2 E85's and the current E89 but I think that's about it, the zed's are more powerful, comfortable etc.

Anyway pop your thoughts up if you feel inclined and no need to keep it to zeds as I know a few members have Porsches now so compare them to your last zed.

Just a bit of interesting fun

 

[Mister T]

I have a few cars, but technically the Z4MC replaced a 2.2 Z3 Roadster.

Driving around yesterday I missed the lack of roof!

 

[Bad_Pritt]

My previous car was a 911 (996), much more powerful than the 2.2i and surely more comfortable and more "status"... I loved every bit of it and would love to get one again. BUT: it was soooo unreliable, had loads of repairs all the time and when the white smoke started to come from the engine I was fed up with it and sold it back on. After that I just couldn't rely on the brand anymore, otherwise I would have gotten a Boxster instead. As I had an E85 before the 911, and knew how reliable it was, I got another E85. I miss the power sometimes, but each time I drive the Zed, I still get this big smile... and that for almost 3 years now

 

[Keyper]

This is my ole beast before i bought my Zed, loved it to bits and had it for many years however when i moved i had no garage so she had to go because the ole cabrio was the type of car you keep garaged

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Not quite answering your question, but for the sake of an interesting comparison I've recently picked up an S2000 as a daily driver:

The gear shift is short and phenomenally precise - it makes my ///M shift feel like I'm stirring soup!
The lack of torque low down takes a bit of getting used to, especially as my previous DD was a 320d with almost as much torque as the Zed, but it more than makes up for it by screaming up to 9000rpm.
The turn in is sharper than my ///M was in OEM specification but not as precise as the ///M now with all of the suspension mods. This is probably due to its low weight as well as having the same 50:50 weight distribution as the Zed.
The throttle response is more immediate and more predictable as it has a throttle cable rather than fly-by -wire (that is the engine response to a given pedal input is you would anticipate; I don't mean that the Zed throttle response varies between applications, just that it has lag for the first 10-15mm of pedal travel even in Sport Mode).
There is less feedback through the steering wheel (electronic vs hydraulic PS).
The Torsen LSD is more progressive so the back end starts and stops sliding more gently, although I'm not convinced that this makes for better handling and performance. That said, there's no traction / stability control so this is a welcome characteristic on a wet winter commute.
I'm starting to enjoy top-down commuting 8)
It's a bit basic inside and the hardtop rattles and squeaks on bumpy roads - not a problem I've found with my coupe.
It just doesn't have the same drama as the Zed and, although it seems quick, it isn't absolutely devastatingly quick like the ///M. That said, when I drive it I don't have the same feeling that it's just waiting for its opportunity to kill me :lol:

 

[bluestreak56]

Technically my last car was an E46 Coupe and it did a few things better:

1) Had cruise control
2) Had wood interior
3) Rode better on its 15s
4) Had 2 rear seats
5) Had a larger plentiful boot with fold flat rear seats
6) Less worry when driving / parking

Prior to that my Scirocco was better in the following ways:

1) Rear seats as above
2) Larger boot with fold flat seats as above
3) No tramlining thanks to non-run flats
4) Better styling in my opinion

Also my E24 BMW had:

1) Smoother ride
2) Smoother gear changes
3) More luxurious interior
4) Better styling in my opinion
5) Rear seats as above

Obviously all 3 had a lot of much worse attributes also.

 

[buzyg]

Well the Zed replaced the love of my life, my Fiat Coupe 20VT had that car 10 years.

The Zeds a bit faster in a straight line and a lot faster in the corners.
Zed can oversteer for Cornwall. Coupe could understeer for Europe. :lol:
Zeds Brakes don't fade when you hammer them. Coupes's Brembo's used to wilt after a few hard laps.
Zed's straight 6 sounds good, The Coupe's Straight 5 Sounded Glorious.
Coupe had a Sunroof. Zed has a roof that simply goes in the boot. 8)
Zeds seats are fabulous and very comfortable for a 6ft4 ape on a long run.
Coupe's seats were too close to the dash, knees around my ears job. :roll:
Coupes's cabin was a lovely place to be, despite the ergonomics. Tan Leather seats and door inserts and body colour dash strip.
Zeds interior is black everywhere and a bit bland in comparison.
View across the bonnet is fantastic in the Zed. Adds as much to the feel of the car as the engine. (IMHO)
View out of the Coupe was typical Hot Hatch, really easy to place as a result, but no challenge.

