Considering a 2006 Z4M Roadster: Insight Wanted

[WPGBNC]

I currently own a 2013 e92 M3 Competiton (6MT), a 2018 X5M and a 1987 325i.

All 3 vehicles have robust and very active forums but I’m not seeing the same for the Z4M, so I thought I would get some insight and experience from whoever wants to share it.

I have been looking around for a 2 seater convertible to add to the stable and out of the clear blue sky dropped an opportunity to buy a black 2006 Z4M. I don’t know much about these other than I love the engine (I used to have an e46 M3 vert). YouTube videos reviewing the car make it look very intriguing.

Car has 39,000 miles on it, single owner, southern US car. Have seen pics and if I decide to press further I’ll get a PPI.

I am a huge BMW fan and this car would make a lot of sense in the collection but I thought I would ask the forum for advice and insight. Some of the BMW forums I’m on are helpful and others love to troll and flame. So, will be interested to see what this place is all about.

[Huz-Z]

I think you will find the gang here to about as friendly and helpful as it’s possible to be regardless of its modest size.

It sounds like you are likely very familiar with the engine of the car and what to watch for. My car is not an M but I see the gang here paying attention to vanos bolts, black stone oil analysis etc. I’ll leave it to those guys to advise there. The one thing I would watch for, other than the obvious signs of misuse, is smooth operation of the power top. These cars have a flaky design where the top motor can be flooded with water and crap out.

Once you drive the car I think you will very much want to buy it. There is a reason why folks here remain devoted to a car that last rolled off the assembly line eleven years ago and is now appreciating in value. Welcome in advance!

[WPGBNC]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

I think you will find the gang here to about as friendly and helpful as it’s possible to be regardless of its modest size.

It sounds like you are likely very familiar with the engine of the car and what to watch for. My car is not an M but I see the gang here paying attention to vanos bolts, black stone oil analysis etc. I’ll leave it to those guys to advise there. The one thing I would watch for, other than the obvious signs of misuse, is smooth operation of the power top. These cars have a flaky design where the top motor can be flooded with water and crap out.

Once you drive the car I think you will very much want to buy it. There is a reason why folks here remain devoted to a car that last rolled off the assembly line eleven years ago and is now appreciating in value. Welcome in advance!

Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.

Any experience with having to repair or replace the electric components of the top? Wondering about reliability, cost to repair/replace, etc.

[deemo319]

In this forum you can find threads that pertain to the acquisition of an E85 and make a decision.

I would surmise that if someone was looking for an E85 M Roadster it would tick most of the boxes. Southern one-owner car with low mileage is a very good find.

If there are service and maintenance records you may want to get that one, I know I would. Good luck!

[Huz-Z]

Originally Posted by WPGBNC

Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.

Any experience with having to repair or replace the electric components of the top? Wondering about reliability, cost to repair/replace, etc.

You are welcome!

My car has been trouble-free concerning the power top so I can’t comment much there. But I can point out that 2 years ago my buddy washed his E85 3,0si with a power washer and within a couple of weeks the hydraulic motor had failed. I suspect that his roof drains were blocked and as the hydraulic motor is located in the driver side drain, it was flooded with water and failed. That’s just my guess by the way.

As for me, I always wash my car by hand with a low pressure foaming soap sprayer and I am always obsessively careful about not directing the water at the top, particularly where the drains are (where the top meets the side glass near the trailing edge of each door). If you buy the car it wouldn’t hurt to be careful like this and also ensure that your drains are not blocked. There should be some threads here on that too. If your car will be garaged and not left parked in heavy rain or power washed you will lower the chances of having this issue. There is a European forum on these cars (z4-forum.com) and the guys over there routinely repair otherwise dead top motors for not much cost I think and very sensibly relocate them to the trunk to effectively eliminate chances of future water related failure.

This is not a reason not to buy an M Roadster, it’s just something to be aware of. Good luck!

