The M cars shown cost less than a R59. Check the used market.

 

Wow! No fun what so ever!

 

Yep, my JCW Coupe was more then our M Coupe right now.

 

never sell this car its really a rarity....

 

Thanks we know. And it super clean.

 

That's so funny. My DD:




Two of the 41 Evergreen Clownshoes ever manufactured are vendors on this forum.

 

Good taste

 

If you can buy it, just do it! Someone has to own these cars. Extremely nice.

 

I've had my fathers 03 Z4 Roadster 3.0 w/36k on it now for a few years. He was unable to drive it anymore so I somewhat inherited it. If I end up owning it, I would most likely sell it. It's not my really my thing, I prefer my R53. But that's just me. Not too mention I can't afford to maintain both.

It is a fun car to drive though the ride on the run flats in sport mode is brutal. It gets up and scoots pretty good too.

It looks exactly like this one.

 

You have some really nice roads to drive from Cooperstown through the Finger Lakes area and more, depending which direction you head and that Z4 is a nice car to drive on them. Is it expensive to maintain?

 

Yea, the roads up here can be soo much fun. The finger lakes area is beautiful too. I do like it up here for that.

Several years ago my father had an issue with the rag top that cost him about 10 grand to fix. I think that was Prestige BMW in Jersey.
Water damage from a leaking issue from the top into the trunk area caused some electrical issues somehow to boot. He had to replace the roof as part of that if I remember correctly.

At the moment it sits in my driveway for the last year now under a cover with a blown out runflat and a bad 02 sensor. Haven't messed with the car much yet this year as it may have to go back to his now widowed 3rd wife. He passed after Christmas last year.

Aside from the roof issue which I don' believe is common, I don't think it was that troublesome otherwise. Up until this last year I drove it (daily driver) for 2 Summers prior without any issue. It was fun. It is a drivers car for sure.

 

Remember driving a owners Z3 M convertible in white back in my E30 / E34 ownership days. It was fun, and it only had like 19K miles and was stored all the time, never driven.

 

I looked at a Z3 a few years ago... and actually took a Z4 out for a brief drive. The blue '08(? may have been a '07) Z4 didn't have 15k miles on it and felt very well behaved on the road. The owner must have been meticulous, the car was perfect, engine compartment looked showroom. Always a cool car to look at as well, with the body creases in all angles and curves.

The second gen Z4 grew too much in size to interest me and at the time I looked at these cars, Mini was showing final concepts of it's Roadster, so I decided to wait to see what the Mini would look like. Miata is a superb driver, and I almost got one, several times from the first gen on, but it just lacked character. So I'm very glad I waited.

I'm way happier with the smaller Mini Roadster. Really tough to beat this car and to me it's was an instant classic, reminiscent of the old MGBs and that type of car in the looks department. A lot of driving fun at every turn. Just feels more immediate and connected than just about anything else I've driven that's a convertible, plus it's really fuel efficient, so I'm not horribly guilt ridden when I head out in it. It's not perfect, but for me it's darned close.

 

So I bought an E89 Z4 and traded in the R59. My thoughts for those who may be find this thread and want to know more about the two cars further.....

R59: autocross champion. Fun car to drive at any speed! Some torque steer on uneven surfaces but easily the best FWD sports car I have ever driven.

E89: faster, luxury interior reminiscent of a 7 series, but heavier and not as sharp. The E89 still gives you a seat of the pants sports car driving experience but not as sharp as the R59. IMO, best looking car under $100k.

I quess after reading all the E89 reviews I was expecting a SUV/minivan type driving experience with the steering. The steering and handling is precise and very BMW like. No, it is not a Boxster/R59/etc, but still very fun to drive sitting back over the rear axle. So, probably common sense to most, but my advice is to read the enthusiasts reviews but nothing beats test driving a car for yourself.

 

Had a 2001 Z3 10 years ago. Really liked that car and would buy a new one if BMW still made one. Never was excited about the looks of the z4. New Miata or Fiat 124 Spider are nice but I cannot fit in them. Not sure what I would buy if my R59 was gone. When you are a bigger guy your choices are limited. Nissan 370Z?

 

Had a few sport/performance cars in my day. Looked at some BMW Z's but never bought one. For the over 6' crowd relative to small light weight cars, IMO the MINI cannot be beat. I really liked my 9k redline Honda S2000s. Between the sound of that engine, the short shifter and the handling they are great cars. The Corvettes had lots of room but for me just did not have the "fun" factor of a smaller car.

Just got back from the Dragon, thinking now would like to have had a S2000 and my MINI there. In my mind, the MINI is more sure footed in the twisties and is a whole lot easier to get into/out of.

 

Does Killboy still have that tricked out S2000 on the Dragon? That thing passed me like I was standing still when we were there a couple of years ago.

 

the fact that he lives there and drives it every day had nothing to do with that?

 

Hello All,

I purchased a 2015 Mini Cooper S Roadster in December 2016. My previous BMW rides were:

BMW Z3 1.9 leased from 1998 -2001
BMW Z3 2.5 Purchased new in 2001
BMW Z3 3.0 (2002) Purchased used in 2003

I LOVED each of the Z3's for styling, performance, economy (all 5-speed manuals). Oil changes, brakes, shocks, other fun stuff done DIY.

My Mini R59 is a very different experience. I think it is actually more Fun. That may be because I lived with a Z3 for 27 years and it's a welcome change.

On the other hand, the ride is very different! During my first R59 drive, I remember stomping on the throttle and thinking, "What the hell was that!" the grip, stirring and sense of control was exaggerated compared to my then 14 year old 3.0 Z3.

As the saying goes, "You dance with the women you're with"

I am thrilled with my R59! As with every decision I've made, compromise is how I get to Yes!

 

Local knowledge certainly has something to do with it, but that thing certainly looked and moved like it was more than just a paintjob and a tack-on wing.

 

A waitress asked my friend and I what we were driving and when we said MINI, she said "oh they are so cute, I have a BMW Z3 M Roadster." She also mentioned how she drove her motorcycle on the Dragon. I was nice and did not say what I was thinking; cute car my a__, it would not keep up with us on the Dragon.

 

Its about the same size inside. Front end is longer on the Z3, the trunk is about the same on the Z3 convertible vs. R59. I had a Z3 vert pass my R58 and i was looking down at it and its seemed smaller in the back end, like a Miata, if it was not for the long front end the Z3 seems smaller.

Oh and the R58 MINI is so much more fun in the corners and gets more looks.