Z4C to Z4MR - who's done it?

[Sef]

Hi All,

I've had my Z4C about 18 months now and beginning to get the itch to try the Z4M. To mix it up I'd look to try out the roadster, the prices are more favourable also. I've never driven or been in a Z4M so looking for people's past experiences. Has anyone gone from the si coupe to a Z4MR and what were your thoughts?

For info I use them as a weekend car so only few thousand miles per year.

Cheers,
Sef

 

[Krimbo]

Biased but I would never make that move. I don't think the slight extra speed would ever sway me from parting with the beautiful coupe shape, and for more money? No chance. But each to their own.

 

[mr wilks]

I've done it 4 times

 

[Sef]

I've done it 4 times

Whats your feedback after making the swap 4 times then .

 

[Sef]

Biased but I would never make that move. I don't think the slight extra speed would ever sway me from parting with the beautiful coupe shape, and for more money? No chance. But each to their own.

Good points the coupe shape was the reason I initially wanted the car. Z4MC command a lot more money though

 

[mr wilks]

I've done it 4 times

Whats your feedback after making the swap 4 times then .

Do it if you must but they aren't without flaws, negatives & downsides.
No point me saying don't do it when I've done it 4 times :roll: it's like telling a child not to touch something because it's hot they can't not touch it
The plus points are a car that really comes to life if you put the effort in but that's on roads (or track) that allow it , otherwise for the day to day miles they are tiresome with regards heavy clutch & heavy steering.
The mpg is woeful on a decent thrash (17-20mpg) & will average 21/22mpg if you're lucky over a mix of driving , seeing high 20s you need to zero it on the slip road then potter along at 68-72mph.
Ved is another big negative especially on a weekender , its £50 a month & only rising which for me who likes to get out 2-3 times a month all year round is punitive imo.
Insurance is no different but service costs depending where in the loop you buy are hefty by comparison to Si Z4s.
Think along the lines of ins 1 + 2 costing at least double , a, set of brakes all round £1k against £250 Finally don't get in a ZM expecting it to feel way faster than a Si, the bhp is higher yes but unless you cane it through all gears the N52 imo feels much sharper & nimble accelerating "normally" through the gears 30-60-90mph cdv removal helps but even so it takes some time mastering the same with the S54 gearbox & clutch.
Give one a go, the noise from the S54 is difficult to ignore & that itself adds much to the ownership experience.

 

[Krimbo]

the coupe shape was the reason I initially wanted the car. Z4MC command a lot more money though

Same here. I'd love a Z4MC myself, but yeah the price is considerably more - I personally don't see much value for money in comparison. For that kind of money I think I would rather grow my budget further for an R8 or a 3L F-Type. But yeah, totally irrelevant to the topic sorry

 

[Sef]

I've done it 4 times

Whats your feedback after making the swap 4 times then .

Do it if you must but they aren't without flaws, negatives & downsides.
No point me saying don't do it when I've done it 4 times :roll: it's like telling a child not to touch something because it's hot they can't not touch it
The plus points are a car that really comes to life if you put the effort in but that's on roads (or track) that allow it , otherwise for the day to day miles they are tiresome with regards heavy clutch & heavy steering.
The mpg is woeful on a decent thrash (17-20mpg) & will average 21/22mpg if you're lucky over a mix of driving , seeing high 20s you need to zero it on the slip road then potter along at 68-72mph.
Ved is another big negative especially on a weekender , its £50 a month & only rising which for me who likes to get out 2-3 times a month all year round is punitive imo.
Insurance is no different but service costs depending where in the loop you buy are hefty by comparison to Si Z4s.
Think along the lines of ins 1 + 2 costing at least double , a, set of brakes all round £1k against £250 Finally don't get in a ZM expecting it to feel way faster than a Si, the bhp is higher yes but unless you cane it through all gears the N52 imo feels much sharper & nimble accelerating "normally" through the gears 30-60-90mph cdv removal helps but even so it takes some time mastering the same with the S54 gearbox & clutch.
Give one a go, the noise from the S54 is difficult to ignore & that itself adds much to the ownership experience.

Very insightful feedback thank you. Interesting your comments on the N52. The extra RPM on the S54 is what is drawing me more than outright pace, I feel the N52 starts really going just as you run out of revs which is a bit frustrating. Do you find similar compared to the S54? The costs vs what you get in return is the sticking point as you nicely highlighted :?

 

[Sef]

the coupe shape was the reason I initially wanted the car. Z4MC command a lot more money though

Same here. I'd love a Z4MC myself, but yeah the price is considerably more - I personally don't see much value for money in comparison. For that kind of money I think I would rather grow my budget further for an R8 or a 3L F-Type. But yeah, totally irrelevant to the topic sorry

The F-type sees to be the go to next car as a step up

 

[Nictrix]

the coupe shape was the reason I initially wanted the car. Z4MC command a lot more money though

Same here. I'd love a Z4MC myself, but yeah the price is considerably more - I personally don't see much value for money in comparison. For that kind of money I think I would rather grow my budget further for an R8 or a 3L F-Type. But yeah, totally irrelevant to the topic sorry

The F-type sees to be the go to next car as a step up

We looked at a few F types the other day and came away disappointed.
Not because the cars are not good but the new model looks way better than the old one. The redesign of the headlights looks really good.
This is where the disappointment comes in. We can no longer buy the old model and cannot afford the new model so will have to wait 6 years before looking again.
The new models only seem to come in 2L or 5L now.

