Hello!

[felson]

Hi all

I've done this the wrong way and posted elsewhere first, but better late than never eh?!

I'm from South Wales and looking to get my first Z4 Coupe. I've had my fair share of cars over the years but never a BMW, so it will be a new experience for me. I've always like the E86 but not really been fussed on the later models, not really sure why but I suppose the styling just hit it right for me with the E86.

I'll get on with reading up on what I should be looking for. Ideally I want a newer (08+) car, Sport trim with low mileage and FSH. I have an amp and sub that I would really like to put into use (bought for another car and then sold that!) but I've read that audio additions and upgrades are a bit tricky on the Z...

Anyway - hi

[Big Bad Boris]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I am not a tin top expert, but I can tell you production of the E86 ended in 2008, so that’s as new as you will get, there are few 09 registered cars but again they would have actually been manufactured in 08.

The E86 has plenty of dedicated and knowledgeable followers on here, no doubt they will along shortly to provide great advice and buying tips etc.

[Phippy]

Hi and welcome!

09 reg here - licence plate was quite unfortunate 'KN09' ..... But being one of the last off the line it has everything on it!

Good luck with the search! would recommend keeping an eye on ebay (as well as autotrader and this forum) as a lot of private garages advertise there to avoid the traders fee on AT

[jabber]

Hi and welcome good luck with your search

[Zedebee]

Hi and welcome. Given the narrow window of manufacture 2006-8, there’s probably not much point in holding out for a late plate. At 13-15 years old, other factors are much more important like mileage, use/abuse, service history, problems attended to, overall condition, spec, colour etc. Good luck with your search.

[felson]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I am not a tin top expert, but I can tell you production of the E86 ended in 2008.

Yeah I should perhaps have been a bit more specific and said 'reg plate' so 08/58/09 rather than year. A good late 2007 (or indeed, 2008 57 plate) would also be fine - I'm just mainly after newer ones with the updated engine.

Hi and welcome!

09 reg here - licence plate was quite unfortunate 'KN09' ..... But being one of the last off the line it has everything on it!

Good luck with the search! would recommend keeping an eye on ebay (as well as autotrader and this forum) as a lot of private garages advertise there to avoid the traders fee on AT

I can't say I have looked at much on eBay, for some reason it never sticks out in my mind as a place to look for cars. Vehicle parts, yes - but cars themselves I seem to have a mental block! I'll keep a browser tab open though and keep checking - I realise my criteria means the pool of available cars will be pretty small, but who knows when something will turn up.

[felson]

Hi and welcome. Given the narrow window of manufacture 2006-8, there’s probably not much point in holding out for a late plate. At 13-15 years old, other factors are much more important like mileage, use/abuse, service history, problems attended to, overall condition, spec, colour etc. Good luck with your search.

Yeah, I'm aware it's not going to be an easy search. The main reason I am interested in the later ones is the engine revision, but I suppose a well looked-after 2007 model will be just as good. Some interesting ones come up (like this one with the New England interior) but on the whole there hasn't been a massive amount of choice on the market in the time I've been looking.

[mr.tourette]

Hi.. audio upgrades are easy enough if you pick up a model with base 6 speaker stereo, its only if you pick up the 10 speaker system with dsp it gets tricky. If you are lucky enough to get the dsp system you won't need to worry about upgrading it unless you are a serious audiophile as its a pretty powerful and very capable system

[AveZ4coop]

Hi and welcome!

09 reg here - licence plate was quite unfortunate 'KN09' ..... But being one of the last off the line it has everything on it!

Good luck with the search! would recommend keeping an eye on ebay (as well as autotrader and this forum) as a lot of private garages advertise there to avoid the traders fee on AT

Lucky it wasn,t a n 08 plate!!

[AveZ4coop]

Hi OP, I have a late 06 plate e86.

As previously mentioned mileage and service history are the most important things to look for. I went for a quite high mileage car (89,000), but it had a complete and comprehensive service history (all oil changes, MOT's, tyres, servicing and all additional works such as brake line bleeding, etc... It showed the car had been cared for and that it hadn't been maintained on the cheap. I have done 30,000 miles in it and (apart from the self inflicted water pump issue, see my signature) have had no major problems, issues or expenses.

They are a fantastic car, but I had to search for over 6 months to find the right one. Be patient, it will be worth it.

Good luck with the search.

[Phippy]

[/quote]
Lucky it wasn,t a n 08 plate!!
[/quote]

Would have been more obvious but they equate to more or less the same

[Ole gits rule]

Hello and welcome to the forum, good luck with the search

[felson]

Hi.. audio upgrades are easy enough if you pick up a model with base 6 speaker stereo, its only if you pick up the 10 speaker system with dsp it gets tricky. If you are lucky enough to get the dsp system you won't need to worry about upgrading it unless you are a serious audiophile as its a pretty powerful and very capable system

Fair enough, I'll bear that in mind. I don't want to go to the local Tesco on a Friday night and compare subs with the younger generation - I just have this kit and would rather put it to use than have it sat on my garage shelf! If the Z4 is good enough or too tricky to mess with, I guess there's always eBay...!

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Coincidentally my 2nd Coupe got bought by someone from South Wales!

Anyway if your preference is for the later "blacktop" N52K engine you could widen you search a bit because it was introduced around September 2006. I've had both because my first Coupe was built in October 2006 and had it but my second was built in August 2006 and had the earlier "silvertop" engine - although to be fair there was absoltely no difference to how they drove!

I've read that stereo upgrades can be tricky but I never tried that - although as has already been said the DSP set-up with 10 speakers doesn't need upgrading really.

The only things to look out for seem to be oil leaks form the cam-cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket, corroded rear brake pipes in front of the passenger side rear wheel and rust on the tailgate that is easily spotted around the edges when it's open.

Then it's just deciding whether any options are "must-haves" as the OE spec was a bit basic. Bi-Xenon headlights are well worth having, heated seats not so crucial in a Coupe compared to the Roadster, rear parking sensors maybe. Cruise control and cup-holders are useful but fairly straightforward to retro-fit.

Anyway good luck with your search - they are great cars!

[buzyg]

Welcome aboard. It's a z4 though not a Cayman. So you really should get things the right way around.