A warning about a Z4 for sale in Glasgow

E

Erudite-Idiot

Member
 Esholt - Yorkshire
Site Supporter
I went to look at a Z4 30i in Glasgow today for a fellow forum member as I am in Scotland for a few days with work.
This is a 2009 car, one owner and full history with the usual dealer approach of talking it up and setting an interest grabbing £8,995 price tag.

First issue I found when I arrived was that the price on the card in the window was £10,995 :unsure:
Asked about that and quickly advised "sorry, someone has put the wrong price on the car, it is £8,995"....

On the surface, the car looked lovely with beautiful bodywork and extended cream leather interior.

Then I opened the boot and lifted the cover over the battery...

20260303_121214.jpg

20260303_121150.jpg20260303_121137.jpg

I stopped looking at the car at that point and it is fair to say the sales guy was not happy when I said there was no point in going any further as the corrosion caused by water ingress is siginificant!
So, in summary, if you notice a 1 owner 2009 Z4 30i for sale in Glasgow, don't, just don't!
 
would that be the one at Hillinton? if so well done - it does look a tidy car in the pictures.
 

Description​

THIS IS A 1 PRIVATE OWNED CAR FROM NEW WITH FULL SERVICE HISTORY,IT COMES WITH PURE WHITE EXCLUSIVE DESIGN PACK,EXTEND CREAM ALCANTARA DOOR CARDS AND DASH,SPORTS SEATS,ELECTRIC TINTED WINDOWS,CLIMATE CONTROL,CRUISE CONTROL,LEATHER MULTI-FUNCTION STEERING WHEEL,RAIN SENSOR,CD,TELEPHONE,18"M-SPORT ALLOY WHEELS,STUNNING INTERIOR ON THIS CAR AND A VERY EXPENSIVE OPTIONAL EXTRA WHEN NEW AND VERY RARE,STUNNING CONDITION CAR AND DRIVES SUPERB.
 
May drive superb, and the interior was a very expensive (and rarely specified for that reason) option.
And the interior of the boot did leave me stunned, albeit not in the intended manner!

Oh, and does anyone in car sales have a keyboard that has a working (i.e. not stuck in the on position) caps lock key?
 
Well a budget special ..bugger all bits.. but..very shiny
 
Nice looking car in Havanna with the Pure White Design Package - a great combination that after 2009 wasn't available with the new M Sport models and after 2011 no longer existed as an exterior or interior option.

The alcantara looks like its done double the miles but otherwise presents well save the back edge of the side skirts which are always a give away area of age.

Hopefully you didn't travel far to view it and will save someone else wasting their time.

I'd be tempted to give the dealer the benefit of the doubt on the basis most won't think to look under the boot floor but the only way to know would be to phone them and ask them the direct question you should always ask before viewing an E89 - "any signs of water ingress in the boot and does the sponge surrounding the roof motor feel damp".
 
Please excuse my lack of knowledge on the 89.

So is a boot in this condition a definite no no, then?
And indicative of further corrosion issues elsewhere?

What would cause it, a design fault, perrished seal, or something more sinister like it's been flood damaged or in a river?
 
Meds said:
Please excuse my lack of knowledge on the 89.

So is a boot in this condition a definite no no, then?
And indicative of further corrosion issues elsewhere?

What would cause it, a design fault, perrished seal, or something more sinister like it's been flood damaged or in a river?
Click to expand...
There's been, most likely, a water leak via boot seal or rear lamp seal failure..

Apart from cosmetic issues the concern is that several of the expensive / fragile ECUs in that area may suffer water born damage..some of which takes years to manifest if not addressed immediately..

EPB, diversity amplifier,EKPM amongst others
 
B21 said:
There's been, most likely, a water leak via boot seal or rear lamp seal failure..

Apart from cosmetic issues the concern is that several of the expensive / fragile ECUs in that area may suffer water born damage..some of which takes years to manifest if not addressed immediately..

EPB, diversity amplifier,EKPM amongst others
Click to expand...
Got it.. thanks for clarifying.👍
 
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B21 said:
There's been, most likely, a water leak via boot seal or rear lamp seal failure..

Apart from cosmetic issues the concern is that several of the expensive / fragile ECUs in that area may suffer water born damage..some of which takes years to manifest if not addressed immediately..

