SOLD 2006 '56' Z4m Coupe - Interlagos Blue - 65k

[Z450]

Difficult one here. These Coupes are approaching 17 years old, and condition at this age can vary hugely.

The question is was the buyers expectations unrealistic or is the seller mis describing the car… or does it sit somewhere in the middle!

[JimmiVW]

Difficult one here. These Coupes are approaching 17 years old, and condition at this age can vary hugely.

The question is was the buyers expectations unrealistic or is the seller mis describing the car… or does it sit somewhere in the middle!

You make a very valid point here on both fronts, what’s the old saying “there’s three sides to every story; your side, my side, and the truth!”.

I acknowledge that the car didn’t meet James expectations and he was right not to buy it, I’ve been in that situation before and walked away, only to see a car sell a week later.

From my perspective, I think the pricing is appropriate for the condition and mileage of the car. Full disclosure, I told James he could have the car for £18,250 prior to him making the journey up. This is a price I will honour to other buyers. If the car was mint I would likely be asking 3k more.

I will see what other enquiries come through in the coming weeks and remain open to conversations with any interested party.

[Street]

Well if we’re all sharing thoughts.. £18,250 is an amazing price for a 65k miles MC IMO.
Body work can be repaired.. mileage can’t. Even with a full respray you’d have a pristine car for good money.

If I didn’t have one I’d be all over this like a tramp on chips.

[Zedebee]

JimmiVW, How accurate is the comment “Every panel was deeply scratched beyond the point of being saved by anything less than a full body respray”?

The comments do seem a bit harsh, particularly about the car being “shockingly tatty”. It looks really good to me in the photos, and as you say a fair price for a pristine 65k Z4C is probably north of £20k.

[tomscott]

Might be worth putting a few pic of the "deeply scratched" panels.

If its fingernail deep then it is difficult to repair then its worth showing, but if its not... a good detail with a pro will probably solve. With the money saved it pretty much would pay for a pro.

At the end of the day this is at the lower end of the spectrum and you won't find a perfect car that doesn't need any work done anywhere near this money so its kind of horses for courses. There are another 2 for sale between 55 and 65k that are £24k so your looking at another 6k for similar cars.

When I bought my Z4MR it was swirled to pieces (to the point of being dull) after sitting under a cover for a long time. I spent 3 days and did a 3 stage correction it came up an absolute treat. Not perfect but for a 17 year old car looks really really good.

The Z4 paint is quite hard too so it can take some specialism to get it to a decent point. More than your standard DA and compound, bit of wet send may sort it a treat.

I think expectations are often difficult to set and meet when it comes to old cars. Even back in 2012 when I bought my first M coupe I saw 4 that were 5 years old and under 40k that I just wouldn't have bought. Add another 11 years.... the service history is so hard to find thats in correct order and this one looks pretty good, so give and take.

[JimmiVW]

JimmiVW, How accurate is the comment “Every panel was deeply scratched beyond the point of being saved by anything less than a full body respray”?

The comments do seem a bit harsh, particularly about the car being “shockingly tatty”. It looks really good to me in the photos, and as you say a fair price for a pristine 65k Z4C is probably north of £20k.

In my opinion I do not feel the car is in need of a respray and I am disappointed by the comments, however I really don’t want to get into a tit for tat conversation.

I have just driven the car 22 miles to work, where it will get a rinse off and go back into my workshop. The video below was shot just now, prior to a wash and with the road dirt from the journey. Although it is very hard to show close detail on a video, I really do not feel this is a car that warrants a respray.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/1uaWRkMzsmg[/youtube]

On the points regarding the detail to hide these scratches, I personally gave the car a polish and wax two weeks ago, so it certainly hasn’t had a pro job to hide anything.

[tomscott]

JimmiVW, How accurate is the comment “Every panel was deeply scratched beyond the point of being saved by anything less than a full body respray”?

The comments do seem a bit harsh, particularly about the car being “shockingly tatty”. It looks really good to me in the photos, and as you say a fair price for a pristine 65k Z4C is probably north of £20k.

In my opinion I do not feel the car is in need of a respray and I am disappointed by the comments, however I really don’t want to get into a tit for tat conversation.

I have just driven the car 22 miles to work, where it will get a rinse off and go back into my workshop. The video below was shot just now, prior to a wash and with the road dirt from the journey. Although it is very hard to show close detail on a video, I really do not feel this is a car that warrants a respray.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/1uaWRkMzsmg[/youtube]

TBH the car looks in a condition I would expect. These cars are low and are inherently more susceptible to chips and scratches on the front end. Rare to see a front end that hasn't been resprayed at some point. Even if it needs it the bumper and bonnet probs £600ish.

At the end of the day if its a driver not a garage queen it will happen again.

Mine was in very similar condition as was 65k too but it was amazing how much was removed with the DA then I painted in the chips and blended with the DA.

Had my Z4MC front bumper resprayed at about 50k as it was peppered.

[R60BBA]

JimmiVW, How accurate is the comment “Every panel was deeply scratched beyond the point of being saved by anything less than a full body respray”?

The comments do seem a bit harsh, particularly about the car being “shockingly tatty”. It looks really good to me in the photos, and as you say a fair price for a pristine 65k Z4C is probably north of £20k.

In my opinion I do not feel the car is in need of a respray and I am disappointed by the comments, however I really don’t want to get into a tit for tat conversation.

I have just driven the car 22 miles to work, where it will get a rinse off and go back into my workshop. The video below was shot just now, prior to a wash and with the road dirt from the journey. Although it is very hard to show close detail on a video, I really do not feel this is a car that warrants a respray.

