Dan

I have number 134, Yellow.

I had an M Roadster and loved it, but mine had the DSP Stereo Upgrade and it was the most impressive car Hi Fi I ever had. Made the Bose sound very feeble.

I miss that car very much and I'm always on the look out for another.

During the four or five months I had the car I only ever saw one other M Sport Z4, they are surprisingly rare on the roads.

I hope you enjoy it mate, I did.

I think the point behind clamping down on illegally spaced plates/show plates/illegal fonts etc is that the ANPR systems cannot read them.

As an aside, I was taking in my 6 year old CRV for some warranty work and got a pristine, loaded Civic but when I've taken my Zed in I've always been given a base spec Micra (in Arnold Clark's case resembling an ash tray) - go figure!

It is shocking what they try and give you. I agree that they cant really give you a Zed as most places dont even have one in, but you should get something better than a micra. My mate has the same with his Evo, and last time he got given a brand spanking new top spec L200

Don't forget most garages insist you cover courtesy cars on your own insurance, thats why they give out Micras. Believe me, you give most people anything bigger and you get moaned at. I once put an Almera on as our courtesy car and I remember one old dear complaining the Almera was too big and insisting she couldn't drive it, so we ended up giving her a lift home and collecting her when her car was ready.

By far and away the vast majority of cars which will be in for Service will be Micras and the vast majority simply want something they are familiar with so they can just jump in and drive.

As for resembling an Ash Tray well thats just pathetic. For a start smoking is banned in vehicles such as courtesy cars, and they should be valeted each time they are returned to the dealership. Mine always were.

I didnt know you cut hair too Dan?

I do, but only the hair on my back...

All very true I'm sure, but when new the z4m costs at least £10k more............

Very true, and to be fair this is why I said the M wasn't a fair comparison. The 3.0 is a more direct competitor to the 350z and if I'm honest the 3.0 litre would suit more people more of the time. If someone was doing a lot of miles day to day I would suggest they might find the M hard work.

Anyway stop it now, you're making me want another...

Hi..

I am a newbie here but i ran a 2006 z4m coupe from new for 2 years but had to change cars due to a job change + the BMW select 2yr was up and at that price for return i had there was no way i was going to keep it. so about a month ago I got myself an 07 coupe in gt spec with 5k miles which i am very pleased with.. i love 2 seat 6cyl rwd coupes so getting the 350 was a no brainer.. i tried an alfa brera 3.2q4 as well but it felt slow + i don't trust alfa's ....

 

In comparison to the z4m coupe i would say -

 

Z4mcoupe is much faster accross all rev ranges .. the gearing in the z4m was longer through the top of 3rd gear 100+ .. speed wise it was especially rapid up to 100 and at the top end the z4m keeps going whereas the 350 seems to run out of steam...

 

Handling wise the z4m was sharper and had a lot more mechanical grip than the 350z especially in the wet... but if you got it wrong it was a proper handful to get straight.. it loved understeer with the stock ex factory continental tyres..

 

Brakes - the z4m had really very good brakes almost impossible to get them to fade in normal use and that self drying isn't a gizzmo.. the brakes were always spot on in even in torrential rain. The 350z brembo's are really very good but seem to need more pedal force .. still stops realy well.

 

Suspension is more relaxed in the 350, it rides bad roads better and you don't feel as battered and bruised when you have had a long bumpy drive... the z4m wants to skip you all over the road on an uneven surface and any bumps are trying to smash your spine....

 

Fuel economy on the z4m gave me 24.9 over 26k miles .. i am getting 25.1 from the z so not much difference there...

 

Insurance.. hmmmm... 990 for the z4m, 527 for the 350z.. bargain

 

Repair bills... first z4m service was 175, second z4m service + brake fluid change was.. are you sat down..... 778... from what i see on here the 350Z is much cheeaper to maintian !

 

Tyre wear on the mcoupe was a problem.. i got through two sets of tyres in two years at 1000 a set.. so pretty nasty really.. not sure what the tyres will cost me for the 350z but they are not z rated so must be cheaper.

 

Interior quality.. neither car is made of the best materials .. both rattle.. the 350 is more comfortable but you seemed to be part of the z4m, the ergonomics of armrests, seat position and the height + reach adjustable steering meant it was easy to get a very good driving position.

 

depreciation... hmm.. bad on the z4m if you bought it.. good if you were an early adopter of the car with the BMW select agreement.. woudl i get another on select.. no .. they have worked out the depreciation now and the monthly prices have gone up...

 

Carrying anything in the boot of the 350z is not so good.. the z4m was better but again compromised.

 

Everyday use i think the 350z no hesitation.... on the right day with the right road the z4mcoupe ... financial sanity the 350z... ability to keep your licence the 350z.. rarity value the z4mcoupe but not by much... on the looks front both are pretty ugly in their own ways which makes them attractive... if you get what i mean...

 

Practicality.. the z4mcoupe... i could de-activate the passenger airbags and carry one of my kids... i can't do that in the 350 whcih will be a problem...

