Tbh I think that people are misconstrued about porsche maintenance it will cost you no more than an E46 M3, my dad has a 997 Carrera S and it costs less to run than the E92 M3 it replaced also less to run it hits the 30mpg figure alot. Now a days everyone uses approved porsche specialists much cheaper same stamp. But obviously you are looking at a completely different bracket for price at least double for a similar spec Z4M but again it is in another league. The z4m is generally classed in the same group as a Boxter or the Cayman. These are a lot more clinical which suits different people you have to drive them to see. I did and I preferred the Z4M plus they are a fair amount cheaper.
I dont mean to seem condescending because the list of cars is a good choice but they are all different cars with different classes and very different statures.
You have your pocket rockets that any boy racer will rock up in... which in my opinion makes me stand well clear of them. I dont like the class of people you are placed in when you are seen driving them. Although they are fantastic cars and awesome to drive its just the baseball cap wearing chav class you cant get away from. I would put the following in that category: Evo FQ-360 / FQ400m, Focus RS, Scooby RB320, VXR8, Focus RS. (although like i said dont PMS with me they are great cars i just dont like them)
Then you have your prestige class: E46 M3 (CS), Cayman S 3.4, Lotus Elise / Exige, RS4, Z3M, Z4M.
The E46 - Epic car, 4 seats, great sound, I love the car. My dad had one and i was only about 17 and was desperate to have one. I would have got one but the insurance difference for me is double compared to a Z4M. (guessing because the low end have dipped to around 10k and a lot of people have written them off)
Cayman S - Very good car, will make you think you are a much better driver than you are, extremely clinical! some like some dont. But again a poor mans porsche? like a boxter. That doesn't bother me, I really like the cayman but a decent specced S on a decent plate is a good 5-10k more than the Z4M, On the road the cayman will be barking at the 911s heals all day long. My dads 997 CS is fantastic but for the price difference the cayman is a great alternative. More about stature and the 911 gets my nod every time.
Elise - I also like although not really very prestige i like the quality of the porsche and the beemers lotus can be summed up as Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious, good fun but not for me.
RS4 also love them but im an M3 man through and through so i would have an M3.
Z3M - cult following but prices are going through the roof plus with the Z4M you get nicer newer kit.
M3 E92 - Awesome car great note super cruiser, quiet comfortable and in comparison to others quite tame looking like a sheep in wolves clothing. Dad had one of these too, I was also lucky enough to be insured on it and the power is fantastic also if you drive it nicely 28mpg is achievable! but its hard not to rock those butterflies and listen to the rasp.
All of these are great cars, but one you might also be interested in is the e90/92 M3 they are dipping into the 25k price bracket now! or a porsche 996? but a few things to look for with them is the RMS can cause catastrophic engine failure the age put me off. M5 is another but unless you get a good one with a good warranty i think it will be a future gremlin with the amount of electronics on them. 335? M3 performance with family car running costs, but i couldnt find a good one in my budget.
The three I was torn between was a 996 Carrera 4S, E46 M3 and the Z4M. Test drove the porsche, there is nothing like driving a 911. If you havent driven one i would advise you do before you make judgement. The 911 is probably one of the best concieved sports cars ever made. Reasons not to buy.. porsche dealers are looking at 28k plus for a 52-04 plate with around 45k on the clock. They are 10 years old now so the alternative is either specialist or small dealers where they are the crown on the forecourt. So i was very wary, unless they are looked after correctly you are in for big money sorting them out. Still for a decent one 24+ for a 52 plate with around 40k. Also the 996 engines are well renowned for being bulletproof or problematic. The RMS (Rear main Seal) can leak oil with no signs so can caus catastrophic engine failure and most warranties wont cover 996's over 6k a claim without paying a fortune for them and new engines are 10-12k. Plus the car was 10 years old and they are money pits at this age and i wanted a daily so i decided no. The M3 as said insurance through the roof so the Z4M was the car!
So what is left the Z4M
So what exactly are the drawbacks? Well it only has two seats, you will be lucky to get 26mpg, it drinks oil, £460 road tax unless you want a pre march 2006 model.. There are no mechanical problems of real interest only thing is the springs tend to snap at about 35-45k thats it...
Whats the positive?
There are very few compared to normal mass production figures. Suits me I like cars no one has, my previous although not particularly amazing 320SI there were only 400 of them in Britain, hand made engine etc. I like these things
! Also very pleasant place to be, every car has a good spec like all M cars, most are dipping under 20k. Obviously the age old recipe of a big engine (the multi award winning 3.2), rear wheel drive with an LSD at the back, wide wheel base slung low, face bending power slides. A recipe that makes every man have a smile on his face. Also for me was insurance it is the cheapest out of all the cars on the list for me, Im 23 and insurance is starting to edge in my favour for higher end cars for the Z4M its £1100 and for the E46 M3 it is £2200! for what?
It is funny! I stumbled upon these forums today, i have just purchase my Z4M last week and in 12 days I am picking it up! For all the people looking for one BMW are desperate to sell cars. They gave me a free 2 year warranty, an extra £1000 for my car on top of what they valued the car, dropped the car down £500 and did the inspection 2 free of charge a saving of £3500! I also didnt push too hard. So the best time to buy is now! Mine is a 2007 model with everything apart from the high end audio (has the loud speaker system tho), heated seats, television module and cruise control. It has 46k which seriously had me worried, but they were all motorway miles car feels as tight as a new one, also the 2 year warranty gave me peace of mind and covers everything but wear and tear, and they even guaranteed a value for the car in 2 years when I want to change. I payed £18,500 for it. BARGAIN!