Coupe or should I say the Fiat, was catastrophically unreliable. 3 turbo's at £1500 a go to name just one area. I did do 140k miles in it though.

Overall both great cars, but you know, as much as the Zed is a better car, far more reliable and more fun to drive. I'll always love my old Fiat Coupe.

 

[3.0Lady]

My previous car was a 911 (996), much more powerful than the 2.2i and surely more comfortable and more "status"... I loved every bit of it and would love to get one again. BUT: it was soooo unreliable, had loads of repairs all the time and when the white smoke started to come from the engine I was fed up with it and sold it back on. After that I just couldn't rely on the brand anymore, otherwise I would have gotten a Boxster instead. As I had an E85 before the 911, and knew how reliable it was, I got another E85. I miss the power sometimes, but each time I drive the Zed, I still get this big smile... and that for almost 3 years now

Funny, me too (sort of).

A 911 was a dream car from my youth, so when the 996s dropped into range I bought one. It wasn't unreliable as such, but anything that did go wrong was ££££ to fix which took away from the pleasure. I also found it rather boring. It did everything well, but nothing exciting.

I took it on a limit handling day to see if I could get more out of it, but it just didn't excite me. For the cost to run, and reliability worries, it wasn't really worth it.

Then I got into the BMW straight 6 and had:
- E46 328i - wallowy, crap throttle response but loved the front engine RWD
- Z3 2.8 - very underrated! Great analogue steering, chuckable, cheap and fun. Would still have another.
- Z4 3.0i roadster - my love affair with Z4s begins! First car I owned for more than year.
- Now my Z4C. Absolutely love this car. Everything I could want, just a brilliant machine and definitely a long term keeper. Much as I love power, I'm not even that tempted by the MC as I once was. This is my daily, do everything drive and it's perfect

 

[mmm-five]

Mine replaced an e34 M5, and the only things I really miss are the huge boot, decent sized fuel tank, cloth/alcantara seats, B-road composure and easy/lazy drifts.

 

[Darren Slone]

My car replaced my 1980 911SC, the Z is in a different league for power but not for comfort and looks imo, obviously a much more modern car and it shows, it made the 911 feel as if it had the handbrake on

 

[john-e89]

That escort is lush, looks mint, shame you had to sell it, bet it got snapped up.

The Porsche posts are what put me off a boxster, looked after an 04 3.2s for a friend for a year and it cost her mega bucks in repairs.

Bmwz4mc I so wanted an S2000 before the zeds, great looking and handling, and the gearbox is the best I've ever tried of anything, but the engine needs ragging as you know to get it to shift and there's no adjustment on the steering wheel, I found it too low so reluctantly went for an E85 si roady.

All good interesting posts, please keep them coming.

 

[Bad_Pritt]

Funny, me too (sort of).

A 911 was a dream car from my youth, so when the 996s dropped into range I bought one. It wasn't unreliable as such, but anything that did go wrong was ££££ to fix which took away from the pleasure. I also found it rather boring. It did everything well, but nothing exciting.

I took it on a limit handling day to see if I could get more out of it, but it just didn't excite me. For the cost to run, and reliability worries, it wasn't really worth it.

I have to agree on that, I've driven the Cayman S and all the Boxster versions (but never owned any of them) which actually were much more fun to drive. On top of that, I made the mistake to take the Carrera 4 auto... fun on the highway at high speeds but indeed a bit boring on smaller curvy roads. And that's exactly where the 2.2i is just brilliant. I've had several (older) M3's that struggled to follow on curvy roads in the Ardennes...

