156k too much of a risk ??

[bigwinn]

I have worked in garages etc years back and like you I always reckoned that a car moving is better than a car parked up for accumulated years of its life ?
As the e85 is my first z4 just wondered how they fair at higher miles

personally I don’t think (for someone of my ilk anyway) there is a greater feeling of achievement of fixing something a bit busted and making it good again.

Apart from maybe giving it some right foot action once done

Plus when backed up with a great support network like this forum what’s not to like?

Never a truer word said

The only word of caution is that is my rose tinted M54 engine glasses on!

The only N52 I had wasn’t on the drive long enough for me to gel with it

 

[plenty]

Thats good on a Renault....I also have a x5 40d on 123k but that is starting to be a pain in the backside !

It's a Clio 182 - very simple cars. Electrics can be a bit flakey and synchros wear but they're basically unburstable. Lots around on 200k+ miles.

There's a lot more to go wrong on a modern BMW!

 

[Southwestz4]

I had a 2012 X5 40D and had 0 issues with it in the 6 years I had it, but then again it was only on 28k miles when I sold it and the new owner added only 10k to it in the next 4 years without a single issue.

However, on the X5 before I had it up to 80k miles and had expensive repairs when the mileage hit about 70 onwards.

The current X5M is on 14k miles after 4 years, with 0 issues. In my experience, any car that I had in the past getting higher miles had associated breakdown costs, but cars that were the same age with much lower miles had nothing cost wise.

I bought the x5 with 98k ...have had vibration issues, electrical gremlins and now have an oil leak from rear of engine, hopefully its not the rear crank seal

 

[Calps]

My two cents - I think this is worthwhile.

Yes, the mileage might mean that there are a number of jobs that may need doing, however (assuming you're keeping the car for a while) those jobs would still need doing on lower mileage cars (albeit at a point in the future). That they may need doing is the key thing. Knowing if jobs are done are absolutely a bonus, however the same component has been known to last to very high miles on car A, but abruptly stop on car B with half the miles (water pump being a regular example). There's always a degree of risk when buying second hand, even when provided with FSH etc.

As others have said, there's generally good reliability with these cars, and many things can be worked on by hobbyist mechanics (if you're so inclined), so unless there's something that has been irreparably damaged, or there are undeclared structural issues, everything else should be regular maintenance/preventative maintenance and treated (and budget for) as such.

The car looks great, lovely colour/trim combo, and nice options. If it were me, I would be considering it.

 

[enuff_zed]

Bear in mind that when you come to sell it the potential buyers will be having these same thoughts, with even more miles on it.
So you buy cheap, sell cheap.

 

[Joycey]

Lovely car that and good value for money, some coupes are going for quite a bit more than that.

Just like everyone has said above, how well the engine/car has been looked after will be the deciding factor. My coupe is on 155K and iv'e done 30+ track days. I drop the oil after every track day and I'm even still on the origial water pump, not so much an issue with the N52K engine.

7k for a coupe is cracking money, theyre so pretty.

 

[Secondtothird]

Different animal entirely but my old Hilux is on 320k with no issues, treat them kindly they'll do the same back.

Though appreciate comparing the KZN130 and the N52 is like a brick and a microchip.

Owen

 

[SonnyA85]

Mileage doesn't matter if it's been well serviced and looked after. Especially when these things are 2 decades old. I wouldn't bother with Jameszy's list. A full service is all it needs including plugs, diff fluid and gearbox fluid. other than that I wouldn't touch anything that isn't broken other than belts. no point fixing something before it breaks you may get another 5 years out of the old parts

Meh - you bothered with some of the list since we agree on fluids. I had some suspension components changed recently and, after 100k miles, it made a big difference. I did have a before and after to compare it with, however. I can only offer advice based on that.

I've just done a full suspension refresh on the front myself, full brake refresh being carried out as we speak. new power steering motor (remanufactured) and a whole host of other things. I have spent £3K+ on it in the past month. new plugs, new fluids and filters, coolant, etc. But my car had been sat on the drive with no power steering for 2 years. a high mileage car will have been moving and stuff replaced as needed. i would say i prefer high mileage over low mileage personally. the suspension is a big bill if buying quality parts mind you i just spent £1.5K on the brakes.

new hoses - mtec were over £100
front mtec and rear brembo - £300-£500
all 4 calipers refurbed and painted - £700
new brembo pads - £120
brake fluid £10-£15

i think i spent around £600 on a full suspension refresh at the front, new shocks, new springs and new top mounts. then labour on top.

like i said on a high miler the owner should have been doing stuff as it needed doing. it's with a dealer now but personally i would just do a full service and then approach everything as it comes. the suspension could have been done a year ago for all we know.

