Picked this up for my daughter

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Pheonix

Great advice! the best part is when you drove it into a telephone pole and totaled it. There is a huge different between a FWD, 160hp del Sol and a high hp and torque Z4.
Anyway, it is the OP daughter and his money so he could do whatever he wishes

Yeah, actually I'm pretty sure if I'd had a RWD car with grippier summer tires I wouldn't have understeered off the road into the pole; I would have just spun out, maybe scuffed up a rim or bumper and then been on my way.

[udme86m]

Originally Posted by Aries326

I'm beginning to agree with one of the posters who mentioned that the OP was just trolling and making a statement that the Z4 is for teenage girls. We fell right into his trap.

Dagger!!

[Endless619]

Originally Posted by lodewijkV

So many jealous reactions! Some of you should be ashamed.

It's not because his daughter gets a beautiful car most of us could only dream of at that age, that's she is automaticly going to wreck it!
Her father will probably teach her good and she'll be a perfect driver !

Good luck & have fun with this stunning ride.

Trust me, nobody is jealous here. Thats a fact. I could have, would have at that age but didnt. I paid for my car as millions of other American children at that age did. Jealousy has nothing to do with it at all.

[ZStig]

Originally Posted by SmartBastard

She's gonna hate the wood.

Until she turns 18

[ZStig]

Originally Posted by Dubbedown

Didn't think extended leather was offered in the non-m...

It is. I can tell by the door panels.

With that said, the coupe is gonna be a pain in the boobs to parallel park

[mfanatic325]

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

Until she turns 18

Originally Posted by beta

I kid I kid! Mfan put the knife down...

[Nikki]

I loved the wood in my 3.0si Coupe! I was 22 when I got mine though, so maybe I had matured by then. I got aluminum on my e90 when I was 19. :P

[zubydafa]

this is hilarious. rickrolled.

[zubydafa]

OP: for what it's worth...don't mind the snotty posts. teenager + nice car = entitlement entitlement thread.

good luck with the car and i hope you two enjoy it. hopefully she can deal with the lack of rear visibility.

[lodewijkV]

Originally Posted by EndlessZ4M

Trust me, nobody is jealous here. Thats a fact. I could have, would have at that age but didnt. I paid for my car as millions of other American children at that age did. Jealousy has nothing to do with it at all.

Ok I'm sorry, maybe I was a bit harsh .
I didn't get my first car either, I earned it myself and bought it when I was 20.
It was an 1987 320i, AND I still own it !

[avsbmw]

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

Until she turns 18

LMAO

[Rustycat]

Originally Posted by All American 6

Same as anyone else that comes here. Excited about a new car. Want to talk and learn about it.

We're having fun with the car.

Post went in a different direction than I thought.

I fully understand your excitement and desire to participate in this forum. We all feel the same way. But, I've got to join the crowd that thinks it is a BAD idea to give this car to an inexperienced driver.
I've been driving for 47 years. I've never had a serious accident. The first time I switched off the DSC, I put the car sideways coming out of a corner.
I kept it in the road and was only embarrassed at myself. But, if I had a car like this in my teens or twenties (and probably 30s) I would not be typing this comment now.
This is way tooo much car for a new teenager driver, no matter how mature they are.

[beta]

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

It is. I can tell by the door panels.

With that said, the coupe is gonna be a pain in the boobs to parallel park

IIRC the extended leather in the non-Ms covers slightly less area. The doors are identical but I don't remember if it doesn't go up around the windshield, console or roll bars.

[ZStig]

ure right

[VinnieAces]

Originally Posted by Rustycat

I've been driving for 47 years.

...Looks at username...

points for positively corresponding username

[msh441]

No screw that: I'll man up. As a lowly civil servant, it took me 39 years to get something as nice! Hell yeah, I'm jealous!

That said, I've also put close to 18 years in as a cop. About 14 of that on the road shagging calls and cleaning up after others in some way, shape, or form.

I stand by my assessment: it might not be anything major (and sincerely I pray it's not)... but first cars are learning tools.

At the hands of even the most disciplined new driver... they get curbed... they get dinged... they run over crap in the road... they bump into things parallel parking. Friends run into them at the weekend party. Generally, shit just happens. More so when your young.

In this car... when stuff does go wrong behind the wheel, it happens MUCH quicker than many other cars out there. Its not just the power, per se. Its the way the car is laid out. In my opinion, you could have the same power output in an E46 M3, and it would be a much MUCH safer, more controllable, more forgiving, first vehicle. It's just a more balanced/predictable package with better driver visibility.

I love my Z4MC, but it's got some wickedly unforgiving dynamic characteristics. For me, strangely, it was one of the reasons I sought out this car. Sort of the exclusivity in my mind that not everyone can really handle this car. Yes, I have an ego (Again, I'm willing to be a little reflective here on my assessment). Bottom line though, is that it's true.

Your daughter is a very lucky young lady. I would have killed to have that car at that age. Likely myself. But hey, I was no angel growing up, so... fingers crossed for you.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by msh441

No screw that: I'll man up. As a lowly civil servant, it took me 39 years to get something as nice! Hell yeah, I'm jealous!