 

[buzyg]

I've done it 4 times

Should of just bought a hard top. :wink:

 

[kis]

Test drive. No point researching it to death, unless you're sure you want one. Drive one, and very simply, see how you feel

 

[Bombardino]

Hi All,

I've had my Z4C about 18 months now and beginning to get the itch to try the Z4M. To mix it up I'd look to try out the roadster, the prices are more favourable also. I've never driven or been in a Z4M so looking for people's past experiences. Has anyone gone from the si coupe to a Z4MR and what were your thoughts?

For info I use them as a weekend car so only few thousand miles per year.

Cheers,
Sef

See if you catch a ride in one as a comparison, whereabouts are you in the Country?

 

[Sef]

Hi All,

I've had my Z4C about 18 months now and beginning to get the itch to try the Z4M. To mix it up I'd look to try out the roadster, the prices are more favourable also. I've never driven or been in a Z4M so looking for people's past experiences. Has anyone gone from the si coupe to a Z4MR and what were your thoughts?

For info I use them as a weekend car so only few thousand miles per year.

Cheers,
Sef

See if you catch a ride in one as a comparison, whereabouts are you in the Country?

Stratford-Upon-Avon if anyone is local

 

[Bombardino]

Hi All,

I've had my Z4C about 18 months now and beginning to get the itch to try the Z4M. To mix it up I'd look to try out the roadster, the prices are more favourable also. I've never driven or been in a Z4M so looking for people's past experiences. Has anyone gone from the si coupe to a Z4MR and what were your thoughts?

For info I use them as a weekend car so only few thousand miles per year.

Cheers,
Sef

See if you catch a ride in one as a comparison, whereabouts are you in the Country?

Stratford-Upon-Avon if anyone is local

Hi All,

I've had my Z4C about 18 months now and beginning to get the itch to try the Z4M. To mix it up I'd look to try out the roadster, the prices are more favourable also. I've never driven or been in a Z4M so looking for people's past experiences. Has anyone gone from the si coupe to a Z4MR and what were your thoughts?

For info I use them as a weekend car so only few thousand miles per year.

Cheers,
Sef

See if you catch a ride in one as a comparison, whereabouts are you in the Country?

Stratford-Upon-Avon if anyone is local

I'm close to Shrewsbury if your ever in the area.

 

[Mr Tidy]

After 5 years of Si Coupe ownership a link to an Interlagos Blue MC with Sepang leather on Ebay appeared on here in June 2019. It was on 91K miles and the asking price was £15,000 and in the end I decided to go and look at it. It was a clean car, but I didn't get to drive it far as it was SORN'D, although I could tell the engine was pretty special.

I told the vendor I would think about it and was still trying to decide if it made sense when it sold a few days later for £13,500. :roll:

Then around September 2019 a forum member who lived in Stoke was considering a Black/Black MC on 100+K miles that a trader had advertised for just under £13,000. As the trader was only a mile from my house I offered to have a look at the car for him if it would help and he took me up on that offer as he wanted to know what the service history looked like.

So I made an appointment to look at it, and after a look around it the dealer fired it up and said he'd see me in a while. Anyway after a 15 mile unaccompanied test drive I just knew I wanted one (but not that one - I can't stand black and more black)! I gave the forum member some feedback and was left feeling like I needed to get one!

Like you OP I also started to wonder if I should consider an MR mainly because they were more affordable.

But then on 15 December a forum member posted a link to his advert for a 76K mile Silver Grey with Imola Red MC for which he was asking £14,000 but wanted sold before Christmas.

So I took a motor trader mate to look at it with me on 17 December and fell in love all over again on the test drive! It had never had an Inspection 2 service so some haggling ensued and a deposit was left!

Then I went up on 19 December with the rest of the cash and drove it home. So I ended up with a lower mileage example that was cheaper than the first one I looked at, probably for around MR money.

All I can say is I'm glad I waited for the right Coupe to appear because I really do prefer the looks, and have never been a roadster fan to the extent that in over 40 years of car ownership I've never had one! And if you can wait you just never know when a well-priced Coupe might appear.

If you don't fancy waiting and are still willing to consider a Roadster then you really need to try one before you decide, but don't drive any M unless you are prepared to really want one!

The engine just sounds special from the moment you fire it up and gets better from there, especially once it's fully up to temperature and you can explore the 8,000 rpm red-line.

The clutch is heavier, but with a CDV delete and a ZHP fitted I don't find it a problem. The steering is a bit heavier, but with Hydraulic PAS has better feel than the Si. Plus if you want to be unruly (I haven't yet) you get an LSD.

I'm sure I've said it before but for me the Si felt like 80% of the M for 50% of the money, and it's probably at least 50% cheaper to run as well.

Whether you are willing to pay twice as much for that little bit extra is a question only you can answer.

Now that I'm the wrong side of 60 I just decided that if I was going to get an M I really ought to get on and do it while I could still enjoy one, and I'm just loving it.

At least you have an Si Coupe to enjoy while you make your mind up, which I found helped while I was waiting for the right M!