Advice on possible purchase please.

[raymond.harper]

Looking at a 2004 2.5 manual for £3000. Low mileage but her new MOT has thrown up a few problems. The car has no accident history and is in good condition so is £3000 a fair price for the car considering it will need a bit of work at some stage?

 

[paddy wright]

Common to call the brake lines on an MOT and have no issues.

 

[davep10000]

Coincidentally, My Z4 got the same advisory about the rear trailing arm brake line this morning. Its probably the metal pipe between the two flexis, not a major job at all (parts are less than £20), and you have a year to sort it.
Check previous MOT history on the DVLA site, to see what else has been a problem.
Given these are advisories, it may be worth a bit of haggling, to get the price down to pay for the work, but I wouldnt class it as a dealbreaker, if the rest of the car is good.

 

[brillomaster]

for a car thats 20 years old, only 4 advisories, one of which is a consumable, is great. and its literally just passed an mot, i'd say at £3000 its a bit of a steal, especially at that mileage.

i paid £3k for a 3.0l 4 years ago, and that had 155k on the clock!

 

[Mike6]

I get on my MOT the point about the brake line. I spray all my brake lines with white grease but they are not corroded. If you reread the MOT point they may not be corroded at all, simply the inspector cannot verify the fact as they might be covered in grease or other material.

 

[j3nks79]

Use it as a bargaining tool to get some money off.
It’s got a sticky rear caliper. So budget for a new one.
Will need a tyre and possibly a section of brake pipe.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I wouldn't be put off by those advisories given that the car is nearly 20 years old!

My 2nd Z4 had advisories for corroded rear brake pipes on two consecutive MOTs by the time it was 10! I got them replaced in Kunifer so it shouldn't happen again.

Very low mileage too so if service history and condition are good and it has any "must have" options why not go for it?

 

[Zedebee]

Why not a 3.0, you’ve just sold a 2.5?

 

[enuff_zed]

Why not a 3.0, you’ve just sold a 2.5?

I was thinking that. What was the reason for selling the blue one?

 

[raymond.harper]

Why not a 3.0, you’ve just sold a 2.5?

I was thinking that. What was the reason for selling the blue one?

. Well, life can twist and turn. I never seem to keep cars long, I probably got bored with OBY and wanted to try something else. Discussions about the above car did not go well, as with many others, it was probably a case of crossed wires. However a black 2008 2.5 has just popped up and I am going to see it tomorrow, only 45 minutes away.

 

[Mr Tidy]

You might want to check whether it is a 2.5i or a 2.5Si as there's a world of difference in the power output! 177PS or 218PS.

 

[raymond.harper]

It is just a standard 2.5I, but at £3500 I think it is a bargain.

 

[enuff_zed]

It is just a standard 2.5I, but at £3500 I think it is a bargain.

I think that price reflects the less desirable lower power model. I'm not sure it really is a bargain tbh, but shows that it has been harder to sell than the 'si'.

Of course if the power is less important to you than condition and spec then please ignore me.
I am concerned though that you will be disappointed and find it harder to move on should you change your mind.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I am concerned though that you will be disappointed and find it harder to move on should you change your mind.

That was my concern too, especially after having had a pre-facelift 2.5i. The facelift 2.5i was probably intended to replace the 2.2i.