WANTED E85 Z4 3.0 Manual

[Stustafford21]

Evening all.

Been considering a Z4 for years and finally have a garage space to fill so on the lookout for a 3.0 manual.

Looking to gory in at the lower end of the market initially, with a view to upgrading if it’s something I enjoy (hoping so after all these years.)

Main priority is condition, not put off by miles etc. If it’s obviously been cared for. Ideally want the better seats, and would prefer a more interesting colour but flexible on that.

Ideally looking upto around the 4kish mark for now.

Anything I’ve blatantly missed from my post let me know.

Thanks,

Stuart

[Mr Tidy]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your search.

You might struggle to find an early one with the M-Sport seats as they were an option most people didn't seem to choose! Facelift cars (2006 onwards) came as SE or Sport and the latter had M-Sport seats as standard.

But as they are very sought-after used ones tend to sell for anything up to £1K for heated and electric, so aren't cheap to retro-fit.

Still you may find one someone has fitted with them.

[Stustafford21]

Thanks for the info, really appreciate it. It’s not a deal breaker really, just something I’d ideally like. I really need to spend some time looking into what came with what options and what’s sought after.

I did consider upping the budget and looking for a 3.0si but a pending house completion on Friday and the fact it’s really a 2nd weekend car means I should probably stick to my initial budget.

[skaravas]

Hello, mine has all the extras you require except sport seats but mileage is 130k. New brakes, springs, shocks, top mounts, bushings front and rear, cooling system, rocker cover gasket, major service done April. Scuff in front bumper. Price 4k, location Norfolk

[Stustafford21]

Bump.

Still looking to see what’s about, potentially looking upto £5k now for the right car but im in no rush.

On a side note, what are peoples views on 3.0 prefacelift vs the 2.5si? Am I mad to be considering the Si over the early 3.0?

[Mr Tidy]

This one looks smart and seems to tick most of the boxes!

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=131620

I've had BMWs with both the earlier M54 (in a 3 Series) and later N52 engines and had no major issues with either, although on 6 figure mileages ancillary parts often need replacing, stuff like cooling systems, water pumps, thermostats, electrical components, etc. the same as on any car.

The main differences are that the N52 revs a bit higher (7,000rpm), has an electric water pump that at some point just dies and costs over £250 to replace and has no dipstick - you check the oil level using a button on the dash!

[Stustafford21]

Thanks for the info. I’ve unfortunately fallen foul of the water pump on a previous 330, and it was more like £700 from memory which stung as it wasn’t long after purchase.

I’ve seen the one you’ve linked and been back to look at it on here multiple times. If it’s still there early next week when I’m free I’ll likely go and take a look