S2000 vs Z4M Roadster
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Joined: May 2008
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From: hawaii
i would go for the S 
lol the z4 is a nice car, overall has lots of comfort items that can be useful for long trips and the design is very nice, for a used one or older model i can see spending the $$ but for a new one, i would stick with the S 
lol the z4 is a nice car, overall has lots of comfort items that can be useful for long trips and the design is very nice, for a used one or older model i can see spending the $$ but for a new one, i would stick with the S
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You want an ornamental piece of male jewelry that looks like an oversized clown shoe and want to be on a first name basis with your service advisor snatch the BMW...
In terms of maintenance issues, or lack there of, and owning one of the last honest to God drop tops sports cars that we common folks can actually buy the Honda is the way to go...
BMW's and German cars break way too much which, in my oppinion, greatly deminishes the overall ownershipdriving experience...
Man, that Cayman S is sweet though...
In terms of maintenance issues, or lack there of, and owning one of the last honest to God drop tops sports cars that we common folks can actually buy the Honda is the way to go...
BMW's and German cars break way too much which, in my oppinion, greatly deminishes the overall ownershipdriving experience...
Man, that Cayman S is sweet though...
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From: Myrtle Beach, SC
Originally Posted by sly2,Apr 1 2007, 04:12 PM
I've been considering an S2000 off and on for the last few years. I came really close to buying a Porsche Cayman S with the chrono package, but I just couldn' t see myself owing a car without it at least having a sunroof. Since I don't particularly like the design of a Boxster, I decided to take a hard look at the S2000 and Z4M Roadster.
There's a BMW Dealer near me with an '06 Z4 M roadster that the salesman said I could buy for $48K. I imagine that I could buy a new S2000 for around $32K. So for the extra $16K I get a car with a lined top and almost 100 more HP. With the S2000 I get a car that handles as well as anything out there, has about the best gear box available regardless of price, and IMO looks better than the Z4. Although I've never owned a Honda, no manufactgurer has a better reputation for making quality cars that last forever and aren't that expensive to maintain. With gas prices approaching $3 a gallon in my area, the better gas mileage of the S2000 is a plus. The only other advantages of the BMW is that they offer a 4 yr/ 50K mile warranty and free maintenance for 4 yrs/ 50K miles.
I'll be test driving both cars this week. If anyone has something that they would like to share to help me make my decision, I would appreciate it.
There's a BMW Dealer near me with an '06 Z4 M roadster that the salesman said I could buy for $48K. I imagine that I could buy a new S2000 for around $32K. So for the extra $16K I get a car with a lined top and almost 100 more HP. With the S2000 I get a car that handles as well as anything out there, has about the best gear box available regardless of price, and IMO looks better than the Z4. Although I've never owned a Honda, no manufactgurer has a better reputation for making quality cars that last forever and aren't that expensive to maintain. With gas prices approaching $3 a gallon in my area, the better gas mileage of the S2000 is a plus. The only other advantages of the BMW is that they offer a 4 yr/ 50K mile warranty and free maintenance for 4 yrs/ 50K miles.
I'll be test driving both cars this week. If anyone has something that they would like to share to help me make my decision, I would appreciate it.
On performance: best production gearbox of any production car made to date, period, end of story. Handling wise I would put it up against any sport cars to within double its MSRP.
In comparison to the specific Z4M you are looking at: You could take that $16K price difference, bolt on a supercharger with 3mm gasket and a smaller pulley, be around 350 - 400 hp; throw in some coilovers and tire/rim upgrades and you would have a z4/vette/porsche killer for less than $45K.
But irregardless of that, stock vs stock, if you can live without some of the "luxury" that bmw machines provide, I would choose an S over the Z4 based on the fact you would get comparable performance and the same amount of fun (or more) for less $$.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Sweden
I think a s2000 is slightly more fun to drive and feels easier to toss around. It also has the better looks in my opinion. The gearbox also has a lot better feel. However, the z4m is seriously fast (atlesat the euro-version coupe that I have driven). If I am right on VTEC in second gear in my F20C powered 2004, a z4m can still pull slightly on me in 3:rd gear. That engine has a serious punch even at low revs!
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: SF Bay Area
a couple of things to add...the honda, my honda as example, other than tires, cost me less than $300 to maintain till 30k, at 37k i still have not broken 800. so by 48k i think the maintenance will not be a factor, even if it was free....the depreciation, a real cost of ownership often ignored, will set you back thousands more on the bmw.
the bmw is a fun car, with a nice touch of luxury...and for that reason i would think about it...but not for $16,000 more, or even 8,000 more.
two years from now i wonder how much difference there will be in the two two cars considered, a 06 bmw or an 06 s2000.
the bmw is a fun car, with a nice touch of luxury...and for that reason i would think about it...but not for $16,000 more, or even 8,000 more.
two years from now i wonder how much difference there will be in the two two cars considered, a 06 bmw or an 06 s2000.
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Joined: Aug 2015
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From: Columbia, SC
Interesting to read this thread 6 years after the last post. Here I am in December 2015, having just bought my first S in October. When I go to visit my older brother (who has never really cared about cars) for Christmas, he spontaneously has a 2006 BMW Z4M in the garage.
It is a beautiful car and I am itching to drive it. Reading on this post and others online, I see it has 110 more HP than my S, bigger tires and overall, more power. It is also a little more refined on the interior. The BMW is more expensive to repair and maintain.
But here is what I find interesting. His car retailed around $55 or $60k in 2006. Mine retailed around $33 in 2007. Yet he just bought his (with 58k miles) for $23k and I bought mine (with 39k miles) for $22.5.
Interesting to see how well the S's have held their value compared to the BMWs.
It is a beautiful car and I am itching to drive it. Reading on this post and others online, I see it has 110 more HP than my S, bigger tires and overall, more power. It is also a little more refined on the interior. The BMW is more expensive to repair and maintain.
But here is what I find interesting. His car retailed around $55 or $60k in 2006. Mine retailed around $33 in 2007. Yet he just bought his (with 58k miles) for $23k and I bought mine (with 39k miles) for $22.5.
Interesting to see how well the S's have held their value compared to the BMWs.