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S50 versus S54......again!

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  • #16
    The obvious differences are a later engine (won many awards), fly by wire throttle, DSC (traction control which has saved me a number of times over the years), shadow chrome wheels, grey dials, OBD2 (I think?). A lot fewer made.

    Didn't appreciate the differences when I bought mine, just on a BMW dealers forecourt and I had to buy it.
    S54 Titan Silver metallic. Black leather, most factory options including sunroof, Becker Cascade and Becker Silverstone changer.

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    • #17
      The differences in driving experience are extremely marginal and probably in practice masked by other issues such as how well the car has been maintained....

      So the major difference is price and rarity....... if the market goes up you will probably make more on an S54, and if it goes down you will probably lose more. Assuming you can afford the initial outlay that's something to think about....... and don't listen to the people that say values don't matter ...... any rational person should care about the value of their assets - one never knows when another aspect of your life may force a sale......

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      • #18
        So true Matt.

        Best to buy what you can enjoy now.

        Decision being, would you buy a high mileage later car that has been "driven" but maintained or a low mileage early car that has average history?

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        • #19
          On another note...

          Having looked at a few cars now, 4 of them were all registered on the 20th October 1998.

          Have I missed something or is this just a spooky coincidence?

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          • #20
            You are doing the right thing by going to look at a number of different cars, which enables you to compare pros and cons.
            Back in 2004/5 when I was looking to purchase my first MC, I talked with a few owners at Gaydon Show (Zzzemmco and Exdos) about what to look for when buying one.
            I then travelled as far north as Edinburgh and south to London to look at 4 x Z3MCs and 1 x Z3MR before deciding on the one I wanted. Even managed to drive a MC & MR in same day to further make my mind up on a MC.
            Good luck with your quest.
            Pete C

            2000 Z3M Coupe - Cosmos Black Metallic/Black interior. 805 of 821 RHD built

            Previous BMWs

            2003 E46 M3 6 speed manual - Carbon Black/Black interior.
            2000 Z3M Coupe - Cosmos Black Metallic/Black interior. 692 of 821 RHD built
            1986 M635
            1985 E28 M5
            1983 E28 528i Alpina

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            • #21
              Originally posted by dvaughan1979 View Post
              So true Matt.

              Best to buy what you can enjoy now.

              Decision being, would you buy a high mileage later car that has been "driven" but maintained or a low mileage early car that has average history?
              certainly true that a well maintained high mileage car is likely to lead to (much) lower bills [ask me how I know] but another factor is what you eant to do with it. If you plan to put substantive miles on the car then there's no point at all in paying a premium for low mileage..... If the car is for summer driving and the odd show then a low miler starts to make more sense economically [for those of us who care about the values of our assets].

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              • #22
                Originally posted by petecossie View Post
                You are doing the right thing by going to look at a number of different cars, which enables you to compare pros and cons.
                Back in 2004/5 when I was looking to purchase my first MC, I talked with a few owners at Gaydon Show (Zzzemmco and Exdos) about what to look for when buying one.
                I then travelled as far north as Edinburgh and south to London to look at 4 x Z3MCs and 1 x Z3MR before deciding on the one I wanted. Even managed to drive a MC & MR in same day to further make my mind up on a MC.
                Good luck with your quest.
                I did the same thing in 2005; I was going from a 2.8 Roadster which I hadn't had long but couldn't get on with the scuttle shake - apart from that the car was great and the 2.8 dual vanos engine was fantastic. At that time most Coupes were £16k+ and my budget wouldn't stretch to that, but I found a higher mileage car (at that time) which was the cheapest in the country so took a trip down from Manchester to Reading, stopping in Birmingham on the way to test drive two Z3M Roadsters. The Z3M Roadster didn't feel as wobbly as my 2.8 (still had scuttle shake though), but when I drove the Coupe it just felt like a completely different car and knew I had to have it.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by MattH3764 View Post
                  .... and don't listen to the people that say values don't matter ...... any rational person should care about the value of their assets - one never knows when another aspect of your life may force a sale......
                  So I'm irrational

                  My 'investment' in my MC has cost me £2k per year during my ownership (not including running costs). That to me has been a great investment, regardless of what the car sells for if/when I sell. Of course, if it sells for more than I bought it, happy days, but it's never been something that I've considered when buying something just to enjoy
                  Not actually in the least bit fat

                  2000 S50 Titanium Silver / Black
                  ACS Suspension, Exhaust & Type III Wheels
                  Simota carbon air intake | Strong Strut Front Brace

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                  • #24
                    I never bought the car as an investment, back then the values were depreciating consistently and didn't expect values to rise or retain the value. Technically almost free motoring though now!

