Z4M + Alternatives - Talk to me

-Neil-

-Neil-

-Neil-

Soldato
Joined
14 Jun 2004
Posts
2,919
Location
Chippenham
Got rammed off the road at the weekend while overtaking in the Elise, it's a write off unfortunately.

A cheque for £20K is heading my way already and I'm looking at something different, I'd rather spend £15K and put the rest aside for a slush fund for repairs, etc.
I've had Lotus's for the past four years nearly so I'm looking to other types of cars.

Now nothing will compare to the Lotus for straight line speed and cornering so I can compromise in that regards. I'd like some toys and comfort this time round, the ST220 will be sold to my house mate so I'll be down to one car.

I'm thinking:

Z4M (roadster preferably).
Boxster 3.4

Anything else with a nod to driver involvement?

Neil.
 
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Not as hard core as the Z4m but just over 20k will get you a New Z4 35i which will remap to 375 bhp!

how badly damaged was the lotus.
 
Z4 35is is a good shout if in budget. Might not set your world alight after the lotus but as your only car and daily driver, they fit the practical brief.
 
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Robbie G said:
Z4 35is is a good shout if in budget. Might not set your world alight after the lotus but as your only car and daily driver, they fit the practical brief.
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No chance of an iS for 20k, might manage a regular one but to be honest I doubt it has the involvement he wants.
 
Thanks guys,I walked away from it without a scratch luckily considering the damage done to car and scenery.

The thing that puts me off a 911 is the engine going pop and I'd be looking at the bottom of the market I feel with a 997.

Would I be correct in saying the Boxster/Cayman are so competent that they are too clinical? Again, the engine issues scare me, a colleague at work spent almost the value of his car sorting the intermediate shaft/engine grenading itself.

I also keep looking at an M3 CS but finding one with a manual and without grey leather is pretty hard!

Neil.
 
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Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :(

Really sorry to hear this mate. What happened?
 
Basher said:
+1 for the 35i. I LOVE mine, although it isn't as hardcore as you're probably used to.
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Same, it won't be as hardcore as the Z4M with it's elec steering etc.. but I love it to bits, more of a tourer to me personally. I'd recommend the 35is over the 35i only if it's a good price - you get a decent level of kit with the is version but I preferred the softer 35i (I didn't get msport) and the 35i are usually specced with a decent set of goodies, 70%+ had satnav etc... and they came out earlier so you can get cheaper ones. Car's bonkers in a straight line though and you can't help but smile every time you start it with the top down. IS uses overboost to get the extra hp out of the engine but you can mod an i to the same or higher hp for a few hundred with no/little modding required.

The other cars I looked at while shopping about were caymans and 370z's. 370 has loads of kit standard and the price seems to have dropped a fair bit on these, I always wondered if people were put off by the fuel consumption (which isn't really a consideration if you're looking at this power point but i digress). I couldn't really find the right Cayman spec for me so in the end the Z4 won.
 
You would get a 3.4L Boxster S (2007 ish) from an OPC with 2 years warranty for £20k I would have thought. Certainly would pick up a decent private Boxster S (2005-2012 model) for £15k-£18k leaving you with the £1500 required to put a 2 year OPC warranty on it.

I'd avoid dodgy 997 911's and the older 996 at this budget personally.
 
Test a Z4M Coupe, they're not to everyone's taste, but the OEM suspension set up is just about perfect IMO. It's spot on for our rough and bumpy roads and whilst it's not as "planted" as an Elise, it deals with our terrible roads very well. I'd wager that on an A-road run, you'd be hard pushed to call it "slower".

And you get the S54, one of the best mass market engines ever produced.
 
HummuH1 said:
Test a Z4M Coupe, they're not to everyone's taste, but the OEM suspension set up is just about perfect IMO. It's spot on for our rough and bumpy roads and whilst it's not as "planted" as an Elise, it deals with our terrible roads very well. I'd wager that on an A-road run, you'd be hard pushed to call it "slower".

And you get the S54, one of the best mass market engines ever produced.
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You aren't aware of the specification of Neil's Elise, are you? :p
 
Gayjin said:
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :(

Really sorry to hear this mate. What happened?
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I decided to overtake two cars (coming from a 40 into a 50 the lead car was doing 30 everywhere) and the second car pulled out to overtake the first without signalling when I was a few metres from its rear bumper, it hit my front left to his rear drivers side wheel (all his damage was a hubcap!) and sent me onto a raised verge that meant I had no steering and then into a ditch on the outside :(

It needed two clams, both sills had holes, front crash box and loads of plastic trim that would have cost loads.

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Neil.
 
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