[Closed] So, my wife sent me to buy us a second car...

Its not the first car I'd have thought of for a disabled person, where does the wheelchair fit?

Long bonnet; Easy to park....not necessarily happy bedfellows. Looks nice though.

Do you both enjoy hair dressing?

next to the hair straighteners.

EDIT Beaten to it 🙁

😆

Thats nice, i'd have also thought they would have cost more!

I'd have personally bought a Porsche 911

You still a poor student then????

aP - Member
Its not the first car I'd have thought of for a disabled person, where does the wheelchair fit?

It's sunday evening at the university, anyone with a pass can be disabled 🙂

Pity about it being the same colour as the road, and the same as 90% of the other cars on it.....

I had a similar brief and came back with this.

[img] [/img]

I wish I'd seen this thread earlier. 😥 However if I'd come back with the beemer it would have cost me my testicles.

will1 - Member
You still a poor student then????

Nope, I am officially unemployed.....until the 6th 😥

Nice BMW!

PeterPoddy - Member
Pity about it being the same colour as the road, and the same as 90% of the other cars on it.....

ahh, but therein lies the genius behind it!: It'll require less washing (hence cheap to run) and it'll offend no one when I come to sell it in 6 months 🙂

Colour - correct
Wheels - correct
Engine - correct

Bike carrying ability - incorrect.

75% is still a pass though - nice one!

nice, good work!

see you've embraced the BMW driver stereotype by parking in disable spaces, good show

how many miles has it got to be less than 8k?? it looks cool i like it!

Blindness. That must be it.

Pahhh, everyone knows convertibles are perfect bike carriers.

Who's got those pics of me leaving Swinley in the Midget after the wettest Gorrick ever?

I would have personally bought an MX5 cheaper to buy and more fun to drive.

It will easily take a bike on it or in it as well.

Boba Fatt - Member
see you've embraced the BMW driver stereotype by parking in disable spaces, good show

🙄 😕 Once again - Sunday, University, No one in the car park.

cycleworlduk - Member
how many miles has it got to be less than 8k?? it looks cool i like it!

61k miles! 😀 nothing for the BMW M54 straight six, my mates E46 has 189K miles on the clock.

But the hardtop cost extra....:-(

[img] [/img]

Images reproduced with no permission, sue me! :p

If I chopped wifey's Micra in for the BMW she'd be over the moon.

FunkyDunc - Member
I would have personally bought an MX5 cheaper to buy and more fun to drive.

Not cheaper, a 2004/2005 2.0L MX5 is as much if not more than I paid for this. I assure you, I looked

More fun? Maybe if the Z4 were in 2.2L guise, but it aint. 😉

So does that mean to many an MX5 is more desirable than a Z4?

tiger_roach - Member
So does that mean to many an MX5 is more desirable than a Z4?

Quite possibly, or simply that people don't realise that you can get a Z4 for similar money. There're are lot less Z4s about than MX5s

Daffy - you could get an M3 GTR and still get loads of flack on here.

Basically, many will have a pop at any "nice" car - usually because they drive a beaten up old 306/Focus/insert name of average family runabout.

It's a decent car - enjoy it!

^ correct. Good looking motor.

I remember seeing one when they first came out. I slowed down long enough for my wife to say "You're not having one".

That is a rather large number of photographs to take of a car.

Nice. A guy I know gas recently, very reluctantly chopped his in for a 3 series. He had an X5 previously, got the Z4, then about 2 months later his missis got pregnant! He was overjoyed and gutted too lol

So - how many people from here have been on AutoTrader in the last hour!

Nice car - I'd have one if I didn't have to cart loads of camping gear, kids, dog, rubbish to tip, etc., etc!! So I'll have to stick with the standard STW Octavia estate for now!

MM - all that will easily fit in a 335i/335d Touring... 😆

nice car, always liked the z4.

always quite fancied a z1 too but their prices have risen over the last few years and are now out my price range for a 2nd car.

Basically, many will have a pop at any "nice" car - usually because they drive a beaten up old 306/Focus/insert name of average family runabout.

