Z4M Running Costs?
Discussion
well, i havent had mine long mate - but heres my opinion.
Firstly, I found the 'M' much better to drive than the 3.0 Sport - the numbers look the same, but the feel is completley different. Have you driven an M yet? If not, get your backside down here and drive mine!
Secondly, running costs - i've just been up to Cumbria, Yorkshire and back (by the way, just did a straight 4 1/2 hour drive with no stops down here and feel fantastic, so ignore all the reviews talking about crashy ride and fidgity on motorways, its nonsense! Though this is the roadster, i guess your looking at the coupe?) and returned 34MPG (though I did only get 32 on the way up...)
I've got a quote for an oil service from BMW main dealers, which is £220, the inspection 1 and 2 im not sure, but i'd guess 2 and 3 times that... but even so for the standard of car, thats not bad at all. (no worse than a M3 or RS4 and a lot more economical!)
Tyres are going to be pricey, the rears are 255's... but they should last a fair distance. Again, to be expected with the sort of car it is...
Other than that, not a lot to say, definatley make sure the 1200 service was done, and done on time (i.e. within 100 miles of it), oh, and come try mine to make sure you dont want a roadster, and to know what a good one drives like
Firstly, I found the 'M' much better to drive than the 3.0 Sport - the numbers look the same, but the feel is completley different. Have you driven an M yet? If not, get your backside down here and drive mine!
Secondly, running costs - i've just been up to Cumbria, Yorkshire and back (by the way, just did a straight 4 1/2 hour drive with no stops down here and feel fantastic, so ignore all the reviews talking about crashy ride and fidgity on motorways, its nonsense! Though this is the roadster, i guess your looking at the coupe?) and returned 34MPG (though I did only get 32 on the way up...)
I've got a quote for an oil service from BMW main dealers, which is £220, the inspection 1 and 2 im not sure, but i'd guess 2 and 3 times that... but even so for the standard of car, thats not bad at all. (no worse than a M3 or RS4 and a lot more economical!)
Tyres are going to be pricey, the rears are 255's... but they should last a fair distance. Again, to be expected with the sort of car it is...
Other than that, not a lot to say, definatley make sure the 1200 service was done, and done on time (i.e. within 100 miles of it), oh, and come try mine to make sure you dont want a roadster, and to know what a good one drives like
Edited by Fidgits on Tuesday 10th March 18:40
Some more info for you here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Thanks for the help so far, and thanks for the phone call Fidg...
I'm not so sure what to do, as obviously it is a whole different ball park. I always forget about the servicing costs! I know I'm on an M forum here, so people will say it's just a Vauxhall, but I suppose I have some thinking to do. The Astra costs £150 a year to service (minor/major service is the same cost), and I'd need to spend c.£7k on top of the Astra for a car that is 2 years older, with 30k more miles.
Some consideration needs to be placed on this I think!
I'm not so sure what to do, as obviously it is a whole different ball park. I always forget about the servicing costs! I know I'm on an M forum here, so people will say it's just a Vauxhall, but I suppose I have some thinking to do. The Astra costs £150 a year to service (minor/major service is the same cost), and I'd need to spend c.£7k on top of the Astra for a car that is 2 years older, with 30k more miles.
Some consideration needs to be placed on this I think!
If your careful about what you buy you'll be ok. I think theres a lot to be said for not getting the warranty and just sticking the £1500 or whatever in the bank in case you need it. If you get through a year without needing to spend it on anything other than consumables/servicing (Which I strongly suspect you would) then your a winner. M cars always have a mystique of danger about them as the bills could be ruinous but they also have a very high standard service schedule.
I was in the same position as you but now I have mine I'm a lot more confident in the car. It doesnt feel like its going to break anway lol although I have had a leaky washer bottle (sorted under warranty)
I was in the same position as you but now I have mine I'm a lot more confident in the car. It doesnt feel like its going to break anway lol although I have had a leaky washer bottle (sorted under warranty)
fridaypassion said:
If your careful about what you buy you'll be ok. I think theres a lot to be said for not getting the warranty and just sticking the £1500 or whatever in the bank in case you need it. If you get through a year without needing to spend it on anything other than consumables/servicing (Which I strongly suspect you would) then your a winner. M cars always have a mystique of danger about them as the bills could be ruinous but they also have a very high standard service schedule.
I was in the same position as you but now I have mine I'm a lot more confident in the car. It doesnt feel like its going to break anway lol although I have had a leaky washer bottle (sorted under warranty)
The main thing that is putting me off is the servicing now. Not sure I could stomach £800 on a service.I was in the same position as you but now I have mine I'm a lot more confident in the car. It doesnt feel like its going to break anway lol although I have had a leaky washer bottle (sorted under warranty)
Pulse said:
I'm looking for some indicative figures for Z4M running costs
For me...Fuel 25mpg average over 15k mls
Insurance c £500pa
Tracker £130pa
Warranty - mine runs out 2010 but its c £600pa IIRC
Rear Tyres £400 pair every 15k mls
Front tyres similar but dunno wear rate
Servicing
Oil - £160 every 22kmls
Insp 1 - £626 every oher 22k mls
Brake Fluid £48 every two years
Depreciation - don't ask!
