[DerE85Fahrer]

I have an '06 3.0i with around 154,000 miles on it, and it has been nothing short of amazing. Based on my ownership experience, I have a few pieces of advice for you.

Firstly, I would highly recommend a cover for when your car is parked outside. Mine has had a California Pop Top cover kept on it for its entire life whenever it has been parked outside for more than half an hour. It only covers the top, and is easy to put on and take off by yourself. Because of this, the top is original and still looks new. Also, I've never had an issue with the roof drains clogging because everything lands on the cover. These covers are fairly inexpensive and have lasted about 4 years each in the GA sun.

Secondly, if at all possible, get rid of the runflats. I have switched from the stock Bridgestone Potenza runflats to Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's, and the ride and handling are much improved.

Thirdly, all the work you can do yourself, do it. I recently replaced my front control arms, control arm bushings, swaybar endlinks, swaybar bushings, and tie rods for a fraction of what the dealer quoted. I used genuine BMW parts ordered from ECS Tuning.

Finally, as a purist, I would suggest only getting one with a manual. These cars are not as easy to drive as something like a manual Honda Civic; they make you work for perfection. They also reward you like few other cars I've driven when you put forth the effort. I'm sure that while the automatic Z's are still superb, the feeling of driving the manual is a big part of what makes the Z so special (which is probably why there are no automatic Z4M's).