What other cars did you consider when buying your Z4?
- Thread starter a11y
- Start date
It isnt just Nov/Dec/Jan time, that time in 2008 was the best time to buy any car. They were so cheap and couldnt give them away. I'm currently looking for a car for a friend and cant believe how much they are now.
Back then we were offered a choice of either a 1.8 Petrol or 2.2 Diesel Civic Sport, 4k on the clock less then a year old for £10k OTR. Now these cars are 13k+. Same with my Z4, bought for £13.5k, Cheapest at BMW is now 14k.
Back then we were offered a choice of either a 1.8 Petrol or 2.2 Diesel Civic Sport, 4k on the clock less then a year old for £10k OTR. Now these cars are 13k+. Same with my Z4, bought for £13.5k, Cheapest at BMW is now 14k.
Considered at various points: RS Clio both 197 and Cup, mk5 Golf GTI, Clio V6 255, Audi S3, new shape TT 2lt and 3.2, Elise 111r, Lotus Europa, VX220 Turbo, Elise Sport Racer, 350Z, S2000, SLK 350, TVR Tamora, TVR Tuscan 1, T350C, 130i 3door, 135i, 335i coupe, Scirocco GT, Fiat Punto Abarth, Alfa Romeo Mito 155, Alfa Romeo 147 GTA, 996 911's, Boxster/Cayman S 3.4.
I started thinking what car to buy about 2 years before i finally ended up with a Z4MC! When i first started researching i worked out that my ideal car would be RWD, fast, relatively good looking, a 2 or 3 door and ideally be with an engine less than 3.5lt. The Z4M fitted all those requirements perfectly and that was the time i first joined this forum to ask a few questions about it but in the end i decided it would be too expensive to buy and import and too much to handle for a first sports (or sporty) car.
So of course i started looking at various hot hatches, GTA Alfa's, Clio V6's, Audi S3's etc. Soon then I migrated to 350Z's, various 911's, V6 SLK's and TVR's. I was at one point set on a T350 for their looks, speed and rarity but then finally accepted the fact that there'd be no way to service it here so abandoned them along with the Porsches for their high import tax and horrendous running costs and the 350Z for eventually costing far too much for a Nissan. I then thought why not something lightweight like an Elise or VX220T? It'd be RWD, small engine (for MUCH less import tax) and still fast! So went to Europa's, Elise's and VX220's but were all turned down for their lack of practicality as it would be a daily driver. So I went back to looking at more sensible new cars in Cyprus. Only cars that interested me were the S2000, the upcoming Scirocco GT, the turbo Mito and the RS Clio. Everything else was far too expensive. Renault dont import the Cup which would be cheaper and the 197 only comes fully specced and so expensive so that goes, the Honda while a good car looks quite dated now so that leaves the VW and Alfa. The Scirocco i was very interested in but it wasnt available yet and the salesman never called me back when it became available for a test drive and the exact same thing with the Mito, the new TT was tempting but a close mate already had one and i didnt want the same car with him.
At that point i started considering big engined cars again as i could always afford them but wanted to be considerate and reasonable. "Screw reason" my TT driving amigo said. "If you can then you must!" So i did. Now which brand does RWD with excellent dynamics at 2 or 3 door shapes? BMW, that's who. I became a frequent visitor to the AUC site along with the BMW sections of Pistonheads and Autotrader. I was between the 130i, the 135i and 335i but in the end the finalists were the 335i and you guessed it, the Z4MC! I flew to the UK for a few weeks to look at 335's and M's and i finally took the plunge and returned home with the Z4M i now drive! It's funny though, if that VW salesman ever got back to me i'd probably be driving a 260hp remaped Scirocco right now and be posting in VW forums about why it's such a great car and who needs RWD.
Anyway i had nothing else to do at work, hope i didnt bore anyone to death..
I started thinking what car to buy about 2 years before i finally ended up with a Z4MC! When i first started researching i worked out that my ideal car would be RWD, fast, relatively good looking, a 2 or 3 door and ideally be with an engine less than 3.5lt. The Z4M fitted all those requirements perfectly and that was the time i first joined this forum to ask a few questions about it but in the end i decided it would be too expensive to buy and import and too much to handle for a first sports (or sporty) car.
