question for new englanders

[Memphis1]

hi guys, i posted this on the e90 post, but wanted to see if someone with a z4 335i could pitch in, here's my situation...

i walked into the bmw dealership they had a z4 335i, with no heated seats and no navi for $2k down and $479/month (lease), so i went for it, but i also saw a 328 Xi fully loaded, all wheel and navi and a 328 Xi coupe with everything except navi also all wheel... now the question i ask myself is, will i survive a new england winter in the z4 with no heated seats, 300hp and rear wheel drive, or should i call the dealership and ask them to sign me up for either of the Xi cars. all three are montego blue, with like a light leather... even though they're very different, i think i could leave with either of the three.

[Argent60]

I'd love to know the answer to this question too. Obviously, winter tires will be a "must". But still, I'll be watching the posts closely from the members in the snow belt. I want to know if a Z4 can be good enough on covered roads so that I can give up the security of my xi.

[Roadstergal]

I live in New England. I have had three Z's, one Z3 and 2 Z4's and I am waiting for my 2010 35i to be built. I have had heated seats in all three cars, but the car is so well insulated and even with the soft top roof, I never experienced being cold in the car even with the heated seats off. I used the heated seats when I first started the car, but usually turned them off as I never noticed being any colder than in any non-roadster type car.

As far as the tires go, winter tires may be needed. I have another vehicle that I use whenever the forecast calls for snow. I have been caught a number of times and drove with an inch or so on the ground and did not experience any problems. As soon as the roads were clear, I took the Z back out. There have been winters where I drove it just about the entire winter due to lack of snowstorms. I just didn't want to plow through snow with my car as it is so low to the ground that I bought a second car. I always hope for mild winters so I can keep driving my Z4. As long as their aren't major snowstorms, I am good to go.

[GT Sounds]

Northern NJ here.

If my RWD 3 was any indication how the Z is going to handle during the winter, then yes, it's going to handle terribly in the snow. Once everything is salted down it's fine, but as soon as there's a light coating of snow or ice even the tiniest of hills will present a problem.

There's only two ways to get around this:

1) Have a beater car.
2) Just don't drive on bad weather days, and wait until the salt/plow trucks do their thing before taking the car out.

Personally, I never let a handful of bad winter days affect what car I'm purchasing. And get the cold weather package regardless of what car you choose, trust us on this.

[Memphis1]

thanks guys!

[Paula]

I live in Utah "Greatest Snow on Earth" and I am waiting for my 2009 Z4. I have driven a Z4 here for the past 4 years. Like they have already said. It is not a good car for the snow. I try not to drive if the roads are at all slick. I did slide sideways down a hill last winter. Not fun! I did not have snow tires on my old Z4, but plan on getting some for the new one. There are usually only a couple of days each winter I can't drive, but last winter it was about two weeks.

I loved the heated seats. Whenever the weather was nice (above 55 and not snowing or raining) I could put the top down, turn and the heated seats and be very comfortable. My new Z has the heated steering wheel also. I tried it out on my ED and it was great.

[DrJason]

I wouldn't own a convertible in New England without heated seats! Think about those cool summer nights or cool fall days when having the heated seats is the difference between top down and comfortable or top down and cold or just leaving the top up.