WBSDU92010LF78528_02_DL_160811_2 by tom_scott88, on Flickr
I dont mean to seem condescending because the list of cars is a good choice but they are all different cars with different classes and very different statures.
You have your pocket rockets that any boy racer will rock up in... which in my opinion makes me stand well clear of them. I dont like the class of people you are placed in when you are seen driving them. Although they are fantastic cars and awesome to drive its just the baseball cap wearing chav class you cant get away from. I would put the following in that category: Evo FQ-360 / FQ400m, Focus RS, Scooby RB320, VXR8, Focus RS. (although like i said dont PMS with me they are great cars i just dont like them)
Then you have your prestige class: E46 M3 (CS), Cayman S 3.4, Lotus Elise / Exige, RS4, Z3M, Z4M.
The E46 - Epic car, 4 seats, great sound, I love the car. My dad had one and i was only about 17 and was desperate to have one. I would have got one but the insurance difference for me is double compared to a Z4M. (guessing because the low end have dipped to around 10k and a lot of people have written them off)
Cayman S - Very good car, will make you think you are a much better driver than you are, extremely clinical! some like some dont. But again a poor mans porsche? like a boxter. That doesn't bother me, I really like the cayman but a decent specced S on a decent plate is a good 5-10k more than the Z4M, On the road the cayman will be barking at the 911s heals all day long. My dads 997 CS is fantastic but for the price difference the cayman is a great alternative. More about stature and the 911 gets my nod every time.
Elise - I also like although not really very prestige i like the quality of the porsche and the beemers lotus can be summed up as Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious, good fun but not for me.
RS4 also love them but im an M3 man through and through so i would have an M3.
Z3M - cult following but prices are going through the roof plus with the Z4M you get nicer newer kit.
M3 E92 - Awesome car great note super cruiser, quiet comfortable and in comparison to others quite tame looking like a sheep in wolves clothing. Dad had one of these too, I was also lucky enough to be insured on it and the power is fantastic also if you drive it nicely 28mpg is achievable! but its hard not to rock those butterflies and listen to the rasp.
All of these are great cars, but one you might also be interested in is the e90/92 M3 they are dipping into the 25k price bracket now! or a porsche 996? but a few things to look for with them is the RMS can cause catastrophic engine failure the age put me off. M5 is another but unless you get a good one with a good warranty i think it will be a future gremlin with the amount of electronics on them. 335? M3 performance with family car running costs, but i couldnt find a good one in my budget.
The three I was torn between was a 996 Carrera 4S, E46 M3 and the Z4M. Test drove the porsche, there is nothing like driving a 911. If you havent driven one i would advise you do before you make judgement. The 911 is probably one of the best concieved sports cars ever made. Reasons not to buy.. porsche dealers are looking at 28k plus for a 52-04 plate with around 45k on the clock. They are 10 years old now so the alternative is either specialist or small dealers where they are the crown on the forecourt. So i was very wary, unless they are looked after correctly you are in for big money sorting them out. Still for a decent one 24+ for a 52 plate with around 40k. Also the 996 engines are well renowned for being bulletproof or problematic. The RMS (Rear main Seal) can leak oil with no signs so can caus catastrophic engine failure and most warranties wont cover 996's over 6k a claim without paying a fortune for them and new engines are 10-12k. Plus the car was 10 years old and they are money pits at this age and i wanted a daily so i decided no. The M3 as said insurance through the roof so the Z4M was the car!
So what is left the Z4M
So what exactly are the drawbacks? Well it only has two seats, you will be lucky to get 26mpg, it drinks oil, £460 road tax unless you want a pre march 2006 model.. There are no mechanical problems of real interest only thing is the springs tend to snap at about 35-45k thats it...
Whats the positive?
There are very few compared to normal mass production figures. Suits me I like cars no one has, my previous although not particularly amazing 320SI there were only 400 of them in Britain, hand made engine etc. I like these things
! Also very pleasant place to be, every car has a good spec like all M cars, most are dipping under 20k. Obviously the age old recipe of a big engine (the multi award winning 3.2), rear wheel drive with an LSD at the back, wide wheel base slung low, face bending power slides. A recipe that makes every man have a smile on his face. Also for me was insurance it is the cheapest out of all the cars on the list for me, Im 23 and insurance is starting to edge in my favour for higher end cars for the Z4M its £1100 and for the E46 M3 it is £2200! for what? It is funny! I stumbled upon these forums today, i have just purchase my Z4M last week and in 12 days I am picking it up! For all the people looking for one BMW are desperate to sell cars. They gave me a free 2 year warranty, an extra £1000 for my car on top of what they valued the car, dropped the car down £500 and did the inspection 2 free of charge a saving of £3500! I also didnt push too hard. So the best time to buy is now! Mine is a 2007 model with everything apart from the high end audio (has the loud speaker system tho), heated seats, television module and cruise control. It has 46k which seriously had me worried, but they were all motorway miles car feels as tight as a new one, also the 2 year warranty gave me peace of mind and covers everything but wear and tear, and they even guaranteed a value for the car in 2 years when I want to change. I payed £18,500 for it. BARGAIN!
WBSDU92010LF78528_02_DL_160811_2 by tom_scott88, on Flickr
Liverpool
Brilliant.