[yarosus]

Originally Posted by xcusem3

No not really, I owned an '07 and a '10 and to be totally honest the '10 had far more problems than my '07 did and it had 20k less miles.. both were tuned via Cobb

BMW puts their N54 engine to Z4 up to 2016.
I did deeper research but I didn't really find any issues in later years.
Probably need to look for 2012+ models.

Originally Posted by Deebo;

I don’t doubt that the S5 sounds good, but why are you adamant about keeping the M3 engine and exhaust stock vs going APR stage 2 with the S5? For about $1200, you can do test pipes and the Alpine tune on the S65 which will bump the power by about 10%, and add in some low end torque the car needs for getting around town. If you’re on this forum, you know how good the S65 can sound- my plan is to do test pipes on the stock exhaust, and then assess how much louder I want it, since deleting the primary cats will uncork it quite a bit. The car will already sound better than anything on the road (except for my old V10 M5).

Honestly, I didn't think you can get a big performance increase from M3 for couple grand. After you wrote this I did some research about Alpine tune and other ones and sound like good mod for the $$$.

S5 has supercharger sound that I really enjoyed and it reminds me Maserati ghibli engine sound, but more soft and not exotic. And yes, it needs a different exhaust for sure.

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3;

Or go with a used X-Pipe from a forum member and there are several for sale right now. Add stage 2 tune and you might be at $1,500 max to add roughly 40hp 20tq and it will sound every bit as good if not better than the S5. I drove the S5 back to back with an E92 also and I found the M3 to be a superior driving experience. But I don't think you can go wrong on any of your choices. We would love to have you on board the community if you select an M3.

I will need to drive M3 and S5 again back to back around some curvy roads to compare. I mostly drove S5 on the hwy and need to get it around traffic-less curvy roads to make the decision.

So far for me M3 has better handling, dynamic and overall driving feeling.

Originally Posted by Kal_el;

Not a bad write up, but I agree with others that you are closet leaning towards the Audi....

When you say the M looks like any 3 series (which I disagree with), the S5 looks like any A5 just the same. My experience with Audi is that only the RS models stand out and are the truer competition with an M, in this case the M3. At this rate you could look at a 335IS or something... The V8 S5 sounds much better than the supercharged one (I had a B7 S4 V8 straight piped, amazing) but the supercharged one will respond to mods better.

Out of all those other cars, you are getting a lot more car in the M for the money than you would the others IMO.

But as a daily, the roadster is the cheapest and looks great with the M bumper.

I agree that S5 looks like A5 and prefer look of RS5 to stand out.
From all 3 i think Z4 with m-package is better looking car.

I also rode in B7 RS4 once.. ah what a brutal sound it was making.

Originally Posted by anerbe;

I had a B8.5 S4 S-Tronic (DSG) for a few years prior to my M3 Sedan. Here's my notes:

S4 (S5)
(+) Great in the winter.
Nice torque for daily driving.
Comfortable cabin and nice sound system (B/O).
Fun handling on road set in dynamic (only if it has Sport Differential).

(-) Fake engine noise (it's called a soundaktor) which can only be heard in the cabin. Outside it doesn't have much presence - get an exhaust mod / intake for the M3, and it's worlds better.
It's a pig on a track - tons of understeer, until you floor it (sport diff kicks in), and you will overcook the brakes after a few laps due to it's heavy weight and undersized brake system. Driving it for fast times is totally different than a lighter / more balanced car like the M3 - you have to dive in hard with some trail brake to lighten up the rear and load up the front, then you floor it mid turn to force the car to rotate with the rear diff (only with sport diff). be prepared to replace brakes and tires often if you track it.

S5 and M3 dynamics are totally different. I don't miss the S4 at all, unless there's more than 4" of snow on the ground.

If you are sold on the S5, make sure it has a sport differential if you want a hint of rear drive feeling.

Ha... This maybe this is what i like it: Fake engine noise (it's called a soundaktor)! Interesting.

Thanks for the tip about sport differential! Will check which I one I drove before and will try to test drive s5 with sport differential again.

Originally Posted by kyrix1st

I'll pick the undisputed winner albeit not on the list: Z4M coupe.

I considered this as well, but I prefer DCT/DSG transmissions. If it was 2nd car then maybe. Also I want something different from e85 platform.


Anyway..
Today E89 Z4 with amazing price was sold. It was almost 3 months on the dealer lot and finally, after multiple price dropping, someone bought it after sun showed up.
The dealership was about 4 hours away and I was planning to test drive another 35i, S5, and m3 around town before making a decision and go pick it up over the weekend. (if I decided)

My plan is to go drive 3 cars again during next couple weeks. I want to get them around some curvy roads near by dealerships to see how cars perform.
Thinking test drive 2013+ Boxster and F-type just to see how they are, but they are way over the budget.

I like to drive, and waiting everyday to go drive my e85 Z4 somewhere around. And don't want to make decision to buy something new and regret.

So far from all 3 I think I would enjoy driving M3 and still keep my E85 z4.