Watson
Newbie
Hello, I am a 64 year old ex cyclist that back in 2008 had a bad over the bars crash trying to pass another racer half my age. It left me with a broken neck and paralyzed with cervical spine contusions. After a lot of surgery and therapy I am back walking and somewhat normal, but my driving days are numbered as I have constant spinal stenosis pain from all the titanium and scar tissue now in my neck. Since 2008 my ability to drive more than 10 or 20 miles at a time and never at night has made me yearn for one last shot at driving fun and I have been coveting getting a similar small sports car like my 1982 Mazda RX7 that had less horsepower than my Honda CBF 1100 motorcycle, yet was a blast to drive. I had been pretty sure a lightly used Miata or possibly the new 2022 Toyota GR86 would fit my goals of just having a ride that was fun for short outings. I never drive more than in our city limits and only short distances and in good weather. So when I went to check out the Miata and new GR86 for test drives, the dealer helping me said that if my only criteria was to have fun, I should check out an older 2007 BMW Z4 3.0i roadster with sport package. One test drive and I was sold. I love the car but had never considered a Beemer due to price and prestige, but this particular car is perfect for me. No extra high tech gadgets, an automatic ( good for an old guy like myself ) and while the car is in great condition it does have nearly 85,000 miles on it just like I have a lot of miles on my poor old body. I only drive the car in good road conditions and am wanting to find a good BMW mechanic in Omaha that is honest and will help preserve the car for me. I must admit that the ride is quite rough and I am thinking about looking into upgrading the suspension and handling. I will never use the car for track days, but I do enjoy "spirited" driving in town and would not mind any upgrades to suspension and handling. Currently the car has Continental Extreme Contact tires on it and I would imagine that might be a good place to start along with replacing any needed parts overall. Everything seems to work well, just a very rough ride which is not all bad as it is a sports car, but I can not help but think the ride quality could be improved along with handling, not that I will be really needing a track setup. Anyway, I found this sight and thought it would be insightful to hear what expert enthusiast are doing to their older Beemer Z4s.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated as I admit I am no expert on cars, especially BMWs and this one has already won my heart and will probably be the last car I drive as in a couple years my health will not permit it. Until then though, I would like to keep a big smile on my face while driving this little gem. Sure beats being a passenger in my wife's Subaru SUV! And I am grateful to her for realizing I will not be driving a ton longer and letting me pick out a sports car of my choice. So any advice to upgrades and not only am I grateful but I am all ears. Nothing exotic, just basic possible improvements.
Cheers everyone!
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated as I admit I am no expert on cars, especially BMWs and this one has already won my heart and will probably be the last car I drive as in a couple years my health will not permit it. Until then though, I would like to keep a big smile on my face while driving this little gem. Sure beats being a passenger in my wife's Subaru SUV! And I am grateful to her for realizing I will not be driving a ton longer and letting me pick out a sports car of my choice. So any advice to upgrades and not only am I grateful but I am all ears. Nothing exotic, just basic possible improvements.
Cheers everyone!