Z4MC Alternatives
- Thread starter jimmybell
- Start date
LeeZ4MR said:I must admit this is where I would like to be one daytomscott said:My next choice is a 911 when i can afford a decent one
I would second or even third that! The question that goes round in my head though is would a 997 GT3 be £35-40k more fun than my Z...
I agree it's a fair pointDONDP said:LeeZ4MR said:I must admit this is where I would like to be one daytomscott said:My next choice is a 911 when i can afford a decent one
I would second or even third that! The question that goes round in my head though is would a 997 GT3 be £35-40k more fun than my Z...
one of my old neighbours had a white 997 GT3 & I used to love just listening to him start it up & the thing just had so much presence plus he used to track it every weekend the lucky man! I was flicking through autotrader the other day & I couldn't believe how cheap M5's had got a few available for 11/12k! But I agree fuel is a real issue & I keep reading about gearbox horror stories aswell, but I do love the value of the M6 alot of motor for the money. 8)jimmybell said:
Z4M has an awful lot of plus points, great performance in a straight line and on track/twisties, reasonable interior and toys, exclusive, decent reliability, good badge, lovely coupe or top down convertible, decent fuel consumption and a lowish mileage one can be had for £15k or less.
No wonder we all struggle to see what car we can replace it with that doesn't cost another £20k.
No wonder we all struggle to see what car we can replace it with that doesn't cost another £20k.
Cayman S
Maserati Spyder
Maserati 4200
TVR Tuscan
M6
Nobel 3R
All were on my check list when I bought the MR 2years ago. The only one I sometimes think what if on, is the Nobel. Mainly because it would be worth more now and I regularly get to chase one on local hoons. But as I needed and still need, to scratch the Roadster bug, the MR was and will be for some time, the right one for me.
Maserati Spyder
Maserati 4200
TVR Tuscan
M6
Nobel 3R
All were on my check list when I bought the MR 2years ago. The only one I sometimes think what if on, is the Nobel. Mainly because it would be worth more now and I regularly get to chase one on local hoons. But as I needed and still need, to scratch the Roadster bug, the MR was and will be for some time, the right one for me.
Suppose you could look at it in other ways. Cars get old, they pile on the milage because we love them and at some point they need to be replaced be that with a cheap fuel efficient car, family car or another fun car, or the love disappears and you don't just want another car because you need to but because you want to.
The 'price' to upgrade will always be a problem and the longer the worse it will be I suppose. Adding 10-20k to a budget to buy another would be fairly normal in this area. The idea of whether it will be 20k more fun is futile, its how much it costs, if they still made a Z4M you would need 20+k to buy a new one and the same is with any other brand whether it be a brand new 3 series or a 3-5yr old 911.
Its the problem with car ownership, might as well write it off as soon as you buy them. Cars dont last forever and you inevitably will change it, if they were money makers we would all be millionaires with the cars that go through this forum
The main thing that concerns me is the government will end up taxing these cars off the road sooner rather than later and no chance will they take that fun away from me. Lifes too short do it while you can
They're all great cars, there is no true successor they are all quite niche cars in this sector and all will thrill whether they are worth it.. well the only person that can decide is you.
The 'price' to upgrade will always be a problem and the longer the worse it will be I suppose. Adding 10-20k to a budget to buy another would be fairly normal in this area. The idea of whether it will be 20k more fun is futile, its how much it costs, if they still made a Z4M you would need 20+k to buy a new one and the same is with any other brand whether it be a brand new 3 series or a 3-5yr old 911.
Its the problem with car ownership, might as well write it off as soon as you buy them. Cars dont last forever and you inevitably will change it, if they were money makers we would all be millionaires with the cars that go through this forum
The main thing that concerns me is the government will end up taxing these cars off the road sooner rather than later and no chance will they take that fun away from me. Lifes too short do it while you can
They're all great cars, there is no true successor they are all quite niche cars in this sector and all will thrill whether they are worth it.. well the only person that can decide is you.
jimmybell said:
I did exactly this. Not through choice mind, through necessity. The 335i saloon is very juicy (more than the MC) and super quick (5.6), but doesn't have the feeling of exclusivity as unless you know it looks like most other 3 series. The MC has that amazing look of being slightly exotic and rare. Cayman's et al are all very good but they're 10 a penny. Unless you go the Noble route of course. But then you also need to consider service costs etc.
