Buying advice please?

S

s4vva

Member
Hi I all, I just stumbled across this forum whilst trying to do some research. I am sorry if some of these questions are stupid but I thought I would ask to be on the safe side.

I test drove a Z4 2.5i 2003 today and loved it! so much so I might just buy it tomorrow.

What do you guys think of a price of £11K for; ABS, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Side airbags, Radio/CD, Traction control, Alarm, Drivers airbag, Electric door mirrors, Front electric windows, Front fog lights, Heated door mirrors, Height adjustable drivers seat, PAS, Steering wheel rake adjustment, Steering wheel reach adjustment, Trip computer. full leather.

I have been looking at review sites and I cant work out if this is 172 Bhp, 194 Bhp or whatever they all seem to cotradict each other. Can someone here please help clarify what this would be and what the performance is like (0-60) etc.?

also are there common faults / problems I should look out for when buying? thanks for any help!
 
I think a lot of what you have listed is standard. I got all of that plus heated seats, Xenons, and a 3.0 engine for £10,500. Also 03 plate with 40k miles.

If your has Xenon lights I'd make sure they are working as I've heard to horror stories about how much they cost to replace. Not sure what else I'd check, I am no mechanic.

Do you know reason for sale,...would have to be pretty good for the seller to wheel it out for sale after the fabulous top down weekend we just had.

Only other advice I could offer would be to use the Parkers guide website and a pay them a couple of quid for a mileage adjusted valuation,..and/or search autotrader for similar year and spec for prices there.
 
s4vva
Welcome. Sounds too expensive to me for the year and engine size. As ferrelscent says all you've listed is standard.
Extras would be sports seats, xenon lights, sat nav, blue tooth, certain wheels, extended leather, upgraded audio, etc.

3.01 is more desirable and you'd get one for the price your talking.

AlanJ has a buyers guide which is worth a read.

Personally I'd hold your money for another day until you do some mor research and if you can post a link to the car or pictures for an honest opinion.
 
Hi I know I can get cheaper if I look privately (and look well outside of London) but this is at a dealer (Vauxhal dealer to be specific). They have made me a good offer on my current car (£1k for my Focus which is generous), I also managed to get them to chuck in G.A.P. Insurance and a 12month parts and labour full mechanical warranty for an extra £250. So all in £10,250 + my Focus.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201016357176092/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/maximum-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/price-from/9000/price-to/11000/model/z4/make/bmw/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/en12tb?logcode=p

Also I am at my limit at the moment in terms of insurance so I am not sure I can sfford to stretch to a 3.0i... also I would have thought they are significantly more thirsty in terms of petrol?
 
Must be tempting and seem so simple a deal. Sounds to me like you have already made your mind up.

But I'd at least stall them a day to test drive a 3.0.

I have not driven a 2.5,..but I am sure that I would always wonder what I was missing.

Even if you do go ahead and buy it,..armed with a Parkers guide mileage adjusted valuation you can probably negotiate them down as that price is high for me, trade or not. (no I do not work for Parkers!)
 
Hi ferrelscent & cj10jeeper, thanks for your imput so far. Also the car is in mint condition body work wise and the alloys are all pretty much perfect (front nearside to be refurbished by the dealer).
 
hehe well I know but I though the pictures would help you guys to help me if you know what I mean! besides if anyone is looking for one I am sure they would check autotrader....
 
I just did a search for the same spec car within 20 miles of the dealer who has the one you are interested in, and 10 other cars came up. The cheapest was £9,500.

So whats so special about this one then ?
 
ferrelscent said:
I just did a search for the same spec car within 20 miles of the dealer who has the one you are interested in, and 10 other cars came up. The cheapest was £9,500.

So whats so special about this one then ?
Click to expand...

hmm good question, I guessed what I liked was the 12 month warranty from a reputable dealer, and that they were offering £1k for my P.O.S. focus which would be difficult to sell privately (needs work!). But you are right nothing really stands out about this one above others. I put it down to a good salesman I suppose :(
 
Sounds like the focus is a red herring, if you think £1k is a good price then really you don't have much to lose by just selling it private.

