WHY DID YOU CHOSE YOUR E89?

[3.0Rich]

I'd had my Tvr Chimaera 8 yrs when the previous owner wanted it back, it had been his father's car originally.
When it went I started looking at more "modern" cars and they had to be 2-seat convertibles with 6 cylinders which pretty much left me with the choice of Z4 or Boxster S.
A 2005 S came up 1st, drove it and loved it. I even had it booked in at a specialist for the Ims bearing change but the aircon condensers needed doing and when it threw an engine light the dealer took it back. Don't know why he didn't offer to fix everything but there you go.
I then tested a couple Z4s and thought it was a very nice place to be, not the drive of the Boxster but very good.
Bought my car, silver with red interior, heated seats idrive 3.0 manual on 35k miles a month ago and I just cannot get over how good it looks from every aspect.
Bit of a faff getting golf clubs in and it feels quite front heavy after the Boxster but I actually like the way it feels. Driving in Sport gives the perfect throttle response imo and I wouldn't change this car for anything.
Sorry for the lengthy write-up but I really like this car. Didn't try an auto cos the daily is and I wanted the Zed to be manual and that has worked out well.
Not looking to mod in any way except maybe cruise retro-fit and/or wrap the roof panels. Right, I'm done....

 

[extaz]

Cant resist a reply on this one.
I am in southern USA but I enjoy this forum for this car. I have owned drivers cars since the late 1950s. I tracked some at some famous tracks. I drove several exotics on tracks. So far so good.
I was looking for a drivers car for occasional tracking and Autocross. The 2 series had some tempting models. Then in 2014 I came across a very low mileage 35i E89 which I knew nothing about except it seemed to be the least expensive way to get the Twin Turbo 3.0. I am not into color or even Spec. It had an extended warranty, new tires, M adaptable suspension and basically all the driving features. It was an 09 face-lifted with new lights etc. However I could not bring myself to track this complex fancy road car. Past experience made me think it would overheat the engine and brakes and go through tires too quickly. I take it on trips through the mountains and the Tail of the Dragon (google it). It stays with anything, within reason. So it turned out to be a sensible interesting looking car, very versatile, exciting enough for the for the road. I do think it is something of a sleeper. It has a lot of similarity to older M3s, It is not really heavy. It is very close to the weight of the new G89 soft top. The steering feels heavy, but it has 50/50 weight distribution. The top and hood are aluminum. It lends itself to good tires and better wheel alignment set-ups front and rear. It never tram-lined. . So I still drive it on nice days, and I never yearn for a better driving car.
And BTW, and don't laugh, but the car that it reminds me of and feels a lot like, especially while accelerating down a long straight is a Ferrari 458 Italia.

 

[golfgeezer]

Had a few mk1 MX5’s/Eunos over the years and fancied something more modern as a sunny day car. Like others it was a toss up between an E89 or a gen1 Porsche Boxster 987. It was the colour, mileage and spec that sealed the deal for my Zed. I like how it looks both with the roof down and up especially with the contrasting black against the VO

 

[Baza]

My first sports car was a triumph Spitfire 1300cc (giving my age away) next a Panther Kalista 2.8 and then a few years without due to working overseas. Having missed the open top driving when finally back in the UK for good I/We decided to buy another 2 seater. My priority's were a hard top convertible, auto drive, 6 cylinder 3 litre engine . This did not give much choice Mercedes V BMW Having carried out detailed research on both brands next came the test drive ,first the Merc it was ok but missed out on style and the feeling I was driving something special. Next The E 89 BMW it was love at first sight further confirmed with a test drive. A 2009 with 14 k on the clock drove like a dream. Bought on the spot. within a month changed to non runflat,s which improved the drive enormously.Bought in March 2013 still my dream car .