 

[Jameszy]

Mileage doesn't matter if it's been well serviced and looked after. Especially when these things are 2 decades old. I wouldn't bother with Jameszy's list. A full service is all it needs including plugs, diff fluid and gearbox fluid. other than that I wouldn't touch anything that isn't broken other than belts. no point fixing something before it breaks you may get another 5 years out of the old parts

Meh - you bothered with some of the list since we agree on fluids. I had some suspension components changed recently and, after 100k miles, it made a big difference. I did have a before and after to compare it with, however. I can only offer advice based on that.

I've just done a full suspension refresh on the front myself, full brake refresh being carried out as we speak. new power steering motor (remanufactured) and a whole host of other things. I have spent £3K+ on it in the past month. new plugs, new fluids and filters, coolant, etc. But my car had been sat on the drive with no power steering for 2 years. a high mileage car will have been moving and stuff replaced as needed. i would say i prefer high mileage over low mileage personally. the suspension is a big bill if buying quality parts mind you i just spent £1.5K on the brakes.

new hoses - mtec were over £100
front mtec and rear brembo - £300-£500
all 4 calipers refurbed and painted - £700
new brembo pads - £120
brake fluid £10-£15

i think i spent around £600 on a full suspension refresh at the front, new shocks, new springs and new top mounts. then labour on top.

like i said on a high miler the owner should have been doing stuff as it needed doing. it's with a dealer now but personally i would just do a full service and then approach everything as it comes. the suspension could have been done a year ago for all we know.

Completely agree - interesting you went for the MTEC brakes and hoses (coincidentally just had that done too). As I said in my original post "Assuming nothing was done other than service items" so it all depends on what has been done of late for that specific vehicle. Glad we agree suspension is likely to be a work item if it hasn't been done already.

@SouthWestZ4 I'd say go for it - as others have mentioned they are very workable cars and there are tonnes of guides/support (also worth noting many parts such as brakes and suspension (and the engine) are shared with other models, such as the E46, so pricing and availability tends to be less of an issue). If it turns out nothing has been done recently you should have more leverage in getting the price lower than £7k.

 

[SonnyA85]

Meh - you bothered with some of the list since we agree on fluids. I had some suspension components changed recently and, after 100k miles, it made a big difference. I did have a before and after to compare it with, however. I can only offer advice based on that.

I've just done a full suspension refresh on the front myself, full brake refresh being carried out as we speak. new power steering motor (remanufactured) and a whole host of other things. I have spent £3K+ on it in the past month. new plugs, new fluids and filters, coolant, etc. But my car had been sat on the drive with no power steering for 2 years. a high mileage car will have been moving and stuff replaced as needed. i would say i prefer high mileage over low mileage personally. the suspension is a big bill if buying quality parts mind you i just spent £1.5K on the brakes.

new hoses - mtec were over £100
front mtec and rear brembo - £300-£500
all 4 calipers refurbed and painted - £700
new brembo pads - £120
brake fluid £10-£15

i think i spent around £600 on a full suspension refresh at the front, new shocks, new springs and new top mounts. then labour on top.

like i said on a high miler the owner should have been doing stuff as it needed doing. it's with a dealer now but personally i would just do a full service and then approach everything as it comes. the suspension could have been done a year ago for all we know.

Completely agree - interesting you went for the MTEC brakes and hoses (coincidentally just had that done too). As I said in my original post "Assuming nothing was done other than service items" so it all depends on what has been done of late for that specific vehicle. Glad we agree suspension is likely to be a work item if it hasn't been done already.

@SouthWestZ4 I'd say go for it - as others have mentioned they are very workable cars and there are tonnes of guides/support (also worth noting many parts such as brakes and suspension (and the engine) are shared with other models, such as the E46, so pricing and availability tends to be less of an issue). If it turns out nothing has been done recently you should have more leverage in getting the price lower than £7k.

the mtec hoses are a must IMO. otherwise every time it goes to a new garage it will either fail or have an advisory on the MOT they need doing. expensive but worth it. I have new shoes being put on the car. currently on bog standard 108's once that is done i can get some pics up of everything

 

[Southwestz4]

Meh - you bothered with some of the list since we agree on fluids. I had some suspension components changed recently and, after 100k miles, it made a big difference. I did have a before and after to compare it with, however. I can only offer advice based on that.

