s2000 or z4

[schnitzer28]

Hi everyone, a couple of weeks ago I was really into buying an s2000 since I got a ride in one and was blown away by its performance.After looking around for any used ones in good condition and while waiting for my E46 to get sold, I was put off by their ridiculously high prices here in Cyprus, as well as their bad state.It seems that all S2000's here have been raped (engine-wise :D ) to the max and i've been very sceptical about spending 13,000 euros for a 10 year old car. If I was to buy a newer s2k (i.e 2004-2005) that would cost me around 18-20k. quite costly dont you reckon?

So I also started looking at other roadsters of similar capacity and price with perhaps a little bit more class.Came across the Merc SLK200 but I thought it was a bit of womans car (no offense to any SLK owners :rolleyes: ) and on Saturday morning while driving, I saw a beautiful sterling grey Z4 parked outside a car dealer's shop. pulled over and went for a look.2005 reg, 2.2 litres, fully loaded with red leather interior, 18inch alloys and only 25k miles on the clock.Found it to be quite cheap at 17,500 euros, but the only downside was that it was an automatic (no paddle shifters either).Still it was a beautiful car and a manual would probably be a couple of grand cheaper as well.
id love to own a z4m but apart from being way out of my budget, road tax over here is extremely high for cars with that capacity.
2.2 litres only puts out 170bhp (like my 320ci) but being lighter is half a second quicker to 60mph.definitely not as fast as an s2k but it is newer,more classy and with 8psi boost from an ESS s/c kit it will definitely be transformed.
Id love to hear a few opinions on which roadster you guys prefer.
Anyone who has owned (or driven) both to shed some light?

[J1SUA]

Love them both. The missus wants the Z4 next. Think the Honda is more fun but rattles like anything - VTec is yum, the Z4 however oozes a bit more class and is better built IMO. The newer models are really nice as they have the hard roof.

Seriously though you should just come over if you want a S2000, you can prob pick up a 2004-2005 model for around 10k then import it, steering wheel is the right place so no worries there :p

[dodgyken]

I have owned a Z3 2.2 and a Z4 3.0 - and am now on an Alpina Roadster S.

The Z4 is a quality place to sit - but isn't as well scewed together as it looks. The chassis is very stiff and if you have run-flats and sport suspension it can be very figidity on poor tarmac.

The 2.2 is a lovely small 6 - great sound, reasonable performance - but does not like the automatic box. It has a lack of torque meaning it hunts between ratios too often (as per the 320) - and isn't quite as relaxing as you would hope. The manual box (as per my Z3) suits it well.

Performance is acceptably good - and accompanied by a proper exhaust note. Xenons are a must as the standard headlights are poor, sport seats are worthwhile - and offer noticably better support and comfort than the standard ones.

[schnitzer28]

Love them both. The missus wants the Z4 next. Think the Honda is more fun but rattles like anything - VTec is yum, the Z4 however oozes a bit more class and is better built IMO. The newer models are really nice as they have the hard roof.

Seriously though you should just come over if you want a S2000, you can prob pick up a 2004-2005 model for around 10k then import it, steering wheel is the right place so no worries there :p

i did search the uk for one.if im going to get a 2005 reg s2k with approx 60k miles that would cost around 10k (gbp) which is 11,000 euros.
have to pay excise duty around 4200 euros and another 800 euros for registration which totals to 16,000 euros.it still is quite a bit actually.whereas with the same price, i can have the e85 z4(2.2litre). the 2.5 litre will cost more.just for your info, if i was to import a z4m id have to pay around 15,000 euros duty and another 3,000 euros for registration.thats approximately 16,300 british pounds :eek:
this is a minimum when importing anything below 1800cc but anything above that it increases exponentially!!

[warmasice]

my mates got an s2k, rattles like mad and has poor quality plastics inside, but its really quick once you get up the rev range though!