For the last 7 years I've been driving the most impractical car I've ever had. It's also been the one I've enjoyed the most - a 2004 Z4 3.0 in Sterling Grey with red leather. Even through New Hampshire winters it was my daily driver for 42,000 miles (OK, I don't drive a whole lot). I've caught crap for "driving an import," even though it was made in South Carolina, from guys driving trucks made in Japan or Mexico and it didn't bug me a bit.
Now, because of a decision made by my wife, I'm going to have to sell my roadster.
Here's what she did:
(https://lh5.ggpht.com/_keb9Kczo6oU/TTC06AVYLMI/AAAAAAAAJJo/90nTt5u5spY/s800/IMG_1180.JPG)
This is my 30th anniversary present. My wife decided to go with something subtle and restrained, to match my personality. I think she got the yellow idea when I shocked everyone and got yellow skins for my Monster 696 after a lifetime as a grey/beige person.
It's a 2011 BMW Z4 35iS. It's the first car I've had without a manual transmission. I'm still trying to get used to the flappy-paddle gearbox. I'm not actually missing the old roadster very much, to my surprise. It's living a lonely life in my parents' barn awaiting spring and sale.
Dood.
Forcing you to sell your beloved wheels? What a pregnant dog.
[popcorn]
Quote from: Buckethead on January 15, 2011, 08:30:57 PM
Dood.
Forcing you to sell your beloved wheels? What pregnant dog.
[popcorn]
I know, right?
She's been working hard to earn my forgiveness.
We are going on 20 years together in September. I wish my wife would do something half as bad!
[thumbsup]
I wish I had your problems ;D
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!!!
nice car, and damn you didn't drive your last one... and no proper manual wtf?
enjoy the new car
I'd settle for a guy buying me a bunch of flowers and you get a car-Thats awesome. Enjoy!! [thumbsup]
I'd take it back. Paddle shifters... [puke]
You should put your foot down.
Keep them both.
Quote from: humorless dp on January 16, 2011, 04:27:59 AM
You should put your foot down.
Keep them both.
Track car? ;D
Quote from: humorless dp on January 16, 2011, 04:27:59 AM
You should put your foot down.
Keep them both.
[laugh] [laugh] [thumbsup]
My ex wife did something nice and unexpected... once. For Christmas she got me a 1985 Kawi 600 Ninja. It was one of the first ones delivered to a customer in the DFW area. Shocked the hell out of me.
Enjoy the new door slammer!!! [thumbsup] [bacon]
I've never had paddle shifters but I'm on my second car with a Manual/automatic gearbox and I have to say it's a nice compromise. I don't think I would mind paddle shifters. But If you don't think you like the paddle shifter car you can store it in my garage until the spring when you decide to sell it. ;D
Wow! Congrats and happy anniversary to you both! [beer]
Quote from: sbrguy on January 16, 2011, 12:14:40 AMdamn you didn't drive your last one...
I did. It's just that I have a 6-mile commute to work 4 days per week. I also rode the Vespa/Monster/Multistrada every chance I got. When I had more than one passenger, I had to drive something else. The old car did make a few trips to Montreal and some other places.
Quote from: sbrguy on January 16, 2011, 12:14:40 AMno proper manual wtf?
That's why I was dithering about this car until my wife grabbed my trigger finger and pulled. Apparently BMW thinks that with the horsepower, twin turbos, etc. they'd be replacing too many gear boxes or something so they don't offer a manual clutch on this version. The 7-speed double-clutch transmission is fairly amazing, though.
Quote from: badgalbetty on January 16, 2011, 02:41:59 AM
I'd settle for a guy buying me a bunch of flowers and you get a car[thumbsup]
Well, I got her a loaded X3, but it hasn't been built yet.
Quote from: humorless dp on January 16, 2011, 04:27:59 AM
Keep them both.
Well, my 16 year-old has his eyes on the old Z4.
Not gonna happen! If I'd had that car at that age, I'd be dead now.
