Whats the deal with BMW Z8's?

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geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
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<< For $175,000 I could have a Z28 Camaro running the quarter mile in 8 seconds >>


175k?? I've seen figures more along the lines of 125/128k

EDIT - Actually, here's a link to Carpoint, $128k
 

Valhalla1

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
8,678
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I went by autotrader.com, which all with prices listed were above $150k. one as $200,000. Carpoint may list the suggested price, but I doubt you could actually find one for that price. Dealer markup on rare cares can be astronomical. I may be wrong though, link one that I could buy RIGHT NOW cash for $125k
 

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
25,074
4
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Ah, looks like you're right. Every price I see around is well over $128k
 

Grendel99

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
888
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A friend of mine I know got a Z8. He payed $134,000 for it. Was nice car, fast, mounds of torque, and the engine sounded pretty good. But, the damn thing has only one cup holder! And it looks like an after thought. It is just poking out of the side of the center console, very annoying. And the gearing isn't all to good. The engine sounds like it is about to explode when you are doing 35mph in first gear. So he traded it in and got a Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante :D
 

UN1Xnut

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
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I have test driven a Z8 and i honestly think the gearing is pretty good. Not the last word in high performance, but very good. Yet another attempt by BMW to produce a world class exotic. Much along the same lines of the 850Csi and others.

Part of the cost is the hand crafted aluminium body and many one-off parts.

As for the DB7, I also know somebody who owns one. I would take the DB7 for longer trips, but take the Z8 for those twisty back roads.

-nut
 

Anand Lal Shimpi

Boss Emeritus
Staff member
Oct 9, 1999
663
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Valhalla1

MSRP on the Z8 is $128K and while it can be argued that it's worth that, it's definitely not worth the $175 - $300K+ I have seen it advertised at. The build quality on the Z8 is supposed to be incredible, much better than any Porsche, Ferrari or any other car in that class as well as lower price classes.

The exhaust note on the Z8 is supposed to be incredible as well. The acceleration, braking and handling of the car are very respectable and the sheer fun of a convertible is difficult to argue against.

However, it turns out that because it &quot;looks pretty&quot; a lot of speculators have picked up the limited allocations and sold them at incredibly high premiums. The Z8 is more of a boulevard cruiser than a pure bred race car. It is a viable daily driver courtesy of its incredible build quality and offers some pretty competitive performance.

I really don't agree with the price premium that the car is carrying however, keep in mind that you can generally pick up a F360 or a 996TT for cheaper than one of these above-MSRP Z8s.

Speculators often times keep the enthusiasts away from the cars they want, imagine what the hardware market would be like if speculators found it profitable enough. Can you picture not being able to buy an ABIT KT7A-RAID because ABIT only produced 500 of them and those that purchased them are selling them for $100 over MSRP? ;)

To make a long story short, the Z8 is a wonderful creation but the prices these guys are charging for them are way too high. If the market suffers a bit more we'll see more Z8s down in the $130 - $150K range. The market has already taken its toll on 996TTs and F360s which can be found for $20K - $40K over MSRP (still quite a bit).

Take care,
Anand