[Geradeaus]

Three years of driving the Z4 s30i. What a car! Over 35,000 miles covering 34 states and Canada. No speeding tickets, accidents or mechanical issues.

I love the car and bought it at lease-end. BMW pays the local dealer to handle the paperwork (Florida law prevents BMW Financial from accepting payment) so there were no additional fees - just the residual, taxes and tag.

The final lease vs. cash purchase numbers show leasing the car was the winner. I saved a whopping $741 by leasing the car over three years rather than paying cash for it. I did have to carry the risk of investment losses over those three years so it probably wasn't really worth it. My net investment return was approximately 7.75%. Historically, the investments returned 9.5% so my returns were lower than hoped for.

I had also hoped to order a new (2024/25) Z4 but I can't configure a car identical to my 2021. BMW has eliminated the polished aluminum (chrome) kidney grill surrounds and the adaptive suspension as a standalone option. A 2025 model has a MSRP of $62,200. My 2021 had a MSRP of $60,085 but included wireless charging and adaptive suspension. I also managed an 8% discount which I imagine would be hard to negotiate in today's market.

The smart money choice is to keep the 2021 rather than getting hit with the big new car depreciation again. As I love my 2021 and know the car was not abused and all maintenance performed it was an easy decision to buy it.

Planning a west coast trip in 2025 to knock out the missing 16 states and enjoy the open highway again.

Happy motoring!