 

I also drove a specced up z4 3.0s coupe and i have to say it was a better day to day drive than the mcoupe, very rapid and better suspension.. the fact i bought a 350z speaks a lot though as i could have got a 30.s coupe for a couple of grand more but didn't... also the coupe over the roadster every day.. i drove a z4m roadster and preferred the handling of the coupe...

 

for the money the 350z is a bargain...

Definitely agree that the standard 3.0 Z4 ( or a 350z ) is a better day to day car, and I understand exactly what you mean about "the right day, the right road" the Z4M was awesome. For a standard road going car it was very focused. In fact BMW admit it is the most focused road car they have ever made.

And as for suspension, I didn't think my car had any

Must admit I am amazed you criticise the car for understeer though. Never once did I experience that in my car, it was always the tail that let go first and as you say the grip was very high so you knew full well when you were taking liberties and it was going to let go...

FYI the Coupe has different final drive ratio to the Roadster.

I have no idea why BMW did this, but anyway, the net result is the Coupe runs shorter gearing, so therefore accelerates quicker but is heavier on fuel.

For me it has to be the Roadster, can't beat the feeling of blasting down country lanes with the roof off listening to the rasp from the exhaust or the 400 watt Hi Fi.

I like it, looks more aggressive.

Hope it's 350bhp this time too.

Good insight and fair as usual Dan.

Cheers Stew - do you know that feeling you get when you wished you hadn't sold something

Will definitely have another.

Just had to join in this thread, couldn't resist and I know I will get flamed LOL

I ran a Z4M for a few months, bought it with 4000 miles and sold it with 12,000 miles. I've had half a dozen 350zs and a Boxster, and don't get me wrong I LOVE the 350z. I just got back from a thrash around the Scottish highlands in a 350z roadster and loved every minute of it.

But I'm afraid I have to say the Z4M was in a different league.

Seriously. It cannot be compared to a 350z or a Boxster. It wipes the floor with them both. The 3.0 litre model is a more direct comparison, the M is not fair competition.

The M is focused, rapid and very very capable. In terms of power and handling it's a definite step up from the 350 and the Boxster. It would be perfectly at home on a track and I regularly used to upset blokes on big motorbikes down country roads - I know how upsetting this can be because I'm a biker myself.

It looked awesome, sounded awesome and the Stereo ( 400 watt DSP ) was the best I've ever had in a car and makes the 350's Bose sound like an Amstrad. I was once sat at traffic lights with the roof down and a pedestrian approached me and asked me if I was Batman !!! ( My car was Black with Red Leather ). The traction control was flawless and saved my bacon on more than one occasion where I got slightly over enthusiastic !

For the record it averaged 26mpg over my period of ownership, so not a lot different from a Z and it didn't need Super Unleaded either.

The only thing I don't like about the Z4M ( and all other M sport BMWs ) is the stupid fat rimmed steering wheel they insist on fitting. I have average sized hands and I find these thick wheels very uncomfortable to hold.

Out of all the cars I have had recently I miss the Z4 M the most and I will definitely have another. Serious piece of kit, a proper tool as they say.

P.S. For those who say they are too common - I never saw another M all the time I had mine. Very very few around and makes you feel very special when you see a 3.0 or 2.5 - usually reversing towards you at a high rate of knots

And they do look quite different to the lesser models when you look properly. The arches are more flared, the wheels are much wider especially at the rear and of course 4 exhausts. I would recommend anyone even remotely interested to go and drive one. You will want it

Just thought I would chip in, not an expert on 350z but on many cars aftermarket induction kits actually cost you power, especially the type that terminate in an exposed intake filter just lying around under the bonnet drawing hot air. They are less efficient than the manufacturers standard air box. Just something to think about.

PMSL you lot, I really should get on here more often.

Shame they were never that quick though.

Now my mate had a rough one of these which he made into a track day car and when he blew the motor he swapped it for a 3.8 litre M5 engine...that was more like it !

anyone know what the mpg of these are like, have read it is bad. even on long distance motorway, it still only returns low 20's.

 

any opinions and what the price of a:

rx8 pz grey 56 plate with less than 10k miles?

 

only conern, is that they don't seem to hold their value very well.

They are a bit thirsty, but no worse than most cars with 231bhp.

Thay have absolutely no torque and need revving to make them go, which is fun for a while but can become wearing depending on your driving style. Also means it's very easy to get caught in the wrong gear and have very little acceleration - for instance in 6th at 70 there is not much pick up and you need to drop down to make them go. Personally I prefer torquey cars but thats just me.

56 plate should be around £12k and yes they do depreciate because there are plenty about.

They are a bargain second hand if you ask me. For example I just sold an 03 plate Mini Cooper S with 30k for £8495. Sat right next to it was the 04 plate RX8 with 20k for the exact same price. I know which one I would rather have.

Nice drive though, I like them and always have a couple about the place.

I've got two, one is blue.

Might be slightly old for him on an 04, but only 20,000 miles and a mint car.

Other one is a 53 plate with factory Sat Nav.