On another note: I used to get really bad remarks and looks from a lot of people when I had my Porsche, even from people I assumed to be good friends. I can talk to people about the Zed, but talking about the Porsche always seemed to make me an asshole for some reason so I stopped talking about the car and when people asked me about it, I just gave some vague response. People were just green with envy, amazing really.

 

[omar]

RX8 was definitely hugely more comfortable and practical, and coped with bad roads far better. Noticeably quicker than the 2.5, and very safe and predictable handling but not quite as chuckable as the Zed.

Despite the terrible rep they have the RX8 was also much more reliable with nothing serious going wrong in my 6 years of ownership. Didn't half have a drinking problem though (20mpg was rare even on long runs), and the lack of torque meant that long motorway drives were somehow more tiring than in the E85 despite the better ride etc.

 

[Smartbear]

my previous car was a lotus elise which cornered better than pretty much anything, thats its high point really as the 3litre zed does everything else better, although it needs double the hp to beat the elise to 60mph.
Mrs smartbear far prefers the bmw as well
regards

 

[Wildfire]

I also had an Elise and as a driver's car it did everything better until about 85mph when the Z edges it out. The Z is much more comfortable, at all times, easier to drive in town and a bit more economical on a run, but that's about it. The Elise was cheaper to fix and less went wrong with it in 2 years (practically nothing) than the Z which as cost me ££££ in under a year.

Although technically my last car was a modified TVR Griffith (but I haven't sold it). IMHO, aside from demisting and heating in the winter, it does everything better than the Z.But it does need TLC and I am biased....

 

[original guvnor]

My previous car was a Z4 3.0i Roadster (2004) which I had for 5 years and did nearly 90k miles in.

The Z4MC is better in every way really. The ride is better, which was a surprise, especially as the Roadster wasn't on run-flats, as is the engine, steering, handling etc. But it should be because it was £10k more expensive when new and was a a facelift car versus the original model. The only thing it doesn't do is drop the roof which I don't really care about, so that's not a major issue for me.

Prior to that I had a C-Class Coupe C220CDi which was pleasant but oh so boring. I got it to stop myself getting banned - I had 9 points and thought if I get a sensible diesel with cruise control I'll stand a much better chance of not getting in trouble. I was right! It was my first and last diesel.

 

[buzyg]

I had 9 points and thought if I get a sensible diesel with cruise control I'll stand a much better chance of not getting in trouble. I was right! It was my first and last diesel.

:lol:

No points, but still never buying a derv.

 

[domsz4]

seats in my focus were much more comfortable than the z. steering felt much more planted too. z has a better radio and is well ...faster.

the westy is just different and can compare to no other car i've had.

 

[ChrisZ4]

I had a Megane R26. So far I reckon it was far quicker point to point than the Z4 as the LSD etc allowed far faster corners speed. But the Z4 is more comfortable, sounds better, is more of an occasion to drive, faster in a straight line and so far much more economical!

 

[Mad Professor]

I'm only talking about my weekend toys here ......
The various Caterhams were truly epic in terms of pure handling and feel but needed a lot of fettlimg with the carbs .Folk used to wave at me on a regular basis and I was always flashed and everyone smiled at the car ,no jealousy whatsoever . SWMBO I hated them all . If had money aand space I would keep a 7 and the Zed . The Zed feels like wearing a Combie cf to wearing an Armani suit with the seven . The Westfield was a poor imitation of the Caterham and the V8 lump just didn't suit it .
I adored the look of the M roadster but the handling wasn't up tothe S54 Lump . The Z4 is simply a better all round car . My TVRs were horrible to own ,bits falling off and unreliable .The XKr was lovely and as quick as the Zed but the handling wasn't as sharp and had a lot more scuttle shake .Epic supercharged engine and fabulous lines and just a nice car to own .The Mazda Eunos were cheap as chips ,great fun cost buttons to run , but a bit underpowered .The SL was a wallowy barge but SWMBO liked it and it had road presence . The S3 Elan was a bit fragile but fabulous to look at And a sweet engine with nice handling . Again if I had space I would never have sold it .
It was between a Boxster S and the Zed for my present toy and I thought the latter was better bang for buck . So that's where I am now .