1st gen FRS/86/BRZ vs BMW z3 M Coupe

[venturaII]

Not sure how active this forum is any more, but I figured I'd throw it out there as a discussion topic anyway, and hopefully someone has some firsthand experience. I've always had a soft spot for oddball cars, and the Z3 coupe is no exception to that. With a mix of E36 front suspension, and E30 rear suspension, and 'interesting' but functional styling, and later models with the S54 motor, they sound like a potential competitor for the FT86 platform. However, they seem rather porky for their size, being in the 3200+ lb range. You didn't see them a lot in motorsports either, so I'm curious about how they handle compared to our cars. The S54 is a pretty legendary motor, but not without it's faults. Obviously you're losing two 'seats', but the rear hatch area of the Z3 is pretty big. I'm a single guy and I daily my FRS in New England year round, so I'm still looking for a little bit of practicality as well as a performance improvement...I still need to go to the grocery store, an occasional trip to Home Depot to get a few bags of mulch, or carry something relatively long, which the FRS does with surprising capability. It's also got to be reasonably rust-resistant since central New England LOVES to dump salt all over the roads in the winter...

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Can't speak directly for the Z3M, but after owning an E93 335i for over a year (and test driving an E93 M3) my take on BMW is that it cannot be compared to more dedicated sports cars. BMWs are biased too much for "luxury", and that's apparent even in the sportier trims.

For me, this is represented by a more disconnected driving experience, more isolation from the road and less feel from the inputs (steering in particular (yes, despite being hydraulic), but also shifter (in the M3 I test drove)). BMW is probably the best option in its category (with the Z3/Z4 falling under "upmarket convertible/coupe GT"), but comparing to the Twins (or something like a Miata) doesn't really work for sportiness.
With that being said, it's largely a matter of preference. I enjoy my 335i exactly for it being a more comfortable and isolated cruiser, and with the roof down it's a fun drive. But whenever the roads get twisty I'm disappointed when comparing to my BRZ.

After driving a 981 Cayman GT4 and a 982 Boxster GTS4.0 extensively on twisty roads, I think Porsche strike a far better balance between "luxury" and sportiness. Perhaps a 986 Boxster or 987 Cayman might work for you?

[icemang17]

Given what you said. I’d stay with frs-brz platform. Anything “M” comes with a price hike…from normal bmw. As a previous owner of a brand new e92 m3 (great street car) I know the pain is real.

Anything luxury and sporty comes with heavy comprises as in weight. You would be better off keeping your 1st gen and making it the good weather sporty track car and getting a normal bmw x drive something as your daily.

Weight on track is your biggest enemy. Yes heavy cars can be fast but are very pricey to run in tires-brakes-other consumables.

[ZDan]

I love me some clown shoe, but semi-trailing arm rear suspension = the suck... Rather have an FT86...

[RToyo86]

My old man recently acquired a 99 Z3M with the S52 and can give a reasonable comparison. Bone stock outside a cone filter, and KC line coilovers. They drive and feel completely different. Z has period steering weight and on center input is much slower to react. S52 is down on power compared to S54 but is arguably a much more stout engine to beat on. Lots of torque and enough power to have fun, makes a proper noise the last 1500rpm of rev range.

Shifter is...vague to say the least especially compared to the FRS/BRZ. Shifting into 3rd gear is like neo and his spoon; you need to believe third gear is there when you shift into that area and know it'll go in. The first time I drove it I spent the entire drive trying to nail third and shifted 2nd to 5th several times.

Edit; I forgot to mention seating position or rather the seats. They're more relaxed fit and find them slightly awkward. The clutch pedal is long, longer than it needs to be. It has a longer engagement point and more dead zone. Getting into the 86 after driving the Z makes clutch on the 86 feel like a button

Overall it's a fun car, but for entirely different reasons. When I drive it I want much more wanting to cruise and hear the engine than drive the nuts off it and hunt for a corner to attack. Perhaps some adjustments could remedy that, new tires are in the works for next year and I may try to fiddle with the coilovers to see how where they're adjusted too.