So of course i started looking at various hot hatches, GTA Alfa's, Clio V6's, Audi S3's etc. Soon then I migrated to 350Z's, various 911's, V6 SLK's and TVR's. I was at one point set on a T350 for their looks, speed and rarity but then finally accepted the fact that there'd be no way to service it here so abandoned them along with the Porsches for their high import tax and horrendous running costs and the 350Z for eventually costing far too much for a Nissan. I then thought why not something lightweight like an Elise or VX220T? It'd be RWD, small engine (for MUCH less import tax) and still fast! So went to Europa's, Elise's and VX220's but were all turned down for their lack of practicality as it would be a daily driver. So I went back to looking at more sensible new cars in Cyprus. Only cars that interested me were the S2000, the upcoming Scirocco GT, the turbo Mito and the RS Clio. Everything else was far too expensive. Renault dont import the Cup which would be cheaper and the 197 only comes fully specced and so expensive so that goes, the Honda while a good car looks quite dated now so that leaves the VW and Alfa. The Scirocco i was very interested in but it wasnt available yet and the salesman never called me back when it became available for a test drive and the exact same thing with the Mito, the new TT was tempting but a close mate already had one and i didnt want the same car with him.
At that point i started considering big engined cars again as i could always afford them but wanted to be considerate and reasonable. "Screw reason" my TT driving amigo said. "If you can then you must!" So i did. Now which brand does RWD with excellent dynamics at 2 or 3 door shapes? BMW, that's who. I became a frequent visitor to the AUC site along with the BMW sections of Pistonheads and Autotrader. I was between the 130i, the 135i and 335i but in the end the finalists were the 335i and you guessed it, the Z4MC! I flew to the UK for a few weeks to look at 335's and M's and i finally took the plunge and returned home with the Z4M i now drive! It's funny though, if that VW salesman ever got back to me i'd probably be driving a 260hp remaped Scirocco right now and be posting in VW forums about why it's such a great car and who needs RWD.
Anyway i had nothing else to do at work, hope i didnt bore anyone to death..
Before buying my present Z4 I looked at the Ford Focus RS and the Nissan 370Z. Almost went back to MINI also as I test drove a new John Cooper Works S!
Test drove the Nissan and I almost bought it (a new top spec one would have actually cost less than the used 35i I bought!) but I couldn't wait for them to come out (impatient) and the RS I would have been worried about leaving it anywhere untended as it probably wouldn't be there when I got back!!!!
Test drove the Nissan and I almost bought it (a new top spec one would have actually cost less than the used 35i I bought!) but I couldn't wait for them to come out (impatient) and the RS I would have been worried about leaving it anywhere untended as it probably wouldn't be there when I got back!!!!
Another Audi TT in one of the higher specs but despite being a loyal and longstanding Audi customer at my local main dealer for many years, I was treated with apathy by their Sales Manager so voted with my feet taking, my wallet too . . . . :x
Mercedes SLK350 . . . .almost signed my life away to the tune of £40K . .thankfully, the salesman was totally incompetent, left me hanging around for hours waiting for key information re delivery time and availability and so lost a sale . . . . . . :thumbsdown:
Nissan 370Z . . . . .local main dealer salesman. . . . . .quote "don't know much about em "mate", an' we 'aven't got any" . . . . . . . . .walkies again . . . . . .
Boxster . . . . .mmmmmmm . . . . Cayman . . . . . . .too pricey in top spec . . . . . . . :|
the Z was always on my list and purely by chance I popped into a local main dealer and the deed was done in around 5 minutes . . . .obviously it was destined to be
Delboy
Mercedes SLK350 . . . .almost signed my life away to the tune of £40K . .thankfully, the salesman was totally incompetent, left me hanging around for hours waiting for key information re delivery time and availability and so lost a sale . . . . . . :thumbsdown:
Nissan 370Z . . . . .local main dealer salesman. . . . . .quote "don't know much about em "mate", an' we 'aven't got any" . . . . . . . . .walkies again . . . . . .
Boxster . . . . .mmmmmmm . . . . Cayman . . . . . . .too pricey in top spec . . . . . . . :|
the Z was always on my list and purely by chance I popped into a local main dealer and the deed was done in around 5 minutes . . . .obviously it was destined to be
Delboy
Considered loads of options for months and months before settling on the Z4.
