Not joined yet? Register for free and enjoy features such as alerts, private messaging and viewing latest posts and topics.

Hi from Hampshire, now with coupe!

First port of call for new members
PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, now with coupe!

Post by PaulHR » Mon Feb 24, 2020 7:10 pm

Hi all, I've come to the conclusion that I need a coupe in my life. It'll be some firsts for me, first BMW, first big capacity engine and probably the most expensive car I've ever bought in 40 years of motoring.
My colour preferences are white, montego blue or one of the silvers, not got my head round it all yet but I'm trawling through the forum for all the relevant information on what to look for.
Budget wise I might be able to stretch to 10k but would rather spend about 8k or less.
No sure about mileage yet but the high mileage cars look to need money spent in preventative maintenance but I happy to be corrected on any of my assumptions. It will be for daily use but I only do 4-5000 miles a year so not heavy use.
Right, got to get back to my research but I'll be back with daft questions I'm sure. :D

Cheers,
Paul.
Last edited by PaulHR on Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

Haggisman
Member
Member
Posts: 628
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 2:09 am
Location: New Zealand

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by Haggisman » Mon Feb 24, 2020 7:51 pm

Welcome to the forum Paul. You are fortunate to be in the UK searching for your first Z. You seem to have a healthy budget and sure you will find the right car for you. Lots of help available here on the forum. Good Luck.
2003 Toledo Blue 3.0 E85 Manual
2008 Volvo V50 - Dog Car
2020 Kia Sportage GT - Her Indoor’s Car
1995 Dakar Yellow M3 E36 Race Car - Sold
2009 Vauxhall Astra VXR - Sold
2003 350Z well modded - Sold
1992 911 RS - Sold and still in mourning

User avatar
Mr Tidy
Legend
Legend
Posts: 23608
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:18 pm
Location: North West Surrey

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by Mr Tidy » Mon Feb 24, 2020 8:02 pm

Hi and welcome to the forum, Paul. :thumbsup:

I'm on the Berks/Hants/Surrey borders, and sadly sold my Montego Blue manual Sport Coupe 2 weeks ago - typical! For a fair bit less than your lower budget too but it had done 91K miles, although I don't think it needed and immediate maintenance.

Anyway, good luck with your search - they are great cars. :thumbsup:
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

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Mon Feb 24, 2020 8:16 pm

Thanks chaps. Mr Tidy, I found your add yesterday, I said a few choice words to myself when I saw where only about 10 miles away. Never mind, not sure if I'm ready to buy yet. I haven't even driven a Z4 thus far.
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

User avatar
Mr Tidy
Legend
Legend
Posts: 23608
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:18 pm
Location: North West Surrey

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by Mr Tidy » Mon Feb 24, 2020 8:52 pm

That was bad timing, although mine went before you joined the forum! The buyer came from South Wales.

But if nothing else you would have found out if an E86 was the car for you without going far!
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

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:37 pm

Ok people, due to family issues I find myself with no time to actually go hunting for the coupe of my dreams but plenty of time to worry that I'm doing the right thing.
Will I just be buying a money pit, what are the true running costs (daily drive, about5000 miles a year) and other such questions.
Sadly it doesn't look like I'll be out and about hunting for my coupe any time soon so in the meantime I just need you good people to reassure me that they a good car.
Bottom line is I know it's what I want but I'm having way to much time to think about it. :-|
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

User avatar
Mr Tidy
Legend
Legend
Posts: 23608
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:18 pm
Location: North West Surrey

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by Mr Tidy » Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:06 pm

PM sent.
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

AveZ4coop
Member
Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:08 pm
Location: Peterborough

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by AveZ4coop » Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:41 am

Hi OP. These cars are perfectly good daily drivers. I bought mine with 86k on the clock two and a half years ago. Have racked up over 20,000 miles and no real issues apart from the water pump (at 101,000 miles so I was asking for it!) which was repaired for less than £400. I would recommend forging ahead with buying one when you can. It will put a smile on your face every time you drive it. Best car I have ever owned. :driving:
Montego blue 2006 BMW Z4 coupe 3.0si with black interior, ZHP, Whippy, 12mm front/16mm rear spacers on BBS 108's wrapped in Michelin PS4's. :driving:Brand new Pierburg water pump fitted at 101k after failure :cry: (should have done it at 100k) :headbang:

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:29 pm

Ok people, opinions please. Went and had a look at a coupe today in a dealers. Had a test drive and am now sold on the idea of a coupe, it was great :D . This is the description,
Full Inspection 2 Service Including Diff Oil Change, New Water Pump + Thermostat, 4 Fully Refurbished Alloys with 4 New Goodyear F1 Tyres, Factory Fit Pop Up European Satellite Navigation, Electric Seats with Memory Function On Drivers, Heated Seats, Rear Parking Sensors, Bluetooth Connectivity, Cruise Control, Air Conditioning, Remote Central Locking with 2 Remote Keys + Plastic Skeleton One, Beige Leather with Matching Door Cards, Piano Black Fascia, Xenon Headlights, Last Keeper Has Owned Since 2010, Radio/CD Next MOT due 19/10/2020, 4 owners and 66000 miles. Colour black metallic (ruby black?)
The only faults I could find are as follows mechanically there was a quiet ticking at idle from cold (hydraulic tappets?), very slight weep from a electrical connection on the side of the head (drivers side) and scored discs but with plenty of meat on them and pulled nice and straight under braking. Cosmetically, scuff to paint on front bumper below passenger side headlight, a small vertical crease to the bottom rear edge of passage door , broken reflector front wing and a broken glove box hinge. Generally it seemed to be a pretty genuine car. The work was carried out by RBM.
Asking price £9400.
Your thoughts please.
Cheers,
Paul.
Attachments
20200311_165100.jpg
20200311_165100.jpg (229.15 KiB) Viewed 1127 times
Last edited by PaulHR on Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:30 pm

