Prospective new owner

T

trigden

Member
Hi all,

Been a reader of this forum for several months but never thought to register until now.

I’ve been considering a 2 seater ‘sports car’ for sometime and narrowed down the list to a Cayman, Boxster or Z4. The servicing costs and potential for bore scoring or IMS failure has deterred me from picking up a budget Porsche and after owning an E46 325ci for a few years, the Z4 is the logical choice.

I think my must haves are;
- 3.0i or 3.0si
- Manual
- Heated seats
- Comprehensive service history
- Not a complete shed


And beyond that I’m pretty flexible. Is there anything else that you’d all suggest adding to that? I should say that this car will be my daily driver but my commute isn’t that long so running costs/fuel etc aren’t too much of a concern.

Cheers
 
Welcome :thumbsup: The Porsches had too many unnerving engine issues for my liking too. It'll be hard to find many opinions on here other than "the Z4 is a good choice", but that's just because it is! For £5,000, give or take £1,000 or so, the 3.0 Z4s tick a LOT of boxes. You'll find lots of useful info on the forum, as you'll know if you've been lurking for a while already :wink: Broken rear springs, sticky steering, drowned roof motors and worn suspension bushes are some of the usual culprits. Service history is important as it is with any car, and the electric water pumps on Si cars have a lifespan that needs considering, though this needn't put you off owning one.
 
Hi Trigden,
I bought a 57 plate 2.5si 18 months ago and I have used it as my daily drive since then (24 mile commute both ways).
Love it to bits, absolutely no regrets.
Go for it
Robert.
 
Thanks for the insight and list of things to look out for.

Is the general consensus that the power of the 3.0i is adequate for road use? Not read much on the gearing but assume it’s up into triple digits at the top of 3rd gear? Is the 3.0si worth the uplift in price?
 
trigden said:
Thanks for the insight and list of things to look out for.

Is the general consensus that the power of the 3.0i is adequate for road use? Not read much on the gearing but assume it’s up into triple digits at the top of 3rd gear? Is the 3.0si worth the uplift in price?
Click to expand...
Power is a highly subjective thing :) I've seen some say that no road in the UK is long enough or safe enough to allow a responsible driver to experience 100% throttle in a car with the power:weight ratio of the 3.0i Z4. I disagree with that sentiment, but at the same time, 230 bhp pulling 1.4 tonnes isn't going to embarrass an Aventador. Third gear is a really handy gear and will nudge you just beyond 100 mph.

I have driven the Si but not enthusiastically so I can't comment. I think they hold onto their torque higher up the range, giving them that elevated power figure. You pay a bit of a premium for that, at the same time arguably losing a smidge of the M54's reliability and also losing the dipstick. Best thing to do would be to try one of each, I'd say.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. :thumbsup:

I think BMW quoted 0-62 mph at 5.9 seconds for the 3.0i and 5.7 seconds for the 3.0Si, so there isn't much in it performance-wise!

I've only experienced the M54 engine as a 2.5 in an E46 325ti, but I prefer how the later N52 engine is so eager to chase the 7,000 rpm red-line! So I've currently got my 3rd and 4th N52 engined cars. :lol:

But as has already been said it's probably worth trying to test both and see what suits you better.

FWIW Bi-Xenon headlights are a desirable option, and M-Sport seats are very sought after but were an option on the 3.0i models whereas a 3.0Si Sport had them as standard.

Happy hunting. :thumbsup:
 
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