Ok ive been looking for a z for a couple of months now & if i was after 2l or 2.2 then i would probaly have bought one by now .My budget is about 5k give or take .Id like a 3lsi or possably a 2.5si with good history or at least proof its been well maitained with good spec & not to high milage not sure of colour but prob not black .Id even consider a coupe allthough they seem to be priced just out of reach .Ive even seen a couple of e89s that arent that far out of reach. Considering its the middle of winter i thought i might have found a good deal by now but no luck .Im wondering if i should hold out a bit longer & see if more e89s bevome available or just buy the cheapest best condition one i can find .Not finding it much of a buyers market though.cheers
Buyers market
- Thread starter lavy1966
- Start date
A
Anonymous
Guest
Prices are low by historical standards, but I think the E85s/E86s in good condition /low mileage are starting to slow their price decline, in contrast early 23i E89s are in free fall, especially poorly specced high mileage examples..all IMHO!!
Thanks for replys i wasnt overly bothered about highish miles but having read the coupe thread & not being very good mechanicaly im not sure .I did find a car up the rd from me with only 66k on it in great condition but the spec isnt great ,im still tempted to buy it & get some decent wheels for it live without heated seats .I guess the search goes on .cheers
eddiemunster
Member
Pbondar said:
I'd say the reverse; 3-4 years ago, a nice 3.0 could easily be had for £2.5k, but now the prices (of almost every car) have gone up by a decent margin and I think the same car would be £3.5k-£4k.
The bigger issue, in my opinion, is that the number of well-maintained examples has declined, people just aren't prepared to spend money making sure they're 100% and so that makes buying a nice one harder than it is to find the £4k you'd need.
I agree there a lot of E85 cars out there, spent a couple of months looking myself before finding one that had only little issues that needed fixing. 2003 2.5 si 92k on the clock but body and interior in excellent condition. After looking at others I couldn't walk away from this one. It was a garage trade in that was passed on to a sole trader asking 2400, knocked it down to 2100, should have offered 2k with hindsite as it only had one key, cost me over 100 to sort a new key. Engine bay cleaned up very well, more dust than anything, back to black brought all the plastics up very well. Serviced it, cleaned the plugs and oil and filter change, still got to change the gearbox and diff fluids. Have also moved the roof motor to the boot as a precaution, no evidence of it drowning but looks like the motor was changed at some time in its past life, warranty label on it isn't a BMW label. Fitted a twin usb voltmeter socket into the dash, will be fitting some drl's in the lower grill, being a silver car it blends in to the road surface and could do with being made a little more visible.
Will also be looking at the front ball joints that appeared on the MOT advisory but no rush as the next one is due in September. Car runs great and no evidence of any steering issues so far.
Will also be looking at the front ball joints that appeared on the MOT advisory but no rush as the next one is due in September. Car runs great and no evidence of any steering issues so far.
Bellawills08
Member
I like to think the e85 market has bottomed out and the prices will only go up from here. The e85 3.0 in particular is probably the last of the rear wheel drive, naturally aspirated inline 6, 2 seater as most are now turbo or super charged.
Sometimes you can get lucky with just a bit of patience. When I look on ebay I often set my filter to 'newly listed' and be prepared to travel for the right car. The good ones tend not to stick around for long for good reason.
Sometimes you can get lucky with just a bit of patience. When I look on ebay I often set my filter to 'newly listed' and be prepared to travel for the right car. The good ones tend not to stick around for long for good reason.
Bellawills08 said:
Its nice to live in hope but from my 7yrs+ experience in the Z world the early 3.0se cars have followed a pretty predictable path so far & there is little to suggest that will alter anytime soon , the only real oddities within that are the supremely low mile low owner cars that fetch strong money .
Right now the "cherry" so to speak (purely my own thoughts of course) are the 3.0Si versions that require some form of maintenance / repair that can add value pretty swiftly , we have seen a good number of these change hands around the £4k/£5k mark & provided you buy right these should hold money better & continue to be in demand for obvious reasons .
That isn't saying the earlier M54 isn't worth buying , it is but i doubt you will ever see a significant rise in what you pay for one
Smartbear said:Bellawills08 said:
You can buy an e89 with the same 3litre engine as the last e85’s
Rob
Looking long long term you would have to think that straight 6 3.0i N52 E89 will be the one that gives the best service with least hassle (potentially :wink: ) getting one for the OP budget around £5k
i think he will have a wait on 
mr wilks said:Smartbear said:Bellawills08 said:
You can buy an e89 with the same 3litre engine as the last e85’s
Rob
Looking long long term you would have to think that straight 6 3.0i N52 E89 will be the one that gives the best service with least hassle (potentially :wink: ) getting one for the OP budget around £5k
Agree, I had fantastic service from my low mileage 30i e89 for a whole month until the gearbox imploded
:lol: Rob
eddiemunster
Member
mr wilks said:
I don't think you can maintain additional value into a car, people expect it to be 100% and don't expect to pay more just because the owner has done mandatory maintenance to keep the car in good shape.
1066 Country
lavy1966 said:
With new cars increasing exponentially in cost over the last 5 or so years, I personally don’t think you’ll loose much money on purchase price - instead, I suggest your biggest worry should be how much this forum will make you spend after purchase on things you never realised you need.
One thing I have noticed is certain specs & condition defy all rules of pricing despite others being available for less, for example whilst not everyone’s cup of tea the last Sepang MC sold 3 months ago went for full ask in 2 days & wasn’t even advertised here.
eddiemunster said:
So you don't think a ZM for eg with Ins2 carried out would be worth any more than one requiring it soon?
You can add value to a car in many ways if you buy knowing what needs doing & more importantly knowing the costs will be less than potential added value.
Fresh wheels over shabby ones., roof motor relocated /repaired / bodywork requiring attention / service / brakes / electrical faults etc etc.
I've bought all manner of Zs in the past with wide ranging issues & il stand by my point , you can add value to a cars worth if you buy it right
A
Anonymous
Guest
Give it another 3-5 years as emission rules for new cars tighten further and EVs become common, and a tidy E85 with the 3.0 IL6 will go up in value considerably.
Cheap (£<5K) big engine, roadsters will soon be a thing of the past and harder to find as they're neglected, crashed and scrapped.
The thought of buying a new hybrid / electric ragtop does absolutely for me.
Cheap (£<5K) big engine, roadsters will soon be a thing of the past and harder to find as they're neglected, crashed and scrapped.
The thought of buying a new hybrid / electric ragtop does absolutely for me.
Hopefully they won't hammer motorists who are running older ,3.0L etc , or there could be a exemption for older vehicles I don't think it's anything we need to worry about for 5 years but if the wrong party get in next time with sledgehammer green policy's it could be a problem