2005 2.2 buying advice

J

JSz4

Member
I've had a 2003 3.0i for several years so a neighbour asked me for buying advice as he was looking at MX5s but saw a 2005 2.2 he'd seen for sale for £2500 with clean MOT history and only 2 owners from new.

I was going to mention my experience re BMW parts being more expensive than Japanese cars and parts dying due to age, despite how well it's been looked after, such as bushes, door cables, sensors (£600 airbag units!), boot lights, dampers etc. Mine had been kept as a 2nd car so as soon as it got used regularly/harder I had to renew different elements of coolant system which I assume is a weaker point of all M54s irrespective of size?

I was also going to mention the larger potential costs like front-rear brake lines (although these should be picked up on MOTs) and roof motor issues if not relocated. My experience was that the car needed frequent use and several issues appeared when it wasn't used regularly.

I was going to ask how he intends to use it as it might make sense if he's planning to use it frequently but, given the weight/performance of a 2.2 Z4, an MX5 might be a more fun and cheaper to maintain, if more expensive to buy, alternative as a weekend car.

Any thoughts or specific advice re the 2.2? Is it quite thirsty being 5-speed? See the 2.0 that replaced it in 2005 is 20bhp down but lighter and comparable torque at similar RPM.

Thanks
 
All your points are valid ones tbh.
I have a 2.2i as a daily. The gearbox/diff combination make it quite low geared. On a motorway its nearly 3500rpm for 70mph. However, where I use it is small back roads and twisty A-roads. Absolutely ideal. Usually get around 37mpg, up to 42 on a motorway cruise at about 65mph.
Previously I used a facelift 2.0 4-pot as my daily. It felt better balanced without the heavy engine up front, but lost out on torque. I found I used the gears a lot more than I have to with the M54 engine.
Given all the inherent issues with high mileage N46 engines and the negligible difference in mpg, it would be a 2.2 for me eveery time.
They all have the same suspension etc, so the difference in maintenance costs come down to the engine. A well cared for M54 will get you to 300k.
 
That's really helpful advice, I'll pass that information along. Thank you for sharing your experience of the 2.2 and 2.0
 
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