996 into BMW z4m

[Ian58]

Toying with a change from my 1998 105.000 miles carrera to a 2007 BMW Z4 M roadster 35,000 miles any one owned one ,if so your thoughts please as it's hard to say good buy to the old girl but is it time to move on ?

[barchetta_boy]

Done many miles in a good mate's coupe, including hundreds of laps of the Ring. Superb cars, the engine is up there with the GT3, in fact the whole package is. Seriously quick in the right hands and amazing on track right out of the box. On the road, ride is a touch too firm for my liking and the steering rack is too quick to allow really relaxed high speed cruising.

It's a car you buy for pure driving thrills. I think they are criminally underrated and undervalued. Very well put together as well. Probably one of the best old school sports cars out there, but be warned if coming from a 996 Carrera it is neither as comfortable nor as versatile.

Joel

[Actus Reus]

Meant to be a bit cramped aren't they? I'd be curious to know too as they're high on my 'when we have kids and Mrs Actus Reus demands I get a cheaper car' list, along with *gasp* Nissan 370Z and, even, perhaps, a nice used GT86 when they've lost some value.

[Ian58]

At a only 5.7 ft I can get lost in the cabin ,but yes a tad small ,felt very quick on a test drive ,but not out for long enough to get the feel of the car

[HokumPokum]

barchetta_boy said:

Done many miles in a good mate's coupe, including hundreds of laps of the Ring. Superb cars, the engine is up there with the GT3, in fact the whole package is. Seriously quick in the right hands and amazing on track right out of the box. On the road, ride is a touch too firm for my liking and the steering rack is too quick to allow really relaxed high speed cruising.

It's a car you buy for pure driving thrills. I think they are criminally underrated and undervalued. Very well put together as well. Probably one of the best old school sports cars out there, but be warned if coming from a 996 Carrera it is neither as comfortable nor as versatile.

Joel

I disagree but then I bought and sold 1 in a hurry. It is ok on track and has a marvelous engine but ride is terrible on road and steering is heavy. Car is an amalagam of parts that do not sync unless on track. On the road, it is disappointing compared to a Porsche. It may be better than other cars but I rate it lowly. There is a reason why it is SO cheap.

as above, bit of a marmite,. I hate it, others love it.... I am just 1 opinion out of many.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

More cabin room than a boxster I'd say, though I've got a Z4M coupe so I'm guessing from my limited experience of both.

I'd also say they're very undervalued for what they are, but as many have said they do divide opinion. I love driving mine & as said the engine is epic, the noise is superb & the amount of kit you get is terrific.

Gear change is notchy (though personally I think it fits in with the bruiser style feel of the car), traction can be an issue (in my csl I never used the stability control but I do in the Z-keeps things tidy) & servicing isn't cheap if you stay within the BMW network.

But just think of it for what it is & I find it hard to point out any real negatives, in fact I think it speaks volumes about the car that the only thing I don't like is the lack of a coat hook behind the seats. The sport button makes the throttle so sensative it's a waste of time but as that's all it does I never bother pushing it.

[jonamv8]

had one for a few days and enjoyed it - 3.0 petrol - surprised me. No Porsche tho

[LaurasOtherHalf]

jonamv8 said:

No Porsche tho

no engines lunching themselves you mean?

In all seriousness, it isn't a Porsche is it? Never will be. A boxster will always handle better & if you want the sweetest handling roadster the Porsche will always be the one.

But, the ZM does have a much better engine, more power, more standard kit & (in my eyes) feels like more of a quality product, and perceived quality is very important to a lot of people

[ruebdo]

I've had a couple over the last few years and I love them.
The ride is hard and does take some getting used to, but they are a real drivers car. It feels like you are strapped to an engine.
On track I do not think they are that good. Quick in a straight line but not through corners. I have a csl too and that is in a different league.
I changed the springs to eibach, put csl wheels on and a strut brace and the car was wonderful. Great looking too. I reckon the prices will bottom out soon too so potentially a safe buy.
It is my favorite car :-)

[Nano2nd]

I've also had 2 Z4M coupes(wrote one off), as above the engine is fantastic, if a little lacking in torque... i just couldn't live the suspension day to day, oh and the stupid clutch and over sensitive throttle! its not very practical day to day either due to the battery in the boot, the 997 is better in every way IMO except well running costs and fuel economy. the Z4 would easily do 31-32 MPG on a run, i can't get the 911 do go above 25!

[barchetta_boy]

ruebdo said:

I've had a couple over the last few years and I love them.
The ride is hard and does take some getting used to, but they are a real drivers car. It feels like you are strapped to an engine.
On track I do not think they are that good. Quick in a straight line but not through corners. I have a csl too and that is in a different league.
I changed the springs to eibach, put csl wheels on and a strut brace and the car was wonderful. Great looking too. I reckon the prices will bottom out soon too so potentially a safe buy.
It is my favorite car :-)

Sport Auto clocked the CSL at 7:50 round the ring on Michelin Cups. I don't think they tested the Z4M but Evo got 8:12 on ContiSports which are at least 10 seconds of that difference.

The Z4M shares brakes, suspension and most of the engine with the CSL (gives away about 20bhp from memory) so it's no surprise that the performance on track is quite close. I think saying it's a different league is a bit unfair. They're both great cars, but I'd rather have the Z's 6 speed than the SMG in the CSL.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Nano2nd said:

I've also had 2 Z4M coupes(wrote one off), as above the engine is fantastic, if a little lacking in torque... i just couldn't live the suspension day to day, oh and the stupid clutch and over sensitive throttle! its not very practical day to day either due to the battery in the boot, the 997 is better in every way IMO except well running costs and fuel economy. the Z4 would easily do 31-32 MPG on a run, i can't get the 911 do go above 25!

that's funny because although the M is known as a screamer i'm always astounded by the low down torque of the engine, it must be what i'm used to i guess? even at the ring i only use 3rd, 4th & 5th gears

[Nano2nd]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

that's funny because although the M is known as a screamer i'm always astounded by the low down torque of the engine, it must be what i'm used to i guess? even at the ring i only use 3rd, 4th & 5th gears

possibly having come from V8s might have not helped, though i did notice the 997 had much improved low down torque versus the M coupe, though even then sometimes i wish there was more pull out of the bends

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Nano2nd said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

that's funny because although the M is known as a screamer i'm always astounded by the low down torque of the engine, it must be what i'm used to i guess? even at the ring i only use 3rd, 4th & 5th gears

possibly having come from V8s might have not helped, though i did notice the 997 had much improved low down torque versus the M coupe, though even then sometimes i wish there was more pull out of the bends

aye it's all relative i guess, but when i talk about ow down grunt, i concede i'm thinking of the huge pull it has from the late 2k rpm's, & the noise around that point, as it sweeps past 3k rpm !

but then that's maybe not true low down grunt is it?