My dad has a serious problem with car accumulation. At one point, he had 13 cars: a Bentley Continental S1, 4 T-model MG's, several S-class Mercedeses including a 300SEL 6.3, a Buick, a minivan, 2 motorhomes, and a moving truck. The Bentley broke down on our way to prom because it needed a fuel pump (fairly cheap GM part) and he couldn't afford to keep all those cars repaired. The county eventually came and towed some of the Benzes after neighbors complained. All the cars were perfect when he got them. Sooner or later they just rusted to bits. (Yes, a yard still looks like it's Ma & Pa Kettle's house when the derelict cars in it are Bentleys and Mercedeses). My personal rule is "no more cars than drivers" and I do my damnedest to stick to it. We already have more PTW's than riders, but that wasn't covered in my original rule.
There's also the question of where to keep it. No, it's time for the old car to go.
Or did you mean keep both the car and my wife? I'm stuck with the wife. Nobody else would have me!
Quote from: mstevens on January 16, 2011, 01:37:00 PM
Well, my 16 year-old has his eyes on the old Z4. Not gonna happen! If I'd had that car at that age, I'd be dead now.
There's also the question of where to keep it. No, it's time for the old car to go.
Or did you mean keep both the car and my wife? I'm stuck with the wife. Nobody else would have me!
My dad thought the same thing. I had some scary fun cars and I lived.
I wasn't gonna go there. ;)
Poor boy!! :'(
I see she has proper taste in the fastest color though. [thumbsup]
Congrats! That thing is sweet. I got to sit in one during the local auto show.
Congrats, enjoy :)
I need your wife to give my wife a call and explain how things are supposed to work to her. Thanks.
;D
Quote from: DesmoDiva on January 16, 2011, 04:54:58 PM
I see she has proper taste in the fastest color though. [thumbsup]
I agree! Love the color! Well, the car too!
JM
Congrats!
They do offer the n54 engine with a true manual, btw. It's in the new 335is. I know because there's one in my garage right now ;D
it's getting harder and harder to find a manual these days. I'm guessing they didn't sell many in the z4, so it didn't make sense to offer it.
Quote from: swampduc on January 17, 2011, 09:00:22 AM
Congrats!
They do offer the n54 engine with a true manual, btw. It's in the new 335is. I know because there's one in my garage right now ;D
it's getting harder and harder to find a manual these days. I'm guessing they didn't sell many in the z4, so it didn't make sense to offer it.
Another way of looking at this is that a manual is even more appropriate in a roadster than in a sedan.
BMW have traditionally offered a manual in everything. My wife's new X3 couldn't even be special-ordered with one, though her old X3 had manual.
It's the end of an era.
My 135 M-sport has a 6 speed mt. It's the n55 engine, single turbo 300hp 300ft-lbs.
Beautiful car. [thumbsup] I love the lastest Z's.
What tires are you running in the winter? Those appear to be BMW wheels.
I'm running blizzaks WS70's mounted on Rial wheels. (tirerack)
I see a nice car where a D16RR could be parked ;D ;D
Always thought the Z4 was pretty nice, now with the 3.5 turbo motor in it it's sweet (although a bit overpriced IMHO).
Lucky you!
that is funny you had a car for 6 years and only put on 42k miles on it, most people do that in 3 tops. [laugh]
funny story with all the rusted cars out in the yard, glad i wans't your neighbor, shame that they were all in top shape at first but eventually all broke down.
and you are right the manual with a foot clutch is going the way of a dinasour, not being offered by many companies except for a few hold outs.
you know its strange when you even hear that ferrari no longer offers a proper manual in their newest care the 458 and that corvette says they will always offer a proper manual.
i agree the new dual clutch transmission are in every respect "better" than a proper manual, the only arguement you have for a proper manual is that you want a car that is less efficient than the dual clutch transmissions.
Quote from: sno_duc on January 20, 2011, 02:03:16 PM
What tires are you running in the winter? Those appear to be BMW wheels.
Appearances are deceiving - they're 17" $120 moda R1 bought from tirerack 7 years ago. I went -2" because snow tires need lots more sidewall than summer tires. I bought some adhesive roundels from the parts counter at the dealer, pulled off the ugly moda decals, and put the roundels on the center caps. They're about 1.5 mm too small in diameter, but I'm the only one who's ever noticed.
The snow tires are about twice as expensive as the wheels, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R's. They're considerably better, IMO, on snow and ice than any Blizzak and have great dry-road performance at the cost of fairly dismal durability.
Quote from: sbrguy on January 20, 2011, 04:02:03 PMi agree the new dual clutch transmission are in every respect "better" than a proper manual, the only arguement you have for a proper manual is that you want a car that is less efficient than the dual clutch transmissions.
