BMW Z4 review.

There have been many reviews of the Z4 and this car is certainly popular with a sector of BMW buyers.

I felt the early model, although almost beautiful was crass and ugly as a monkey's bum, but maybe that's just me.

What "Top Gear" and other entertaining car reviewers forgot to mention in most cases was the design faults that riddled this car and almost made it a lemon!

The early Z4s built between 2003 and 2008 had quite a few annoying and often expensive problems.

The problem for many buyers of these cars as a used car is that the owners did not always get the problems remedied in a timely way or did not notice any problem developing.

This can and does cause long term damage to vital components.

The 2003 model came with a porous cylinder head which leaked. The cylinder head leaked oil through to Number 2 cylinder. This was a fine example of a quick and easy way to destroy a motor, and I have seen a few 2003 models with tired motors already because they were not repaired properly by replacing the cylinder head

This problem was not always evident, partly dependent on how the car is being used. For example it is possible to buy a low mileage Z4 with no cylinder head leak, that develops as soon as the new owner, use the car hard.

The early Z4s also had a faulty set of BRMEI coils fitted as OEM equipment that caused the motor to run very roughly at idle and knock. Knocks mean metal getting too close to metal and is never a good idea to ignore this type of ignition problem for too long as it will end in engine damage or even the need for a new engine block and cylinder head!

Despite all of the shortcomings in the early models, the newer model is a beauty and the latest is the best of all, with stunning performance and handling and all the drive-train problems have been resolved.

Only time will tell if the metallurgy and quality of build is still there, but knowing BMW I believe it will be.

For BMW fans who want the looks and smooth drive, the small motor will suffice. For the boy racers the top model will satisfy your need for speed better than most, and if you like that sure footed BMW feel then it may be among the best of the new bunch of performance sports cars that have once again began to flood the market with top class offerings from others such as Audi making this an exciting market to watch.