MC or MR all the way for me and as soon as I can get another I'll be doing exactly that.
Below were my options beofre opting for the Z4MR:
Any TVR ideally a T350 or Tamora maybe - I was put off by potential bills, definitely more expesnive than the M on running costs.
SLK55AMG - Crap Gearbox, Heavy , more to go wrong and running costs i.e. fuel warranty servicing and some of the consumables like brake discs,etc.
Boxster S - too bland and depreciation seems to be pretty bad still.
Cayman S - More expensive i.e. £20k for a decent one and the two i test drove didnt feel as "special" as the M Coupe i drove back to back with one of them.
Z3MC - I was tempted to pull the trigger on the Pheonix Yellow one at Hexagon with the full Schnitzer and BBS LM's, etc it was about £17/18k at the time but i didnt have alternative use of a car and it seemed a shame to pile loads of miles on a great car (still have some doubts everytime i venture in the showroom though as its still there).
911C4S (996) - Felt heavy and quite a bit more expensive to buy and run. Dereciation also seems quite bad still i.e 2/3/4k per year.......
I then opted for the Z4MR as it sounded better with the roof down (i prefer the look of the coupe) and i couldnt tell any real difference with the drive. It was also summer and the Z4MR that came up was around £2/3k cheaper and in much better condition than the coupes i had seen (mainly new consumables) and i got two years warranty which made it an almost sensible decision
Any TVR ideally a T350 or Tamora maybe - I was put off by potential bills, definitely more expesnive than the M on running costs.
SLK55AMG - Crap Gearbox, Heavy , more to go wrong and running costs i.e. fuel warranty servicing and some of the consumables like brake discs,etc.
Boxster S - too bland and depreciation seems to be pretty bad still.
Cayman S - More expensive i.e. £20k for a decent one and the two i test drove didnt feel as "special" as the M Coupe i drove back to back with one of them.
Z3MC - I was tempted to pull the trigger on the Pheonix Yellow one at Hexagon with the full Schnitzer and BBS LM's, etc it was about £17/18k at the time but i didnt have alternative use of a car and it seemed a shame to pile loads of miles on a great car (still have some doubts everytime i venture in the showroom though as its still there).
911C4S (996) - Felt heavy and quite a bit more expensive to buy and run. Dereciation also seems quite bad still i.e 2/3/4k per year.......
I then opted for the Z4MR as it sounded better with the roof down (i prefer the look of the coupe) and i couldnt tell any real difference with the drive. It was also summer and the Z4MR that came up was around £2/3k cheaper and in much better condition than the coupes i had seen (mainly new consumables) and i got two years warranty which made it an almost sensible decision
I think i need another Z4M test drive, wihtout a pushy BMW salesman. Even if i had the money on the day i'd of not bought a lump of coal from that guy. Funny how service varies so much.
The only other car i can add to the alternatives list is the E46 M3 - which is the car that first got me hooked on beemers, and lead to my interest in Z4M's. Sadly, they seem ot be frequently high milers and there's not much of a price drop from the Z4 that it makes it particularly exciting to offset the lack of looks or occasion.
The only other car i can add to the alternatives list is the E46 M3 - which is the car that first got me hooked on beemers, and lead to my interest in Z4M's. Sadly, they seem ot be frequently high milers and there's not much of a price drop from the Z4 that it makes it particularly exciting to offset the lack of looks or occasion.
There isn't really a direct Z4MC replacement really. So much depends on how you intend to use it. If it needs to be daily or practical transport certain cars become a non-starter, but if it is a weekend toy and/or occasional track car then the possibilities get a lot wider.
I suppose a Cayman R might be a worthy replacement (but will be circa £40k so useless to the OP) and perhaps a TTRS but I don't think they are old enough yet to have fallen into the teens yet.
If it were me, and I wasn't allowed to choose another Z4M, I'd probably look at the Exige but others such as Ariel Atom, Westfield/Caterham, Noble, TVR might also be possible replacements if it was a second, fun car.
