When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I'm struggling with the delta between less interesting and much more expensive as well.
As such, I find myself shopping for my next car on BaT. I feel like rip van winkle sometimes as if I woke from a nap and everything is entirely different within the automotive world.
Between my limited driving and what’s on the market, I don’t think I’ll be shopping for a car for a long time. The sporty, stick-shift sedan is just my jam, and it’s a config that went basically extinct.
Maybe we’ll see reversal in momentum for enthusiast cars, remember the murmurs about a new Infiniti 6mt sedan? Will not hold my breath for that one, but you never know.
Til then, I’m proactively maintaining my current stable with long-term ownership in mind
Go for it. Much as I love my G the excitement factor doubles when I punch the gas in the Zed4...different beast entirely, I know. Once I get back in the G, though, the "anemic" feeling it has quickly fades...
At times I do find myself regretting not finding/ waiting for a M4 'Vert, being the power train is basically identical in the Zed4 it'll do.
You know you want the M...
I want alot of things to be honest as the journey is always the most exciting part for me. Kids are grown and either out of the house or barely around, so a 2 seater is feasible since I also have an SUV for the occasion when we are together. I honestly cannot recall the last time someone sat in the back seat of my G. Nonetheless, I worked with an Exec back in the early 2000s that owned one of those E39 M5s and that car loaded with 4 people pulled like it had endless torque. All while the carrying on a work related conversation with the radio playing quietly in the background (silent inside). I was driving a Saturn L300 (Opel/Vauxhall) back then that I thought was nice (0-60 in 8 secs, which was quick back then), but seemed coarse compared to the M5.
I would consider a 2 seater, but I am still not a fan of really small cars. The Z4 seems to be a good size?
These cars were not reliable and should only be purchased used by car people, so they are nearly free and they seem like alot of fun to drive as the turbo kicks in (lots of lag, but then you are pinned to the seat) and the gearing is perfect on the manual. I thought about picking one up for the cost of a couple of classic Pink Floyd albums, but even my buddy tries to talk me out of it.
Also recall that the 3rd car garage where I park my car is limited to 73-74" wide cars, so the selection is actually small as even smaller cars today are pushing 80" wide. Amazingly enough the 3 series has always remained narrow and not turned into an 80" wide beast like the Challenger and others.
Width of door opening is 98”. G is just under 70”, with mirrors 80” Cannot back straight out or you will end up in a flower garden. As such, one needs to cut the wheel to the left to stay centered in the driveway.
Last edited by socketz67; Mar 7, 2026 at 10:50 AM.
Long story short: I wanted a 2015-2020 F83 M4 'Vert:
Finding one that wasn't: wrecked, riced, "rebuilt," worn out, or otherwise "decent," and at a reasonable price, proved impossible. Even today these cars are still selling for ≈$40K in "sub-par" condition.
So, after almost 2 years of (half heartedly) searching, I came across a 2014 E89 Zed4 and pulled the trigger:
BMW's legendary 3.0L I-6, w/ twin turbos, and paired with the 7sp. DCT. Zero regrets. The Zed4 is roughly 2ft. shorter (stem-to-stern) than my G Coupe but weighs roughly 800lbs. more. And it will blow the doors off of the G. The only complaint I have is the "M Adaptive Suspension" which will either leave you feeling like your driving a bouncy ball or be jaw shattering stiff. There is no "comfortable medium."
Originally Posted by socketz67
...I am still not a fan of really small cars.
I'm no stranger to small cars and hardtops having owned a Honda del Sol back in mid-90s. Largest I ever owned was a 2001 Maxima and that was short lived - too big.
Do not let the small size fool you. The thing feels like driving a tank at times. Suspension aside, the car feels like it is riding on rails and, surprisingly, the electric power steering is super responsive and effortless. Once you adjust to the learning curve driving the DCT it epitomizes BMW's since abandoned "Ultimate Driving Machine" quality.
To be clear, though, as much as I like the Zed4, it will go before the G does. At this age of my life ingress/egress is becoming more of a issue. Plus, maintenance on anything German is ridiculously complicated and, if your paying someone else, ridiculously overpriced. The Zed4 gives me the ability to do a majority of the maintenance myself, however, there are some things like walnut blasting the intake and DCT maintenance that require BMW "software." Hell, you technically need a computer just to replace the rear brake pads (you have to command the electric motor to retract the pistons). Luckily there was a "app for that." Unless I can find a F83 I will, at some point, have to sell the Zed4, grow up, and get something (*gasp*) larger (Jaguar F-Pace- still looking at you).
As for any comparison with Corvette or anything of the like I have no idea. American cars have never interested me nor have I ever owned one.
