One year on

Spikey

Senior member
 Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire
Hi folks;

Just realised I'm now one year into ownership of my Z4c and thought I would share my experience of this with you - nothing earth shaking here so at the risk of boring you all here goes -

I had a z4 2.0 roadster a few years ago and managed to put 20k on it in 12 months (daily driver plus work trips) however I always remember the day I went to collect it from the dealer there was a Z4c in the showroom and From that moment I had to have one ( couldn't afford it then).

Anyway after looking at a few last Jan I bought at the end of Jan - I managed to get a fantastic deal on this car (Jan purchase is great for haggling) 38k FBMW SH and the garage paid for a full dealer Insp 2 before I collected, new MOT and a full new set of Avon Z3 all round. It is in pristine condition no marks good interior etc. apart from some scratches on the soft rubberised parts on the steering wheel.

I thought as a second car I would manage to keep miles down to about 5k per year, however, I can't leave it alone and my supposed to be daily driver has been demoted to dog wagon and the Zed is now the daily - as a result have done 11k this year.

Running costs - well despite having BMW insured warranty nothing has gone wrong so far, I had a nail right on the outer edge of my osr in Nov which stung as the tyre still had 5-6 mm and I couldn't get a same tyre match for the replacement. Went in for MOT Jan and passed no advisories - result! So fuel. Road tax, tyre and no other costs so far.

Good bits - Have had the noise gen foam in/ out it sounds like a bloody spitfire with it out which I love but the other half ain't happy on long runs so compromise with half in. Love the handling and the power of the 3.0 which just doesn't give up, and the seats are so good I have done four return trips to Scotland feeling fine afterwards. I'm usually not too sore on tyres and surprisingly it's the same on this Z - still have 5mm on the back and 6 on the front after nearly 11k which I am very surprised about!! Having owned a roadster before I wondered if I would miss that fantastic roof down feeling - but no - it's a different car and I love them both. As a daily driver I prefer the coupe in winter - better visibility amongst other things. Did I mention mpg? For the first month I was obsessed with this - wringing out 38 on longer trips not caring when driving seriously! it's all forgotten now and the computer stays steady at 31 which covers all types of driving - I just cannot believe you get this much performance and this economy - amazing

Bad bits- well none that would cause me to think about changing - but the first / second gear change is bloody awful and I'm sure it's contributed to my latest left arm problems, I'm not too pleased with the way water pools at the bottom of the rear window on the tailgate either - if I lived in wetter climes I'm sure this would eventually cause a problem. I still can't judge the NSF of the car after 12 months either ! So small things really.

Mods - I've decided to stay standard pretty much - stubby of course, and I'm keen for some MM tips soon as my existing are looking sorry for themselves. I will need to do brakes this year and thinking about some upgraded disks n pads. I also have the longest running 108 self refurb going on in my garage (3 years !!!!) so may get around to finishing these - I think anthracite stars on the 108s would look great against the Titan silver, would need a calliper paint too though to finish off.

So looking forward to the next year and especially getting out to some meets when the weather improves ( the recent thread on Bath / Bristol / Wiltshire /Gloucester members keen for a road trip was encouraging and hope this comes off).

The Z4c has proved to be a fantastic fun and practical (surprised) sports car I would highly recommend to anyone - I usually get bored and want to change after a year but there is no sign of this happening - I just love this car 8)
 
Seems like your enjoying life :thumbsup:
Perfect scenario now would be to get an Roadster for a weekend toy to complement your Coupe DD 8)
 
Hi Spikey, I'm in a similar situation go you, one year on from getting my Z4C. Yes, January was a great time to negotiate a deal on a car like this!

It sounds like your dealer did a good job of prepping the car. I've had a few issues with the drivers side xenon bulb and igniter, new alternator and new front control arm bushes were changed. Other than the light, the other stuff was more preventive while under warranty, rather than failure.

I agree with the practicality. The boot is huge and 33 mpg is great! I'm keeping mine for the foreseeable future.

How are you refurbing your 108s if you don't mind me asking? The inner rims on mine are awful, but the outer faces are ok for another winter. I'm planning to try something on mine in the spring.
 
Grumpy - sounds like a great idea seeing as they are so cheap now lol!!!

108s - I split the rims as the stars are in good nick I have left them as is but as said I will probably now paint them anthracite. The rims were in an awful state not curbed but the water had got in under the plastic on all 4 both on the polished face and the wide inside part. I used nitro morse to remove all of the plastic coating and have been using metal grind / polishing tools to get the finish back. I think I have completed two of them and made a start on the third. But I have problem with the fourth wheel where the hex bolt heads have burred on two of the bolts and I can't split the rim - this wheel is also the worst condition so I may end up buying a replacement rather than persevering. I haven't looked at them since last summer but want them on the car this year !!
 
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