WANTED BMW Z4 E85 Automatic 2.5

[skmattwell]

I'll add that when I was looking for my 2.5 auto I couldn't find anything remotely decent for less than £3k. I actually found autos to be more expensive than manuals seen as there are a lot less of them and generally becoming more popular as a transmission (a lot of people take their test in an auto nowadays)

[raymond.harper]

Is auto a must?

Yes auto only

Perhaps you might want to consider a 171 Mercedes SLK where automatics are common and the manual box is rare. Plenty of examples at a good price. Very soft suspension!

[raymond.harper]

3 owners, 2007 SE 2.5 so more powerful engine. No accident history. MOT history is acceptable but the rear brake pipes will need to be replaced. The driver's seat is a little worn but you will get a warranty. The price is high but could be negotiated. https://www.gl-cars.co.uk/stock/used-ve ... ts=&color=

[enuff_zed]

3 owners, 2007 SE 2.5 so more powerful engine. No accident history. MOT history is acceptable but the rear brake pipes will need to be replaced. The driver's seat is a little worn but you will get a warranty. The price is high but could be negotiated. https://www.gl-cars.co.uk/stock/used-ve ... ts=&color=

That’s actually just a 2.5i according to the badging, so only 177bhp

[pvr]

I'll add that when I was looking for my 2.5 auto I couldn't find anything remotely decent for less than £3k. I actually found autos to be more expensive than manuals seen as there are a lot less of them and generally becoming more popular as a transmission (a lot of people take their test in an auto nowadays)

That surprises me as autos are always worth less than manuals for the E85/86. The market is very small for them.

[deltasierra]

We did have a manual 5 speed for a while, nice enough for a cheap car but on long touring trips the gear change and lower bearing became a drag. So swapped it for a 6 speed auto a much more relaxed car to drive touring, if you want to get noticed just press the sport button or use the paddles, you will be noticed!. Facelift 2.5 is 90% as good as the 3.0, upgrade to electric seats and cruise control it’s a lovely car to drive.

[Rossi1001]

Hi Aki,

I have an E85 2.5 Auto that for the right price, I'd consider letting go. I've absolutely fallen in love with the Z4 though and I would buy another! Probably a manual though and the 3.0L, which would be my preference now my daily / family car is also an auto. I like my music too, so would want one with the upgraded hifi system.

I just had a look at Autotrader and every auto under £4k available had things broken or one key or no history (or a mixture of all of those!)

Mine's a very early March 2003 car in Titan Silver with red leather and it's not an M Sport. It's done 96k miles and only 6k miles in the past 5 years (with 4k of those miles being from myself in the over the last year and a bit).

It's got the parking sensors and electric seats you're after, and also has factory xenon lights, though the parking sensors are temperamental. It's something I was going to fix at some point but I've had other more pressing jobs. The electric seats are not heated though (annoying, who orders optional electric but not heated seats!?). I have two working remote keys.

I bought it in August 2022 off a retired policeman who'd had it for just over a year. He bought it with no prior service history (brave!), though did say the previous owner had owned the car for circa 7 years, which checked out when you look at the HPI history and when the personal plates were added / removed. It's had a high number of owners though, I am the 11th(!!), though I'm only the third owner in the past 10 years, so it changed hands a lot early in its life.

The policeman chap carried out a full service and replaced the brake lines and also rectified an ABS issue (I have paperwork for all of this), though I've done a lot more in my ownership, including the following;

• Further full service and Auxiliary belts changed

• Gearbox oil service

• Valve cover gaskets replaced (inc screws)

• New Battery

• Oil filter housing gasket replaced

• 2x front shock absorbers replaced

• Replaced 4x tyres with Bridgestones (not run flat - so much better!)

• Retrofitted cruise control (a must have upgrade!)

• Retrofitted cupholders with the correct grey faceplates (so hard to find as grey interiors are only on the early cars)

• Retrofitted LED interior lighting (footwells and boot light too - much brighter, more modern and uses less power) I kept the original bulbs though.

• Replaced passenger door weather seal (this had been causing a leak - now fixed)

• Replaced the front lower suspension arms, bushes and links (this along with new tyres significantly improved the handling)

• Replaced the ashtray unit (the moving lid was broken)

• I have a new passenger door handle (not yet fitted to replace the worn existing one)

• Replaced the xenon headlight bulbs

I've just ordered (today!) new front inner steering rack joints (which came up on the last MOT) and new engine and transmission mounts to cure a bit of engine vibration. I have paperwork / invoices for all of the above.

It's not a perfect car by any means, but a lot of the jobs needed have been done. Still on my to do list, were roof motor relocation, vanos rebuild / refresh and DISA valve upgrade (nothing wrong with any of them, just preventative maintenance) along with a seats out carpet clean (with rug doctor or similar) and removing some surface rust on the rear suspension and adding some rust protection.

I know I won't get all the money back I've sunk into it, though I'd be prepared to let it go for the right price if you were interested. Happy to have a chat via PM or over the phone. I'm in South Essex though, so quite a trek from Yorkshire!

[aki]

I'll add that when I was looking for my 2.5 auto I couldn't find anything remotely decent for less than £3k. I actually found autos to be more expensive than manuals seen as there are a lot less of them and generally becoming more popular as a transmission (a lot of people take their test in an auto nowadays)

Exactly, autos are definitely rarer than the manual e85s and they're also more expensive. £3k is way too low unless you get a high mileage one.

[aki]

3 owners, 2007 SE 2.5 so more powerful engine. No accident history. MOT history is acceptable but the rear brake pipes will need to be replaced. The driver's seat is a little worn but you will get a warranty. The price is high but could be negotiated. https://www.gl-cars.co.uk/stock/used-ve ... ts=&color=

Thanks that's a nice example to be fair. However at this moment in time it's too far for me location wise (almost 200 miles one way). Also the pricing is definitely on the higher side for one with over 100k miles

[deltasierra]

Looking at what’s available there is 3.0si auto at Ripon that car looks good value and worth a look at under £6k