                    It's a bit of a different though process now, because the values have risen you would buy because you've always wanted one and have to factor in the fact that you can buy a lot more car (and newer) for the same money elsewhere [that may just be depreciating].
                    Last edited by c_w; 03-08-2017, 11:13 AM.

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by dvaughan1979 View Post
                      Hi guys,

                      Sorry to go over old ground, but I've scoured the threads and thought I'd ask the question.

                      I know the differences between spec, engine and rarity etc. But what is the actual difference on a day to day?

                      Higher revs, but less bhp. For blasting down your favourite road, where sometimes you can't reach the redline, would you notice the difference?

                      I know Spooks has gone from S50 to S54 so wondered if anyone else had made the change and for what reasons?

                      This was the original question by the way which I don't think has really been answered?

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                      • #26
                        I think it has in a roundabout way; there isn't a massive difference; the S54 is newer and less were made. Someone has said they prefer the older S50 throttle response, I'm surprised by this as I normally like the response that drivebywire can give (due to more aggressive throttle mapping).

                        Some personal preferences can come in to it; I prefer the S50 Silverchrome wheels which are more striking against the car than shadow chrome IMO, the shadow chromes vary so much they all look like they have been refinished. S54 engine bay looks tidier, but the S50 intakes can look a bit racier. I prefer the classic black dials.

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                        • #27
                          Put it this way, I wouldn't change any thing significantly on my stock S54. Had a S50 MR some years back and it devoured rear tyres (no traction). Other than that, it was a fine car but the S54 engine "feels" better. I also prefer the grey dials and shadow chrome wheels. The cars extreme rarity is also no bad thing.

                          Like what you have, if buying get the best (and most original) you can afford.
                          S54 Titan Silver metallic. Black leather, most factory options including sunroof, Becker Cascade and Becker Silverstone changer.

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                          • #28
                            I have an S54, it is the more advanced engine for sure, but I still don't particularly like the drive by wire throttle to be honest.

                            I like to be in control of the throttle butterfly, not the computer thinking it knows better than me!

                            One of the benefits is the easier integration of the traction control, although it can be done with a manual throttle cable, ala early E39 v8s with ASC.

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                            • #29
                              ASC is absolute rubbish though (to the point of being dangerous), and was never used on the S50 due to the 6 individual throttles rather than a single one like (I assume) on that E39 V8 or 2.8 Z3 etc.

                              On many cars when there is a facelift or "LCI" in BMW speak, they tend to make a lot of changes to the car, like on the E90 3-series, from 2008 onwards they looked quite a bit different front and rear, but also had different suspension including a wider rear track (all early e90s look really narrow at the back). But on the Z3M Coupe there was nothing of significance changed, literally apart from the S54 engine and additional DSC facilitated by electronic throttles. That said, M Cars tend not to get changed too much through their lifetime.

                              Some cars are colour specific, like Phoenix Yellow which was S54 only, so if you wanted that colour that helps your decision!
                              Last edited by c_w; 04-08-2017, 11:19 AM.

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                              • #30
                                I can't remember the principle properly, but I guess the E39s had a separate butterfly for the traction control which worked independently of the normal throttle body/butterfly arrangement.I remember it being quite intrusive and very abrupt at cutting in.

                                The DSC is quite a lot better in an S54 Z3M, although I think it got even better in E46s with a more sophisticated controller.

                                I assume the reason they don't make too many changes to the M cars is the lack of volume. The tooling bill for those changes has to be borne across a lot fewer cars. With your LCIs it is spread across hundreds of thousands of cars.

                                I imagine even to swap to the S54 would have cost around £5 million+ by the time you factor in car and engine testing etc. They made what, <1000 cars worldwide. That's £5k on each car, just for the engine, ouch!

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