Swapped my 993 turbo for a z4m coupe.....

[outrun]

So after flirting with my second 993 turbo, i've chopped it (for more than I paid !!) and bought a z4m coupe. I used to own a z3mc so it was a logical
progression for me. She's carbon black with black leather and lots of the expensive toys. Best of all she now wears genuine CSL alloys and a BMW strut brace.
I chose Contis only for the rim protector thingy but i reckon it was wrong. The 993 ran Bridgestone SO2 and they were definately much stickier, expecially on track. I 'll have to run her for a few miles and then do some nice carpark burnouts to get ready for a change.......

Anyway, just wanted to "hello" from a fellow enthusiast from the country with the best roads in the world. Scotland.

 

[sp3ctre]

Hey! Welcome to the clan! Get some pics posted in the gallery... can't wait to see them!

 

[outrun]

Will do once the West of Scotland rain relents. She only comes out in the dry - I have a Lexus RX which keeps me out of the weather.

 

[ovrkll]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[WLH]

 

[Rick Hunter]

Awesome choice. Welcome!

 

[Shunt]

Where did you get your CSL's from, I'm still toying with what to put on. Good choice though, welcome to the club. I'll bet it's a technological mega leap from that 993!

 

[flyboyaj]

Welcome from the other side of the pond!!!

 

[sixspeed]

Would love to hear a comparison between the Z4MC and the 993TT once you have a few more miles under your belt, as I was umming and ahhing about the 993 instead of the Z4M purchase. I've always loved the 993TT - the most gorgeous shapes and curves (and one sexy ass!), and huge performance, from a 10 year old car!

The Z4M won me over for various reasons, but I never got a chance to drive the 993 yet....

 

[outrun]

Thanks all.

I've done 4000 miles in the z4m so i think I can compare with 993 turbos - i've had 2 of them plus 2 996 turbos.

The Z is a much more modern and ergonomic car in every way. It's quick but not insane and the handling (now that I have 19s and a strut brace) is very typical rear biased BMW. I like the easy drift that you can play with and I also like the noise of THAT engine. The only dissappointments so far have been the depreciation (good 993s do not depreciate) and the rubbish main dealer that I am forced to use. (Douglas Park Glasgow - still better than Arnold Clark Fairbain). I got a huge £9000 off list but it's still worth a whopping £7000k less after only 3 months and 4000 miles. If only BMW learned from brands like Porsche how to limit numbers, stop dealer discounts and maintain value. Anyway i've decided that it must stop depreciating and level off at some point so i'll have to keep it for a couple of years while the market catches up with the value.

The 993 was a different story altogether. They are insane quick, very hard to learn and seriously uncomfortable. All the money goes in running costs and not in depreciation so it's easy to please the wife if you have a "secret" credit card ! If you are able to handle bills that include £1750 for a clutch, £2500 for a 48000 miles service, £275 per rear tyre etc then I cannot recommend them enough. Don't buy one if you want to use it every day, you'll hate it for all the wrong reasons. It's for twisty roads, long trips and just admiring. I took the last one to Italy for the Monza GP via the Stelvio Pass in Switzerland and the Nurburgring. For that kind of trip it's amazing. One final piece of 993 advice - get the best you can afford - it's false economy to do anything else and who wants a tired 100000 miler?

 

[O6-Z4]

Welcome to the forum. Pics of the 993 would be nice too :wink:

 

[outrun]

Photos of my last 993 turbo and the 996 turbo from before that. I still love my z4m though. (But the 993 looks nice in the Swiss Alps with a handsome me in front of it). Enjoy !

 

[O6-Z4]

Nice Pic's

 

[sixspeed]

I :wub: 993TTs....!

 

[louis]

outrun,

how does the reliability of the 993tt compare with a modern BMW? why would you not recommend it as a daily driver?

also is the clutch pedal on the 993tt as heavy as those on the 911/930s?

i've been offered the chance to buy a 993tt with lots of FVD upgrades done to the engine so any insights would be appreciated.

cheers
Louis

 

[Wondermike]

outrun, good info Didn't the 993 seem like a step backwards after the 996 - evolution and all that?

 

[outrun]

In answer to the questions asked.

1) 993 as a daily driver. - The clutch is not anywhere near as bad as a 930 as it's heavily assisted. In fact the clutch can be viewed as being too light when compared to the steering and gear change. The steering is heavy so assisted cars but BMWs are heavy as well so this shouldn't put you off. They do need regular maintenence and tlc so don't use it daily unless you are ready and willing to send it for an oil service etc every 6000 miles or so. You'll need to keep the geometry set-up correctly etc all the time so expect these sort of costs in amongst the others. Unless you're buying a low mileage minter then i'd stay away from Porsche OPCs and find a really good specialist. The OPS will overcharge and most of their guys won't work on aircooled heavy engineering like this anymore. If they can't plug it in and have a fault code to tell them what to do, they should not get near one of these. By all means use it everyday, I did but if you are driving in heavy traffic or are somewhere hot (unlike Scotland!) then I woudln't. You'll hate it's manners on a busy city street and fall out of love with it for all the wrong reasons. I'd say get a TT and and crappy old runabout as well if you live in a city centre (I use a Golf everyday !). Buy it, you will love it always.

2) The 993 is absolutely not a step back from a 996. They couldn't be more different. A 993 is a raw, difficult and beautifully engineered machine. The 996 is much better everyday and can be driven quickly by anybody. Problem with a 996 is that very quickly you get bored of it. It's soooo damed efficient that once you are used to the sheer speed, the novelty wears off. I know it sounds mad but it does. I liked my 996s but I LOVED my 993s.

Cheers all !

 

[PaulN]

Photos of my last 993 turbo and the 996 turbo from before that. I still love my z4m though. (But the 993 looks nice in the Swiss Alps with a handsome me in front of it). Enjoy !

Nice!

Good to hear someone compare the 2 brands fairly, too many people tend to slag off the other brand knowing very little about it.

A 996 Turbo... Bet its hard to compare most cars for sheer speed after that beast!

Cheers

PaulN

Ps when i first drove a Z4 i tried to compare it to our Boxster and it didn't... well the demo one didn't, I still went and bought one and ours is actually getting better every drive. Its only got 3k on the clock but feels much better than a month ago.