FJ05 JVC is #198, BMW build June 2004, first UK registration in March 2005
I don't seem to recall seeing that particular car up for sale recently, you can look at
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=88374 for an indication on pricing trends over the last couple of years but always buy on condition and provenance.
Check the service history fully.
- Check it had the 1200 mile running in service (there is some leeway on the actual mileage for this service and anywhere between 1000 and 1600 miles should be regarded as normal)
- Subsequent services as per the service book schedule (if low-mileage, should have a service every 2 years even if hardly used)
- 2 yearly brake fluid changes.
Other things to note:
- Rear coil springs are standard BMW items and they are liable to break on all E85/86 models (not an expensive repair)
- Vanos can get noisy, and may need changing at some point
- Sticky Steering: the electric steering on the E85 can suffer from degradation - and, in the early stages, it's worse when the column is hot. Get her stinking hot around your feet for half-an-hour or so and see if the steering starts to 'grab' when you turn the wheel. If this happens, it's likely to require a replacement steering column.
Test drive:
- Ask for the car to be cold when you get there. Start her up, and she should settle into a rough, loud, growly, idle. Let her sit on idle for 30-40 secs and the noises should subside of their own volition and she will reach normal tickover. If all this occurs (including the noisy bit) then all is well.
- When she has warmed a little, find a 'suitable road', open the tap in 2nd or 3rd and let her go. She should rev from 'trundling speeds' to the red line with no flatspots or hesitation. Any hesitation; ask questions. Could be Vanos, cam position sensor, MAF or a headgasket issue.
- Be aware that they accelerate brutally fast, so watch where you do it for license-preserving purposes.
- You should find she sits quite happily at 30 mph in 6th gear
- The B3s engine has a know appetite for head gaskets from about 60k onwards. Because Alpina bore-out the block the failure is normally at the narrow point between cylinders so there is no oil/water mixing and, as long as it's caught fairly quickly, should not cause any major trauma - other than the usual damage to the wallet. It's not a given that they'll all fail though - Mark Guthrie's car (#108) was on around 120k when he sold it and it was still on the original HG.
You won't notice it during an inspection, but oil consumption in the 3.4S engine is normal. You need to keep an eye on the oil levels because you won't get a warning light on the dash - the E85 oil level sensor isn't fitted as it's incompatible with the 3.4S engine.
Officially, Alpina only recommend 0w30 and TWS (for higher mileage engines) but, in practice, any fully synth that meets BMW LL04 spec will be fine.
Other than that, it's the normal Z4 checklist and the usual things that you look at on a car - panel gaps, signs of painting/repair work, overall condition etc. Bespoke Alpina parts can be quite expensive but some, such as the wind deflector, have direct BMW equivalents.