We are running a mini series of articles in Straight Six magazine (BMWCC) on Z relationships . It is all about your love affair with the Z4 from your personal and intimate perspective.
What made you buy a Z4, what keeps you interested, sacrifices, what you love the most, when did it start, how it makes you feel, driving it, not driving it, what frustrates/motivates you as a Z4 owner.
Once it takes shape, will give me an idea on how to present it to the editor for publication in April/May .
Just tag on your thoughts to this thread
Cheers.
Phil
PS If anyone knows someone with a Z8 who wants to comment - please let me know
Sapphire black/Imola red and black interior/ red roof/ S54 - the only RHD one made.
"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
Posted: Fri 04 Mar, 2011 Post subject: How much do you like your Z4
You may recall seeing the above thread yet only you have replied which is very odd considering the very same request got 9 / 10 replies from owners of the Z3's and Z1's.
Now your not going to let them take ALL the glory surely???
Please re-visit the thread and jot down in your own words
what made yo buy the Z4??
what keeps you interested??
what you love most about the Z4??
any frustrations or niggles??
We shall be putting together the article from w/c 28th March so please spend a few minutes and let your feelings out.
Feel free to post replies on the thread and add any pics if you so wish or forward direct to my email stephen@mitchellproctor.co.uk
many thanks steveH on behalf of BMWCC
Hi Phil,
Having just traded my02 z3 2.2 for a 03 z4 3.0 auto, here are a few thoughts so far.
1, overall comfort in the 4 is great,being a bit wider seems easier to drive,
2, Power from the 3.0 is amazing even in auto format,the sports mode gives a different dimention to the delivery of the power.
3 The fully electric roof is great, no more messing about with locking handles.
4 And from my point of view, and for my needs ,the car just takes you along with very little effort ,yet still retains the fun element around the twisty bits
5 And best of all is the big smile it puts on my face
Maurice
Hi Phil, I bought my first Z4 - a 2.2 ES in 2004. I did the rounds of all the fun looking 2 seaters - Audi, Honda etc. I was coming out of my third Land Rover Discovery, so it really was a mid life crisis. I was fifty. I loved every minute of that Maldives Blue ragtop. A two week, three thousand mile european tour being a highlight. Even when I T-boned a Fiesta that crossed straight in front of me giving me nowhere to go (photos available on request!) or the time when the hare tried to leap through my grill (again, photo available). At three years old I swapped it for a 2.5i Sport in Carbon Black and did another euro-trip, absolute bliss including Stelvio, Susten and Furka passes. Both cars lost their runflats as soon as I'd worn them down, replaced by Falken 452's - Luvly jubly. I've always had a 'glass back' from playing too much rugby and probably not resting enough between injuries. My back has got worse, I've ended up needing a discectomy - nothing to do with brake pads and a laminectomy - nothing to do with windscreens but the net result is that my beloved Z has to go as the quack suggests that it is getting in and out of it that is in danger of resulting in loss of use of legs, permanent excruciating pain and double incontinence - the latter was the clincher! I had the ops the week before Christmas and am now in the process of swapping the Z for a 1 convertible. Somehow I just feel I'm making the best of a bad job. I hope this isn't boringly 'wordy.'
I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
After owning a Z3 3.0 Sport that wanted a bit of money spending to take it to my standards, I battled with the ideas of either improving it, or putting that towards a Z4 instead.
Initially I have to admit that I wasn't won over with the Bangle design lines of the Z4 and maybe it was a bit too different from the shape of the Z3 that I loved, most angles of the Z3 are stunning, whilst I still thought some were a bit awkward.
However the closer I looked at the Z4, the more I was being won over, from the 'Z' that is carved into the front wings, even through to the 'chickens bum' boot lid, all were beginning to grow on me, to such a stage that this car also had stunning lines that I had missed, and these were more pronounced by different models and trim
The 3 litre is 15mm lower than the other engine sizes because of the Msport suspension, different wheel designs and sizes would dramatically change the look of the vehicle and facelift slight improvements would make cleaner lines and some awkwardness disappear.
