Bboy AJ

I have a friend who owns an E86 Z4 M coupe. When I first saw him roll up in it, I was giddy with excitement. This is the car I wanted to buy, reasonably afford, and not feel like I was splurging. What a surprise that he owned this car, considering it is in nearly the exact specifications I would want (blue, navi... uh, what else matters? ). Even more of a surprise is that he lets me borrow it whenever I want. Consequently, I have substantial seat time in the most underrated BMW in the longest. He leaves town so I have the car for days on end. A true ownership experience without all the headaches I can't believe some people got these for a bit more than $40k OTD new. What a steal for an instant classic.

Keep in mind that this is probably the nicest car I've had substantial experience in. My car pedigree isn't all that great. My current car is an 06 WRX TR 6 speed, for a bit of perspective. So if I seem to be giving far too much accolades, keep that in mind. But merely let that temper my enthusiasm for how great this car really is rather than extinguish my praise.

Exterior

First, the exterior. Gorgeous. It's rare and different. While I will admit some people might not realize it's different than a regular Z4, convertible or not, this thing is striking. I love her stance. Very aggressive and definitely has a road presence. I also really like the dark blue. It's the color I want because it is subdued and not too flashy, but at the same time, it's noticeable and doesn't truly blend in. I also don't think they make regular Z4s in this color and that's something else to distinguish the car from the alternative SLK's audience

Something about this car looks like a German muscle to me. And I adore American muscle cars and fastbacks. Therefore, you can see why this design speaks to me.

Interior

The interior is well laid out. I think the leather is pretty clean. The dash is a bit weird with its oval styling. It does its job well enough. I'm not super impressed but it's satisfactory. I like the way the coupe feels. Nice and tight. It

weneversleep

Nice review.

A couple of nits: the "dark blue" that you are driving is Interlagos Blue. That is an M-only color, and is not available on non-M cars. It's definitely my favorite color on the Z4 M.

I completely agree on the brake feel, and I also thought the clutch was horrible. I've heard clutch can be solved quite easily by removing the delay valve. I, too, hated the way the DBW throttle is calibrated on this car.

The Z4 M coupe will be just like the Z3 M coupe: no one bought them when they were new, for whatever reason, but as soon as production ends and they are "rare", suddenly their enthusiast value shoots way up, which is what is happening now. Prices will continue to fall, as they do for all late-model cars, but they should level off sooner than other used sports cars.

--michael

nearwater4me

Z4M is the car I should've bought when they were selling for $10k under MSRP.
Great car. Makes me look twice whenever I see one on the road.
That 2nd gear grind you've experienced is a major flaw, though.

Dan

Bboy AJ

I could have sworn the non-M coupe I pulled up next to was a Interlagos Blue as well. But it was night at the time. Maybe it was a lighter blue and I couldn't really tell because there was little light.

Onehots2k

Thanks for the write-up! If I was to buy a performance car tommorow, it would be the Z4M Coupe or 135i.

fusionchickenleg

z4m has always struck my fancy...s54 in a smaller and lighter chassis...what's not to love?

TqPolo

I'm not sure what year you put for $40k OTD but you can certainly get them used as low as $30k now.

replica

yeah, a German love muscle, tee hee


just playin, I also heart the Z4M coupe

bjohnston

I'm sorry, I can't help myself. Are you still in Yale.Law.School? If so, how could your next car be an Aston Martin Vantage or 997 TT? I know it's, obviously, none of my damn business, and, like I said, I can't help myself, but seriously? OK, I'm done being a dick for now.

Cheers.

JakeJewler

Perhaps he plans on keeping it for 5-6yrs. Maybe he expects to graduate in the top 10percent of his class. Its no secret that many firms draw a line under those top tiers, especially those from Ivy League schools. I've come across a few first year associates that are ridiculously compensated.