Supposed to take delivery of my manual Z4 M40i in a few weeks - toying with getting a Z instead

[yellowz6mt]

I think the Z4 just has less compromises. Trunk actually has quite a bit of room and the cabin is laid out better. Seems trivial but the infotainment screen and back up camera are from 2 generations ago. Suspension on the Z4 also doesn’t beat you up as much and the car is just as engaging to drive. Not saying the Z is a bad car… it‘s a bargain at current market prices. I did a cross country trip… around 2,200 miles in the Z4 and the not having adaptive cruise wasn’t as big of a deal. Felt pretty good after that trip actually… not sure if I would be feeling that fresh after being in the Z that long. The other car in the pic is a 992.2 Carrera T. That is def a car that can be driven daily and has less compromises than either the Z or Z4. Outside of Porsche’s GT cars that’s the best 911 in their lineup. All the other 992’s have gotten too far into the touring category that I would rather just get a M8 or AMG at that point and get a bigger back seat and bigger trunk.

Save 30k and get a z performance M/T. I’m sure you’ll find better use of that savings!

 

[johnuf78]

Save 30k and get a z performance M/T. I’m sure you’ll find better use of that savings!

I test drove both the Nismo and Performance M/T and the Performance just didn’t feel as good as the Nismo. For some reason…. Maybe the tires?… but the Nismo had better steering feedback and suspension was more responsive. The Performance Z suspension felt too soft and had too much body roll.

 

[CPerdomo]

I'm torn between the two, and any real-world owner insights would be incredibly helpful in making this final decision. Thanks in advance!

I bought a 2024 Performance new from the delivery truck. A year later changed it for a Nismo Z.
Absolutely loved both. I am also a hard core MT guy, but the Nismo is simply amazing.
I've owned German cars before. This is how I would compare the Bimmer against the Z: Look at how these cars age. Look at their resale value 10 years after. A Nissan Z will always give a better value years from now. It will definitely age way better. And will always be cheaper to repair.

 

[CPerdomo]

I have an AA sport cats in the Z4 with a valve controller and in my opinion it sounds better than the my Z Nismo with a Nismo exhaust.

John, would you mind sending me pictures of the rear of your Nismo? I have the same model and am considering the Nismo decals. I was wondering how they would look but now that I see yours, I have a good idea.
Also, you changed the exhaust in it? I think mine is loud enough...
Thanks in advance.

 

[CPerdomo]

I don't really like the way the Z4 looks, and while it seems to be an amazing car, it's still annoying to spend almost $80k (after tax) on a compromise.

As the driver enthusiasts that most of us are; here in this forum, I can tell ya... most of us would turn around and look at our beautiful Z every time we park it. If you don't like how the Bimmer looks... "forgedabaouded"

 

[CPerdomo]

German autos are amazing in tech, performance and styling. Unfortunately, big money pits and I love Porsche, BMW Audi and Mercedes.

Absolutely correct. I've owned 3 Audis. Two A4's and a TT. Loved them. Considered myself and Audi guy until Nissan announced that the Datsun legacy was coming back. And here I am. Have purchased two in the period of a year. May do the third one for the Manual Nismo Z. We'll see.

 

[CPerdomo]

but, they do like to break with a bit of age and a big part is how much plastic is in use with the drivetrain components

Not trying to hate, just stating what's out in the wild

Everything breaks with a bit of age in German cars. This is the point that many seem to be missing.
This is an easy thing to do. Just go outside... drive around, and compare the brands by looking at cars five to ten years of age. Also, Germans cars devalue faster and greater than Japanese cars. You can compare a high sports BMW or Mercedes Benz against a Toyota Corolla. Then search their value after five to ten years... if that doesn't tell you anything, you won't ever get it...
If you change cars every three years, then lease them and keep changing them.

 

[trackratZ]

I test drove both the Nismo and Performance M/T and the Performance just didn’t feel as good as the Nismo. For some reason…. Maybe the tires?… but the Nismo had better steering feedback and suspension was more responsive. The Performance Z suspension felt too soft and had too much body roll.

Yep, this is well documented and reviewed, perhaps the OP should wait and, since wanted a manual, test drive the upcoming Nismo Z 6MT. I would do the same when it comes out, in the mean time doing stages in upgrades, buttoning down the suspension of my 6MT Performance, and will compare then. It's refreshing to be able to upgrade since lots of options already out there, personalize it the way I want. Handling, braking are my priorities, not outright straightline speeds. Planning 70/30% use

 

[Deleted member 4577]

I just drove both cars back-to-back again. It was my first time in the Z, and while I know the Z4 pretty well, I asked a friend to loan me his for an hour just to be sure.

I want to explain my thought process here and why I even considered this: I thought, the Z's original MSRP was $55k, which is very similar to the Supra. Since the Supra is a bit worse in terms of refinement and quality compared to the Z4, I figured the Z must be at a similar refinement level. I was okay with the Z being a slightly worse car for a lot less money, but sadly, it's not slightly worse-it's significantly worse in pretty much every aspect.

I'll start with the good: the power is great, the car feels small, and the manual transmission, while worse than the Z4's, is better than all the reviews said. The car also looks great. But that's about it.

