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Z4, Boxster, or...?

dave964

dave964

New member
My man logic is making me consider a 4th car. Mostly because I'll only use the 360 and Vantage when I know I can park without the risk of door dings - but I don't generally want to use the Cayenne (which is my don't-care car) at weekends. Hence I find I'm browsing used cars....

This would be a don't care / throw away car that I can park without caring about door dings - it will get serviced, but more likely by a local garage than a specialist, and it won't be a car which needs every little thing fixed to remain perfect!

It must be pre-2006 due to road tax, needs to be reliable, fun to drive and ideally under £5k. I might spend up to £10k for something that really interests me, although that might defeat the purpose.
I'm assuming cars like this will only add ~£200 to my insurance - much more than that and I'll shelve the idea.

Although I have no overwhelming desire for a soft top, a lot of the 'fun' cars in this price range seem to be convertibles.

Boxsters are in budget - but having had a couple of 911s in the past, and knowing some of the engine issues of M96 cars I'll not sure they'd be first choice.

Z3 and Z4 are in budget - having never owned a BMW they tempt me. Anybody had one?

RX8s are in budget but not sure they interest me.

Fiat Coupe creep in but not sure I want one.

A few Alphas seem to show up when I search and that appeals to me for some reason, but will they break?

Suggestions / comments welcome.
 
Cheap MX5 then send it off to BBR for a turbo. So cheap it becomes almost a throw away item. I know they are seen as a bit girly but have you driven one with a bit more power than standard ? You could also fit a roll over bar and use it as a track slag and do some track days. I think BBR have a demo car so turn up in something nice and I am sure they will let you have a go :grin:
If you are handy with spanners (as it will defo break down in a cloud of steam) a series 1 Elise is another prospect. Great to drive and can be had cheap.
Left field suggestion is an Atom as it will redefine what is possible in a road car, or if thats a bit extreme then a Caterham 7.

If you need any help with the man maths to justify any or all of the above, I am happy to help as you can explain the the domestic finance department that all of the above will go up in value so you are actually saving loads of money :grin:
 
Anything too sporty doesn't really appeal - I want 'daily' just not boring daily.

I should consider MX5 - I know they are good cars, but something in me just rebels and I think it is the 'girly' aspect.

I've browsed a bit more this morning and currently I might be favouring Z3 over Z4. For the same or less money they're half the mileage - and the high mileage stuff is literally £2k. If they have half decent history and tyres that's very tempting.
 
Dave, the MX5 is a great car, my wife having had a Mk1 many years ago and now with her 1999 Mk2 from new. You're a similar height to me so about on the limit though. Great little cars, love it. The Boxster is in a different league, a night and day difference but if buying one, you'd probably want to spend a little more to get a nice S. You wouldn't be disappointed. Our MX5 is about to go to make way for a new car and we'd looked at the various cars you've mentioned. The Z4 appeared on the radar until we realised it'd have to be the facelift model which is too new/expensive for the daily. We drove several Mk3 & 3.5 MX5s but although newer than our current one, we didn't feel they actually gave us much extra for the money, except they didn't have rusty rear arches. I made an executive decision on the SLK as being too gay and the SLR style parrot nose hasn't aged very well.

In the end, we've gone for a Mk2 TT coupe. I know it's not so much of a 'drivers' car as some, but it has room to throw stuff in, it's comfortable and has a bit of zip (2.0 turbo). Time will tell how good a car it actually is but at least it makes a change. Having a Boxster & the 360, the daily being the ultimate driving experience wasn't too important.
 
Hi,

I've had 5 Z4s now and absolutely love them. pre-2006 means an E85 car. The 3.0 is a great car, but i found the suspension too hard for daily use. Best to go for a test drive on a bumpy road and see how you feel about it. My others were the newer E89 model (post-2009 i think). soft top was replaced with a metal folding roof. much more refined.

Not sure if they came out post-2006, but a Z4 coupe would make a great daily driver.

http://www.z4-forum.com is a great place to get info and a really good community.

