Buying, Owning & Improving
Ian Cushway searches out new and used par ts prices
Great build, slightly softening prices and good parts availability makes the first and second generation Z4 a fun, shrewd buy these days.
Believe it or not, it’s precisely two decades since the first E85 Z4 hit these shores. And thanks to its edg y ‘f lame surface’ styling , it still looks good. The slightly toned down second generation E89 with its retractable hardtop followed in 2009 – and even after more than a decade, that too appears bang up to date.
The first Z4 was built stateside at BMW ’s Spar tanburg plant and was aimed squarely at the higher end of the open-top market, taking on the gauntlet from its predecessor, the Z3, when it came to battling Porsche’s Boxster. There were just two engine options at launch; the M54 straight- six in 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre guise, mated to a five- and sixspeed manual ’box respectively, although a Steptronic automatic was optional. The firm’s sequential manual (SMG) system was also offered from launch in the UK but that’s a rare option.
BMW ’s M54 six-pot 2.2i joined the lineup in 2003 and this in turn was replaced by a silky smooth four- c ylinder, 150bhp 2.0i unit in 2005. A facelift with minor revisions followed soon after in 2006.
While full-time roadsters are lovely in summer, they ’re not as convenient in winter or less kind climes. Not to mention the obvious disadvantages when it comes to security and wind noise, not that we’d describe the BMW hood as primitive. This realisation resulted in the launch of the E86 coupe in late 2006; it was only available in 3.0 Si and M guise and was to run alongside the conver tible.
Of course, a twin model line-up wasn’t ideal, and BMW soon arrived at a successful solution when it launched the second generation Z4 in 2009, its retractable tin-top truly offering the best of both worlds. Production switched to Germany for this model. Again, the Z4’s range of six- cylinder models with their heady mix of performance and scintillating soundtrack was accompanied from 2012 by a less hedonistic four-pot – this time in the form of a turbocharged 2.0-litre. Needless to say, the purists weren’t keen, but it immediately made visits to the fuel station less of a ritual.
With such a long production lifespan and so many different engine options, there’s likely to be a Z4 to suit all budgets – but as always, you have to buy wisely. The prices here are for an E89 2.5.
