Prospective Z4 Questions...

[nic-nac-nic]

Hi everyone

I’m currently looking at buying a 2004 2.2 Z4 and I had a couple of questions which I could do with a bit of clarification on.
Firstly, has the 2.2 got enough ‘go’ in it for a fun ride? I’ve heard everyone saying how great the 2.5 and 3.0 are but I am thinking that if I want a nice ride with a decent amount of power the 2.2 will do?
Secondly, the Z4 I’m looking at has done 80,000 miles and has had 6 owners - it’s priced at 2.8k. Is this amount of owners normal for a Z4? Should I be worried by this?
Finally, any tips you all have for what I should check when I go to see the car would be really great! I really don’t want to pick a bad egg

Thanks, Nick

[sw4nny]

Spend another 500 quid,get the 3.0, 80k miles its still a baby with the m54 dont worry how many owners look in more detail at the service history,
Check the roof works fine.
But also check the speck ,heated sports seats,sat nav,cup holders aero skirts yeah dream on ,wheel style etc these make a big difference on a 3k car

[nic-nac-nic]

Thanks for that. Will check the service history in more detail.

[skelters]

I'd be waiting until after this virus dies down as there'll be more for sale.

The most important thing is don't be scared to walk away. There's always another car.

There's plenty of info on the forum on what you should be looking for when considering a Z4.

Remember it's an old car now so budget for £1000 on getting some things fixed and serviced.

Take a code reader to check, clear and check again for any codes it may be throwing up.

Service parts... Oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter, plugs.
Bushes
Springs
Alignment
Tyres

Cosmetic stuff can be fixed over time.
Stone chips
Wheel refurb

Have a look at.... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15177

[colb]

Service history is important to check with high milege cars and also scanning it with a code reader to see what comes up. Looked at a couple before finding the right one for me, a 2003 2.5.Body and interior were acceptable, engine bay was incredibly dusty. Ran ok and no warning lights however scanning it revealed a couple of codes, thermal oil level sensor and Aiir Con AUC sensor which didn't scare me. Car only had one key and I did spot some oil staining around the cam cover. The hood also worked fine even though it was still in its original location known to get water in and drown the motor. Based on what I found I offered 100 less than the asking price which was already lower than similar cars about at the time. First job was to clean the engine bay up and monitor the cam cover for leakage, seemed to be ok for a couple of months but developed more and eventally got smoke from it burning on the exhaust. Changed the gasket to resolve the issued. Also changed the thermal oil level sensor and the AUC sensor for the air con, it closes the fresh air flaps if it detrects bad air outside the car such as traffic fumes when in traffic. That particular sensor sits on top of the radiator and is circa £60 from BMW, a little research and the internal sensor of the little unit was obtained from an electronics supplier for £17, it just plugs in when the oild one is pulled out.
Gradually tarting the car up, treated it to a set of refurbed wheels and new tyres, obtained a skinny spare to carry in the boot as the run flats were replaced on the original wheels long ago. Also repositioned the hood pump and motor to the boot as a precaution.
Perspex wind deflector also fitted and a set of Black bonnet and boot badges fitted to match the ones on the wheels I have on there now.
Largest outlay was sorting out a new key, used a mobile locksmith in the end as I couldn't get the DIY AK90 key coding to work for me.

[Jfgoldfish]

My advice would be to drive as many as you can.
Go view and test drive some that you might not even intend to buy. (I don't mean driving something way out of your price range or interests. That would be wasting someone's time.)
Try a 2.5 and try a 2.0 facelift, maybe even a 3.0. I ended up finding that the 2.0 facelift gave me a suitable balance of performance and economy. I drive it daily. It's not crazy fast but plenty of fun can be had from it. Only thing missing is two extra cylinders and the noise that comes with them! It all depends what you expect from the car; it's difficult to say if you will find it to be enough oomph.
I wouldn't be put off by 6 previous owners as long as there is evidence to suggest that the car has been cared for and serviced when it should.

+1 on bringing a code reader too. I didn't and ended up forking out for a new MAF sensor soon after buying. I would have talked it off the price if I had known. Lesson learnt.
Just factor some minor repairs into the purchase price.

[colb]

Use the DVLA MOT checker to have a look at the MOT history of the cars you look at, it will give you a good idea on how well a car has been looked after and highlight any future problems that are going to crop up. You need the registration number to do the check, I have noticed that the majority of cars for sale have pictures that fail to show the registration number or have the detail blanked out, not helpful when you want to do a MOT check but they do it to avoid getting the vehicle cloned by the criminal fraternity.
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

[paddy wright]

I’ve had my 2.2 for coming up on 13 years- it’s not the fastest car in the world but more than fast enough to have a lot of fun, driven well faster cars won’t leave you behind. 2.2 is still the M54 straight 6 so sounds great.
Buy cars on condition and history not just engine size.

[Mr Tidy]

Some good advice already given.

Just on the question about the number of previous owners, when I bought my last Coupe at just below 10 years old it had 5 former keepers, and my current one at 14 years of age had 7 former keepers. So I wouldn't be too worried about 6 on a 16 year old car. They are very often 2nd cars (hence such low mileage) and often get sold because owners' circumstances change.

As to whether you will find a 2.2i quick enough, only you can really decide! But what you are used to and how you intend to use it may well have a bearing on your decision.

At least the 2.2i is has a straight 6 engine, which I always think is one of the unique features of the Z4. But the pre-facelift 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i all use the same M54 engine, just in different sizes, so running costs are pretty much the same whichever one you choose.

Also sometimes the options fitted have a bearing as well. A smaller engine but desirable options like heated seats, M-Sport seats, etc. may be tempting!

Anyway good luck finding the right one for you.

[nic-nac-nic]

Thanks so much guys. I'll take all of your advice into mind!