EPB, diversity amplifier,EKPM amongst others
Click to expand...

Alas diversity amplifiers appear to fail on most BMW's which result in their drivers being unaware that other cars exist on the road and that allowances should be made for those unfortunates :p
 
I would have walked away the minute I saw it was brown! 1970s Allegros were brown, not expensive BMWs (probably why the "havana" is so "rare" and didn't stay a colour for long).

I'm surprised the dealer didn't go down the "colour coded boot interior" route. They missed a trick there.
 
Erudite-Idiot said:
I went to look at a Z4 30i in Glasgow today for a fellow forum member as I am in Scotland for a few days with work.
This is a 2009 car, one owner and full history with the usual dealer approach of talking it up and setting an interest grabbing £8,995 price tag.

First issue I found when I arrived was that the price on the card in the window was £10,995 :unsure:
Asked about that and quickly advised "sorry, someone has put the wrong price on the car, it is £8,995"....

On the surface, the car looked lovely with beautiful bodywork and extended cream leather interior.

Then I opened the boot and lifted the cover over the battery...

View attachment 291197

View attachment 291198View attachment 291199

I stopped looking at the car at that point and it is fair to say the sales guy was not happy when I said there was no point in going any further as the corrosion caused by water ingress is siginificant!
So, in summary, if you notice a 1 owner 2009 Z4 30i for sale in Glasgow, don't, just don't!
Click to expand...
Just confirms my (rather repetitive) ramblings that car dealers are all arseholes. They not only don't know what they are selling, they couldn't care less. They don't sell 'cars' anymore, it just happens that cars are what make them their money. Could be cabbages, if the profit margins were there for doing feck all.
The used car trade in the UK is absolutely disgraceful. It's like the wild west and the 'buyer protections' from the law are barely worth the paper they are written on.

The two most expensive assets anybody buys in the UK are houses and cars. Neither have any real come-back if you buy a bag of shite.

I despise car dealers and estate agents in equal measure.
 
Pondy said:
I would have walked away the minute I saw it was brown! 1970s Allegros were brown, not expensive BMWs (probably why the "havana" is so "rare" and didn't stay a colour for long).
Click to expand...
Try telling the Sepang Bronze Z4M owners it was rare for a reason!

I bought 1973 Mexico Brown Rover 3500S in 1979 despite the colour. As a 20 year old hooligan I just couldn't resist a manual V8 that I could afford. :D
 
Pondy said:
Just confirms my (rather repetitive) ramblings that car dealers are all arseholes. They not only don't know what they are selling, they couldn't care less. They don't sell 'cars' anymore, it just happens that cars are what make them their money. Could be cabbages, if the profit margins were there for doing feck all.
The used car trade in the UK is absolutely disgraceful. It's like the wild west and the 'buyer protections' from the law are barely worth the paper they are written on.

The two most expensive assets anybody buys in the UK are houses and cars. Neither have any real come-back if you buy a bag of shite.

I despise car dealers and estate agents in equal measure.
Click to expand...


I would disagree, car dealers are no different to any other job/ profession there are good and bad.
 
Mr Tidy said:
Try telling the Sepang Bronze Z4M owners it was rare for a reason!
Click to expand...
It was! Sepang was never a limited edition colour. It was just hardly anybody wanted it.
Funny how "unpopular" becomes "rare" after a few years.

BTW I also bought a brown Rover 3500 (SD1) cos I wanted a V8. I had it a week!
 
Z450 said:
I would disagree, car dealers are no different to any other job/ profession there are good and bad.
Click to expand...
Well I have bought hundreds of cars and have never, ever encountered a decent car dealer. Maybe I'm just unlucky?
 
Erudite-Idiot said:
First issue I found when I arrived was that the price on the card in the window was £10,995 :unsure:
Asked about that and quickly advised "sorry, someone has put the wrong price on the car, it is £8,995"....
Click to expand...
I've found this before, and had it explained as "well there's an internet price, and there's the forecourt price". From both independent and main dealers. If I've queried I've seen the cheaper price they've been happy to go along with me bartering off that price rather than the window price at least. Think my 1 series was like that, about a £1k difference on a £4k car internet ad to reality.
 
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