So my decision was made. The money would be used to move to a ‘4’.
I had a definite list of requirements and spent 3 months looking for the one I wanted, I couldn't afford the 3 litre as finances dictated, also I wanted a lower mileage car with Msport seats, I didn’t want the Maldives light blue, the 'old man' Merlot red or the common Grey version, it had to be different.
Finally a Toledo (dark) Blue came along with Dream Red mSport seat, a combination rarely seen and even this metallic colour was not a common sight.... I was sold.
OK it didn't have heated seats, but I could live with that...(wrong!)
IT was 'only' a 2.5 and I could live with that ....(also wrong!)
But it had gadgets galore.
A roof that I could open with the keyfob - no more clamp handles.
A head unit that I could control from the steering wheel.
Bluetooth, so I could use my phone through the car speakers.
And the chance to retrofit cruise control, a half an hour job for less than £60.
But that’s when the niggles appeared.
After buying in February when the weather was not too warm, I began to notice just how much more ‘airey’ the Z4 interior was with the roof down, and the heater did not seem to be as powerful, in fact it was bloody cold in there. Heated seats were definitely a benefit in the Z3, but how do I put this right now?
Should I swap seats? Msport seats were rare, especially in red and also heated, and as such ‘if’ a set came available they were snapped up quickly, and for silly money. Also as they were rare in pre face-lift models. The only ones seemed to come from newer written off cars, but the seat occupancy sensors were different and would cause an airbag fault, which meant ignoring, or disabling the sensor and airbag with a bypass unit. No way!
So I opted for a retrofit of seat heaters and it transformed the car on cold days.
Another niggle.... the roof could be opened by pressing the keyfob, but not closed, H&S nannies apparently, so I opted for a remote unit that allowed for this, now with 3 clicks on a key fob the roof would open or close all by itself as you walked away.
And the biggest niggle, the car was fast, but there was always the nagging that I had downsized and should have waited for the right engine to come along at the right price. But there was only one real way to go there.
Niggles apart, this car I also loved, I looked at it after every wash with pride, and in the dusk it seemed to take on a beauty I had not seen in any other car.
Maybe it was the darker colours that brought out the carved flanks, and a shape that just seems to grow in size from boot to bonnet, as if to say ‘this is where the power should come from, and we have had to make room for it’.
There, however, was only one real direction to take, and after a year of ownership the M version replaced this, as my new pride and joy.
This is in a different league, it is an animal..... but also,..... so much fun.....
After fitting the roof module, I have absolutely no niggles at all.
The beautiful shape, the best colour combination, the enthralling driving experience and the perfect engine....now I know what the ‘Utimate Driving Machine’ actually means.
Hurry up dusk, ....... I just may have to go outside!
I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
I pick our manual 2004 2.5 SE tomorrow and I had to compromise on engine size (I wanted the 3.0) and mileage (I wanted 40k I have 70k). However, it is in one of my favourite colour combos, Sterling Grey with red leather and it has what I would not budge on, heated seats
It is mainly for Louise's daily runner and so that I have a soft top to enjoy at the weekends. I think that the power will be fine for what I need it for as I also have a 12 cylinder Italian if I really want to "play".
It gets dropped off at lunch time tomorrow and the first valet/wax is booked to come round to work at 2.30 tomorrow afternoon, so that it is nice and shiny when I take it home to Louise
I have a feeling that we will come to really love this car and, can possibly see an 'M' somewhere in the future.
(and I have only just noticed the 'Z' sculpted into the wings!)
Aerodynamics are for those who cannot make engines - Enzo Ferrari
burriana (al) wrote:How do I make it so that my signature pic is not so big please?
You need to resize it!
You should be able to do this in Photobucket
It can also be done on your PC before you upload it, but how to do that depends on what operating system and software you're using.
Ideally you sig pic should be 120 pixels high by 550 wide.
