No im not talking racing, im talking as my new car. If anyone remembers, i weighed out buying a G35 vs miata, and the g35 won because it just had more things i was looking for. Now i found out about the 3.0 z4, and im just curious of the communities thoughts.
With the $14,000~ price range, automatics only, what do you guys think about comparing the two cars? 2003-200X generations for both.

I look for...
-fun driving dynamics (good handling, can break rear trac predictably when wanted, not totally void of feeling, feels nice to drive)
-good sound (2.5 z4 wasnt that impressive, havent driven 3.0 but heard great things and not sure if the exhaust is different/louder on that trim? g35 sounds amazing however)
-good looks (they both look great pretty equally)
-torque (people say 3.0 z4 feels like a muscle car, i imagine the g35 can be described as such from my experience)
-good speeds (g35 pulls hard as f**k, havent driven 3.0 z4)
-good automatic (cant remember if the G35 had 'sport shift' but it does have manual shiftability, the z's tranny was amazing though)
-cost of ownership (is the g35 cheaper overall? both seem to be the same reliability wise, but ive heard the G is hard to work on. also gets worse gas mileage than z4 so that sucks...)
-interior quality (bmw is okay, not amazing, same with the G.. maybe less on the g due to build quality)
-insurance. (350z has high insurance, 3.0z4 doesnt, g35 i dont know off the top of my head. might be the same as z4?)
-good stereo (z4 premium sound system probably blows the g35's out of the water, not to mention replacing g35 head unit is a bitch and costs well over 200 dollars for basic replacement)
-smallness (the z is lighter and smaller but the g35 feels small inside which i like and doesnt feel as heavy as it is, so theyre both almost equal on this)

what i dont care about that much...
-i dont need a convertible (dont say get the roadster cause its a vert)
-i dont care for two extra seats in the back (dont say get the g if i need the space)
-i dont care for extra trunk room
-i dont care about ride quality (i currently drive an integra on coilovers with low profile tires)
-i dont care about manuals or clutch related issues or costs

Now ideally id want people who owned both/driven both/knowledgeable of both to reply and give their thoughts. Again ill note i dont care about manual transmission variants, because i have a disability and physically cannot drive manual. Thats why having a decent automatic is important to me.
Please post your thoughts/inputs/comparisons/experiences

 

are you gonna make a new thread- G35 vs "any car" every time???lol

 

haha no, it wouldve originally been a z4 vs g35 thread had i known it existed... my dream car is an e36 m3.

 

Don't you think you'll get a biased opinion because your posting on a g35 forum? Anyways, bmw is maintenance crazy and costs significantly more over time. That alone steers me away. Dream car or not it is what it is.

Do you want to pay absorbent amounts of money to keep a car running that offers less performance or similar to the g35 or have a g35 that has great performance and Japanese reliability and it's damn sexy.... Go on the Beamer forums and just flat out ask about maintenance cost.. When I did I was told to save 2000 per year for maintenance... To me that's dumb, I can buy a lot more than a car for 2000 a year

 

haha yes this aint ma first rodeo. and the z4 i have heard less reliability quirks about than the g35. g35 has some engine stuff going on in higher mileage, some type of knock or something. also heard the window motors go out a lot, sometimes oil burning issues, the horrible gas mileage, tire wear, body flex or something also... and brakes etc. ive also heard its a bitch to work on.

z4 ive heard the top motor can break if not properly maintained (leaving it out in the rain and not draining some thing by the roof motor) and not much else besides a sticky steering problem in the earlier models but most likely have been fixed under warranty by now. not to mention it gets 30+mpg on the highway and 18-20s in the city.

thats why i ask, is it ACTUALLY cheaper than a z4? also the dream car comment you made is irrelevant lol this topic isnt about the e36.

 

It's a fun little car but not much of a dream car. Why not just buy an e36 M instead? Much cheaper than what you're looking to spend and you can get one with an auto gearbox.

Also, I don't know much about the z4 but coming from an e46 M I can tell you that BMWs can cost a pretty penny to own/mantain.

 

Every car is different, even if you were comparing a G35 vs. a G35. The two cars you spoke of are in two different catagories. Yes, the G has oil issues (some do and some don't) but, they are easily fixed. The BMW is going to cost more mechanically but, it's still a good car. The G is not hard to work on at all, I know, I work on mine whenever it's time for maintenance. Both cars will turn heads wherever you go. Bottom line it's your decision and your money. You can't go wrong either way. Me, I'd save for my dream car and make that a dream come true. Just my 2 cents. You only live once.

 

I dont know about that... ive heard of some costly repairs within the e36 M community and they always end up talking me out of it. I need something reliable as im in college.

". When I first got it the serpentine belt blew and I had to replace the cooling system in it along with that belt. It misfired also and I had to replace the DME which was like part of this computer thingy lol. I just recanted replaced the oil pan gasket because it was leaking oil and I'm about to do the valve cover gasket as well." from a friend lol. Like i said i havent heard much of anything going wrong on the z4 besides the roof motor, and it gets better mpg and still runs high 13's and has a better transmission id imagine? and newer suspension, newer car in general, etc and less insurance than an e36m id imagine, but i havent actually checked into that. but the z4 3.0 isnt much more than my integra.

 

Don't settle, go for gold. Of you want an e36 m3 then get it, they aren't too costly of a purchase price and maintain it and drive it.