Edit: i just got rid of a 2006 SL350. that was also a great daily driver. but i think it was in the £500 tax bracket. older ones didn't have the 7-speed auto.

Cheers

Pav
 
We had a similar decision to make 3 years ago, and chose an 06 Z4 3.0si over a Boxster. Mainly because it's the wife's second car and she's no driving god, so ultimate feel/handling wasn't that important; and I also reasoned that the Z4 would be likely cheaper to maintain, due to being less 'exotic' in terms of parts and labour costs.

The tax is £295 a year, and would be for 07 cars as well - it's not in the top CO2 bracket. The 3.0 straight six is fantastic, more than fast enough, and doesn't attract 'M' tax on parts etc. Having had an MX5 the Z4 is so much better IMO - the Z4 is no Lotus Elise, but I never found the MX5 that involving or that much fun anyway, and the straight six is wonderful even when you're not pressing on.

Ditch the runflats, sort out the front lower arm bushes, and it's perfectly comfortable. I also still love the shape - one of Bangle's best designs IMO, and still looks fresh - much more so than the over-styled replacement
 
Thanks for the comments so far. Tax on the Z4 is interesting - I assumed all vaguely interesting cars were in the top bracket but clearly not. Although going newer probably puts me over budget anyway.
 
dave964 said:
Thanks for the comments so far. Tax on the Z4 is interesting - I assumed all vaguely interesting cars were in the top bracket but clearly not. Although going newer probably puts me over budget anyway.
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Z4M virtually depreciation proof fun and great in a manual box steer from he rear way. The boot is remarkably good for touring and Build quality is amazing - see if that one on here is still for sale. You won't regret it I promise.

My Mrs also loved it
 
The 'M' is way out of budget. :tongue3:

Remember, this is car is basically just supposed to be a don't-care, can park anywhere good fun car, and I think realistically it needs to be between about £3k and £6k. The Z4 does look like a good option and at higher mileage there are some in that range. I actually don't want a car that's too perfect - or too expensive - because I actually want something I don't care too much about.
 
If you go for the Z4, just make sure you go for the 3.0. You'll regret it otherwise IMO.

S2000 was something we also considered, but I doubted my missus would enjoy having to rev the thing so much

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
mon the fish said:
If you go for the Z4, just make sure you go for the 3.0. You'll regret it otherwise IMO.

S2000 was something we also considered, but I doubted my missus would enjoy having to rev the thing so much

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
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S2000 is something that occurred to me, but they're a tad higher than I want.

I'm favouring 3.0 but I don't think I'm set on it - if the right 2.5 appeared, I could be tempted but we'll see. I'm not in any rush - and may decide it's a bad idea altogether, but will get an idea of insurance from the broker tomorrow.

My Aston service is in just over a week, and the 360 needs to be within a month after that - so I'll probably wait to ensure I have no nasty surprises in the next month before looking seriously!
 
So, it seems that £8k - £10k should get you in a 3.0 Si coupe with M sport pack. I'd definitely prefer that to a soft top, so let's see what the insurers think tomorrow.

I'd prefer not grey or silver which limits options slightly - wouldn't rule them out but a grey or silver would have to be a much better buy than a similar car that had some color (or was black!)
 
dave964 said:
So, it seems that £8k - £10k should get you in a 3.0 Si coupe with M sport pack. I'd definitely prefer that to a soft top, so let's see what the insurers think tomorrow.

I'd prefer not grey or silver which limits options slightly - wouldn't rule them out but a grey or silver would have to be a much better buy than a similar car that had some color (or was black!)
Click to expand...

My missus has an 07 face lifted, 2.0l, roadster in Silver so not for you ;) but

As said before ditch the run flats if still fitted and our car has the M Sport 18" wheels and suspension upgrade which is both firmer and lower. I would not buy a car for daily use on **** UK roads with that wheel/suspension combo again or you need a good dentist.
It does have the M Sport heated seats which are great looking and very comfy but so many of them have knackered bolsters that look really tatty.
Weak spots seem to be ABS faults (search Trifecta!) like all Beemers of this era , tatty interiors, front fog lights full of water and falling roof pumps.