Buying the wrong Z4 now could cost you at the outset, and could cost you again if you decide to upgrade to a 3.0 later. (but not sure about the insurance implications you mentioned)

Sorry to be negative, but its easy to jump to a decision after test driving a nice shiny motor !
 
ferrelscent said:
The link is on the 4th post above
Click to expand...

Hi sorry I meant a link to AlanJ's buyers guide.

Also I know what you mean about getting caught up in the moment after a test drive! I will call the insurance company tomorrow to get an idea of the cost difference of the 3.0i. But in the meantime what is the performance of the 2.5i like in your opinion?
 
Ha, so I was telling you about the link you had posted yourslef. Duh ! Sorry.

Like I say, I have never driven a 2.5. Will need someone else to chip in on that, and hopefully someone who has driven both a 2.5 and a 3.0.
 
I'm glad you posted the link - it helps give advice.

Allow me to be harsh - This is one of the least exciting Z4's for the price I can imagine when you look at the spec. Small wheels, standard seats, no sat Nav, no audio upgrade, unheated seats, no xenon lights, etc. all make it a base car. I have no doubt it's in good condition.

Think of it as a discount of £1,000 and they scrap your car, selling you this one for £10k. For £10k you can get a beter Zed :thumbsup:

Z4's are seductive and to step up from a Focus it can seem amazing, but I think you can do better.

EDIT - Parkers non adjusted for mileage value on this car at an independant dealer is £8520
 
EDIT: read this if you want, in the mean time CJ had posted something more relevant IMO, although I think Parkers is lowballing at the moment it's a great negotiation tool! How about this, buy a better spec car for £10k privately. Flog your Focus for £500-£600 and use the difference as a contingency fund and possibly cover the 3.0 insurance premium (which will probably be very little)

Have a look for a post by AlanJ, his sig contains the link.

Also, go to the General Discussion section and have a look through the FAQ, that should help.

Even I am not that overly excited about that car! Though not sure why? I don't think there is a single optional extra on there. You'll probably want the wind deflector at the very least... £200ish to add. Something else to consider...
1. has the roof motor been replaced? I would want it to have been
2. how many miles to the next service? That car is at a premium IMO, I'd want 10k + to the next service.
3. what's the life on the "consumables"? Again, I'd be looking for fresh rubber, possibly brakes and re-gassed aircon.
4. Make sure that warranty covers most of the issues listed on the FAQ! If it's ambiguous get it confirmed in writing. Also, I'd find out who the warranty is with and check to make sure they pay out! Of course giving some weighting to the fact that people are happy to complain that offer praise.

Also, given the price I hope you have seen others.

It's the 192bhp version BTW. Check with the insurance people about the 3.0 - if it can work, they seem to be more common, are more desirable and you get more standard equipment.

I have pretty much that same car 2003, 2.5 in silver. I did consider swapping to the 3.0 before I made a couple small mods, but didn't think the difference was big enough over a car I knew the history of. But that's me and I know others on here think only 3.0 + is an option, and I can understand that. On the A and B roads it's great and not far behind the bigger cars - I think if you're happy to work that well matched 5 speed box you can progress reasonably well. Biggest let down for me are the brakes when running with the bigger engined cars... and I'm going to sort that.

No matter what we say, if it's the one you really want, I hope it's a good one :wink: Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
Hi, everyone is referring you to this:

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16879&p=245304&hilit=+buying#p245304
 
Looking at the advert again, I think you are one way or another paying pretty much the advertised price. Sorry if I have the maths wrong. I have never paid a dealer anything like the forecourt price and would start my negotiation at no more than 90% of the asking price.

I agree with the comments about the spec, in particular I don't like the small wheels on it. I wouldn't get too excited about the sat nav though ad it looks like something from the 80's and I wish I didn't have that old fashioned screen popping up all the time. Tom toms are light years ahead.
 
Called the insurance co, no price difference for the 3.0 so that is what I am looking for now. Do you guys think I can get a good one for my budget? £10-11K
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom