mike k said:
1. Good choice in car
2. Inspection II isn't that bad, considering it is done every 4th service
3. Non-Sat Nav cars are more desirable due to the 'flush' dashboard, however that car not having heated seats is a bit of a let down
4. Don't buy on mileage, buy on condition. Mileage is only relevant if you are looking for an investment, at which point you would need below 60,000 miles (and not go above that during your ownership)
5. Slightly higher mileage cars which have a book full of receipts of wear components replaced will be cheaper, both in terms of price and running costs and should also be depreciation free miles. Only downside to this is that your friends might comment that you drive a higher mileage car, but then who cares
6. VANOS is touch and go, best way to check if it's okay or not is to get your mechanic to check the tabs whilst conducting a valve adjustment on an Inspection I or II service
7. Rod bearing shells are also touch and go, the general consensus is that they should be replaced every 80,000 - 100,000 miles. However if the car has been looked after, i.e. warmed up properly and had regular oil changes than in theory, the shells can last much longer. There are US S54s which have gone past 200,000 miles on original internals. I also know of one car owned by a BMW Watford technician, an E46 M3, which has 260,000 miles on it and has not had shells, VANOS or HG replaced [albeit most of the miles were autobahn miles as he used to work in Munich and used his car as transportation for going to and from the UK]). Nevertheless, the problem on rod bearing shells is that it is impossible to know how the previous owner treated the car and so I would barter them into the purchase price of the car, perhaps offer to meet the owner halfway if he is not willing to cover the full cost (which is usually around 1,200). Note you will also want to replace the engine mounts while you are down there. If buying from a dealer you may find that he is reluctant to budge, at which point it would make sense to request a warranty to cover you for the period you are owning the car. Only issue with this is when you sell the car, (the warranty will most probably be up) and you will be selling a higher mileage vehicle without the service done and so future buyers will try and barter you on this
8. HG - don't bother replacing this until you are presented with pinking or unfortunately have to do a VANOS overhaul. Purely replacing your HG for preventative maintenance is the biggest waste of money
9. Don't be worried, just go in knowing that unless these jobs have been done, you may have to spend some cash sorting them throughout your ownership. If looked after properly these cars are pretty much bulletproof
10. Good luck
, £14500 80k + fresh set of Michelins its not a bad point to be into a ZMC