Z4MC - will it take a pram

ITAG

Member
Expecting our first in January, which is very exciting however with all the baby talk going on i have still not got my head around the car options! Now my wife is half way through the pregnancy I should really make a decision as time is running out! The main problem is the Z4MC is a hard car to let go of!

We have a 3 series 2.0 D touring already however I want to use that to run to work in. I have a 70 mile journey per day which means I need another car as wont subject the Z4MC to that much mileage per month. I already use it for approximately half my work journeys which means the mileage has jumped from 16k miles to 47k in 2 years and 8 months. The smiles per miles has always made this worth it however mileage and money will factor in now and the economy is part of the problem. I have always achieved 27.6 MPG. I think this is excellent considering the performance however the 320D rolls along at 53mpg and with the Mrs taking a year off work it doesn't make sense to be using the Z for the commute and to chuck that many miles on it. On average I am doing 1000 miles per month in the Z. This would double.

The wife will need a car for the local area so it doesn't have to be efficient as she won't do the mileage but it will need to have room for a pram, a car seat and the mother in law!
The in laws live in Italy and will becoming over rather a lot for extended periods of time.

Option 1 park the Z4MC up in a garage for a year or two. I don't have any finance on the car so this could be a store and forget option. I would then purchase a sub £10k car probably another 3 series touring such as my trusty E90 320D. Keep it simple.

Option 2
Sell the Z4MC and buy an M3 5 door. I rather like the V8 variant. The fuel economy wouldn't be an issue as the wife won't do the miles and this will also leave me with something rewarding to drive when not doing the commute and we could all fit in it. I have yet to drive one but I am sure it's pretty dam good!

The Z4MC I have currently sits at 47k miles and I am the second owner having picked the car up with only 16k miles. To find a one owner car in my favourite colour combo was pure luck!
It's Metalic sepang bronze with red leather, I have not seen another on the road and have seen forum posts that there are only around 10 cars in the UK. This makes it harder for me to let go of as I wouldn't realistically find another.

I have also spent some money on the car less than a year a go, vibratech engine mounts, rogue RTAB's and rogue top mounts along with a Gruppe M from the group buy. This has really improved the car and money well spent however a year ago I wasn't expecting to be expecting !

All the above makes it harder to let go of the car!

Suggestions welcome.

Or a third option?


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Congratulations :thumbsup:

Tough choice and would be a shame to have to sell such a stunning motor.

Having said that I think you'd struggle to get a pram in the coupe unless you were getting one of those tiny strollers.
 
Option 1 if you can do it sounds like the one. As you say you wouldn't get another in that spec. I am in full z4m love at the mo having only had it for 6 months so couldn't envisage getting rid!

Having been through the pram thing I would like to say it would be a lot easier for your wife to have the touring / estate car as it is amazing the volume of kit a baby needs even for a little excursion to the shops. An M3 would be tight at times with all the bags and emergency changes etc.

Don't know if possible but would buying a cheap small engined diesel work for the commute and keep the z4m on a very limited ins policy for when you need to have a blast! This would mean the only outlay would be car tax ( commuting vehicle if bought correctly could be car tax free). This would also mean the z4m got some use and wouldn't fall prone to the problems associated with not being run for an over extended time.

This is what I would be looking into. Good luck and congrats on the baby :thumbsup:
 
these cars are rare enough now that I've you've got a good one or owned one for a long while it will be near impossible to find the same again...

personally id store away and forget about it..... thats what i did with mine... also your miles will re-align after the last few years heavy use, this is perfect option for you imo. Buy a CHEAP run around and be safe and happy knowing you can get your TOY out whenever you want to.
 
Had the same issue so bought a Quasqai - the ideal family motor. You've got no chance finding another Sepang if you sell...

Congrats on the nipper.
 
We are expecting our first any time now.... Have bought our isofix seat and pram etc and tbh i doubt it will fit in the boot.....

Ours doesnt fit in the boot ofmy TT which has a much bigger boot, plus you need baby bags and shopping etc.

The other problem is our isofix base doesn't fit in my TT either as it doesnt get over the bolsters....

All in all not a convenient place to be for the misses... Bot to mention its low and she has to deal with a child.

I got a qashqai a couple of months back too... Perfect family car... And if you splash out comes with decent tech (keyless entry, all around camera's) which kept me happy!!
 
OP, I think you already know the answer, if you really don't have to then don't sell it, you'll only regret it.
 
The one thing I wasn't prepared for was the sheer volume of 'stuff' you'll require each time you leave the house with a child. It's just a none starter with a z4 boot. You'd stuggle to get a stroller in yet alone a full pram. Then you've got everything else like the change bag, your own gear etc...

Best thing ever though and I never wanted the little buggers! :D
 
I bought my Z4MC as a practical family car......

You can get a pram that fits in the boot. A quinny zapp costs less than £100 and you can put the car seat straight onto it.

What will be more of a problem for you is the fact that you don't have the airbag disable switch in your car so you can't use a rear facing child seat. I searched long and hard to find one with the right spec and the airbag disable switch fitted.

It is possible to retrofit it, but BMW only list the kit for a roadster rather than a UK so main dealers are reluctant to fit the kit.
 
Keep her- I did the same when I bought my X5 in preparation for starting a family (all l be it mine is not an //M but had him since nearly new and know him inside out!) You won't find another as good as your own and therefore won't ever buy another- you will simply eat up the money on pampers and beer tokens.
 
Well you know there are a bunch of strong buyers for sepangs North of £20,000 if you decide to sell. And there will be a load of folks suggesting even higher price. I missed 2 cream leather ones last year. Never seen one with the red leather which does look scrumptious! So if you ever do decide to sell let me know!!
 
Sod the kid
Keep the car!!!
Why do people always sell their soul when have kids???
Loser cruisers, estate cars utterly soulless
Get a cheap run around and keep your real baby;)
 
i have an M coupe, and we tried the prams at mothercare to see if they fit. you can get quite a few in there. with all the bags/equipment for a newborn.

Regarding a rear facing car seat, and the airbag disable, i went to my trusted local independant, got all the parts needed for the retrofit, (as the kit isnt available), and did it myself. you'll have to drill the centre console panel (opposite side to the sport button) and the disable key location.
you have to code the retrofit to get it to work.
 
Option 1, no brainer if you can afford the replacement car in the meantime. Z4MC's are only going one way in value, so you can rest easy knowing it's not depreciating, more likely to be appreciating. Congrats on the ankle-biter :)
 
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