[KevinC]

I'm on my second coupe. I bought one new back in 2007, and sold/traded it for an E39 M5 in 2015. I regretted letting it go almost immediately. I had 8 years and 57k miles of trouble-free motoring, with only basic maintenance and a couple of stupid warranty issues (LCM replacement, air pump hose blew off, seal replaced on driver's door). Otherwise the car was rock solid.

I recently decided I wanted to get another before the prices shot upwards. They bounced off the bottom of their depreciation curve about the time I unloaded the first one. I figured it might take 6 months to a year or more to find the "right" car. I managed to find it within a couple of days - advertised right here and nowhere else, so it was flying under the radar. Flew to Philly for a look-see, and shortly after the deal was done. VERY happy to have another in my garage now.

My suggestion, if it isn't already obvious - DO IT! These are very rewarding cars to own & drive. The styling has aged VERY well. Naturally-aspirated 6-cylinder cars are now a thing of the past, and the S54 is arguably the best one BMW ever built. Worst case scenario - keep it a while and if you don't love it, you'd probably get all your money back out of it, and perhaps a bit more, as long as you don't overpay now.

Good luck with your decision. Yes, the community is not as robust as for many other models, but it does exist. Z4-forum.com out of the UK is probably the most active one at this point.

[racerbruce]

I love my beloved 07 Imola Red Z4MR.

I'm the second owner; purchased at 12K miles; car originated from Portland OR; I'm in Seattle; at 66K miles; no top issues; I minimize hand washing by using Meguiars Waterless Wash product; I drive top down in cold and warm weather....love it.

[wdb]

I have an M Coupe, and had a 3.0si Coupe that I just sold.

I want a Z4M roadie. They have all the raw, tail happy, grin inducing character of my coupe, plus the lid flips down. What more could one want.

Do the same as you've probably done in the past; find a clean example that hasn't been modded, or if it has been, then modded with appropriate taste. Look for service records. Etcetera.

Then join us here. And if I might be so bold, join ZSCCA too. Really great bunch of people.

[Andyh1]

I picked up my black/imola Z4M roadster almost two years ago no. The car has been nothing but a joy. Keep in mind that this my dedicated weekend queen. No top issues at all...
She never sees rain and always hand wash.
You can't beat Saturday morning driving topless.
Just make sure sure you keep up with a few of the things the others have already pointed out.... This car is a beast. Good luck.

[Reborn_]

Speaking about the group here, I have not seen ANY flaming/trolling at all. Lots of knowledge around, but yes, it is a bit slow here.

Nice stable! I think the purchase would really round it out.

[W///]

Originally Posted by WPGBNC

I currently own a 2013 e92 M3 Competiton (6MT), a 2018 X5M and a 1987 325i.

All 3 vehicles have robust and very active forums but I’m not seeing the same for the Z4M, so I thought I would get some insight and experience from whoever wants to share it.

I have been looking around for a 2 seater convertible to add to the stable and out of the clear blue sky dropped an opportunity to buy a black 2006 Z4M. I don’t know much about these other than I love the engine (I used to have an e46 M3 vert). YouTube videos reviewing the car make it look very intriguing.

Car has 39,000 miles on it, single owner, southern US car. Have seen pics and if I decide to press further I’ll get a PPI.

I am a huge BMW fan and this car would make a lot of sense in the collection but I thought I would ask the forum for advice and insight. Some of the BMW forums I’m on are helpful and others love to troll and flame. So, will be interested to see what this place is all about.

Love the combo of cars you have. I have an E92 and E36 M3 on top of the Z4M Roadster.

The E92 has always been, and still is my favorite car. I used to have an E30 325i convertible and I missed driving with the top down on nice days that we have here in SC. I've always had a thing for Z4M's. Couldn't justify paying $10k more for a coupe, plus as I said, I wanted the top down experience. I've driven E46 M3's before and I prefer how special the Z4M's feel. I see you are in NC. The Roadster is my choice of weapon when I head to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I cannot tell you how happy I've been with the Z4MR. It's much more raw than the E92. You're familiar with the S54, so you'll know it's more work than the S65 (IMHO). The good news is that the engine bay is massive, so you can access everything nicely.