Had my Mondeo ST200 for 4 years and was looking to replace both it and the wife's recently deceased car. She'd had a Puma that we commuted together in and after doing so for a while I was pretty convinced the way forward was a small everyday car and a bigger car that wasn't so cheap to run for the weekends. The Puma was terrific and made the Mondeo feel so big and heavy to drive in traffic after so many years of really loving it. The short list at that point started as another Puma and an ST220 or ST-TDCi. That then expanded out into Focus RS (1st one), Focus ST (new one), Evo's, Scoobys, (R)S4's, 330/335, older M3's, M5's - all the usual hatches with big engine suspects.
I wanted something more exotic though :- the beautiful distant rumble of a 4.0 V8 Cerbera was beckoning me. The options for day to day cars expanded into stuff like Focus's, Mazda 3's just so I could justify a completely impractical Cerb as the weekend toy. Then spent a day driving around forecourts and car supermarkets to rule out a lot of stuff I'd also considered - 3 coupes, MX-5's, RX-8's. Firmed up my interest in Z4's & S2000's though.
Unexpectedly our budget increased and I settled on a Focus and a S2000 or Z4 roadster. Went to look at a roadster, and there was a Z4C sat alongside it at the back of the dealer's and that pretty much sealed it. Ended up waiting a month or two for the right one to come up and bought it.
There's a couple of examples reading through this thread of people that bought or didn't buy purely because of dealer attitude. If it hadn't been for excellent service I got from the Peterborough garage I might not have bought the Zed. When I went to the Cambridge dealer I felt I was pretty much chased out the show room and if that had been my first example of BMW dealers I seriously doubt I'd have been back. I thought these days dealer attitudes had changed from being as bad as that, with so many people buying stuff they just couldn't have done before with financing, loans etc. Good examples that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Had my Mondeo ST200 for 4 years and was looking to replace both it and the wife's recently deceased car. She'd had a Puma that we commuted together in and after doing so for a while I was pretty convinced the way forward was a small everyday car and a bigger car that wasn't so cheap to run for the weekends. The Puma was terrific and made the Mondeo feel so big and heavy to drive in traffic after so many years of really loving it. The short list at that point started as another Puma and an ST220 or ST-TDCi. That then expanded out into Focus RS (1st one), Focus ST (new one), Evo's, Scoobys, (R)S4's, 330/335, older M3's, M5's - all the usual hatches with big engine suspects.
I wanted something more exotic though :- the beautiful distant rumble of a 4.0 V8 Cerbera was beckoning me. The options for day to day cars expanded into stuff like Focus's, Mazda 3's just so I could justify a completely impractical Cerb as the weekend toy. Then spent a day driving around forecourts and car supermarkets to rule out a lot of stuff I'd also considered - 3 coupes, MX-5's, RX-8's. Firmed up my interest in Z4's & S2000's though.
Unexpectedly our budget increased and I settled on a Focus and a S2000 or Z4 roadster. Went to look at a roadster, and there was a Z4C sat alongside it at the back of the dealer's and that pretty much sealed it. Ended up waiting a month or two for the right one to come up and bought it.
There's a couple of examples reading through this thread of people that bought or didn't buy purely because of dealer attitude. If it hadn't been for excellent service I got from the Peterborough garage I might not have bought the Zed. When I went to the Cambridge dealer I felt I was pretty much chased out the show room and if that had been my first example of BMW dealers I seriously doubt I'd have been back. I thought these days dealer attitudes had changed from being as bad as that, with so many people buying stuff they just couldn't have done before with financing, loans etc. Good examples that you can't judge a book by its cover.
cayman... no contest... could have been in a golf... nice golf mind 
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Didn't consider anything else other than a Z4MC but ended up going for the Z4C.
Was coming from an EVO VIII MR FQ300 and had an S2000 before that and I wanted to go back to 2 seats and RWD and loved the looks of the Coupe.
The Z4MC would have potentially been on a par with the EVO with regards to running costs which were quite hefty so opted for the more economical but still lots of fun Z4C.
I've still never owned an M car though and definitely want to so might be an M3 next
Was coming from an EVO VIII MR FQ300 and had an S2000 before that and I wanted to go back to 2 seats and RWD and loved the looks of the Coupe.
