Food for thought

[Nictrix]

This is for both sides of the Z4M v Z4 35is war that seems to kick up now and again.
There have been many things said about whats better, whats nicer looking, what handles better etc
What has never really been discussed in full is the amount of cars of each sold.
I know there has been figured punted around of how many of each there are but what seems to get glossed over is the fact that the Z4M was only produced for 3 years max whereas the 35is was over 6 years.
How does these figures affect the exclusivity of each model and the prices they command and will command in the future?
Just off the top of my head it seems there are half the amount of 35is models than M models even though they were produced for around double the length of time.

[buzyg]

And your point is?

A. Few wanted to buy one.

B. Some other point?

There were far less Z4MR's produced than Ferarri 360 spiders, over a similar life span. Does not make the MR more desirable than the Fezza.

[Nictrix]

No major point, no need to get defensive. I just wondered what peoples opinions on this would be considering the other opinions on everything else to do with the M v 35is argument.
Was there a reason for the amount sold?
Was there only ever going to be a limited amount of Ms made and once they were sold that was it? Or if you wanted one were you guaranteed to get one?
Were there special deals done towards the end of production the same as the E89 models to get more out the door?
Did production of Ms only stop when the new model was being released?

[Bing]

Neither production run was limited by anything other than time as far as I am aware.

More people bought Ms over a shorter period of time = greater demand

If half as many 35is cars were sold over twice as much time, the demand - and so popularity ? - of the car was 25% that of the M.

Had BMW built an M version of the e89 I'm sure they would have sold more than 400 in the UK. But they didn't, more's the pity.

I'd be more interested in knowing the answer to that question actually - why didn't they do an M ? Alpina didn't even spice it up. Was there something about the car or the chassis that made it too expensive or difficult to modify to M or Alpina standards ? Or did their research just tell them there wasn't demand ?

The e89 was launched right on the heels of the global financial crisis, so maybe that had an impact on their development plans & of course demand for expensive 2-seat roadsters.

[mr wilks]

My thoughts on why the 35iS sold so few over so long has two factors
1)Unless you knew your Zs a majority of punters would fail to notice the difference between any other Msport model & a 35Is version so on paper the major hump in price difference when browsing your catalogue for the extra oooomph would have seemed a lot ?
2) how cars are now bought new has changed since the ZM was selling , as in folks who can't afford to buy can afford to rent & dealers offering the chance to drive away a brand new 23i , 3.0i ,1.8i,2.0i would be easier to convince a punter with smaller figures than dangling a PcP deal on its biggest hitter ?

[huytonman]

If I had been spending north of £50k on a new convertible (as I have done in the past) the 35iS wouldnt have had a look in against a 981S and that would have been a decision that many potential buyers may have considered and that would have hit sales. The M cars appeal to a very different audience IMO (more hardcore) so the comparision isnt that easy. Now however on the used market a decent 35IS is a lot less money than a used 981S so when considering my purchase the money element came into play and thats why I bought one used due to value vs the alternatives.