That said, I've also put close to 18 years in as a cop. About 14 of that on the road shagging calls and cleaning up after others in some way, shape, or form.

I stand by my assessment: it might not be anything major (and sincerely I pray it's not)... but first cars are learning tools.

At the hands of even the most disciplined new driver... they get curbed... they get dinged... they run over crap in the road... they bump into things parallel parking. Friends run into them at the weekend party. Generally, shit just happens. More so when your young.

In this car... when stuff does go wrong behind the wheel, it happens MUCH quicker than many other cars out there. Its not just the power, per se. Its the way the car is laid out. In my opinion, you could have the same power output in an E46 M3, and it would be a much MUCH safer, more controllable, more forgiving, first vehicle. It's just a more balanced/predictable package with better driver visibility.

I love my Z4MC, but it's got some wickedly unforgiving dynamic characteristics. For me, strangely, it was one of the reasons I sought out this car. Sort of the exclusivity in my mind that not everyone can really handle this car. Yes, I have an ego (Again, I'm willing to be a little reflective here on my assessment). Bottom line though, is that it's true.

Your daughter is a very lucky young lady. I would have killed to have that car at that age. Likely myself. But hey, I was no angel growing up, so... fingers crossed for you.

Great post. I agree 100% with your assessment of the car, and like you, it's one of the reasons I bought it. After a car control clinic, instruction plus 6 days of HPDEs, I have even more respect for the car and concurrence with your impressions. She is, and always will remain, a handful--a handful I love to drive.

[strokeZ]

What a bunch of elitist crap. Bravo for purchasing your daughter a safe, well built and for the most part reliable car. I would rather this than some el cheapo rice burner or American made plasti-box. Sure its a fast powerful car - but have you ever seen a kid whizz by you doing 80 mph in a Civic? I sure have. THAT is a death wish. At least the Z will handle speed with ease. I am not advocating speeding but merely bucking the general idea that a kid should drive a piece of junk when learning - to me that notion alone is irresponsible parenting.

Teen Survival School is one of the best things you can do for her as a new driver as others have stated.

[Kgolf31]

You can get into trouble with any car regardless of the power it possesses.

OP - I got a E46 325xi as my first car. I was blessed with it, and I'm very thankful with it.

Anyways, I treated that thing like it was a 100k car. I was told on very strict circumstances, anything happens. It's gone.

I bought it out at 18, sold it at 20 and bought this car the same year. Still to this day (at 21), no tickets, no accidents, no points, no nothing.

At 17 I started autocrossing and have fell in love with it ever since. Getting the right step at the beginning is the hardest part.

Nice car

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by strokeZ

What a bunch of elitist crap. Bravo for purchasing your daughter a safe, well built and for the most part reliable car. I would rather this than some el cheapo rice burner or American made plasti-box. Sure its a fast powerful car - but have you ever seen a kid whizz by you doing 80 mph in a Civic? I sure have. THAT is a death wish. At least the Z will handle speed with ease. I am not advocating speeding but merely bucking the general idea that a kid should drive a piece of junk when learning - to me that notion alone is irresponsible parenting.

Teen Survival School is one of the best things you can do for her as a new driver as others have stated.

I assure you that my comments are motivated 100% by a valid and legitimate concern for the safety of a young and inexperienced driver. Period.

I don't think anybody here has suggested that the young lady in question should drive a so-called piece of junk. With respect to a Honda Civic, I think that you will find that its safety features - energy absorbing crumple zones, rollover resistance, airbags, seatbelts, ABS brakes - are modern and highly effective.

I am in my 40's and have driven lots of cars, including big American V-8's with lots of power. None of them has compared to the incredible ease with which my BMW Z4 3.0si attained 100+ mph without even breathing hard. To be frank, it was scary.

Do you honestly think a teenager, perhaps with an eager friend aboard, is not going to be tempted to test the limits of such a car? Within the last year, we have had one young Z4 driver involved in a serious crash:

http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthre...ighlight=crash

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/...4onliveoak.jpg

I am sure that nobody here wants to see a repeat of that.

Here is a timely article in today's Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle2346078/

[strokeZ]

Its kinda funny that everyone thinks these cars are too fast. Sure they are fast, but many cars can hit 100mph with ease these days. Any new car is going to have what you listed Hud-Z but the general tone of this thread is that she should have an old beater to start with....that is where I disagree. My daughter (17) - drives a 2009 Lexus RX 330. Trust me it can hit 100 mph pretty easy - but its the safety stuff around it that swayed me to buy it for her. If anyone is into boats - think Bayliner vs a good brand. They all meet Coast Guard standards, but Bayliners tend to come in when the seas get rough - why? Because they JUST MEET the standards where the higher end boats far exceed them. This is the comparo I am suggesting.

[Pheonix]

More power to you guys if you are able to afford newer and more expensive cars for your kids. The main issue here is the false sense of security. Typically the Z will handle great but when the roads get a little wet or even a batch of sand and watch the rear swings out wildly. Don't believe me? Do some searches and see how many Z4 crashes happened due to these conditions. Same go for the SUVs, some drivers sometime get a false sense of security and don't adjust their driving styles when the roads or weather conditions changed. I have seen many SUV, 4WD crashes during snow storm (more so than regular cars).