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Hello and which one to buy?

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  • #16
    I haven't seen the black S54 listed for sale on the usual sites?.

    Plenty of M Coupes for sale at the moment probably the most at one time in the last few years but only a handful are low mileage as cars under 100k are getting rarer all the time and as such are much more desirable

    and commanding much higher prices, buy a low mileage car when you still can the driving experience of a car with uprated suspension and the looks make for more of an occasion when you only drive these cars occasionally as many of us do.

    You will normally get people describing their own cars when you ask for a comparison between the S50 and S54 so always difficult to get a unbiased opinion but without knowing the specific details and prices of the two cars mentioned in the first post

    the S50 with the much lower mileage better condition and less owners would appear to be the sounder investment going by todays market (in my opinion).

    Good luck with either car if you decide to go ahead

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    • #17
      This is good debate, but it would be difficult to convince me that they are very different cars! when it's the exact same car with a mildly different engine! T/C was added as it was straight forward due to the S54's electronic throttle. BMW could (should?) have gone further with the update IMO, perhaps put the 6 speed gearbox in there with the S54 engine, fit ACS suspension as standard (or somewhere in between stock and ACS), fit xenon headlights like E46 M3, make an 18" version of the Roadstars, fit the larger E46 M3 brake setup etc.

      Cosmetic tweaks S50 to S54 were darker wheels and grey instruments, nothing more really. I'd prefer the S54 engine personally, but retain the classic black dials, especially the centre console where grey don't look right (to me). I notice that BMW have gone back to black dials for most M cars after the E46 M3.

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      • #18
        Originally posted by ian View Post
        The OEM suspension is fine for normal road use, I would actually say very good. This is based on driving my MC for over 210K miles, both for business and pleasure. All my suspension has been replaced at some stage with OEM parts. Aftermarket suspension may suit some, but it can place undue stain on the car that the car was not designed to take. Suspension design (as many other things) is always a compromise between effect and cost. Having "lowered" a number of cars over the years, I have learnt this lesson the hard way. I personally would not buy a car for road use with aftermarket suspension, but each to their own.
        Ian, as you say, each to their own, but do consider that OEM suspension on cars and motorcycles is always built to a budget, not just a specification.

        Whilst OEM is adequate, major improvements can always be made with high-end aftermarket suspension, the R&D, design and component quality are just so much better.

        There is absolutely no reason why quality aftermarket suspension would, as you suggest, "place undue strain on the car". The damping is so much more efficient than OEM, and spring rates can be carefully selected.

        The key thing here is choosing the right quality products. Improper or excessive lowering of a car or fitting entry level suspension is always going to give a very different result to properly set up high-end springs and dampers.

        Drive or ride something fitted with correctly set-up fully adjustable Ohlins, for example, and it's night and day compared to OEM.

        All my bikes run quality suspension with great results and even the very affordable KWs on my MC were a significant improvement. Really, the MC's OEM stuff is not that hard to improve on.

        Suspension is one of the best areas to improve a vehicle as comfort, handling, feel, feedback, grip and braking efficiency are all affected by it.

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        • #19
          I've never modified a car prior to the Z3M, but for me the set-up was just too soft. KW's and HandR ARB's have made a massive difference. Uprated bushes also helped, but would agree that these do have some compromises over the stock set-up.

          With regards to the 'undue strain' I think it is fair to say that the Z3M has a few weak points that can fail even with stock set-up. My car is driven, on track on occasions, the weak points have been found-out, addressed and improved. In my opinion, far from being an 'abused' vehicle it has been used sympathetically but to its full and i'd argue that it probably makes strong case for being a more reliable purchase than a low mileage garage queen, that may not have seen the upper end of the rev counter for the last 10 years.

          I still toy with selling the car (came close last year), I fancy a change but really struggle to see what else I would prefer for the same price. Mine is a daily driver and think it will be for some time to come yet

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          • #20
            For the original question - if you want to maintain maximum value/collectability, the lower mileage S50 is probably the best bet as anything over 100k will put some buyers off. If you want something to drive and enjoy, the answer may be different.

            Same applies to modifications. There are a few mods that are well recognised as improving the car and probably won't detract too much from the "collectability" e.g. strut brace, braided clutch hose etc. Suspension mods are very common, and the more tame ones (e.g. H&R springs, bilsteins) leave the car suitable for road use but improve the handling. I spent a long time last year deciding whether to go for aftermarket or stock suspension, and eventually went down the B8/H&R route. I don't think that the ride has suffered, the handling is better, and the car looks much better slightly lowered with 10mm spacers all round. I did it in the knowledge that at 115K miles, my S50 is never going to be a collectable car, and I wanted to improve it so that I can use and enjoy it.

            But if you want to maintain maximum value for a collectable low-mileage car, keep everything stock!
            '99 Imola S50 | Simota | Front strut | Braided clutch cable | Bilstein B8 and H&R springs

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