It is significantly less refined than the Z4, or even other Japanese brands like Honda or Mazda. My wife's Mazda3 feels a lot better. The steering felt super weird; it had this odd behavior where if I was parked and moved it just a little bit, instead of actually moving the wheels, it would snap back to where it was. The buttons on the steering wheel felt super cheap, like embarrassingly bad. The adaptive cruise control, which I was excited about, gets immediately canceled the moment you press the clutch. Why???? And the seats... Oh, the seats. They were terrible. There is zero thigh support, and you can't control either the lumbar support or the amount of bolstering. For some reason, it's half manual, half electric????. There were a bunch of other things, too.

I think that for around $43-44k, the Performance model is a decent option-you get a lot of car for the money. But this car has no business being released with an MSRP of $55k+, and I can completely understand why they've been sitting on lots for over a year. I think the biggest issue is that I came with the expectation of driving a $55-60k sports car, not a $40k one. Personally, in this price category, I would have taken a Type R any day of the week.

 

[Bumflik]

I just drove both cars back-to-back again. It was my first time in the Z, and while I know the Z4 pretty well, I asked a friend to loan me his for an hour just to be sure.

I want to explain my thought process here and why I even considered this: I thought, the Z's original MSRP was $55k, which is very similar to the Supra. Since the Supra is a bit worse in terms of refinement and quality compared to the Z4, I figured the Z must be at a similar refinement level. I was okay with the Z being a slightly worse car for a lot less money, but sadly, it's not slightly worse-it's significantly worse in pretty much every aspect.

I'll start with the good: the power is great, the car feels small, and the manual transmission, while worse than the Z4's, is better than all the reviews said. The car also looks great. But that's about it.

It is significantly less refined than the Z4, or even other Japanese brands like Honda or Mazda. My wife's Mazda3 feels a lot better. The steering felt super weird; it had this odd behavior where if I was parked and moved it just a little bit, instead of actually moving the wheels, it would snap back to where it was. The buttons on the steering wheel felt super cheap, like embarrassingly bad. The adaptive cruise control, which I was excited about, gets immediately canceled the moment you press the clutch. Why???? And the seats... Oh, the seats. They were terrible. There is zero thigh support, and you can't control either the lumbar support or the amount of bolstering. For some reason, it's half manual, half electric????. There were a bunch of other things, too.

I think that for around $43-44k, the Performance model is a decent option-you get a lot of car for the money. But this car has no business being released with an MSRP of $55k+, and I can completely understand why they've been sitting on lots for over a year. I think the biggest issue is that I came with the expectation of driving a $55-60k sports car, not a $40k one. Personally, in this price category, I would have taken a Type R any day of the week.

Dude... I had 2 type Rs. If you want a car that checks all the boxes but has 4 doors. Get the type R.. do you. You seem to know what u want. Do it.

 

[Deleted member 4577]

Dude... I had 2 type Rs. If you want a car that checks all the boxes but has 4 doors. Get the type R.. do you. You seem to know what u want. Do it.

I am just continuing where I left off with the Z4. I thought there is an opportunity here for a "free lunch" with getting the Z for 10-15k below MSRP, but this discounted price seems to be what the car is actually worth.

 

[yellowz6mt]

premium price + premium keep up = premium cars. Enjoy new Z4.

 

[Kelvin]

I think this is it right here.
Just go with your gut. Mine said buy this Z after I drove it while I wasn't seriously considering it until that point.

I am not disappointed.

Yes. Hence why it is cheap. My Z is only a year old, 10k miles, work from home, and I can already see some interior wear.

I also own an X6 and the build quality is out of the world. But like others have said, it is more expensive to maintain once warranty expires.

Can you elaborate or give us some specific areas of the interior wear and tear. I have heard that before and just would like to see how I can decrease its probability with my Z or lessen the wear and tear on my interior, especially the seats. Thanks

 

[johnuf78]

John, would you mind sending me pictures of the rear of your Nismo? I have the same model and am considering the Nismo decals. I was wondering how they would look but now that I see yours, I have a good idea.
Also, you changed the exhaust in it? I think mine is loud enough...
Thanks in advance.

I’m currently back in FL right now and I keep my Z at my 2nd home so had to pull these from past pictures. I actually had two Z’s at the same time because I was planning on keeping one in FL but I ended up selling it to make room for the Carrera T and ended up keeping two Z4’s instead of two Z’s…. No question the Z4 costs more but it really is a better car. I put both pics in so you can see the one with the Nismo exhaust and one with the factory exhaust.… So I also had the opportunity to have stock vs Nismo side by side. The Nismo is louder but still has that distinct vacuum cleaner type sound with these engines. My other Z4 has a Valvetronic, Eventuri intake and also AA Sport Cat downpipes and that one is actually almost too loud with the valve open so I drive with it closed most of the time… stock exhaust with AA sport cats is about just right.

 

[Kelvin]

I’m currently back in FL right now and I keep my Z at my 2nd home so had to pull these from past pictures. I actually had two Z’s at the same time because I was planning on keeping one in FL but I ended up selling it to make room for the Carrera T and ended up keeping two Z4’s instead of two Z’s…. No question the Z4 costs more but it really is a better car. I put both pics in so you can see the one with the Nismo exhaust and one with the factory exhaust.… So I also had the opportunity to have stock vs Nismo side by side. The Nismo is louder but still has that distinct vacuum cleaner type sound with these engines. My other Z4 has a Valvetronic, Eventuri intake and also AA Sport Cat downpipes and that one is actually almost too loud with the valve open so I drive with it closed most of the time… stock exhaust with AA sport cats is about just right.

Really sweet rides bro!!