So for 12k mls / year
Fuel £2600
Ins £600
Tracker £130
Warranty £600
Tyres £320
Servicing £500
Say £5k!!! or 42p/mile...
Its only money...
Yeah servicing is a big commitment but at least you know what your getting into. If you buy one thats just had an inspection service though you could have a year in it, do the interim oil service (£200) then sell it. Mine had just had an oil service so I have 10k miles to save up for the inspection 1 lol.
I suppose you could use independants which is more acceptable the older the car is. Depending on how low I can get main dealers I might well do that.
As for tyres there are ways of saving there. Not using OE contis (but still a good brand mitchy's etc) will save you 50 quid a corner. Swap the rears to 265/35/18 that opens up porsche boxter tyres including raved about Falkens that will save you £100 a corner.
I've just bought some e46 m3 wheels to use for trackdays. They came with some fresh pilot sports on the rear for £180 all in so I swapped my slightly tired contact m3's for the part worn pilot sports hey presto - free tyres! The track wheels now have 2-3mm of conti to shred then they will get replaced with part worns from ebay, saving my road tyres for best
So there are ways to manage the costs. I'm not a rich man I dont have money to throw about or waste but I do see the Z4M as the best way to spend what I do have. The higher servicing (dare we hope might be offset now by slowing depreciation!?) is worth it for the sheer thrill of owning one. We are helped though by the fact we barely do any mileage. I dont think it would be something I'd get into if I was doing 15k a year in it.
I suppose you could use independants which is more acceptable the older the car is. Depending on how low I can get main dealers I might well do that.
As for tyres there are ways of saving there. Not using OE contis (but still a good brand mitchy's etc) will save you 50 quid a corner. Swap the rears to 265/35/18 that opens up porsche boxter tyres including raved about Falkens that will save you £100 a corner.
I've just bought some e46 m3 wheels to use for trackdays. They came with some fresh pilot sports on the rear for £180 all in so I swapped my slightly tired contact m3's for the part worn pilot sports hey presto - free tyres! The track wheels now have 2-3mm of conti to shred then they will get replaced with part worns from ebay, saving my road tyres for best
So there are ways to manage the costs. I'm not a rich man I dont have money to throw about or waste but I do see the Z4M as the best way to spend what I do have. The higher servicing (dare we hope might be offset now by slowing depreciation!?) is worth it for the sheer thrill of owning one. We are helped though by the fact we barely do any mileage. I dont think it would be something I'd get into if I was doing 15k a year in it.
ian in lancs said:
Pulse said:
I'm looking for some indicative figures for Z4M running costs
For me...Fuel 25mpg average over 15k mls
Insurance c £500pa
Tracker £130pa
Warranty - mine runs out 2010 but its c £600pa IIRC
Rear Tyres £400 pair every 15k mls
Front tyres similar but dunno wear rate
Servicing
Oil - £160 every 22kmls
Insp 1 - £626 every oher 22k mls
Brake Fluid £48 every two years
Depreciation - don't ask!
So for 12k mls / year
Fuel £2600
Ins £600
Tracker £130
Warranty £600
Tyres £320
Servicing £500
Say £5k!!! or 42p/mile...
Its only money...
Pulse said:
The main thing that is putting me off is the servicing now. Not sure I could stomach £800 on a service.
The very fact that your asking suggests to me that your better with something a bit more sensible... 3.0si is a better buy for you. M cars are not cheap to run but thats the trade off against fun factor.Edited by daz05 on Wednesday 11th March 10:14
link for you mate:
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-costs.aspx?RT=85...
key points:
Servicing cost over 3yrs £1,708
Service intervals 14-16000
compared to the Z4 3.0 si
Servicing cost over 3yrs £1,355
Service intervals 14-16000
So, the M will cost in the region of £100 more a year in servicing costs over the Sport..
http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-costs.aspx?RT=85...
key points:
Servicing cost over 3yrs £1,708
Service intervals 14-16000
compared to the Z4 3.0 si
Servicing cost over 3yrs £1,355
Service intervals 14-16000
So, the M will cost in the region of £100 more a year in servicing costs over the Sport..
exactly what I did this time around 
fridaypassion said:
We are helped though by the fact we barely do any mileage. I dont think it would be something I'd get into if I was doing 15k a year in it.
Well as the service intervals are determined by mileage not age you might find yourself having quite a while between services. And remember you can shop around between dealers to get the best price on servicing.
