Z4 2.5 - after 5 months of ownership

Got some time on my hands tonight, so here's my review of my now 5-month old Z4. I hope this would help you with your decision if you're considering getting one.

Here goes:
I have one thing to say about my Z4: a well done engineering job. It doesn't do anything that other cars don't, it just does everything very well.

I'm not sure about the post-warranty period, but at the time the cost of ownership is very acceptable. Insurance is affordable and my lease payments are reasonable. The full maintenance is one of the things that sold me on this car (I was considering the Boxster but the monthly cost would have been about 60% higher than the Z4 2.5).
I won't comment on the styling since I went through the now-I-love-it/now-I-hate-it phases myself ... to each his/her own.

Now onto the options and stuff:
The luxury package (or whatever they call it) is absolutely worth the money. The electric top is wonderful, you can put it up or down in seconds while waiting at a traffic light. I thought the automatic wiper control was there just for infatuation but it's a very cool/useful gizmo.
The trunk is quite large for a car this tiny (it doesn't have a spare tire and the space used by the top when it's down is minimal - very good use of available space).

I didn't get the sport package and I'm happy I didn't. I live in liberal California and my tax dollars don't seem to have any effect on the growing potholes on freeways around here. I would have probably kept the sports mode turned off most of the time anyway.

GET A STICK! The automatic 3.0 I drove felt a lot less fun than the manual 2.5 I ended up buying. I have one word for a sports car with automatic transmission: Heresy!!! :)
Some review here said the seats are poorly bolstered for aggressive cornering. I agree.

Sound system:
Lots of speakers standard. If pop music is your thing, the sound is very good. If you are more of an audiophile, you will be a little disappointed. Listening to a string orchestra or piano concerto will reveal this stereo's weaknesses. It sounds just flat. The upgraded one is not much improvement and the so-called DSP is nothing but an el cheapo set of equalization presets.
In my opinion the upgraded stereo is a waste of money, but don't take my word for it, I'm very picky when it comes to sound quality. You need to listen to both and judge for yourself.

Now here's what I don't like about this car: it really needs a 6th gear (the 3.0 has it). It revs way too high at freeway speeds (which should explain why the Z4 3.0 manual gets better gas mileage). I wonder how damaging that would be in time ... from what I heard from other BMW owners that's not that much of an issue though. Speaking of mileage, I currently average 25.2 and it seems to be improving a bit as the engine breaks in.

Sometimes while driving my Z4, this review I read just before I bought it comes to mind: the author was comparing the Z4 to the 350Z or such and he concluded that the differences between them were similar to those between a one-pounder steak and a small but refined fillet mignon.

Conclusion:
Superbly agile and probably unbeatable fun/dollar ratio in its category. Get it if you can, it will definitely put a smile on your face on your way to work in the morning.