I'm still trying to figure out if I agree that the DCT is better. It's novel, and it's fun, but I keep stomping the floor with my left foot. My wife hates it.
No worries about excessive efficiency - this car gets about 40% less mileage than the old 3.0 Z4 did (21 mpg vs 37 mpg). Of course, I just filled it for the first time today, so that's a very short track record on the new car vs. a well-established one on the old. OTOH, I certainly haven't been flogging this one with all the snow we keep having.
Now, how about the parking brake lever? It's about the size and shape of a bottle cap lifter and completely electrical. No handbrake turns for me any more! You have to disassemble the console to deactivate the parking brake without power. It's the thing to the rear of the shifter next to the iDrive knob:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_keb9Kczo6oU/TTC09JfrtFI/AAAAAAAAJJo/XsXHTgQBjt4/s640/IMG_1194.JPG)
Here's a better view of the interior, but barely any of the bottle-opener brake lever:
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_keb9Kczo6oU/TTC09gYDr8I/AAAAAAAAJJo/2A9zkp1WZo4/s640/IMG_1195.JPG)
Quote from: mstevens on January 20, 2011, 10:23:49 PM
Appearances are deceiving - they're 17" $120 moda R1 bought from tirerack 7 years ago. I went -2" because snow tires need lots more sidewall than summer tires. I bought some adhesive roundels from the parts counter at the dealer, pulled off the ugly moda decals, and put the roundels on the center caps. They're about 1.5 mm too small in diameter, but I'm the only one who's ever noticed.
The snow tires are about twice as expensive as the wheels, Nokian Hakkapeliitta R's. They're considerably better, IMO, on snow and ice than any Blizzak and have great dry-road performance at the cost of fairly dismal durability.
I also went with 17" wheels, would have gone 16" but brake rotor size only allows 17's.
I was going to ask if you went with the sport package, the "M" on the steering wheel answers my question.
Which sound system??
Quote from: swampduc on January 17, 2011, 09:00:22 AM
Congrats!
They do offer the n54 engine with a true manual, btw. It's in the new 335is. I know because there's one in my garage right now ;D
it's getting harder and harder to find a manual these days. I'm guessing they didn't sell many in the z4, so it didn't make sense to offer it.
I have the same engine in my 535i, my god it's a good one. I also have the auto but I know they do at least offer it with the true manual (since it says so on the window sticker) but I doubt many 5 series are built with the manual given that it's much less of a sports car (although with this engine and the sport package, it's a reasonably nice facsimile).
Quote from: sno_duc on January 21, 2011, 05:26:03 AMI also went with 17" wheels, would have gone 16" but brake rotor size only allows 17's.
The dealer swore these wheels would never fit. This probably had nothing to do with wanting to sell me a $2,800 winter tire & wheel set. They do fit, but there's literally only a few millimeters of clearance for the front rotors. Heaven forfend I get a little pebble (or large grain of road sand) in there! I'm going to have to get TPMS sensors installed so the car won't keep warning me it's about to explode in a fiery fireball of flaming death because it doesn't know what its tire pressure is.
Quote from: sno_duc on January 21, 2011, 05:26:03 AMI was going to ask if you went with the sport package, the "M" on the steering wheel answers my question.
Not really. The 35is is the Motorsport version of the Z4 so it already includes all that stuff. There's no Sport package available. Don't ask me why they call it "Z4 sDrive 35is" instead of "MZ4," but it's their company so they get to do it. Their old naming scheme made perfect sense to me. The new one is obtuse.
It does have the Premium, Cold Weather, Citrus Yellow interior (which contains no citrus yellow, and is mostly black), and Premium Sound packages. It's also got 19" wheels, Navigation, PDC, as well as Comfort Access which is totally brilliant. Everything except automatic high beams (which seems silly), the DVD changer (totally useless in a vehicle with no back seat), and the alarm.
Quote from: sno_duc on January 21, 2011, 05:26:03 AMWhich sound system??
I went with the Premium Sound package to get the speed-sensitive volume (of much use in a roadster with the top down, useless in my wife's X3) and iPod integration. The satellite radio is of no interest or use to me and I haven't even activated the 1-year trial subscription. It's a nice stereo, but the standard one is nice, too. Except for in a convertible, the standard sound system would be fine for me.