Image
Attachments
IMG_20200311_132905.jpg
IMG_20200311_132905.jpg (188.56 KiB) Viewed 1126 times
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:34 pm

Just remembered, slightly notchy first gear engagement one slightly oxidized headlight lens.
Cheers,
Paul.
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

User avatar
baconJazz
Member
Member
Posts: 231
Joined: Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:18 pm
Location: Rotherham

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by baconJazz » Wed Mar 11, 2020 9:05 pm

You don't state the year but , as far as the ticking noise is concerned (They say) it is more pronounced with the earlier pre 2007 models with a silver top engine than with the later black top n52k engine due to all sorts of things that I don't understand . As far as the price is concerned a private sale with the same spec would be closer to £8500. The notchy gear change from 1st to 2nd , especially from cold, is par for the course with these cars . Good to see they've put some decent tyres on it instead of the ditch finders dealers usually opt for. :driving:
2007 3.0si sport e86 coupe Black Sapphire 93k and rising at approx 2k a year.

Mazda mx5 mk3
Fiesta ST
Subaru WRX Blob eye
Mini Cooper S JCW
Mx5 mk1
Ford Puma.
Opel Manta GTE (1984)
Mk 1 Ford Capri 1.6 GT (1973)
Austin Maxi 1750 HL (269 BC)

User avatar
Mr Tidy
Legend
Legend
Posts: 23608
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:18 pm
Location: North West Surrey

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by Mr Tidy » Wed Mar 11, 2020 11:58 pm

Hi again Paul. :thumbsup:

It sounds like you've been bitten by the Z4 bug we all suffer from on here. :lol:

It sounds like it has a good spec with quite a few of the options fitted, but I think it is Sapphire Black. I know you've already been to see it, but there is a plate on the driver's side inner wing that will tell you the build date and the colour. Alternatively ask ARO for the last 7 characters of the VIN and use one of the VIN decoding websites to get the full OE spec.

It had its 1st MOT in September 2009 so I imagine it will have a silver-top engine. I've had one silver top and one black top and there was no difference to how they drove, although the silver top did suffer more from the ticking at idle when cold as does my 330i with a silver top. But it seems to not cause any issues other than the sound of it, and tends not to happen if the car is used regularly and of course that one has probably sat unused for several days!

The change from 1st to 2nd is often not great, but can be improved by getting the Clutch Delay Valve removed, having the gearbox oil changed (even though BMW claim it is sealed for life) and swapping the gear-knob for a ZHP or something similarly more heavily-weighted.

You could find one cheaper privately, but probably not one that has just had an Inspection 2 and a new water pump so you should have up to 2 years or 15K miles before it needs anything done to it, and those 2 jobs alone would cost way over £500. Plus you get the benefit of a warranty and the knowledge that if it needs any warranty work it will be done by Ross, who was at Sytner for 15 years!

If you do go for it I'd ask them to get the glove box sorted as part of the deal - I think the hinges are part of the actual glove-box itself and a new one isn't cheap.

You know you really want to - good luck anyway. :thumbsup:
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

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Thu Mar 12, 2020 9:24 am

Hi chaps thanks for the helpful advice, yes it is a 56 plate and yes Mr Tidy I think the bug has bitten deep! I'm pleased to see that your thoughts are the same as mine as far as work done is concerned, it's all the things I would look to have done so lots of peace of mind there.
I don't think I should be concerned about the bodywork issues too much, they are fairly straightforward fixes that can be done slow time. General body condition is what I'd expect of a 14 year old car with surface scratches in the usual places, no fresh paint or anything like that.
The interior is good with minimal bolster wear on the seats, just the dreaded glove box that needs sorting.
I'm going to mull it over and perhaps go back for another longer test drive and we'll see how it goes.
One last question thought am I placing too much emphasis on lower mileage as I am awhere I could be paying alot less for a car with higher milage and I know alot of you good people have cars with many miles on them and know issues.
Thanks again,
Paul.
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

PaulHR
Member
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: North Hampshire

Hi from Hampshire, wanting a Z4 coupe.

Post by PaulHR » Fri Mar 13, 2020 3:13 pm

Quick update, all things being equal I will be in possession of above mentioned coupe next week! :D :D :D
Image
Attachments
330538_16_big.jpg
330538_16_big.jpg (296.99 KiB) Viewed 926 times
Last edited by PaulHR on Sat Mar 14, 2020 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Z4 E86 si M Sport, Black Sapphire. (Daily).
Triumph Thruxton R 1200 (makes me smile) :D

Post Reply