Some guys on here have saved quite a bit just by using a dealer thats only slightly further away..
Ian's figures are the most realistic and its important not to kid yourself that they're cheap to run, but whilst you can skimp on things like tyres I'd question why you'd want to when buying a performance car. For instance, I average 26mpg but that's mainly motorway work and once you give it a caning that figure will decrease significantly, but factor in tyres at £900.00 a set for anything half decent it gets expensive particularly when you scrub through a set of rears in 8k.
Personally, having had the VANOS/2 Lambda sensors and a MAF replaced under warranty I'd want a BMW approved extended warranty to cover the vehicle for peace of mind but if you're willing to risk it, then go for it.
Personally, having had the VANOS/2 Lambda sensors and a MAF replaced under warranty I'd want a BMW approved extended warranty to cover the vehicle for peace of mind but if you're willing to risk it, then go for it.
I wouldn't say changing or tyres for an alternative was skimping. There are loads of good tyres about but the contis are specialised for the m cars so your paying for the lack of production numbers of the tyre rather than having the best tyre you can get. Incidentally ps 2's I'd recommend.
Mr Pulse, i recognise you from the VXRonline forum...hi!
I've just bought (or have agreed to buy) an 07 plate Z4M Roadster after selling my Burg, being 2yr old it has 1yr manufacturer warranty left.
Running costs will depend quite heavily on the mileage you do in the car as servicing is around 10-12k miles or 2yrs between each one (it tells you when it needs doing).
Mine has had the first oil service + brake fluid change about 1-2k ago so the car is showing around 12-13k till the Inspection 1 (for ref the running in service was done at 1153 miles), of course a stamped up service book is essential and a missed or late running in service could have BMW invalidating any warranty claims on the engine.
As i will be doing max 6k miles a year it might be the case i dont even have to get an Inspection 1 done, depends on how long i keep the car.
Tyres are 255x40x18 for rears and 225x45x18 on fronts, when they are up for replacing i'll probably go for PS2's at ~ £220 for rears and £175 for fronts (mytyres.com for a ball park price).
I am not a rich man by any means but by planning it out you can run one IMO (lol this may change). I compared it to my Burg and with fuel it works out roughly £130 more a month over 2yrs (this is buying an extended warranty for the 2nd year of ownership and have allocated £800 for this).
VXR M Roadster
Insurance 840 1240
Tax (approx) 460 840
Tracker subs 0 0
Servicing 360 500 (Insp1)
warranty 0 800
full set tyres (18") 450 800
Full set pads+discs 400 750
2yr running cost total 2510 4930
Monthly over 2yrs £105 £205
Fuel - 12k @ £1 litre 1800 2600
Fuel monthly over 2yrs £75 £108
Overall Total 4310 7530
Monthly over 2yrs £180 £314
MPG is worked as 21mpg for the Z4M and 30mpg for the VXR.
Again its just a rough guide and idea, the above is over 2yrs remember and with an 07 plate Z4 versus a brand new VXR.
I've just bought (or have agreed to buy) an 07 plate Z4M Roadster after selling my Burg, being 2yr old it has 1yr manufacturer warranty left.
Running costs will depend quite heavily on the mileage you do in the car as servicing is around 10-12k miles or 2yrs between each one (it tells you when it needs doing).
Mine has had the first oil service + brake fluid change about 1-2k ago so the car is showing around 12-13k till the Inspection 1 (for ref the running in service was done at 1153 miles), of course a stamped up service book is essential and a missed or late running in service could have BMW invalidating any warranty claims on the engine.
As i will be doing max 6k miles a year it might be the case i dont even have to get an Inspection 1 done, depends on how long i keep the car.
Tyres are 255x40x18 for rears and 225x45x18 on fronts, when they are up for replacing i'll probably go for PS2's at ~ £220 for rears and £175 for fronts (mytyres.com for a ball park price).
I am not a rich man by any means but by planning it out you can run one IMO (lol this may change). I compared it to my Burg and with fuel it works out roughly £130 more a month over 2yrs (this is buying an extended warranty for the 2nd year of ownership and have allocated £800 for this).
VXR M Roadster
Insurance 840 1240
Tax (approx) 460 840
Tracker subs 0 0
Servicing 360 500 (Insp1)
warranty 0 800
full set tyres (18") 450 800
Full set pads+discs 400 750
2yr running cost total 2510 4930
Monthly over 2yrs £105 £205
Fuel - 12k @ £1 litre 1800 2600
Fuel monthly over 2yrs £75 £108
Overall Total 4310 7530
Monthly over 2yrs £180 £314
MPG is worked as 21mpg for the Z4M and 30mpg for the VXR.
Again its just a rough guide and idea, the above is over 2yrs remember and with an 07 plate Z4 versus a brand new VXR.
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