Buying advice Z4

G

Gta1900

New member
 North Yorkshire
Hi all
I'm interested in buying my first Z4. Budget 5k. My preference in 3.0 convertible. Should I throw my budget at one of these or go for the 2.5 and have some cash spare for repairs etc.
On paper not alot performance wise between them. Feel free to tell me otherwise.
Thanks for your time. :)
 
you can ofter pick up a decent pre facelift 3.0 for around 4/4.5k but id look to a facelift 2.5si sport for a 5k budget.. not much in it power wise and usually better specced i.e sports seats and 18 inch wheels at a minimum as well as slightly improved styling like clear indicators
 
Some good advice there.

The 3.0i (pre-facelift) is rated at 231PS and the 2.5Si (facelift) is 218PS, so not much difference. Just avoid the 2.5i facelift model as it's only 177PS! If you find a 2.5Si Sport model it will have the sought after M-Sport seats as standard.

Anyway welcome to the forum, and good luck finding the right one. :thumbsup:
 
Don't discount a sorted, looked-after pre facelift 3.0i.
They also benefit from having an old-fashioned dipstick as well as a waterpump that won't make your engine explode if it fails suddenly!
:evil:
 
Chris_D said:
Don't discount a sorted, looked-after pre facelift 3.0i.
They also benefit from having an old-fashioned dipstick as well as a waterpump that won't make your engine explode if it fails suddenly!
Click to expand...

I've had electric water pumps fail on 2 cars with the N52 (facelift) engine and neither exploded. :P

The only issue is new pumps cost £250ish.

I never found checking the oil level using a button on the dash more difficult than using a dip-stick either! :lol:
 
Mr Tidy said:
Chris_D said:
Don't discount a sorted, looked-after pre facelift 3.0i.
They also benefit from having an old-fashioned dipstick as well as a waterpump that won't make your engine explode if it fails suddenly!
Click to expand...

I've had electric water pumps fail on 2 cars with the N52 (facelift) engine and neither exploded. :P

The only issue is new pumps cost £250ish.

I never found checking the oil level using a button on the dash more difficult than using a dip-stick either! :lol:
Click to expand...
But oil changes are soooo much easier using a Pela pump via the dipstick.
Touche!
:P
 
Welcome aboard.
It seems most folk are pushing you towards the facelift version to use up your budget?
Whilst true that the spec may well be higher, don't discount the pre-facelifts. A lot of it is in the eye of the beholder.
My other half has an earlier 2.5i and I prefer the external looks of it. The rear lights look much better in my opinion, and I actually like the orange indicators. Plus the earlier 2.5i has 192bhp and goes pretty well.
Not trying to start an argument, just pointing out that a lot of the points made could be individualistic.
Only way to decide is to look at a few and decide your own criteria.
 
Hi mate, well I can't help much, as I am in Croatia, here Z4 are expensive, mine was 15k EUR, 2003. pre-facelift model, 2.5i M54 engine with remap (208 HP on dyno - wheels). Now everybody tells me that there is a small difference between 3.0 M54 and 2.5 M54 in terms of driving performance, and that's right, I didn't test it on the track, but on our small mountain climb road of 8 km, and from feeling perspective, there is no "wow" effect in 3.0 after 2.5. The 3.0 M54 has 228 hp and 2.5 M54 standards has 189 HP. We are talking about roughly 1 second faster to 100 km/h for 3.0, but on paper, you know how it is with real conditions.

I did around 7.000 km on my Z4 after purchase, no problems, mint condition, came with perfect service history from 2003. until today, I know the first owner, and I am 3rd owner (I become a friend of the 2nd owner), it wasn't a daily driver, it was a weekend driver. And I didn't have a chance to choose the color or anything, as the market is really small with Z4 (currently on sale in Croatia around 4 models). So from my experience, go with the one who has the best service history, good ownership and that's it. Everything else is in the details. :)

I hope, my experience helped you.
 
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