The Z4MC would have potentially been on a par with the EVO with regards to running costs which were quite hefty so opted for the more economical but still lots of fun Z4C.
I've still never owned an M car though and definitely want to so might be an M3 next
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cj_eds said:
I had a bad dealer experience when I was looking to buy a Coupe. Went to Harry Fairbairn's in Giffnock and the salesman I git was an old guy who only seemed interested in selling me a new car if he could.
Told him I wanted a used car and was looking to pay about £20k and he just said no chance you'll not get one for that. I at least managed to get a test drive which confirmed for me that I liked the car.
Picked a used one up a couple of weeks later for less than £20k down in Birmingham and haven't looked back. Stoopid dealers!
Move up to an M roadster or coupe, the M3 is only if you need a back seat and a boot. But it has to be a ragtop....billy said:Didn't consider anything else other than a Z4MC but ended up going for the Z4C.
Was coming from an EVO VIII MR FQ300 and had an S2000 before that and I wanted to go back to 2 seats and RWD and loved the looks of the Coupe.
The Z4MC would have potentially been on a par with the EVO with regards to running costs which were quite hefty so opted for the more economical but still lots of fun Z4C.
I've still never owned an M car though and definitely want to so might be an M3 next
I was actually after a Z3 M Roadster, but after a 6 month search and having seen nothing but poorly treated dogs I gave up and went for a Z4 3.0i SE - not looked back since.
Z3M Roadster
+ Very rare, looks great, engine note, cheapish tax, cheap insurance, super quick
- Not always looked after, VANOS problems, Boot floor welds pop, 20mpg (!)
Z4 Roadster
+ Newer, Looks good, engine note, pretty damn quick, 35mpg
- Not found any just yet...
Z3M Roadster
+ Very rare, looks great, engine note, cheapish tax, cheap insurance, super quick
- Not always looked after, VANOS problems, Boot floor welds pop, 20mpg (!)
Z4 Roadster
+ Newer, Looks good, engine note, pretty damn quick, 35mpg
- Not found any just yet...
I considered the following:
Audi TTS Roadster
For: 4wd
Finnish
DSG
Against: Understeer
Cost
It’s an Audi
Boxter
For: Finnish
Handling
Style
Against: Poor standard equipment
It’s not a 911
Porsche dealers
370Z Roadster
For: Value for money
Good standard equipment
Power
Against: It’s a Nissan
No used ones on the market yet.
Huge running costs.
And that’s it really, as I can’t afford a V12 Vantage and a Lambo won’t fit in my garage.
Audi TTS Roadster
For: 4wd
Finnish
DSG
Against: Understeer
Cost
It’s an Audi
Boxter
For: Finnish
Handling
Style
Against: Poor standard equipment
It’s not a 911
Porsche dealers
370Z Roadster
For: Value for money
Good standard equipment
Power
Against: It’s a Nissan
No used ones on the market yet.
Huge running costs.
And that’s it really, as I can’t afford a V12 Vantage and a Lambo won’t fit in my garage.
I don't remember considering any other cars. I was bored of my Astra VXR and the poor customer service I'd received at Vauxhall dealerships. I saw my local dealer (Dick Lovett Swindon) had a silver coupe in stock, so I went for a test drive.
I absolutely loved it; especially the flared, squared arches! And the noise... coming from a 4-pot, it was stunning!
In the end, they couldn't get me the spec I wanted, so I bought privately! I was VERY picky with the spec, because I knew I wanted the following:
Upgraded Leather - I had to have this for the quality. I've felt the cheaper ones, and they just don't compare!
Colour - I actually wasn't too fussy on this, and the coupe looks fantastic in most colours. I actually hated the silver when I test drove it (too boring), but I actually think it's one of the best colours for it now! (Although I think Montego Blue is still the best, personally!)
Nav - It specifically had to NOT have Nav, so that narrowed it down by about 50%. It just looks like a total afterthought, and ruined the lines of the dash
Cruise Control - Had to have this. Perfect for when you just want to cruise. Drove 350 miles without stopping - Perfect!
Piano Black Dash - HAD to have this! It makes the interior look so much nicer. Not many cars with this though, understandably... £400 option for a bit of black plastic?!