Pictures and full descriptions : www.SouthamsOnline.com

I get them in all the time, they usually move pretty quickly if priced right.

HTH

Saw a very funny thing last night.

This is hard to explain so please bear with me !!!

Ok near me is big hill with a dual carraigeway going up and down it, two lanes on both sides.

At one end is a junction controlled by traffic lights.

As usual, at the junction the left lane is marked for straight on and the right lane is marked for turning right.

In the middle of the 4 lanes is one of those yellow bollard things.

Now then, at the top of the hill I had passed some quite serious looking roadworks and there was about half a dozen cars parked right there, one of the motorists was out of his car seemingly arguing with one of the workmen. This got me wondering.

All the way down the hill I saw only one or two cars, which got me wondering even more as it's usually a busy stretch.

At the bottom of the hill, at this junction I mentioned, both lanes going up the hill had flashing bollards placed across them and were obviously closed for the roadworks.

There was a sign saying road closed, follow diversion, and the arrow pointed right, clearly sending people further down the road to a diversion.

As I sat in the left lane waiting for the light to change I was amazed to see about half a dozen motorists enter my side of the dual carraigeway using the lane that is meant to be for turning right...they thought the arrow was pointing to the other side of the dual carraigeway and not sending them down the road !

Basically, they were driving up the wrong side of the dual carraigeway.

How thick can people get !!!

I would be amazed if there wasn't an accident...

LOL

Couldn't be much better could it.

Maybe it should say "Allow Hooning" or "Get out the bloody way" !

LOL

It really is driving heaven, everywhere seems to be miles away from everywhere else with superb, mostly empty roads in between. You get everything from wide open straights to twisty little sections all accompanied by breathtaking scenery and most of all the other road users are well used to being overtaken and drive very considerately - there are even road signs saying "allow overtaking".

It may sound irresponsible but it's perfectly feasable to have 80 or 90 ( or more ) on the clock most of the time, and it's perfectly safe because the roads are so empty and open. You just can't do that in England because of the traffic. I have never enjoyed such prolonged high speed uninterupted mile after mile hooning.

Once away from the major towns you very nearly have the roads to yourself - especially if you head way up north. On my recent John O' Groats trip I drove right across the top of the country for a few hours without seeing a soul.

I did struggle getting Super Unleaded and had to run one tank of normal Premium Unleaded but I'm sure with a bit of forward planning it wouldn't be too hard to find out where you can get Super.

It really is fantastic and myself and my son really enjoyed it.

We even went up a mountain, although not recommended after a few stellas it did seem like a good idea at the time. 3 hours later when I reached the top and was admiring the breathtaking view I suddenly sobered up at the thought of having to get back down...

Maybe best to stick to the black top

Cheers Stew, didn't read your post till just now but ended up going through Gairloch on day two and camped at Aldmair just outside Ullapool.

Absolutely loved it as did my 9 year old Son - except for the persistent rain and the tent letting water in !

The roads were fantastic, I have never enjoyed such prolonged hooning.

Over the three days I covered just under 1000 miles, at 27.5 miles per gallon. My average speed for the 3 days was 63 mph. I was disappoined with that because at the end of my first day my average speed was 77mph and I had covered about 180 miles OFF the motorway.

I overtook every thing I encountered and didn't get overtaken once in the whole trip.

Tearing through Glen Coe at 100 was exciting, and catching up to 4 foreign bikers who eventually pulled to the side and waved me past was also quite good fun :-)

350z are superb cars although I did miss the extra power of the Z4M. I really regret not doing this same trip in that car, although the tent would not have fitted in it's boot !

Absolutely loved it, Scotland is a petrol heads heaven - it's like our very own Nurburgring but bigger and with more aggressive midges

The blue E Type looks gorgeous, they are still a stunning car aren't they, must have one of those somewhere along the line.

Must confess the Escorts never did anything for me, however that Blue and Silver one looks the business.

I love classic cars, if anyone is interested I have had a half a dozen Rolls Royce and Bentleys, including a Corniche that originally belonged to Cliff Richard. Lovely old cars, totally different to drive than anything modern. Always on the look out for nice old Shadows.

Superb, thanks lads

My small ginger Boy has been pestering me all through the Summer Holidays to take him for a blast in the 350z Roadster, so I have decided to set off on Monday and head for the Highlands for a couple of days. I'm planning to return home on Wednesday night, so want to find two camp sites ( with showers ) for Monday and Tuesday nights, ideally with a nice days driving in between.

Anyone been around the Highlands and can recommend anywhere for me ?

Thanks Lads and Lasses.

Dan

Well although I didn't understand a lot of the longer words I found most of it quite amusing

Quite a tame argument mind you, clever people never seem to quite have the nack of hurling abuse like the ruffians do - and as it's a scouse forum you would think they would know better

I post on MuscleTalk, a forum for bodybuilders, powerlifters and keep fit fanatics and the arguments on there can be quite spectacular. Far too much testosterone on that forum, most of it from needles in peoples behinds. Keeps the moderators busy anyway LOL