Yeah I'm a roadster guy too.
However, if you don't have a garage that's a drawback in my book. I was just at the stealer's who happened to have a few regular Z4's in the showroom. They weren't the newest anymore, but on these 04-05 cars I could see so clearly that they'd been street-parked. The tops just looked awful. You'd be replacing that pretty soon (or look really ragged), and it's not cheap. I know a Z3 top costs 3000 euro at the dealer, cloth only.
And also theft, as was said before. You can get/retrofit a factory alarm though, which does have motion detection for the cabin.
magic robots:
I was there later last year - I did get the Roadster but really wanted the Coupe. But to me the most important is the M......
99C2
2006 Z4M Rodie - Newest Ride!
1999 C2 CAB - Gone
2005 S2000 - Gone
They're not re-enforced in an engineer's sense of the word. They're simply a shell with some heavy duty glue holding the mounting pieces. There's no load bearing re-enforcement in the shell.
It is true that the presence of the hardtop, and the way that it mounts to the car, stiffens the car's structure slightly. But if you roll over, its not going to hold the weight of the car. That's why the roll bars are still there.
I know this because I disassembled mine last fall to have it painted.
'06 Z4M, Triple Black, 3.91s, KWV3s, Mason Engineering, Remus, CDV, ZIP 90034. Z4M Flikr Gallery
And here's my argument for the same: Skyline Drive with the top down
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"I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying..."
Freude am Fahren
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I own and love a roadster.
The coupe is absolutely beautiful, period, it's really a special car.
I can enjoy my roadster pretty much all 365 days a year here in SW Florida.
The coupe is unique, gorgeous and maybe even soul-touching.
Today, I had a god-awful frustrating day at the office. When I left @ 4:00, I put my top down, put on a Jimmy Buffet CD and was in a great mood (with my usual roadster motivated smile) by the time I got home. My beloved always appreciates that. There is a definitive theraputic value here, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
Go with your gut and your climate....... there's no losers in this choice!
How can anyone go past the roadster? The wind in your hair in summer (for those of us who still have hair) and the warmth and comfort of a perfectly sealed cacoon in winter! This is one of a few purpose built convertibles in the world and what a great looking machine it is, a modern day Cobra in my mind (which had to be one of the most classic looking muscle car convertibles ever produced). The Z4 coupe was basically an after thought, not a bad effort, but still an after thought in grafting a top onto a purpose built convertible.
Sort of like the the 350Z or Porsche 928 (designed and built as coupes but some bright spark decided to transform them into convertibles) What a total botch up!
As far as body flex is concerned. I don't know what you guys are talking about, this would have to be one of the stiffest convertible on the market. Try driving any typical British convertible Jaguar, MG or Yank Tank (Stingray) for that matter, and then lets talk about body flex.
Z4 Roadster Rocks.
So, you're comparing the Coupe to a pair of "botch" jobs?? Seriously?? Dude, put down the crack pipe. The Coupe may have been an "afterthought", but the result does NOT resemble a "total botch up" in any way, shape or form, and I doubt you'd find anyone on the planet who would agree with that assessment.
Maybe not, but the fact that the coupe weighs more than the roadster (where with almost all roadsters derived from coupes the reverse is true) really does bring home he fact that Z4 roadster was the original design and the the coupe might well have been a better car if designed from scratch.
That's one way to look at it. But the Coupe benefits from the extra rigidity (with the resulting extra weight being a slight negative side effect) that's present in the design due to the fact it was conceived as a convertible first. For me, the resulting outstanding chassis rigidity is worth the slight weight penalty. And the extra weight seems less significant as the years slip by, and cars continue to get porkier and porkier. Take the E89 for example (please).
I think we should all just agree that both are outstanding cars, each with some of their own individual merits. There's no wrong choice here.
Certainly no wrong at all, as it all comes down to what each indivifual wants from a car. But this and all other forums effectively canvas individuals personal opinions (some of which may be based on fact). The answer to the question here is mostly subjective as both versions a very good in their own right. But as indicated, for me the coupe is an after thought and just doesn't tick all the boxes, in so far as what I was after when I was looking for a car.
Granted, however the coupe is a far cry from the previous models botched attempt at making a coupe out of the Z3! I'll look forward to seeing the Z5!
????
Last edited by zzzz4; 02-25-2010 at 01:27 AM.
Wow, well I sure hope it will be nothing like that hideous thing on that picture!
The Z4 coupe is a pretty sleek design IMO, hardly an afterthought, even if that would be technically true. The Z3 coupe design never did it for me either, but it has a strong cult following.
To me though, the justification of not having rear seats is best justified by the presence of the beautiful roadster ragtop.
Coupe' vs. Roadster
As several persons have already stated, it really is up to your personal preference. You can't go wrong with either one. It's all in what you want.
We have had our 03 Roadster since Oct 07. It had 40K miles on it when we bought it and now it has 66K miles. It has always given my wife and I huge enjoyment. It does have an occasional squeak but for the most part it is rock solid. The drives we take with the top down are just so relaxing.
On the warmer days, I would drive it every day to work. It's a great daily driver unless you need to transport more than one person.
I now have a 08 M Coupe'.
The Coupe' just feels tighter and more solid. The Coupe does not relax me as much as it thrills me. Every time I get in it and take off.
Still have the Roaster. I guess it's the best of both worlds..
You all never seem to have enough time to do the job properly the first time, but you always seem to find the time to do it a second time......... ME
I am at this very juncture, though leaning more towards my 3rd Roadster the Z4M.
No matter how Miserable the day or week has been, a ride in the roadster immediately improves my mood. I was just getting a bit conflicted with the Z4M Roadster vs Coupe arguments but now I know that I would love to LOOK at the Coupe, I have only ever seen a few, but would love to DRIVE the Roadster and actually hear the back box and feel the wind even though I am in the UK! :-)
I'm keeping the removable hardtop I bought for my current 2.0i anyway for stripping and matching to the 'new' Z4M.
So, its the 2006 Z4M Roadster low mileage in Imola Red this weekend!!!
Thanks for the perspective!
Ooops lol
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