The Audi TT's can be very fun cars to toss around. What about a Honda S2000? I am just not a fan of rag tops else I would have ended up with a newer G30 Zed4 or the Jaguar F-Type. I remember too may horror stories of kids in the 70s ripping rag tops for sport. As BMW is ending the G30 Zed4 this month (and likely the A90/91 Supra) it is the end of another era...
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Mar 7, 2026 at 01:09 PM.
Fun new noise from the engine bay last week. Car was sitting for a few weeks, so very cold start up (outside temp also dropped quite a bit during that time).
Sound went away once the car warmed up, like after 10 minutes or so
Seems like this noise is likely serpentine belt?
For reference, I'm at about 58,000 miles and haven't ever serviced any belts yet (my mechanic checks them at least once per year but never flagged any for repair/replacement)
Did you ever figure it out? When mine sounded similar, it turns out my fan module had gone bad. It was just turning the fans full blast all the time. When i would turn the ignition on, but not start the car, the fans would come on.
sDrive35i (3.0L Turbo I6, 300 hp): 5.0 - 5.2 seconds <--Lower end aligned with the G Sport Model RWD Sedan per Car and Driver 2009
sDrive35is (3.0L Turbo I6, 335 hp): 4.4 - 4.8 seconds <--Lower end aligned with a Q50 Redsport Sedan
Why do you think the Zed4 feels so much faster? Also, 2' shorter but 800lbs more? Insulation?
I love the S2000, but am not a ragtop fan either, and those cars sell for a premium because they are the best Nostalgic JDM experience our friends at Honda can offer. I'm also not sure I'd love the VTEC in day to day driving as that car has the same torque as an Accord until the turbo kicks in and knocks the wind out of you around 7K RPMs.
The complexity you described with the BMW is why all of my car friends that have owned them warn me to stay away. I enjoy wrenching on cars, and know my limitations, so I probably wouldn't enjoy owning a car that required a visit to the dealership to change fluids, brakes and batteries. I'm guessing the old E39 M5 would be more fun for me personally, especially since tech nannies, biodegradable tires and OLED displays are not at the top of my priority list.
I go back and forth on domestic cars to be honest. Grew up around muscle cars, pickups and corvettes and all of them have a place within my personal nostalgia. There's part of me that just wants to leave the nostalgia well enough alone and branch out somewhere else, similar to what I did almost 20 years ago when I jumped on the JDM bandwagon with my first G.
I thought that the new Nismo Z would be an option for carrying out that branch in a familiar manner, but the financial crisis at Nissan and the games dealerships are playing with Z pricing almost makes me feel like a chump for even considering one. I heard that Nissan is now limiting production of the 6MT Nismo and allowing dealers to host some form of lottery if you want to buy one. Yuck. I sense that the new Q/G/Skyline, whatever they call it 6MT sedan will suffer the same fate.
"Hey look, we put our 15 year old 6 speed transmission and problematic clutch/CSC into a Nismo Z and sport sedan, so you need to pay"
Last edited by socketz67; Mar 7, 2026 at 05:36 PM.
I have the 35is. The car feels faster because my butt dyno says so, lol. I don't know the 0-60 specifically. Also, I've never tried the "launch feature" that it has. All I know is that when I "punch it" the damn thing is flying faster than a bat out of hell.
BMW's I6 engines have traditionally been torque monsters. Pair that with a set of twin snails and the power is there almost instantaneously. Then, mated to the DCT where you practically can't feel the gears shift... It'll haul aśś and still get 30mpg.
As for dimensions I was estimating. I believe the G Coupe is approx. 15' stem to stern whereas the Zed4 is approx. 13.
Like I mentioned earlier, the car feels like a tank and that additional weight is likely insulation, bracing, and the RHT gizmos and gadgets not unlike the G 'Vert- after all, both RHT systems are from the same designer, Karmann.
I'd still say go for it. Older BMW's are still relatively easy to wrench on, have a ton of aftermarket support, and a large online following of loyalists and gear heads. Anything 2020+ not so much...
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Mar 7, 2026 at 03:53 PM.
I have the 35is. The car feels faster because my butt dyno says so, lol. I don't know the 0-60 specifically. Also, I've never tried the "launch feature" that it has. All I know is that when I "punch it" the damn thing is flying faster than a bat out of hell.
BMW's I6 engines have traditionally been torque monsters. Pair that with a set of twin snails and the power is there almost instantaneously. Then, mated to the DCT where you practically can't feel the gears shift... It'll haul aśś and still get 30mpg.
As for dimensions I was estimating. I believe the G Coupe is approx. 15' stem to stern whereas the Zed4 is approx. 13.