I saw a black Z4 with the power hardtop similar to your new car just yesterday. I did recognize it as a Z4 at first. It looked exotic. I really like the revised styling compared to the early Z4's. Congratulations.
Quote from: darylbowden on January 21, 2011, 08:50:01 AM
I have the same engine in my 535i, my god it's a good one. I also have the auto but I know they do at least offer it with the true manual (since it says so on the window sticker) but I doubt many 5 series are built with the manual given that it's much less of a sports car (although with this engine and the sport package, it's a reasonably nice facsimile).
My wife ordered her e34 535i with a manual and autocrossed it in Houston with the local BMW CCA chapter. Her first time out, she won a very nice set of tires and beat a field including several Porsches driven by guys in Nomex suits, M3's, and the like. She was 7 months pregnant. That was a really good car. The 5-series has always been BMW's "sweet spot." 3's are built with cost limitations. 7's are too damned big. SAV's, roadsters, coupes, etc. are nice but not central to the philosophy of the sports sedan. The 5-series is also responsible for half of BMW's profits, so they have to make it great.
Quote from: mstevens on January 21, 2011, 12:08:35 PM
The satellite radio is of no interest or use to me and I haven't even activated the 1-year trial subscription.
give it a whirl...It's quite addicting. Got Sirius for my truck as a present a few years ago and haven't listened to normal radio or CDs since.
Quote from: Statler on January 21, 2011, 12:40:56 PM
give it a whirl...It's quite addicting. Got Sirius for my truck as a present a few years ago and haven't listened to normal radio or CDs since.
I was the exact opposite. I got Sirius with the new car and only renewed it once when they basically gave it away. I don't listen to a lot of mainstream music though, and have a HUGE collection on my iPod.
I found the channels to be really repetitive. Even the deep cuts channel would play the same songs. I ended up dumping it and really haven't missed it.
Quote from: sbrguy on January 20, 2011, 04:02:03 PM
i agree the new dual clutch transmission are in every respect "better" than a proper manual, the only arguement you have for a proper manual is that you want a car that is less efficient than the dual clutch transmissions.
Yea, keep saying that. Just wait until you have to have one repaired outside of warranty. Then you'll be [bang].
Quote from: superjohn on January 21, 2011, 01:04:35 PM
I was the exact opposite. I got Sirius with the new car and only renewed it once when they basically gave it away. I don't listen to a lot of mainstream music though, and have a HUGE collection on my iPod.
I found the channels to be really repetitive. Even the deep cuts channel would play the same songs. I ended up dumping it and really haven't missed it.
Same here, except I never renewed. They want me to renew for $4 a month. Sounds a bit desperate.
Quote from: swampduc on January 17, 2011, 09:00:22 AM
Congrats!
They do offer the n54 engine with a true manual, btw. It's in the new 335is. I know because there's one in my garage right now ;D
it's getting harder and harder to find a manual these days. I'm guessing they didn't sell many in the z4, so it didn't make sense to offer it.
BMW is at least mainly replacing the automatic option with the DCT for now. On 135's & 335is there is no slush box auto available. Time will tell on the reliablity, the old 6 & 7 speed smg's did have some hydraulic issues. But for opperation the dct is a better gear box than any of the smg's before it. Injoy the new car.
Quote from: mstevens on January 21, 2011, 12:24:35 PM
My wife ordered her e34 535i with a manual and autocrossed it in Houston with the local BMW CCA chapter. Her first time out, she won a very nice set of tires and beat a field including several Porsches driven by guys in Nomex suits, M3's, and the like. She was 7 months pregnant. That was a really good car. The 5-series has always been BMW's "sweet spot." 3's are built with cost limitations. 7's are too damned big. SAV's, roadsters, coupes, etc. are nice but not central to the philosophy of the sports sedan. The 5-series is also responsible for half of BMW's profits, so they have to make it great.
Sounds like your wife is a far better driver than my significant other and me for that matter!
But I do love the 535i (it's a 2008 e60, so previous generation), but it is by far the best car I have owned. Everything just works the way I want it to without any unnecessary things and they seemed to figure out the iDrive a bit better on the e60s than they had on the old 7 series which makes it far more usable. Definitely a very happy BMW driver.
Quote from: darylbowden on January 22, 2011, 11:17:22 AM
Sounds like your wife is a far better driver than my significant other and me for that matter!
She's whooped my ass every time I've driven against her.