u/mrcompositorman

Two weeks ago I asked for your advice on a great sounding affordable convertible. Last weekend I drove three hours to pick up this 2004 Z4 3.0!

It’s been owned by a retired couple for the past 16 years, always garaged, and has just over 50k miles. It’s in amazing condition for a 20+ year old car, and I managed to buy it for just $11,000! 

The car is a 3.0 inline six paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. Whoever ordered it checked every option - the sport package with drive modes, heated leather seats with power adjustment and memory, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlights, cruise control, brushed aluminum trim, auto-dimming mirrors, and a power soft top that still works perfectly. 

Coming in well under the 15k budget I was aiming for, I have some cash leftover for the routine maintenance that any car of this age is in need of. I’ll be replacing all the fluids and filters, as well as the shocks and struts.

Anyway, thanks for all of the comments on my original post! You guys had some great suggestions, and a few terrible ones (I’m still thinking about you, LS430 guy). Anyway, I’m excited to enjoy some topless cruising over the summer! 

I love my current garage lineup, but recently I've been really craving a car that just offers a bit more character. Not something to take to the track or push (my 992 checks that box perfectly) but something to put the top down and enjoy a lovely Sunday drive.

Wants:

• Convertible (or targa top)
• Engine that sounds great
• Manual transmission
• A nice interior
• Something I can maintain myself

Cars I'm considering:

C5 Corvette

Pros: Sounds excellent, good parts availability, easy to work on

Cons: Looking for a 2001 or newer car because there were significant updates that model year, and it's been tough to find in my price range. I also don't care much for the interior of these.

987.2 Boxster

Pros: Sounds good, great interior space, wonderful driving dynamics. I'm a huge Porsche guy, so my heart leans toward this. However...

Cons: Almost impossible to find in my price range, even with high miles. Incredibly difficult to work on myself due to the mid-engine layout, expensive parts and upkeep, common expensive issues.

E85 Z4 3.0

Pros: Bulletproof inline 6, good parts availability, easy to work on, pretty nice interior space, actually readily available in my price range even with pretty low miles.

Cons: Typical BMW reliability issues that would need addressing, wasn't amazed my the steering in this car last time I drove one.

Let's address the elephant in the room: no, I don't want a Miata. I've owned 3, I love them, but the sound their engine makes is far from inspiring and I'm interested in something with a different vibe.

So, looking over my list I feel like the Z4 is probably the car that most realistically ticks my boxes and will be the best ownership experience. Am I missing anything else obvious?

EDIT: thank you all for your many helpful comments, suggestions, and ideas! Based on the discussion here, I think my next steps are:

- test drive both a C5 and Z4
- if I prefer the Z4 I’ll buy one
- if I prefer the C5 I probably need to raise my budget a bit to get a good one.

Thank you all again, I hope to report back soon with a new car in the garage!

When driving on roads with bumps, I’ve been having a near constant creaking/rattling noise that is driving me absolutely insane. I’ve tried to isolate it to no avail. Anyone have a similar issue or have any suggestions to fix?