Advice req'd ASAP please folks.
- Thread starter nb67
- Start date
I think everyone knows I am an advocate of spouting on about " you only get what you pay for" etc but even I think the seller of this car is " chancing his arm" at that price - for this money ,as others have said , I would expect a near perfect provenance ie FBMW SH showing time banded oil/brake fluid changes , original paintwork free of any dings etc . equally good interior , plenty of tread on the tyres and nothing to have to pay for immediately. There are the obvious things you could do before viewing ie ask owner to email you copy of the service record , ask for the V5 reference number so you can check it's MOT history through the DVLA website ( free ) Does he have the original plastic emergency key /first aid box etc - always a good sign of care .
Having said all this if it's ultra low miles on an early zed you really want you haven't got a lot of choice - they are as rare as hen's teeth !
The plus things about this car is it has a top spec ( although I don't see any mention of a OEM wind deflector ) it looks in very good condition.
The not so good is the "part history " that would really put me off - another reason to check the MOT history to ensure all the mileages quoted are sequential. Also what's " generally weekend use" mean ?
Good Luck .
Having said all this if it's ultra low miles on an early zed you really want you haven't got a lot of choice - they are as rare as hen's teeth !
The plus things about this car is it has a top spec ( although I don't see any mention of a OEM wind deflector ) it looks in very good condition.
The not so good is the "part history " that would really put me off - another reason to check the MOT history to ensure all the mileages quoted are sequential. Also what's " generally weekend use" mean ?
Good Luck .
I think that silly money for an '04. Speaking from personal experience with an ultra clean fully loaded highly updated and improved 2003 with all those accessories (except TV that doesn't work) being worth no more than £6k. I see no way that is worth more than £6.5 to £7k and the only reason for that is the low mileage., which people get overly hung up on.
Certainly call and discuss the price over the phone and indicate you are in the £7k region. If he says it's nothing like acceptable then don't make the journey. If you want it regardless then the price doesn't matter.
EDIT MOT history looks clean from day 1 with small incremental mileage from 2010 to date. Check all receipts and previous mileage / services to ensure it's all good
https://mot-history.net/
Certainly call and discuss the price over the phone and indicate you are in the £7k region. If he says it's nothing like acceptable then don't make the journey. If you want it regardless then the price doesn't matter.
EDIT MOT history looks clean from day 1 with small incremental mileage from 2010 to date. Check all receipts and previous mileage / services to ensure it's all good
https://mot-history.net/
If you can get this for £7k or even £7,250 it looks good. I'd rather have a minty low miler M54 engined Zed than a high mileage lower spec facelift with the N52 lump (stupid water pump design and frankly ridiculous cost of replacement as well as the inherent cylinder head oil gallery design fault).
Do your haggling over the phone, fix a price you can afford then travel just to confirm it is as described.
Also don't assume that full main dealer history automatically equals high quality maintenance. Recently bought an 07 X3 with full BMW service history and when I checked the air filter it was minging and stamped with a 2007 date, ditto for the cabin filter! For peace of mind I immediately replaced them, changed the oil, coolant and brake fluid. No trust in BMW service now!
Do your haggling over the phone, fix a price you can afford then travel just to confirm it is as described.
Also don't assume that full main dealer history automatically equals high quality maintenance. Recently bought an 07 X3 with full BMW service history and when I checked the air filter it was minging and stamped with a 2007 date, ditto for the cabin filter! For peace of mind I immediately replaced them, changed the oil, coolant and brake fluid. No trust in BMW service now!
I got a nice fully loaded si with full bmwsh for a considerable chunk less than that... That said with that sort of mileage for a car that will be a keeper if i had the budget I'd personally be very interested in that car, pricey but potentially also a good buy
GreyZed said:
It's £500 fitted for a water pump on the N52, yes it's a lot and yes it's stupid but it's worth it as it's a significantly better engine. Sounds better and is noticeably faster whilst being more economical to boot. The oil gallery design fault is pretty much a misnomer as it never really causes any real issues.
Steve84N said:
Agreed - can't say I've ever seen a post bemoaning a damaged engine from this 'design' issue, nor any water pump failures. Forums soon come alive with common faults.
Steve84N said:
I have no doubt some have gone, but of all the user and drivers it's not that common, compared to say broken springs. wouldn't put me off buying a facelift given all the improvements over the original.
Quick update.
Had a chat to the seller and, without being disrespectful, told him I thought the price was really high end for a, admittedly, mint looking Z4 that is nearly 12yrs old. He took that well in truth.
Told him my max budget and I won't be buying it for what he would like for it.
Seemed a sound guy, answered my questions for me but as it stands, I'll be waiting on him reducing it quite a bit before I contemplate calling him back.
I like it but not that much!!
Had a chat to the seller and, without being disrespectful, told him I thought the price was really high end for a, admittedly, mint looking Z4 that is nearly 12yrs old. He took that well in truth.
Told him my max budget and I won't be buying it for what he would like for it.
Seemed a sound guy, answered my questions for me but as it stands, I'll be waiting on him reducing it quite a bit before I contemplate calling him back.
I like it but not that much!!
I'm going a bit against the grain here - and I don't favour low mileage cars normally BUT . . .
if you are looking for a pre facelift Zed there's a lot going for this one - the suspension, rear springs, seats, spec, new tyres and low mileage which will count for a lot when if you keep the Zed.
Still, just too expensive - got to get it down but basically if YOU want a pre facelift this is a rare find.
if you are looking for a pre facelift Zed there's a lot going for this one - the suspension, rear springs, seats, spec, new tyres and low mileage which will count for a lot when if you keep the Zed.
Still, just too expensive - got to get it down but basically if YOU want a pre facelift this is a rare find.
paulgs1000 said:
It's the spec and miles that's drawn me in but, as I said to him last night, he's nigh on Si money with a 12yr old car.
I think he may well sell it at near his asking price in truth but not to me.
I'll let it ride and speak to him again in a couple of weeks, hopefully.
nb67 said:
You are in si range at that price point so being patient (especially at this time of year) makes sense
STUBOY2UK said:
This one hes looking at is not an si though so its quite allot of money.