Why do you like your E89?

C

CliveN

Active member
I bought my 3.0i MSport auto in 2017. My mate who has had a string of Porsches, said “I am sure you will love it” indicating that he would hate it…. Sure, he was (is) right, the Boxster/Cayman duo are far better to drive but I don’t get Porsches really as a) they are too good, b) they are all continuations so an old Boxster is just that - old and obselete, and c) they are slightly chavvy.

So why do I still have my E89 after six years? And why do you have yours? My reasons are that it looks fabulous especially in MSport spec. And better than the gawky E85 (I have an E86 as well before you bash me over the head) and less overwrought than the G29. Both might be better cars but I am talking looks here. Also it shares almost zilch cosmetically - exterior and interior - with other BMWs so it’s a unique experience. It also has a great engine. Lovely noise, just about powerful enough and more often than not quite reliable. And it suits an auto box. It’s also a very able GT and I know having travelled from the very south of Spain to the far north of Brittany in one 24 hour hit on 16 March 2020 (to get out of Spain before lockdown the next day). I probably wouldn’t have relished that in my Z4MC.

So in sum it’s a formidable, good looking, roof up or down GT that is not ball breaking to drive it own…….

What are your reasons?
 
Still in love with my Z4, but my head is being turned by the Jaguar F type at the moment :?

Not too sure I could go back to the stupid servicing prices that Jaguar charge though!
 
I’ve never had a car this long before,
Usually average a charge every 2 years.
Every winter I get twitchy and start looking at something else ( mainly because I can’t give it the amount of attention in polish it receives in summer) then the spring comes along and I get reluctant to swap it … it’s kinda a one off now, and I just always seem to get to a point of a potential test drive and have nightmares about regretting selling this one . It’s obviously got SOMETHING going for it ….. this is my 6 th yeah now IMG_0112.jpeg
 
Only had mine for exactly 1 month today so my love is still very much alive, meaning i am not the best educated to answer this.

For me it is all about the looks of it, many years ago (probably 8 or 9 years ago) i had a lift in a work colleagues E86 and thought this looks amazing but i would probably want the convertible. I started looking, even though it was not an option at that point in my life, we were a 1 car family with 2 children. I was looking at the E85 then as i was not in the market for a car as new as the E89 then.

Looked a couple of times in the between years but had other priorities, mainly the eldest was at University which meant cash was a little tight. Also motorcycles became my priority then.

I am in a fortunate position now that i did have a little spare cash to dive in, plus the E90 had been giving a few issues and really needed to move on. Also the eldest has flown the nest and we were already a 2 car family (3 if you include my daughter) at that point.

i have had some awful cars in my life so it was always going to drive well in comparison to them. The E89 was just ahead of the E85 in looks for me, plus i preferred the hard top as i think it looks great both up and down. I have spent the last month looking back at least 2 or 3 times after parking it and thinking "its very beautiful".
 
We have had an E89 for around 10 years.
Every now and then we think about something else but the problem is what do you move onto that will be similar but better. There's nothing really if you want a hard top convertible.
There's obviously a lot of better cars but to change into one of them would be settling for something that didn't tick as many boxes.
 
I am not so good at tech so I can’t quite dave2dogs post but awesome brakes, wheels and grills. What are they please?
 
Had my E89 for 9 years this year and still feels box fresh, searched ages for one with the extras I wanted and ended up travelling to the Isle of Skye for it. Drove it to London from Glasgow last year and it was faultless, a bit of a pampered pony, kept in the garage and hibernates over the winter. Thinking it's time to move her on now (14 years old with 38k on the clock and full BMWSH), the dilemma is what do I replace it with? Do I try find and find another E89 in the same condition or try something else, I have a long list of possible replacements (including the G29) but will they be as good as this fun/reliable/economical car has been? 20211107_145842.jpg
 
Let's be honest there isn't a bad Zed and you can make a good argument for owning any of the available variants.
I've had 3 E89's and on reflection the reasons I bought them are the reasons I sold them - I now have a 1998 1.9 Z3 and a 2007 E86.
Would I have another E89 - of course I would :thumbsup:
 
CliveN said:
I am not so good at tech so I can’t quite dave2dogs post but awesome brakes, wheels and grills. What are they please?
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Thank you
Discs are tarox - they do front and back but the backs had to be made to order rather than off the shelf I think
Wheels are from ultimate alloys
Front grills eBay
 
I bought mine because of it looks:

IMG_7645.jpeg

What other car out there is as good looking for the same money?

And here's are some more reasons:

1. Hardtop
2. Looks better than the E85, yes I know many say the E85 is iconic with it's flame surfacing blah blah but to me the E89 is a way more cohesive design, looks great from every angle with the hood up or down, which cant be said for the E85 and has a much better interior. For a 14 year old design it still turns heads every single day! Sure it may not be as sharp to drive but on the other hand it's great as a GT car and with some subtle handling mods I am sure it can be made into a much sharper tool.
3. The fantastic inline 6 cylinder which is super smooth and sounds great, has decent power for most situations and is relatively frugal. Would have preferred the 35i but wasn't prepared to put up with the potential maintenance headaches that go with the N54.
4. Low maintenance costs compared to the N54 35i or a Porsche
5. Cheaper than a Porsche

So why do I still have it, well I at this stage I am not prepared to put more money into another car if I was it would probably be a Porsche but it would have to be a 911 and I am not yet bored of it and have still got some mods to do.
 
RobbiZ4 said:
Why? Doesn't make any sense! :!: :thumbsdown: :roll:
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Robbi, we've got 3 cars and for the last 6 years I've been working from home and hardly used any of them, my business is taking up most of my time. Consolidate the fleet down to one, something a bit more practical and usable for the Scottish climate. I have an interested party for the Z, we will see what happens. Tough decision, I remember seeing my first E89 in Glasgow driving along and stopping to watch it go by, what fab looking car and still looks good today, a roadster that looks fantastic either with the roof up or down, not many others can claim that (hmmm Ferrari California and the Portofino :thumbsup:). Of course the other option is to keep it until the wheels fall off :rofl:
 
For me the e89 35i is a great blend of adult, professional, serious, can drive to client meetings in it etc., it’s not too much of a theft magnet, but it’s also quick enough, capable of a bit of hooliganism, sounds great and looks great. And the roof comes off :)

It’s hard to find a relatively affordable car that ticks all those boxes.
 
Zed Baron said:
(hmmm Ferrari California and the Portofino :thumbsup:).
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Well, Portofino is really interesting, but way too expensive. There was a TV clip that explained what has to be done on a Portofino engine with only about 120.000 Km (~75 Tmls). Unpayable for me. :oops:

Zed Baron said:
Of course the other option is to keep it until the wheels fall off :rofl:
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
Not long after I got my DSB E89 in 2010, went on a forum run and mine was the only one in a sea of e85/e86's. We paraded the grounds of a country house and parked up, we passed a couple of lads, who exclaimed quite loudly that they thought mine was the best looking of the group! Overall I would agree that the e89 is the most pleasing to look at, though there are better views on certain aspects of the e85, rear haunches from the drivers mirror and the G29, rear quarter view looking from the back forward. The other aspect of the e89 I liked was the normally aspirated 3.0 straight six and manual configuration, which it shares with the e85, it just isn't as rewarding to drive on a twisty A road as the e85, a lot more comfortable though. The G29 is just an improvement in all areas, let down only by the no manual option, especially on the M40i
 
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