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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

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spreadsheet monkey
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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by spreadsheet monkey » Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:43 am

Hi, this Z4 is my return to the BMW fold, 6 years after selling my E90 saloon. My family are all big BMW fans, but BMW lost me to Honda when I wanted a 4x4 and got fed up with dealing with BMW dealers and couldn't face the inflated prices of the X3.

I bought the Z4 from a good friend, who bought it 14 years ago as an ex-demo. It's a 2.5 SE (I know everyone says get the 3.0) with 46k miles on the clock and in very good cosmetic condition. It drives well, but hasn't seen much servicing in the last 4-5 years apart from oil changes and tyres.

I'm not normally fussy about mileage, but it is nice to have an older car where the leather seats are still in great shape, there are hardly any stone chips, and all the interior switches work smoothly and crisply.

Image

Image

It will be a second car in our household, with a 2013 CR-V doing the most of the heavy lifting.

First impressions of the car are great. I haven't owned a convertible since my Mk2 MX-5 ages ago. The six cylinder engine sounds fantastic, and driving around on a warm autumn day with the roof down is a lot of fun. My wife is not normally a fan of the "fun" cars I buy (previous cars include 2010 Mini Cooper S and 2000 Jag XK8) but she likes this one as it reminds her of her old E46 3-series coupe that she owned a long time ago.

Plans for the car are:
* Give it a service (oil change, air filter, pollen filter, brake fluid)
* Have a go at the cloudy headlight lenses with a headlight polishing kit
* Retro-fit the in-dash cupholders
* Fit a stubby aerial
* Maybe change the alloys, as the rear tyres will need replacing soon anyway

Happy to hear recommendations for replacement BMW alloy wheel styles that suit the E85 Z4!

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Marlon » Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:28 am

Buying off a friend who's had it from new and with low miles, can't get better history than that :thumbsup:
Changing to 18" alloys will improve the look :wink:
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Gone: 3.0si 2008 E85
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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Jembo » Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:32 am

... I see you’ve come to the right place for male retail therapy.

Welcome & enjoy, come sun, rain or snow
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Ex Aug 2005 Maldives Blue 3 litre cruizer, lots of toyz,

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Grumpyowl » Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:02 pm

Welcome, great car with great history.
18” style 224’s are the best wheels option imo
Enjoy :driving:

Popular prevention-

Move roof motor to boot
Disa valve upgrade
Remove CDV
Upgraded Vanos oil seals
Amongst others

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Billbob » Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:24 pm

Had my 2003 3.0 for nearly a year now . Love it
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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Billbob » Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:29 pm

Had roof motor moved by Z Shed at Earlstown near Warrington, he also sorted out sticky steering he really knows his Zs.

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by jabber » Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:33 pm

Hi and welcome enjoy your z4 whatever engine it has :thumbsup:
Z less again
14 E89 Z4 2.0 msport grey gone now
10 E89 Z4 3.0 Black auto now. Very sadly gone
Gone 04 E85 z4 3.0 Maldives blue smg

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Mr Tidy » Fri Sep 28, 2018 7:26 pm

Hi and welcome to the forum. :thumbsup:

For wheel inspiration you can spend some time on this thread:- viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27575
Coupes because stunning!
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
Gone - Montego Blue
Gone - Ruby Black

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Z4 COUPSTER » Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:21 pm

Welcome great car to buy.
D
:thumbsup: Z in da Head.
3.0i Z3 sport,sapphire black,3.0i Z4 roadster Sterling grey,auto,Z4 3.0si Coupe Titanium silver,Stubby &B06 Plus some other German beauties!!

spreadsheet monkey
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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by spreadsheet monkey » Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:05 pm

Style 89s going on today - thanks to forum member kis for helping me switch the wheels.
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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Mr Tidy » Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:50 pm

spreadsheet monkey wrote: Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:05 pm Style 89s going on today - thanks to forum member kis for helping me switch the wheels.
They look great - but good luck when you need to clean them!
Coupes because stunning!
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
Gone - Montego Blue
Gone - Ruby Black

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Gjm91 » Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:02 am

Wheels look great :thumbsup: - ive got the same original se wheels so looking to upgrade too
E89 2.0 i S Drive M Sport
TT MK1 Roadster
RR Evoque
Now gone E85 2.0 SE

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by ErrErrminator » Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:10 am

A Zed is a great way back into BMW ownership. Looks and sounds like a nice car. Yes, most people say go for the 3.0, but I have had zero regrets buying my 2.5. I love it and I’m sure you will. Enjoy! :)

spreadsheet monkey
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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by spreadsheet monkey » Sun Sep 30, 2018 11:12 am

Gjm91 wrote: Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:02 am Wheels look great :thumbsup: - ive got the same original se wheels so looking to upgrade too
Saw your car on your introductory post - looks great.

Replacement wheels are a minefield! There are loads of secondhand sets of wheels on eBay, gumtree and on this forum, but finding the size you want in good nick and (ideally) local to you is not easy.

Good luck finding something that suits the car and your taste!

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2004 Z4 2.5 SE - back behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time in years

Post by Gjm91 » Sun Sep 30, 2018 2:02 pm

Cheers spreadsheet monkey - the set you found seem mint. Thinking about some csl replicas - there are quite a few alloy wheel companies that seem to do a great wheel / tyre package but then think originals would be better but there seems a lot of rough looking wheels on ebay etc- oh well will keep me out of trouble looking - enjoy your new car looks great !!!! Silver always a classy choice :D
E89 2.0 i S Drive M Sport
TT MK1 Roadster
RR Evoque
Now gone E85 2.0 SE

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