I agree these are one of bangles better designs.....but very marmite and not popular....
 
If you do go for the Z4 roadster, you can have our Cabrioshield if you want (covers the roof and no more, for outside storage). We're getting a garage extension in a month or so, so won't need it as car will be inside in the future
 
I'm experiencing budget creep. :cry:

Did you know, that in 2009 the convertibles switched to folding hard tops - and therefore if you increased your budget to £10k - £12k, you could include 3.0L cabrios with folding hard tops? I didn't until my most recent browse of classifieds......

(In fact, I think I have concluded I'd be as happy with a 2.5 - for the usage I intend for it, it needs similar performance to my Cayenne - which means 0-60 in ~7s is fine).
 
An 06-08 Z4 is one of the last 'true' BMWs IMO - i.e. a straight six matched to a manual box. The N52 engine is a lovely thing, better without turbos

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
Just been in a friend's 06 Boxster. I would take one myself.

Alfa options are 916 Spider's under £5k, Brera under £5k and 939 Spider.

I have a 2.0 TS Spider - 4 pot but for £5k you could have a glorious Busso V6. I know folk who do use them everyday and a recent Alfa outing a couple of weekends ago there was a 916 V6 Spider and that aforementioned Boxster.

However I would consider a Brera or the Spider equivalent (939).
Alfa owners tend to be realistic in my view. Alfa's today are no more or less problematic than a Ford, Vauxhall, VW & BMW etc. Japanese cars are generally more reliable than European IMO. Ex had a MX5 from 1998 (new) until a few years ago and as somebody else mentioned above, it too was almost faultless.

Brera/939
1.9 Diesel. Gearbox is fragile.
EGR needs cleaning regular or mapping (delete).

2.4 Diesel. EGR though in my experience better than the 1.9.

2.2 JTS Petrol - I don't know of any issues.

2.0JTDm - Again not aware.

Common issues across diesel cars
Swirl flaps
EGR (mentioned)

Common issues

Weak suspension bushes.
They tend to start groaning and creaking a bit over time though not MOT failures. In my experience bushes wear out quicker on Alfas more than any other marque I've owned and IMO is the downside to owning one.
My 159 (Brera saloon if you like) after 11 years and 120k needs the front doing. Not sure if I'm the first to do this or not.

One other issue is sub-frames. Alfa probably did not expect to sell many in the UK and as such they were only powder coated. Again mine is corroded but waxoyl or Dinitrol (name?) is all that is required.

Might sound alot but Alfa owners are a honest bunch, BMW owners are born liars :laugh::laugh:


IMO on looks alone a Z4, never liked the Z3 at all.
Two Alfas and one Ferrari. Quite simply Italians design the prettiest cars in the world. Fact! Ze Germans can only dream.

One final note. The Busso V6 is arguably the best sounding V6 ever, and possibly as good as most Ferrari V8's for that sound too.
The 3.2 V6 in the Brera is actually a GM design I think and not a Busso.
 
Thanks, I'll browse some Alfa's.

I'm expecting the insurers to come back to me with an estimated cost of adding a Z4 (I gave them 3 options to get a rough idea of cost) and that should help me decide how serious I am about it. I know it's not very logical but I'm happier dropping £10k on a car than increasing my annual insurance by £500 a year....

Boxster is out I think - I just don't trust them. (Plus - although I technically do still have a Porsche due to the Cayenne, having sold the 996 turbo when I bought the Vantage I just have no particular desire to get another Porsche).

ETA : Those Brera 2.2 petrols look lovely, and you seem to get an awful lot of car for the money. They even look like they have the centre console tilted towards the driver? Something my Supra's had, and always thought that was a lovely touch. They are definitely on the list of possibles I think!
 
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