Dark evenings, frosty windscreens and the winter tyre debates are now a thing of the past, well, until our calendars turn to November, but for the time being it’s all about making the most of the 2011 summer and what better way than stepping into something of the Z variety?  

Depreciation is a brilliant thing on the proviso that your name isn’t a long-term feature on the logbook. From a buyer’s perspective, as time moves on the floodgates are opened to the BMWs that were previously unaffordable when they took pride of place inside the main dealer showrooms. Whereas nowadays, they can be viewed on someone’s driveway for a fraction of their original cost.

A case in point this month lies with Z4 values, because this once controversial Bangle-styled Roadster can be snapped up for as little as £6k, which is a bargain considering the advances that were made by BMW over its older brother, the Z3. The fantastic Coupés still command north of £10k and their punchy 3.0-litre engine is a viable alternative to those who can’t quite stomach the frankly mental M Coupé.

However, if the visions of Bangle don’t suit your tastes and you have a penchant for being spat out into the horizon by a crazed straight-six, then another bargain hidden in the mist is the Z3 M Roadster. They change hands for much less than the Coupé version and of the few that come up for sale, well cared for, low mileage examples are advertised for as little as £7,500 –  definitely a classic in the making.

Another interesting time this month was the time spent with the Falken guys that flew over from Germany to spend time with Total BMW. It’s certainly a perk of this job, being given the opportunity to talk shop with the faces that have developed the goodies that receive all the hype, the FK452 in this instance. It’s always an education and you often come away with a stockpile of previously unknown facts – which we always try and pass on to you guys...

Adam Tait - Editor

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