I've just done a full suspension refresh on the front myself, full brake refresh being carried out as we speak. new power steering motor (remanufactured) and a whole host of other things. I have spent £3K+ on it in the past month. new plugs, new fluids and filters, coolant, etc. But my car had been sat on the drive with no power steering for 2 years. a high mileage car will have been moving and stuff replaced as needed. i would say i prefer high mileage over low mileage personally. the suspension is a big bill if buying quality parts mind you i just spent £1.5K on the brakes.

new hoses - mtec were over £100
front mtec and rear brembo - £300-£500
all 4 calipers refurbed and painted - £700
new brembo pads - £120
brake fluid £10-£15

i think i spent around £600 on a full suspension refresh at the front, new shocks, new springs and new top mounts. then labour on top.

like i said on a high miler the owner should have been doing stuff as it needed doing. it's with a dealer now but personally i would just do a full service and then approach everything as it comes. the suspension could have been done a year ago for all we know.

Completely agree - interesting you went for the MTEC brakes and hoses (coincidentally just had that done too). As I said in my original post "Assuming nothing was done other than service items" so it all depends on what has been done of late for that specific vehicle. Glad we agree suspension is likely to be a work item if it hasn't been done already.

@SouthWestZ4 I'd say go for it - as others have mentioned they are very workable cars and there are tonnes of guides/support (also worth noting many parts such as brakes and suspension (and the engine) are shared with other models, such as the E46, so pricing and availability tends to be less of an issue). If it turns out nothing has been done recently you should have more leverage in getting the price lower than £7k.

thanks....will and get a look at it this weekend and go from there

 

[C4Dman]

I have my eye on a z4 coupe that has 156k miles on it ...I currently have a nice z4 roadster with just over 70k. Is it a risk too far ? The coupe is up for £7200 and has fsh .
Should i say or should i go !!! :?

Hi, this is just down the road from me, has been there a while. Tidy enough, but thought the mot history was a little disappointing, the usual advisories that don't get dealt with. Was up for 8k to start with.
We considered it as a px with our own e86, but we are 106k so a little less, and left it at that. Does look nice though.
Good luck.

 

[Mr Tidy]

It certainly looks good and has some handy options like Bi-Xenons, heated seats and rear pdc. Plus the driver's seat bolster looks good.

I wouldn't be too put off by the mileage so long as the history and condition are good.

I've had some higher mileage N52s and the engines were all really sweet. My previous E86 had 91K when I sold it in early 2020 (for less than that ) and my current daily is an E90 330i with 117K, that replaced an E91 325i on 139K.

The price just seems a bit punchy to me, but maybe there is a deal to be done!

 

[MikeyH]

As they say ‘look at it with your heart but buy with your head’. Never worked for me though.

 

[Southwestz4]

Just checked the mot history, sounds like it is going to need some subframe work soon. Also who takes a car to mot with a door mirror missing ??

 

[Southwestz4]

I have my eye on a z4 coupe that has 156k miles on it ...I currently have a nice z4 roadster with just over 70k. Is it a risk too far ? The coupe is up for £7200 and has fsh .
Should i say or should i go !!! :?

Hi, this is just down the road from me, has been there a while. Tidy enough, but thought the mot history was a little disappointing, the usual advisories that don't get dealt with. Was up for 8k to start with.
We considered it as a px with our own e86, but we are 106k so a little less, and left it at that. Does look nice though.
Good luck.

thanks for the info , like you say mot history is a bit poor ....thinking on it , there are still enough coupes to choose from so will keep looking for now

 

[Secondtothird]

Little things like the missing mirror would be a massive red flag for me. Definitely keep looking.

Owen

 

[Southwestz4]

Little things like the missing mirror would be a massive red flag for me. Definitely keep looking.

Owen

with you on that one

 

[Jameszy]

Little things like the missing mirror would be a massive red flag for me. Definitely keep looking.

Owen

f**k me I see what you mean - that MOT history is poor.

 

[mjf93]

Could be fine, could be a money pit, it all depends how it’s been looked after really!
As others have said, some low mileage examples could have the same problems regardless. These are old cars now, so thing will always need attention.
Having said that, it sounds like quite strong money for those miles, but it could be worth a look