That's really NOT TRUE at all!

It's you who has the chip on your shoulder mate, really 🙂

Mol - did I say they usually drive a newish Prius or Passat? No I didn't. Did I have a green eyed pop at Daffy's missus new car? No I didn't.

Now be a good lad and pop back under your rock... 😆

Still not true tho!

Thing is, there's nice cars and there's flash cars. Largely a matter of opinion though, with a few exceptions. I think many people think you are a c0ck if you buy a car that screams 'look at me I'm so cool yeah!'. Same reason people think you are a w4nker if you buy a Prius..

People are just thick, when you get down to it 🙁

MM - all that will easily fit in a 335i/335d Touring...

Aye - but then I'd worry about shitting it up!

The best thing about my Skoda is its 10+ years old and I couldn't give a monkeys about the interior!

I keep badgering my wife to swap her fiesta for something more sporty but she refuses to flog it.

I was quite impressed, I got over 44mpg out of it on the way down from Newcastle....I wasn't exactly pootling along either 😉

Power isn't everything, the BM feels like a truck compared to the nimble MX5.

Has it got those horrible run flat types & optional indicators?

Personal preference but I thought the MX was a much more fun car to drive than the Z4, but I guess that's because I prefer bends to straights.

I know I took the p1$$ about it being a hair dressers car but no offence it's a loverly car, I'd have one.

I'd rather eat piccalilli than have a MX5 though, that is a proper hair dressers car no matter how well it goes round corners.

Dunc - yes an MX5 is nimble but you clearly haven't driven a Z4 with a proper engine? Very nice handling. Only the Z3 was a damb squib of a car. If you want sublime handling, opt for the mk3 Toyota MR2 anyway. Like the MX5, it's underpowered but it's a better handler IMO.

Easy to ditch the runflats (I have on mine).

Muffin - regular stuff in ours - wet wetsuits (often smelling a bit of wee), wet dog, sand, a nr 2 year old, camping stuff, shopping, etc. Just get a decent boot liner and wipe clean leather.

I'd have an MX5. I don't give a FF if people think I am a hairdresser. I'm not, and that's what's important. Great car, drives well - I'm in.

Or rather, I would be if I didn't have a kid, and they did a diesel 🙂

it would look better if you hand painted the hard top with blackboard paint and then wrote something different on it everyday.

This has got a hard top!
[IMG] [/IMG]

He had an X5 previously

Why ?they are horrible and made badly by Americans!!

Mol - the MX5 [b]is[/b] brilliant. But why do people have to come on here and say "I'd rather have an MX5" or similar when someone gets a decent Z4?

I know the exact reason and it ain't pretty...

A diesel MX5 though? No no and no.

Surf-Mat - Member
Mol - the MX5 is brilliant. But why do people have to come on here and say "I'd rather have an MX5" or similar when someone gets a decent Z4?

I don't care, I love it, the wife (bless her) loves it too and it's a whole lot more car than an MX5 for the money. Have a look on ebay at <£8000 MX5s...NO THANKS!

This thing's immaculate, NO dinks/dents/scratches, garaged for 5 out of the last 6 years, new tyres (yees, they're the stupid Bridgestone run flats :-() New brakes, Full BMW service history from MY local dealer, 6 months tax, 9 months MOT, ALL documentation and All keys, and as luck would have it a hardtop for sale in a matching colour, just a few miles away from home.

ACES!

I know the exact reason and it ain't pretty...

You THINK you know the reason, but I don't think you do.

People just say that kind of thing to declare the car they like.

You do similar when you talk about 3 series.

PS I didn't say I'd rather have an MX5 than the Z4, I said I'd drive one meaning I wouldn't worry about the hairdresser image. I'd also have a Z4 🙂 Although I personally prefer the looks of the Mazda.

Daffy - I like that Z4 a lot, I understand exactly why you went for it and I reckon you got a great deal - nice one!