So my conclusion:
- Value vs fun, I don't know of many cars that can beat the Z4MR. Buy now
- Being able to go back between the E92 M3 and Z4MR is amazing. They are both so special in completely different ways
- Maintenance shouldn't be much more complicated than what you are used to

[bosstones]

The forum here isn't super active but the car is also less common. While I mostly lurk (but chime in when able), I've been on the board for a while and say that Huz-Z nailed it when he said it is a friendly group. Virtually no drama over the years and a good share of the active posters are very knowledgeable and willing to help. There are other S54 and Z4 forums that help supplement as well. I wouldn't let the less mainstream forum-ness discourage you. Plus, you have some SA on the S54 already and that puts you ahead wrt to this car/platform. S54 quirks aside (e.g. VANOS, rod bearings, etc...), there aren't a lot of other things to watch out for that come to mind w/ this car aside from engine mount bolts. I think most other MX needs are from folks customizing or otherwise not using stock parts.

I cycled through a number of cars before being tempted w/ my current Moupe by a friend at a dealership. Almost 11.5 years later and I still love driving it. I've never kept a car that long.

Over the years, we've lost a few board members but later re-gained them back once they circled back to a Z4M. There is something special yet undervalued by many about the Z4M. It isn't the fastest out there and comes w/ the usual Euro maintenance needs but it is certainly raw/analog and engaged to drive.

I see you have an '87 325i. I came close to getting an '87 325iX (rebuilt diffs & enging + manual swap) as a stablemate/winter mule when I got the Moupe. Still regret not pulling the trigger!

[NickyC]

One of the best cars ever, buy now and never look back.

[tiltmode43]

ZPost is definitely a great group of folks. There are some longstanding members, but even the new posters that pop up from time to time seem kindhearted.

Search up on S54 rod bearings and VANOS. I wouldn't recommend this platform to anyone not interested or willing to replace/fix/maintain these two factors.

Small, tossable, quick (enough), and analog feeling as someone else described. The driving experience is sublime in the E85/6, and if that's what you're after, you won't be disappointed.

[jns_e85]

DOOOEEETTT!!!! There noise of a redline pull on an S54 with the top down (especially with euroheaders and an exhaust) is worth it alone.

I am willing to bet the Z4M roadster is probably the best M car you can buy right now in terms of value for money (easily get a sub 30k mileage, GOOD example with maintenance records for below $25,000). Even EAG examples show this (compare similar year mileage E46 M3 to Z4M and the difference usually is THOUSANDS less for the Z4M)

VANOS and rod bearings are always a concern, just keep on top of the oil analysis and do the VANOS proactively when you do the shim service, which is also easy to do.

Regarding the top motor, it WILL go out eventually if left in its original location. A lot of us have relocated the top motor to the trunk, and there are plentiful DIYs on this forum. Easily done in a few hours, can be done without removing the top itself, and doesn't take up any real usable space in the trunk anyways.

Get some sticky summer tires and go enjoy your car. They are quite fun back road carving and autocrossing!

[W///]

Originally Posted by jns_e85

DOOOEEETTT!!!! There noise of a redline pull on an S54 with the top down (especially with euroheaders and an exhaust) is worth it alone.

I am willing to bet the Z4M roadster is probably the best M car you can buy right now in terms of value for money (easily get a sub 30k mileage, GOOD example with maintenance records for below $25,000). Even EAG examples show this (compare similar year mileage E46 M3 to Z4M and the difference usually is THOUSANDS less for the Z4M)

VANOS and rod bearings are always a concern, just keep on top of the oil analysis and do the VANOS proactively when you do the shim service, which is also easy to do.

Regarding the top motor, it WILL go out eventually if left in its original location. A lot of us have relocated the top motor to the trunk, and there are plentiful DIYs on this forum. Easily done in a few hours, can be done without removing the top itself, and doesn't take up any real usable space in the trunk anyways.

Get some sticky summer tires and go enjoy your car. They are quite fun back road carving and autocrossing!

Exactly this. I don't understand how the E46 M3 are going for MORE than the Roadster. This is what makes them a bargain still IMHO