I suppose a Cayman R might be a worthy replacement (but will be circa £40k so useless to the OP) and perhaps a TTRS but I don't think they are old enough yet to have fallen into the teens yet.
If it were me, and I wasn't allowed to choose another Z4M, I'd probably look at the Exige but others such as Ariel Atom, Westfield/Caterham, Noble, TVR might also be possible replacements if it was a second, fun car.
I had this dilema when I was looking for a new to me car.
I am not rich enough to buy new cars and do my arse by 50% in 18 months, I can happily lose money in other areas! I had a budget of £20k and ideally wanted to spend under this. I plugged this figure into various car websites to see what would come up. I always wanted a Z4M coupe from 2007 and had never got round to owning one but when I saw the ZMR I just thought, yup thats the one. 8) Had M3, various Porks and the M135i on the test drive list but nothing felt as special or dare I say exclusive - apart from Spearman ruining that for me! As has been pointed out you need to spend a fair bit more to get the next leg up. I really like the new Cayman and was so close to pulling the trigger on a used Lotus Evora but that was £16k more @ £32k and I just didn't want to have that much cash tied up in a car currently. I think my next three cars will come down to the same search and will be between E92 M3, New Cayman or Lotus Evora.
I am not rich enough to buy new cars and do my arse by 50% in 18 months, I can happily lose money in other areas! I had a budget of £20k and ideally wanted to spend under this. I plugged this figure into various car websites to see what would come up. I always wanted a Z4M coupe from 2007 and had never got round to owning one but when I saw the ZMR I just thought, yup thats the one. 8) Had M3, various Porks and the M135i on the test drive list but nothing felt as special or dare I say exclusive - apart from Spearman ruining that for me! As has been pointed out you need to spend a fair bit more to get the next leg up. I really like the new Cayman and was so close to pulling the trigger on a used Lotus Evora but that was £16k more @ £32k and I just didn't want to have that much cash tied up in a car currently. I think my next three cars will come down to the same search and will be between E92 M3, New Cayman or Lotus Evora.
jimmybell said:Hah - this is the first Z4MR i'd consider over a Coupe (shock!)
Maybe the wheels are slightly OTT, drop down a size maybe, but that is a nice looking roadster :O
M3 CS Maybe - but is it better than the Z4M, at the same price? I'd be hesitant, as they're so old now.
Very nice, anybody any clues as to what the wing is?
The E46 M3 is commonly regarded as a better car than the ///MC, so the CS is bound to be a step ahead of the ///MC. As for age, they are only 2-3 years older than the ///M.
My biggest problem with the CS is that it doesn't look as sleek or as sporty as the ///MC.
I get your argument Tomscott and definitely share your concerns as far as the government is concerned but I wouldn't be buying a new GT3 (although I would love to be able to). I am comparing apples with apples here. If I were to buy a GT3 at a similar age and similar mileage to my Z it would still be a heap more money. Given how much we all love our Zeds it would have to be a heap loads better/more fun too, and that is the conundrum I can't overcome. If I could I would be financed up on a lovely white GT3 clubsport by now 
Just like this one, damn it I'm considering it again...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/porsche/911-gt3-997/porsche-911-997-gt3-club-sport/950969
Just like this one, damn it I'm considering it again...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/porsche/911-gt3-997/porsche-911-997-gt3-club-sport/950969
DONDP said:I get your argument Tomscott and definitely share your concerns as far as the government is concerned but I wouldn't be buying a new GT3 (although I would love to be able to). I am comparing apples with apples here. If I were to buy a GT3 at a similar age and similar mileage to my Z it would still be a heap more money. Given how much we all love our Zeds it would have to be a heap loads better/more fun too, and that is the conundrum I can't overcome. If I could I would be financed up on a lovely white GT3 clubsport by now
Just like this one, damn it I'm considering it again...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/porsche/911-gt3-997/porsche-911-997-gt3-club-sport/950969
That's where I'm headed next (in another 18 months or so). I'm hoping the 997.2 will be available for that price by then because you get the front axle lifting on the Gen 2, essential I fear if you intend negotiating multi-storey car parks or speed bumps.
ga41 said:
They've only just released the V6 supercharged! It's road-tested in this weeks Autocar. 0-60 in 4.1 and 0-100 in 9.6 8)