Mol - the hairdresser thing is just made up by repmobile drivers that are jealous they can't afford a sports car. The "rules" have no reasoning - why is an MX5 a hairdressers car but an Elise apparently isn't? Just a lot of sh1te made up by mr average and mr bitter to try and mock mr (or mrs) having-fun.

good purchase, just need to do this to it
[img] http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=51683 [/img]

I agree Mat, that's why I think it was bolx.

I used to want (properly want as in looking around) an MX5 but couldn't afford one. One guy I knew was telling me I was wrong to want one and should have got a Peugeot 306 GTi instead, quoting all these stats at me.

🙄

He could not understand how much he'd missed the point 🙂

In my zillions of test drives, I tested a mk2 (or whatever) 1.8 and it was brilliant. Some special edition so it got an extra nice interior and wheels.

Still reckon the MR2 (mk 3 ONLY) has the edge on handling though.

306 GTIs are overrated IMO.

306 is a trashy pimpy boy racer chav mobile. A world away from a two seater roadster.

Isn't the MR2 the one that had no luggage space at all? Bit impractical.

Btw around the same time I almost bought an imported older model MR2, the hardtop kind. £2k it was.

MR2 has almost no storage space at all but it's lightish, well made and the handling is brilliant. Not keen on the mk1 or mk2. A mate had an imported mk2 MR2 turbo and it was LETHAL!

The 306 rallye was great, not the fastest car i've had, or the best built, or the best looking but easily the funnest car i've owned im sure the gti would have been good as well.

Just got a few small modifications to make to it and then it'll be perfect.

1st on the list - M-sports seats from a Z4M roadster. Arriving this week.

Daffy - not sure if yours has runflats but if it has, ditch them ASAP - transforms the ride and stops it tramlining. Made a huge difference to mine.

Lovely car, I almost bought a 2.5 last year. I couldn't work out how to carry a bike on it, the boot felt too flimsy for my saris bones.

Unless I'm being very forgetful the boot looked like it could fit a set of golf clubs but not much more. I'd be really interested if you can honestly get a bike in it!

Most likely I'll end up with something like a audi TT or S2000 as I've seen both carrying bikes (TT inside, S2000 with a saris)

mk2 mr2's are ace. interesting to say the least... but ace none the less. and so much better looking than the mk3!

I've always wanted a fiat barchetta, don't see them around anymore 🙁

Surf-Mat - Member
Daffy - not sure if yours has runflats but if it has, ditch them ASAP - transforms the ride and stops it tramlining. Made a huge difference to mine.

Mat, It does and I've read the same (Falken 452s spring to mind) but I'm trying to keep it's costs down.

DT78 - I'll take some pics ASAP.

The car is nice but the hardtop is gash!

mastiles_fanylion - Member
The car is nice but the hardtop is gash!

Disagree....I think the hardtop looks fantastic!

I've never been a fan of BMW but my mate got one of them a few years ago. Had a go and it was a pretty darn good car and it was a lot of fun.

Me mum has an MX5 and that's great fun too.

Enjoy your new toy - it's very nice.

(IMO 😉 )

I have just never seen the point of having a car designed as a convertible then whacking a plastic roof back on it. Never really been a fan of many convertibles though.

[i]all that will easily fit in a 335i/335d Touring[/i]

yeah, if you forget about taking any passengers.

3 series Touring boot is slightly bigger than an Alfa sportwagon's, but not by much. An estate car it is not. I had one. I don't any more.

mastiles_fanylion - Member
(IMO )

I have just never seen the point of having a car designed as a convertible then whacking a plastic roof back on it.

It only takes 2mins to put on and this means I can go to places like Tesco Seacroft with relative peace of mind 😉

will - Member

I'd have personally bought a Porsche 911

Not for less than £8000 you wouldn't, otherwise so might I. 😛

You can get a 98(S) plate Boxter for about this money, but it looks rubbish. ❗

3 series Touring boot is slightly bigger than an Alfa sportwagon's, but not by much. An estate car it is not. I had one. I don't any more.

I suspect you had an E46 (last shape) Touring which is much smaller in the back. An E91 is bigger. Bigger than a B7 A4 Avant. And about 3251514 times bigger (and better) than an Alfa 😉 We fit loads of clobber and real humans in ours no problem. Thanks for trying though.