I absolutely loved it; especially the flared, squared arches! And the noise... coming from a 4-pot, it was stunning!
In the end, they couldn't get me the spec I wanted, so I bought privately! I was VERY picky with the spec, because I knew I wanted the following:
Upgraded Leather - I had to have this for the quality. I've felt the cheaper ones, and they just don't compare!
Colour - I actually wasn't too fussy on this, and the coupe looks fantastic in most colours. I actually hated the silver when I test drove it (too boring), but I actually think it's one of the best colours for it now! (Although I think Montego Blue is still the best, personally!)
Nav - It specifically had to NOT have Nav, so that narrowed it down by about 50%. It just looks like a total afterthought, and ruined the lines of the dash
Cruise Control - Had to have this. Perfect for when you just want to cruise. Drove 350 miles without stopping - Perfect!
Piano Black Dash - HAD to have this! It makes the interior look so much nicer. Not many cars with this though, understandably... £400 option for a bit of black plastic?!
SLK 55 - just a little more than I wanted to spend (shame because it is awesome!)
996 911 - concerns about IMS / RMS
987 Boxster - see above
350Z - not quick enough to warrant the MPG and road tax
E46 M3 - prices seemed very high compared to the Z4M, heavier car, similar insurance for a little less go. SMG was attractive though.
135i - already have a one series
Hot hatches - not 'special' enough
996 911 - concerns about IMS / RMS
987 Boxster - see above
350Z - not quick enough to warrant the MPG and road tax
E46 M3 - prices seemed very high compared to the Z4M, heavier car, similar insurance for a little less go. SMG was attractive though.
135i - already have a one series
Hot hatches - not 'special' enough
SLK - just waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too girly for me
Boxster - but already had a bad experience with a 911 (996), and potential for big bills
350Z - The misses didn't like it and I wasn't "sold" by the interior either
Alfa Romeo Spider - obviously just not a trustworthy brand, and not "roadster" enough, but liked the overall design
Audi TT - got close to buying one but the newer model was just a little too expensive in comparison to the Zed, was a good candidate
Jaguar XK8/XKR - the grandpa-interior just killed it for me, also too big engine (insurance cost, taxes)
Lotus Elise / Opel (Vauxhall) GT - quite expensive over here and not practical at all for longer trips
What I liked about the Zed was the space in the boot and behind the seats, the overall design and the fact that it's quite "simple" and you can work on it yourself, even if you know little about cars. The engine and exhaust sound is also great (love the little explosions in the exhaust). And most of all, because it's not too exclusive, you don't get the jealousy reactions you would get with a Porsche for example (know from experience).
Boxster - but already had a bad experience with a 911 (996), and potential for big bills
350Z - The misses didn't like it and I wasn't "sold" by the interior either
Alfa Romeo Spider - obviously just not a trustworthy brand, and not "roadster" enough, but liked the overall design
Audi TT - got close to buying one but the newer model was just a little too expensive in comparison to the Zed, was a good candidate
Jaguar XK8/XKR - the grandpa-interior just killed it for me, also too big engine (insurance cost, taxes)
Lotus Elise / Opel (Vauxhall) GT - quite expensive over here and not practical at all for longer trips
What I liked about the Zed was the space in the boot and behind the seats, the overall design and the fact that it's quite "simple" and you can work on it yourself, even if you know little about cars. The engine and exhaust sound is also great (love the little explosions in the exhaust). And most of all, because it's not too exclusive, you don't get the jealousy reactions you would get with a Porsche for example (know from experience).
To be completely honest - I didn't really consider anything else. I always wanted a zed since the e85 was launched a good few years ago (when I was still at school ).
Always liked BMWs (get that from my dad), and given the balance of performance and car for the money it was a no brainer. When the e86 came out I liked it even more, and of course the looks of the coupe won me over.
For the record if I didn't have the zed but had still got rid of my focus - I'd probably have a 2l diesel golf or 3 series.
).Always liked BMWs (get that from my dad), and given the balance of performance and car for the money it was a no brainer. When the e86 came out I liked it even more, and of course the looks of the coupe won me over.
For the record if I didn't have the zed but had still got rid of my focus - I'd probably have a 2l diesel golf or 3 series.