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      05-18-2020, 09:45 PM   #1
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2007 BMW Z4 M  [2.00]
Z4m or e39 m5

Does anyone owm both? Which is your favorite?
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      05-18-2020, 11:15 PM   #2
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Wow. Two completely different vehicles... as if you didn't know.
Have owned an '06 Z4M R since new. Had an '01 M5 for 4 years from 2011-2015.
They're both impressive in their own ways. I'd probably still own the E39 if my wife had *any* interest in being a passenger in it. Ignoring her opinion, I still like owning the Z4M much more. My experience with it has been essentially free of any- no seriously- any mechanical issues. Could be that it's limited to occasional summer duty now and only has ~35k miles on it. The M5 was a money pit the entire time. I think I averaged $3-4K/year in parts which failed (from 102k thru ~123k mileage). I'm not even counting the $10k+ I spent upgrading the *entire* suspension to make it handle less like the heavy boat of a sedan it was. The M5's body roll in stock trim was disappointing. Breaking tires loose without trying during the 1-2 shift was pretty sweet. :-) The rather intrusive DSC/traction control is annoying in both, but especially so in the M5.

I'm sure your research has given you a good idea on the care and feeding of each depending on the miles on the odometer. You'll have a sh1t-eaten grin on most of the time with each as long as you're not lamenting the damage to your wallet along the way.
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      05-19-2020, 12:15 AM   #3
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Same, have owned both. The Z4 requires far more driver involvement, and the cockpit is such a nice place tobe, you are "in" the car where you are "on" the M5.
So for us its the Z4 coupe, although it can be quite a selfish car.........
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      05-19-2020, 02:56 AM   #4
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KevinM does.
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      05-19-2020, 03:19 AM   #5
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Ah, I have some direct experience here. Bought a Z4MC new in 2007. Kept it 8 years and 57k miles. Had been itching to own an E39 M5 for years, and finally decided in 2015 that I'd swap the Z4MC for one. Bought a super-clean '02 from EAG, traded my Z4MC towards it + some additional cash. My daily at the time was a ZHP coupe. I liked the E39 M5 but never fell in love with it - found myself constantly reaching for the ZHP keys. It was just a bit too big, a bit too vague (the recirculating ball steering in the E39 is not so hot, and the proper r&p setup in the ZHP is absolutely sublime). And within 3 months, I was desperately missing the Z4MC.

So I only kept the M5 for a year. Sold it back to Eric at EAG. Replaced it with a '16 Golf R. In late 2018, I decided it was time to replace my beloved Z4MC. Found another one exactly to my liking almost immediately (actually posted for sale here at zpost and NOWHERE else). I've been very happy ever since. I now have a new Golf R (long story) to go with it and they're the perfect pair for me.

E39 M5 is an awesome car, no doubt about it. It just didn't completely win me over.
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      05-19-2020, 06:00 AM   #6
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Interesting stories, thanks everyone.

And yet the E39 M5 continues to rise in price, and is a darling of the collector set of late. I pondered buying one, but it was hard to justify because I really don't need a hot rod sedan in the stable, so it would be an "extra" vehicle with no specific purpose. Plus I was always a bit put off by that recirculating ball steering. To my mind it had no business being in a serious driver's car. Seems as though the instincts were not far wrong.

I'd still like to drive one someday.
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      05-19-2020, 08:23 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wdb View Post
I pondered buying one, but it was hard to justify because I really don't need a hot rod sedan in the stable, so it would be an "extra" vehicle with no specific purpose.

I'd still like to drive one someday.
In reverse order, that's my ownership experience of the E39 in a nutshell. I had to experience owing one, and I'm glad I did in spite of the expense. It ended up as an orphan in my collection (perhaps 4 or 5 cars) at the time. In the end, I decided it wasn't ideal as a DD and the weekend use/trips were better suited to the Z4M or the Lotus Esprit.
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      05-20-2020, 07:46 PM   #8
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I've had a chance to drive the E39 M5 a few times. I liked it, still think it's one of the best designed cars in and out that BMW has ever made. I still would pick an E9x M3 over it though. Sure it doesn't have as much torque, but it's more of what I expect out of an M.

The Z4M is an event everytime you jump in. I'm shocked how much the Roadsters have dropped, and how much the E39 M5 has gone up in just a year
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      05-21-2020, 09:20 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zimmer View Post
Does anyone owm both? Which is your favorite?
Haven't driven these two specific cars before, but based on my experience of owning BMW sedans and four seater coupes and the Z4, the roadster will be much more fun to drive than a 4-door sedan. The 4-door sedan will be a better daily driver and a more useful vehicle, but there is no way it will be more fun to drive than the roadster.
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