Cruise control is another feature I would really like. When you're trying to drive economically it is very nice! I would also like some decent iPod connectivity. From looking at the dash board, I can't see that you would be able to fit an after market head unit? Not really looked into the steering wheels yet. My initial impression was the M had controls on it & the others didn't. A lot of people seem to get hold of an M steering wheel though.Ste wrote:Alright Tom,
With regards to your op:
1) Correct, the 2.0 comes with a four cylinder engine though whereas the 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0 are six.
2) My 3.0 Z4 theoretically does 0-60 in 5.7 seconds with 213bhp according to this. My current MPG is about the 30 mark with mostly town driving and a bit of country roads. As with alot of cars, its alot about how you drive it with regards to what economy you get, on a long steady motorway run you can be knocking on the door of 40. As mowflow once said to me, you can drive it like a gentleman or drive it like a bitch and it really is night and day the way you feel in the car as to how you drive it. In terms of insurance/tax/mpg there's really not a lot of difference between the 2.5 and the 3.0 so I'd really say if you can, go for the 3.0 or you'll regret not.
3) The vast majority of Z's do have heated seats, its just a case of looking for one with the option. Other options which some have and some don't you may want to consider are cruise control, multi function steering wheel, and the carver sound system.
4) I've just fitted a new set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas to my Z, cost £430 from camskill (had to pay fitting on top), and they're tremendous tyres. Most Z's come with 17" wheels which i think run 225/45/17 usually but many people myself included opt to upgrade to 18" with a staggered setup. As with anything its up to yourself how cheap or expensive the tyres are by virtue of what sort of level you go for.
5) Running costs are no more then you'd expect really, tax for the 3.0 is currently £280 for the year, if you want to keep it serviced you'll need a few quid ready, and then there's the petrol costs because you just want to drive and drive and drive these things.
6) Quality german engineering in the main and these engines can all but take a bomb hit, as long as you find a decent well looked after one reliability is fine. Roof motors do sometimes fail due to water ingress, which you'll find loads of information about on here, and failed rear springs are a re-occuring issue for many with OEM springs, but that's not a particularly pricey repair and you can upgrade with some better aftermarket springs.
These cars really are a joy to drive, low down, fast, powerful, noisy, great to look at and built to be driven hard and fast, but with the added luxury of being just as fun to drop the hood and take a nice leisurely drive if you fancy it.
Good luck
I'm ok with paying that for tyres, I've seen some scary figures quoted for the Z4 though!
I think it's the grey Z4 I would go for too, looks soooo nice.
What are the higher milage Z4's like? Because I'm going to be looking at the cheaper end of the scale I'm probably looking at 2003 - 2005 with 80K (if im lucky) to 100K ish on the clock. Any advice?
On another note, this one looks nice. and would be the sort of price id be paying. What is depreciation like too?
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... al/1392906
