affordability and reliability

[fs349]

I am trying to buy my uncle's 2004 z4 off of him. I know he never drives it, because he's too fat mostly, but it only has 15000 miles and original tires. It probably needs work on the engine and exhaust as it has sat in the garage for 90% of the last 14 years. I am a freshman mechanical engineering student so I want to learn how to work on it myself, my question though is for what I can do, How expensive would parts be? and for what must be done in shop, How expensive would parts and labor be in general?

[buzyg]

Welcome to the forum. Do you know when it last ran?

Have you got the service history?

[Doddsy]

Welcome mate

[greg81]

These cars are generally very reliable. I had my e85 for 3 years (14 years old, 66k) and spent a grand total for £300 on it over the time I owned it! (Excluding mot costs)

No shortage of parts available,

[Capa]

Depends on what you're used to. Parts aren't 'cheap', and you can't really get away with buying naff aftermarket gear as it'll last about two minutes. You aren't talking anything to the tune of Porsche running costs though - after all many parts are shared with the 3 series.

Labour wise, I don't think there's much that you couldn't handle, depending on how keen you are.

[Smartbear]

“I know he never drives it, because he's too fat mostly“
Brutal but funny!
Rob

[buzyg]

“I know he never drives it, because he's too fat mostly“
Brutal but funny!
Rob

Says the one who lent his T shirt to Zedward.

[Smartbear]

“I know he never drives it, because he's too fat mostly“
Brutal but funny!
Rob

Says the one who lent his T shirt to Zedward.

I’ve lost tons of weight since then!
Rob

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome OP.

Hope you manage to reach an agreement!

Tyres might be past their best, but the exhaust should be OK - I believe they are stainless (unlike the brake pipes which seem to rust for fun).

Parts aren't too dear - so long as you identify who made them, then order the same brand as OEM from people like Euro Car Parts. Just avoid going to BMW if you can!

For the jobs you can't do yourself there are plenty of Independent BMW Specialists around the country that will often do a better job than a main dealer for much lower cost - my local Indy is ex-Sytner but his hourly labour is half what Sytner charge.

Assuming you get the car, don't forget we like to see photos!

[skelters]

Rough guesstimated prices...

Tyres around £500

Servicing parts - oil, oil filter, air filter, pollen filter probably around £120 - £140. Cheaper if it's the 4 cylinder.

Plugs - £60. £40 it's the 4 cylinder.

Some of the bushes will probably be shot.

Rear Springs around £60 each.

Brake Fluid will need changed. £25.

Tank of fuel.

Road Tax

Insurance

Probably needs a new battery too.

[Papa_Zee]

Get it off him... quick!

Parts are reasonable as yours will probably just need a good service and maybe the bushes. I would watch the tyres but you can get some cheap ones and save up for proper ones or keep an eye on ebay and gumtree for your size. You’ll be surprised!

This is my 3rd Zed, trust me. You need this car in your life if only to say youve had one. That won’t be the end of it. Oh and they don’t make em anymore

You will properly get what I am saying around April-May time. Enjoy!

[Ewazix]

Tires, freshman, shop, I'm guessing our new friend is in the US

It will need recommissioning work as mentioned, but I'm sure the mechanical bits will have stood up OK, the main worry I would have is making sure the cooling system (pump, header tank and hoses) is sound before running it up to temperature as overheating can easily cause fatal damage.

[Felix79]

Make sure you empty the fuel tank and get it cleaned out properly, it most likely need a new fuel pump as the ethanol in the "gas" will make a lot of the plastics brittle and cause bits to mix up with the fuel.

All the lines and fluids are going to need replacing no matter what. It's best not to try and cut corners or scrimp on cheaper parts. You get what you pay for, so to save yourself more hassle and problems down the line, do it right the first time.

The tyres will need replacing, as leaving a car stationary for so many years will cause them to deform and the compound would have degraded, so they won't be safe at all to use, even if they "look" ok. It was old tyres on the Carrera GT Paul Walker was in that caused the thing to lose control so badly.

[kis]

Tires, freshman, shop, I'm guessing our new friend is in the US

Just the freshman sold me on the US

Make sure you empty the fuel tank and get it cleaned out properly

Why clean the tank out? I get it if the petrol is old and pumping the old stuff out, but cleaning?

At that age the engine will be the M54 unless it's one of the smaller engines. So much of the mechanical work engine-wise will be similar to that of the 3 series e46. Plenty of info and parts are readily available. As mentioned everything will likely just need a refresh. Replace all the fluids and inspect all hoses, rubber etc for cracks and brittleness. Calipers may or may not need refurbishing. Possibly roof motor may be busted but not really a major problem (no mechanical relevance). Tyres will be shot and are probably runflats so will need replacing. DISA upgrade is probably worth it (even if yours is perfectly fine). The expansion tank is also a common failure point. Then other bits as mentioned previously.

[Felix79]

Due to the amount of time it's been stood, I would bet the ethanol has pretty much destroyed the fuel pump, so you could have bits of plastic floating around in there. It will end up causing problems further down the fuel system, most likely clogging up the fuel filter. Also after a couple of years, the fuel starts to go really nasty and could start to strip the internal surfaces of the tank. For the sake of a bit of work making sure there is no crud left in the tank, it could help prevent you having to spend way more time trying to unclog new lines and filters.