Like I mentioned earlier, the car feels like a tank and that additional weight is likely insulation, bracing, and the RHT gizmos and gadgets not unlike the G 'Vert- after all, both RHT systems are from the same designer, Karmann.
I'd still say go for it. Older BMW's are still relatively easy to wrench on, have a ton of aftermarket support, and a large online following of loyalists and gear heads. Anything 2020+ not so much...
Appreciate the guidance. I almost purchased a CPO N54 E9x 335i when I purchased the G37, so I am familiar with how smooth that I6 is and the torque with the turbos feels endless. The Infiniti dealership ended up giving me the G37S for well below invoice (34K?), which was just a couple thousand more than the older 335i, so I jumped on the G37S and traded in the G35S. In 2004.5, you could actually order the Sport Package by itself, so I loved that the car was such a minimalist and felt nimble as hell.
...I almost purchased a CPO N54 E9x 335i when I purchased the G37...
The N54/N55 as well as the later S55/S58 I6's are next to bulletproof in stock or tuned form. BMW is a master of the inline-6 (I guess a throwback to their aircraft engine days(?)) The way I understand it the only "achilles heel" are the small Mitsubishi turbos that will fail if you continually drive the hell out of the car. Most gear heads choose to replace with upgraded units sooner than later- whether I get to that point IDK. Right now, with only 82k miles on the odo and given that I drive like a grandpa at times, I have had no issues with the stock snails.
Originally Posted by Rochester;[url=tel:4342393
4342393[/url]]Seriously, you just bought that car?
No, I bought it two (2) years ago next week. I started searching for a 'Vert as early as 2020 but...Covid. And the fact that I want/ed a perfect Unicorn.
As mentioned above I wanted the M4 in the Sakhir Orange which, to me, is pure s*x. The Valencia Orange of the Zed4, while intoxicating in its own right, just doesn't have the nuance the deeper Sakhir does. Tomato/ tomahtoe... Irregardless, for a 14yo car it is still a looker.
And, thank you. It's definitely a devil in disguise.
Last edited by ILM-NC G37S; Mar 8, 2026 at 12:19 PM.
I thought that the new Nismo Z would be an option for carrying out that branch in a familiar manner, but the financial crisis at Nissan and the games dealerships are playing with Z pricing almost makes me feel like a chump for even considering one. I heard that Nissan is now limiting production of the 6MT Nismo and allowing dealers to host some form of lottery if you want to buy one. Yuck. I sense that the new Q/G/Skyline, whatever they call it 6MT sedan will suffer the same fate.
"Hey look, we put our 15 year old 6 speed transmission and problematic clutch/CSC into a Nismo Z and sport sedan, so you need to pay"
Contact "Nismo Nick" Scherr at Pinnacle Nissan (Scottsdale Arizona) and he will get you into one for MSRP, assuming he still has allocation (2027 Nismo 6MT). I would guess he sells the most Zs in the country and often blows them out at ~20% off MSRP.
And your second statement is completely untrue. The new Z does not use the old CSC but instead have an external slave (like a 350z, or CMAK). The transmission in the new Z has received minor iterative improvements and on the Nismo model will have an upgraded clutch.
Contact "Nismo Nick" Scherr at Pinnacle Nissan (Scottsdale Arizona) and he will get you into one for MSRP, assuming he still has allocation (2027 Nismo 6MT). I would guess he sells the most Zs in the country and often blows them out at ~20% off MSRP.
And your second statement is completely untrue. The new Z does not use the old CSC but instead have an external slave (like a 350z, or CMAK). The transmission in the new Z has received minor iterative improvements and on the Nismo model will have an upgraded clutch.
Did you ever figure it out? When mine sounded similar, it turns out my fan module had gone bad. It was just turning the fans full blast all the time. When i would turn the ignition on, but not start the car, the fans would come on.
sorry for the delay here!
Nope never figured it out. It only happened once, after a period of very col weather and sitting for several weeks.
So haven’t brought the car in to get checked out yet, but planning to do so pretty soon
I'll be bringing the G out of battery tender hibernation soon. I think it has been down since November or December. Just checking in to say hello and I am still here
I had the G for sale as some of you know and I had several nice comments and some folks saying the price was actually pretty decent, but nobody would bite, so I just took the ad down for now and will keep it for the time being. No real reason to sell. Maybe if I hold onto it long enough, it will become even more rare and will retain nice value.
I was bad this winter, and neglected to clean my Vossens until now, which are sitting in the basement waiting for Spring. So I've been doing one a day, and have one more to go.
I'm going to wait until the weekend after next for installation. And since I'm getting old (it happens guys), I'm going to have my daughter's boyfriend help me. He's pretty jazzed up to help, so it should be a fun afternoon.
Driving after that and for at least until May, I'll have to be very, very careful about potholes.
