Hello from a future owner

S

SeeingTheLight

Member
 West Sussex, UK
Hi Everyone!

I've finally seen the light, and have sold my classic Land Rover Series 3 so I can make the jump into a slightly faster and more comfortable mode of transport.

I'm in the UK, down South, and at the moment I'm just soaking in all the posts here while I keep my eye out for a clean 2.5 or 3.0 Z4 that is within my modest budget (only £6k max!). I'm a big fan of the E85/E86 although I admit I have had my head turned a little by the hard top convertibles of the later models. I'm keen to do things at home - you kind of have to if you own an old land rover - but I do worry that a much more modern car will be a bit of a stretch for my very modest skillset.

Anyway, the forum gods told me to say hello - so hello!
 
Hello and welcome. Though living in Norfolk now, I was brought up and went to school in Littlehampton and still have family down that way.
Your budget should get you a pretty good E85 (I will ignore the E86 as you have spent enough time in a tin top ;))
They are pretty easy to swork on if you know your way around a spanner, but a good quality code reader is one of the first things you should budget for.
 
Thanks, I'm just down the road from Littlehampton at this very moment 👀

My landy was a soft top - so I wouldn't mind seeing what all the fuss is about with a real roof :) - but I do like the wind in my hair!

Good shout on the code reader, I hadn't even thought of that... so much to learn...
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. :thumbsup:

You ought to be able to find a good Z4 in your budget, and when you do don't forget we like to see photos!
 
For that budget you can afford to be choosy. At this age (e85s are all around 20 years old), it’s not worth chasing ultra low mileage as they have often barely been serviced over their lifetimes. Also, both the early (M54) and late (N52) engines are capable of pretty high mileages (150k+ no problem) if properly looked after. Most people who buy a 2.5 get the lust for a 3.0 after a while and end up trading up. You can afford to jump straight in. The 3.0i M54 and the 3.0Si N52 have different characters, so don’t write off the M54 just because it’s less powerful. Arguably it’s more grunty and easier to work on. Decide which colour you like best, which of the options are indispensable (upgraded HiFi, Msport interior, xenon lights, cruise control, cup holders etc), then find a well looked after one in absolutely the best condition you can. Don’t hunt for a bargain - pay whatever it takes, within reason, to get your perfect car.
 
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There is a lot of wariness and bias on here. Inevitably as we are all different. While I agree that a buyer shouldn’t look out just for a low mileage one (because they are “better”) I similarly don’t subscribe to the general statement “don’t get a low miler as it won’t have been serviced”. Might be true, might not be. All of mine are very low miles and are, if anything, over serviced. Go in with eyes open and buy on condition, mileage and provenance up to your budget. The good thing at the moment is that z4s are stupidly cheap right now.
 
CliveN said:
I similarly don’t subscribe to the general statement “don’t get a low miler as it won’t have been serviced”. Might be true, might not be.
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It is more likely that a car which is stored through the winter and driven 500 miles each summer is not going to be maintained wonderfully.
Unless enthusiast 'home mechanics' have all owned the car (unlikely), people don't generally spend £2-500 every year having a car serviced that is seldom used. Stands to reason IMO.
You may do this but most don't.

As I only buy ultra low mileage cars, the lack of regular servicing is a problem I see a LOT, even with much newer cars.
 
Perhaps I am the odd one out then. None of my BMWs do more than 2000 miles a year yet every single one of them has an annual oil change even if the car says “next year”. I just do. Even my NSX gets a complete fluids change every other year, sometimes at no more than 500 miles distance. And an engine refresh every 10 years.
 
And that it’s incredibly difficult to find older cars with low miles that haven’t got a gap somewhere. Both of my zeds had a year gap in the history and on the E89 the car was still young enough and low mileage enough (14k) to be able to manage it. On the ZM I took the view that the gap was just before Sytner spent several thousands on preparing it as AUC and that the servicing after that (10k later) was on the button. As I said before, the JayKay car was advertised as “perfect 4000 miles” but I passed it by as it had almost zero service history or documentation
 
Thanks everyone for your welcome(s). Plenty of food for thought. My plan for this weekend is to visit a couple of very local dealers who have some tatty ones in stock - not to buy, but to sit in and hopefully take for a test drive to get a feel for them. At the moment I am very much searching with my heart not my head which is never a good idea!
 
Zed Baron said:
Hi, with your £6k budget you could be into the next generation E89 - something like the 23i (2.5 ltr), heres a link to one on Ebay (there's about another 3 there for your budget), maybe something to consider: https://ebay.us/m/2VUG5Z
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Funnily enough, I was looking at that earlier - to my eyes it looks lovely, although he's done a lot of miles in it in the last 2 years - but perhaps that's no bad thing.

I do like red... :cool:
 
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