BMW USED CARS

Seduction, BMW tells us, is the name of the game in the modern roadster market. Demographic evidence and customer confessions suggest that hardly anyone actually needs a wind-in-the-hair car with a small trunk and just two seats, so people have a lot of time to stroke their chins, consult the position of the planets and think about the purchase. We aren't talking corn harvesters or fire trucks here. Buyers have to fall in love.

"The roadster market has always been volatile," BMW's Klaus Borgman told us at the launch of the new Z4 near Alicante, Spain. "Roadsters are an emotional purchase," he said, "so sales depend on what's offered at the time. It's the concept that decides."

And this year BMW has decided to broaden the concept by restyling the Z4 and offering a little more space and luxury, along with an all-season retractable hardtop — thereby replacing the previous Z4 Coupe and Roadster with a single, do-everything model.

Z3 was the first modern BMW roadster, as well as the first new BMW car assembled in the United States. BMW Z3 was introduced as a 1996 model year vehicle, shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye. There were a few variants of the car before its production run ended in 2002, including a coupé version for 1999. It was manufactured and assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina. BMW Z3 was replaced by the BMW Z4 introduced in late 2002 at the Paris Auto Show.

BMW Z3 was developed from the E36 platform of the BMW 3 Series. The resulting platform is sometimes referred to as the E36/7(roadster) or E36/8(coupé). The rear semi-trailing arm suspension from the E30 was used rather than the more sophisticated multilink suspension from the E36. At first, only the 1.9 L M44B19 straight-4 engine was offered, but its 138 hp (103 kW) was not up to buyers' expectations. Interior appointments too were not up to the standard of other BMW models, and the plastic rear window looked poor compared to the glass unit found on the much less expensive 1999 Mazda MX5.

This year's Z4 has been redesigned for 2009. The previous generation's creases have been smoothed out, and a newly redesigned rear end addresses the complaints about the previous generation's design. The biggest difference from last year is the absence of a cloth soft-top. BMW did away with the separate coupe and convertible and now only offers a power-folding hard top.

The 2009 BMW Z4 roadster is available in two trims, sDrive30i and sDrive35i. The 30i comes with a 3.0L inline-6-cylinder engine that makes 255 hp and 220 lb-feet of torque, while the 35i comes with a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine, making 300 hp and 300 lb-feet of torque. Both engines are mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, and a 6-speed Steptronic dual-clutch transmission with steering wheel shift paddles is optional.

After a lengthy and successful run, the first generation Z4 will bow out this winter to make way for a new and improved model for 2009. Completely redesigned the new Z4 will be available with two engines and several transmission choices.
The Z4 sDrive35i will make use of BMW’s fabulous twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six powerplant, which boasts 300hp and 300 ft-lbs of torque, and the sDrive30i will come equipped with a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six (the same one found in the 328) that produces a respectable 255hp and 220 ft-lbs of torque.
Both vehicles come standard with a six-speed manual transmission and each have different optional transmissions: the sDrive30i an optional six-speed automatic and the sDrive35i with the seven-speed double-clutch system first offered on the M3!
Acceleration wise, the sDrive30i will hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds (or 6.0 seconds with the automatic) whereas the sDrive35i will blast to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds (or an even more impressive 5.0 seconds with the double-clutch transmission).

There's no denying the sex appeal of the Z4 M Coupe. Women wonder if you're James Bond, men spin their heads lustfully when you pimp it down Main Street. It's not that the car looks particularly exotic-it just looks different. There's nothing on the road anything like this radically proportioned Coupe. The same was true of the first one.

I love the attention, but I don't really like the styling. As rare as the shape is, it doesn't seem balanced. And the headlights are just too Bangled for my taste.

On the other hand, the engine has the kind of soul that God would request in a sports car. It's perfectly tractable at low revs, but an obvious willingness to spin is a constant reminder that things get much more exciting after 4000 rpm. It d