[youtube]https://youtu.be/1uaWRkMzsmg[/youtube]

On the points regarding the detail to hide these scratches, I personally gave the car a polish and wax two weeks ago, so it certainly hasn’t had a pro job to hide anything.

Doesn’t even look that bad, although you can never really tell from pictures / videos.

Would suggest respraying the front bumper and getting car detailed (ie deep cleaned [inside and out], machine polished and waxed) - so it is essentially prepped for sale.

Will cost you £500-800 but should make the sale a lot easier.

Alternatively put it up on Collecting Cars with a reserve and see what it goes for.

Good luck

[James McDonald]

The car looks stunning in the pictures and videos, it needs to be seen in the flesh to understand my comments. The paint is scratched beyond repair, the only potential cause of this damage that I can think of is that it has been incorrectly washed with something hard or abrasive, the scratches are not swirl marks but look to have been caused by back and forth movement of something hard over the paint and extend to every panel.

I too do not want to get into a tit for tat conversation and understand the price is attractive, I am just disappointed that I was not made aware of the damage prior to undertaking my trip. My expectations of the car were not unrealistically high, I understand used cars have lived a life and will always have cosmetic blemishes, stone chips, small scuffs etc. Unfortunately, this Z4m coupe has sustained permanent damage to the paint at some point in its life which can not be categorised as normal wear and tear.

I would have purchased the car if it wasn't for the unusual damage, after enjoying my 3.0 Z4 coupe for the last 2 years I am set on getting a Z4m Coupe to replace it and have been itching to get my hands on one for some time now. It genuinely took a lot to walk away from what is in essence a dream car of mine.

[R60BBA]

The car looks stunning in the pictures and videos, it needs to be seen in the flesh to understand my comments. The paint is scratched beyond repair, the only potential cause of this damage that I can think of is that it has been incorrectly washed with something hard or abrasive, the scratches are not swirl marks but look to have been caused by back and forth movement of something hard over the paint and extend to every panel.

I too do not want to get into a tit for tat conversation and understand the price is attractive, I am just disappointed that I was not made aware of the damage prior to undertaking my trip. My expectations of the car were not unrealistically high, I understand used cars have lived a life and will always have cosmetic blemishes, stone chips, small scuffs etc. Unfortunately, this Z4m coupe has sustained permanent damage to the paint at some point in its life which can not be categorised as normal wear and tear.

I would have purchased the car if it wasn't for the unusual damage, after enjoying my 3.0 Z4 coupe for the last 2 years I am set on getting a Z4m Coupe to replace it and have been itching to get my hands on one for some time now. It genuinely took a lot to walk away from what is in essence a dream car of mine.

Have you got photos of the scratches you are talking about?

[Pondrew]

I am very sorry that you feel this way, we did have numerous conversations about the condition of the vehicle, that I felt it was in good condition for the age, not mint but fair and reasonable at the price.
I provided you with numerous photos and videos prior to your trip and we did speak a number of times.
I do not feel that I have mislead you about the condition and I am sincerely sorry if you feel this was malicious in anyway. That was not my intention at all.

For any other prospective buyers, I am open to conversations and will send as much information, photos and videos as I can prior to viewing. I do not have any intention to mislead.

Best regards, James

What a great response. Top stuff IMO. These type of threads can so easily deteriorate into a slagging match (understandably IMHO).
If you don't work in Public Relations already I think there is a calling.
There are some very clever 'paint correction' people around nowadays, if needed.
GLWTS.

[golfgeezer]

Just goes to show the importance of viewing a potential purchase in person. My first Z4 I went to view and wasn’t disappointed. My second I didn’t but another forum member viewed on my behalf and gave an honest appraisal of it so I was happy to proceed. This is slightly more risky as one mans excellent condition could be another mans rot box. Luckily it turned out fine. My next Z4 I’ll go and view in person as long as the deal is realistic and fair of course.
I’ve bought many a motorbike long distance based on description and pics/video alone. 95% of the time it’s worked out well but there’s been one or two that I’d not have bought if I’d been standing in front of it.
If I was in the market for a Z4MC none of the above posts would put me off. If I was interested I’d go and view it and make up my own mind

[Simon 3.2M]

I purchased my MC last March, it too was attractively priced. The draw was the recent rod bearings, vanos refresh, KWv3s and ARC8s - the kicker was the 121k on the clock (depending on your point of view) When I first saw the car it popped somewhat however, up close you could see the paint needed some attention. That said, these cars are 17yrs old and as mentioned, will have paint issues unless they have been resprayed. What is worth noting in this instance is that Interlagos blue is a difficult colour in that it shows every blemish - stone chips on the lower part of the bumper almost make it look grey. I’ve corrected it but ultimately she needs some paint, probably to the tune of £1500. My Imola roadster also looked like it had been washed with sandpaper - 4 days later, the paint came up like glass, Imola hides a lot of imperfections.
To play devils advocate, you could argue there’s a £2000 paint job required. At 65k the bearings and vanos may need refreshing £2-2500.
£18k plus 4k is still 2k less than the others advertised but once sorted, you’d have a very nice MC.

[SV8Predator]

To play devils advocate, you could argue there’s a £2000 paint job required.

A £2000 paint job? That wouldn't be any better than what he has now. A car like that needs a decent paint job.

[Simon 3.2M]

To play devils advocate, you could argue there’s a £2000 paint job required.

A £2000 paint job? That wouldn't be any better than what he has now. A car like that needs a decent paint job.

I’m not a paint expert, it was just a guess as to making it or getting it to an acceptable level? I suspect a “decent” paint job is 4,5,6k?