Big news: my blood-red Lexus SC430 is no more. At least, not with me anymore. He is now driving his laps in the north of the country, where he is allowed to sleep inside and is pampered even more than before. The transfer took place three years and three months after the purchase by the undersigned, an absolute personal record. Due to an increasing share of all kinds of test cars, this does not apply to the number of kilometers driven, but with a total of just under 40,000 units, I still feel a strong bond with the striking super-Japanese that I brought to the Netherlands in August 2017.
Still, it is fine that the car is gone. No matter how much admiration I have for people who drive the same car for twenty years (I like to take it over!), At one point it was just beautiful for me. In my twelve-year car career, about twenty copies have already been reviewed. Recurring themes: Japanese, BMWs and convertibles. Since there is already a sensible family car and my own car is mainly used for pleasure rides and trips to and from car importers, the practical side of the matter is of secondary importance. For many, there may immediately be a spartan, hardcore ripping iron on the sidewalk, but that category does not appeal to me. For me, a car should have a story, a look I can relate to and an interior in which I can feel at home. A bit of luxury is also part of it. A car stands for travel, for freedom, and my warm cocoon for the quiet moments can be a bit comfortable.
Yet there has been changed in that area by the Lexus. The SC430 was a nice thing, but also very heavy and distant. This time the focus could be a bit more on driving behavior, but not at the expense of everything. With this strange combination of wishes, there was one car that kept floating upwards: the BMW Z4 of the first generation. This design from BMW’s Bangle period has dried up impossibly well as far as I am concerned and, contrary to expectations, turns out to be very timeless. The Z4 E85 combines the long nose and short butt of classic roadsters with a style all its own and BMW’s usual strengths, such as a cozy interior, an excellent seating position and of course a great six-in-line. On the other hand, there were the horror stories and experiences about astronomical maintenance costs, stretching timing chains and all kinds of electronic woes that made the Lexus driver in me seriously doubt. Because driving always remains a leap of faith and there simply was no other car that fitted the picture so well, those rational arguments have once again been brushed off the table. A Z4 had to come!
However, that is not a solution, because the search for a good copy is perhaps even more difficult than the search for the right one. First bump: the color. Short and sweet: I hate black and dark gray on a car. In this respect I am apparently completely different from the people who treated themselves to a new Z4 between 2003 and 2006, because they opted almost without exception for ‘colors’ like Sterling Gray and Space Gray. Those steel gray shades actually look quite good on the Z4 ‘in itself’, but they manage to smother the cheerful character of this open toy very skillfully. With the elimination of every shade of gray, the flush suddenly became very thin, especially because the preference was for a three-liter with a number of mandatory options and without all kinds of retro-fitting details. After a week-long and intensely time-consuming search on all kinds of websites from home and abroad, the choice fell on an original Dutch copy in the beautiful color ‘Maldives Blue’. Combined with an almost completely beige interior, that blue comes out exceptionally well, whereby at most I could wish that the hood was also carried out in beige. The car is not ‘full options’, but with cruise control, climate control, xenon, electrically adjustable seats and heated seats, it does have the important things.
These wheels are a slap in the face of the tasteful color scheme of the rest of the car
There is also something that will undoubtedly disgust most enthusiasts: an automatic. I don’t have much of that aversion and certainly see the advantages of a car with two pedals, but I cannot deny that such a container does not correspond so well with the pure roadster feeling. Another potential disadvantage is the astronomical mileage of 288,000 for Z4 standards. That is the almost inevitable fate of the buyer who invariably shops at the most advantageous corner of the offer. Call it stupid, call it sad, but Jantje always comes home with well-used and relatively inexpensive ones. Compared to the Lexus, which had almost 377k on the clock in the end, it is in any case not too bad. Another objection: the wheels. My Z4 was still on its original ‘Styling 103’ hoops, but a previous owner thought it necessary to mess black. A downright one slap in the face of the tasteful color scheme, especially since the same predecessor found it necessary to also spray the brake calipers red. You will understand: the first weeks I preferably did my rounds in the dark and with the hood closed.
Meanwhile, the Z4 is a lot better. Silver 103’s, a lick of black paint for the brake calipers, advertising-free license plate holders and a thorough cleaning have done it a lot of good. A first round at the specialist as well, although this was at the expense of the bank account. Major flaws have not yet been discovered, but with a series of small fry we are still about a thousand euros further. Ah yes, BMWs….
Photo 1: Willem Verstraten