Daffy - stuck Continental Sport Contact 3s on mine - brilliant tyres. Shame I'm munching my rears in about 8-10k miles....!

is it the 258hp version/engine?

"306 GTIs are overrated IMO. "

I cant believe folk are putting peugeots up against a bmw of all things. what a kick in the teeth.bmws have always been and always will be far better.

heres a video to prove it. just watch it get 2nd place.. 😉

clarkson "and its just... ammmmmazingly good fun to drive"

spend a few grand.. buy a few nice bikes with the changeeee!

nice looking z4 though.

[i]I have just never seen the point of having a car designed as a convertible then whacking a plastic roof back on it.[/i]

Depends doesn't it? Live in Monaco? you may have a point. Live in Britain? Makes perfect sense...

the power,build,the lines.. it has to be good for under 8k! although the reason they go so cheap is because of all the teasing bmw drivers get on forums like these ;O)

Yes, mine was the old shape so that would make it an E46. It was a lovely car but the boot was too small for my luggage needs (although not when I bought it)

When I came to trade it in, I would have considered looking at the new shape but for the purchase price.

For £13k I got a 57 plate Saab 9-3TTiD estate with leather, dual zone climate control, satnav, bluetooth and, most importantly to me, a decent sized boot. The equivalent new shape 3-series touring would have cost me over £20k.
Too much for me this time round

Anyway, the Z4 looks really nice, enjoy

John - my last car had a similar (GM - same engine block but single turbo) 1.9CDTi 150 engine but was an Astra Estate - huge boot for the size of car but partly because it had pretend suspension so no struts intruding on the space! Seats also folded totally flat.

I was going to sleep in the back of my Touring on Friday at an all night stag do but managed to find a space in a camper. I fitted in the Bimmer though - but only just!

E46 Touring was basically a slightly bigger hatch, the E36 Touring was smaller than most hatches in the boot! E91 isn't massive but it's still useful and the split tailgate is a work of genius.

Not a big fan of most modern Saabs (many are rebadged Vauxhalls IMO) BUT I like yours - nice shape, decent engine.

BTW, boot capacity on yours is 419 (seats up)/1287 (seats down). On mine it's 450/1385 😉

martinxyz - Member
is it the 258hp version/engine?

No, this is the M54 engine with 231bhp Standard with an engine remap providing an extra 15bhp.

The N52 engine (the one you're asking about) is only available on late 06si models.

Still plenty of poke though.

Can you get 3 child seats across the back of a beamer tourer (comfortably)? This has been the death knell for all the estates I tried, that and the the fact that it does you're back in leaning over to do the belts, lift toddlers etc.

Had a MX5, magic handling could have done with about 20bhp more even after removing the cat, advancing the timing, fitting an induction kit etc. - the BBR turbo would have ben worth a try...
Elise handled even better, was fast enough to scre more or less anyone, but only practical for me, the missus and a sandwich to share. I did get a superlight in it sticking out of the roof though, it was a forum flamers wet dream 🙂
Z4 gets a bad rap because of the Z3, which wasn't what I'd call a sports car - like the MGF it looks the part but felt a bit flaccid. Everything I've heard about the Z4 was that they had put that right.

Can i have a go? 🙂

bn - the 3er Touring has three "proper" spaces for adults in the back so three seats should fit but would be tightish I reckon. 5er is a big wider I think.

Z4 is about 5474744747 times better than the woeful Z3 (apart from the Z3M Coupe which was mad but pretty decent).

Overall litres of boot space not as important to me as the gap between the wheelarches.

I have a big wheeled bag full of cymbal stands that would only fit diagonally in the bmw, but fits nicely between the arches on the Saab. That leaves room between the bag & the tailgate for cymbals, snare drum and 4 rack toms, and still let's me see out of the back window. Floor tom & kick drum go on 2 of the 3 back seats, leaving me room for myself & 2 passengers.

I never got all that in the old beemer with room for 2 passengers