Buying advice

[z4mroadster]

Hello,
I am in the market for a Z4M ROADSTER, have been looking on autotrader and the cars are varying greatly in asking prices.

I've got 15k to spend and I am wanting to buy something that has been looked after with a good history etc

There was a black one up for sale that had 49k miles for just 13k, there is silver one for 13.5k with 71k, so quite a difference there.

Ideally what should I be looking at paying for an M with 60-70k miles.

Any help would be appreciated,

Thank you

 

[Mr Tidy]

Your signature suggests you have one! :?

Anyway I'm not too up on Roadster prices, but as you say they do seem to vary widely.

There may be reasons for the difference between the two you mention. Is one at a trader? How do they compare in terms of condition and service history? For me that is more important than mileage.

I think your best option would be to go and look at them, and good luck.

 

[buzyg]

Don't just look at the milage. 71k is not high miles for a looked after S54 engine. The heart of any Z4M. Though at that mileage there is maintenance to be considered. If the car has had a recent Major service, Diff oil changed, clearances checked, Shell bearings done etc. That is going to save you £1500 in piece of mind.

So as Mr T says lots of reasons for variations in price. Only way to tell which is best is to take a good look and drive them. Though Silver Grey is, of course, a much nicer colour and stays looking clean longer... So buy that one. :wink:

 

[DevonPaul]

As with any sportscar knocking on 20 years old, buy on history and condition.

A nicely polished 40,000 miler that has been serviced 'by the book' is probably more likely long term to have issues than something with 70k on the clock with a few stonechips and slightly worn seats but has had oil and filter every year on top of the routine stuff, as it has been looked after better and probably not left standing in a dusty garage for 5 months at a time (says me looking accusingly across the sofa at wife).

Replacement parts on these can be pricey, so check the discs and tyre date codes, anything on 12 year old Shenyun ditchfinders has probably be skimped on elsewhere as well.

 

[pvr]

That black one is on here and there is a for sale thread that might contain some info on why it is a challenge to sell.

15 is way more than you need to pay, very good ones are at the 13k mark with about 60k miles. There are still some covid purchased Ms around who are expecting too much for their car, I see them arrive on FB and other places with those prices. They will still be there next year.

 

[biZ4rreMids]

When I was seriously considering a Z4m the titanium silver one currently on Autotrader was up for sale, think it was summer 2022. It looked a good car with 65k on the clocks and up for sale at £16,495 with a decent MOT history. The then owner had owned the car for 7 years. Snapshot of the advert below…..

 

[Argyll Andy]

When I was seriously considering a Z4m the titanium silver one currently on Autotrader was up for sale, think it was summer 2022. It looked a good car with 65k on the clocks and up for sale at £16,495 with a decent MOT history. The then owner had owned the car for 7 years. Snapshot of the advert below…..

That’s Harvards old car, very little used and well looked after. He sold due to little to no use, wasn’t pushing to hard to sell at the time :wink:

On a forum run with me and others

 

[biZ4rreMids]

When I was seriously considering a Z4m the titanium silver one currently on Autotrader was up for sale, think it was summer 2022. It looked a good car with 65k on the clocks and up for sale at £16,495 with a decent MOT history. The then owner had owned the car for 7 years. Snapshot of the advert below…..

That’s Harvards old car, very little used and well looked after. He sold due to little to no use, wasn’t pushing to hard to sell at the time :wink:

On a forum run with me and others

Cheers Andy, didn’t realise it was a forum car at the time I was looking at Z4m’s.

 

[z4mroadster]

Your signature suggests you have one! :?

Anyway I'm not too up on Roadster prices, but as you say they do seem to vary widely.

There may be reasons for the difference between the two you mention. Is one at a trader? How do they compare in terms of condition and service history? For me that is more important than mileage.

I think your best option would be to go and look at them, and good luck.

. Thanks for the advice, I used to own one in 2018, a silver one. Regretted selling it ever since. The silver one does appear to be in great condition. Ill take your advice and go and view it. Thanks

 

[z4mroadster]

Don't just look at the milage. 71k is not high miles for a looked after S54 engine. The heart of any Z4M. Though at that mileage there is maintenance to be considered. If the car has had a recent Major service, Diff oil changed, clearances checked, Shell bearings done etc. That is going to save you £1500 in piece of mind.

So as Mr T says lots of reasons for variations in price. Only way to tell which is best is to take a good look and drive them. Though Silver Grey is, of course, a much nicer colour and stays looking clean longer... So buy that one. :wink:

It's had an inspection 2 service in 2021 at 61k where the valve clearances were checked and adjusted and a recent MOT where they were checked again I believe. I'm assuming the valve adjustments means Vanos?
According to the current owner it's got a full service history and plenty of paper work etc
It's just knowing what to be looking for
Thanks for the help

 

[z4mroadster]

As with any sportscar knocking on 20 years old, buy on history and condition.

A nicely polished 40,000 miler that has been serviced 'by the book' is probably more likely long term to have issues than something with 70k on the clock with a few stonechips and slightly worn seats but has had oil and filter every year on top of the routine stuff, as it has been looked after better and probably not left standing in a dusty garage for 5 months at a time (says me looking accusingly across the sofa at wife).

Replacement parts on these can be pricey, so check the discs and tyre date codes, anything on 12 year old Shenyun ditchfinders has probably be skimped on elsewhere as well.

Thanks for the advice mate. I'll go and view it

 

[z4mroadster]

When I was seriously considering a Z4m the titanium silver one currently on Autotrader was up for sale, think it was summer 2022. It looked a good car with 65k on the clocks and up for sale at £16,495 with a decent MOT history. The then owner had owned the car for 7 years. Snapshot of the advert below…..

That’s Harvards old car, very little used and well looked after. He sold due to little to no use, wasn’t pushing to hard to sell at the time :wink:

On a forum run with me and others

So should be a safe bet then unless the current owner has abused it. I'll check it out. Thank you

 

[buzyg]

Don't just look at the milage. 71k is not high miles for a looked after S54 engine. The heart of any Z4M. Though at that mileage there is maintenance to be considered. If the car has had a recent Major service, Diff oil changed, clearances checked, Shell bearings done etc. That is going to save you £1500 in piece of mind.

So as Mr T says lots of reasons for variations in price. Only way to tell which is best is to take a good look and drive them. Though Silver Grey is, of course, a much nicer colour and stays looking clean longer... So buy that one. :wink:

It's had an inspection 2 service in 2021 at 61k where the valve clearances were checked and adjusted and a recent MOT where they were checked again I believe. I'm assuming the valve adjustments means Vanos?
According to the current owner it's got a full service history and plenty of paper work etc
It's just knowing what to be looking for
Thanks for the help

Very surprised if they checked the valve clearance on an MoT. I understand it's a fairly involved and time consuming task. Mine were recorded in the log book, as in the actual clearances were written down each time it was done. That is not always the case though.

 

[z4mroadster]

Don't just look at the milage. 71k is not high miles for a looked after S54 engine. The heart of any Z4M. Though at that mileage there is maintenance to be considered. If the car has had a recent Major service, Diff oil changed, clearances checked, Shell bearings done etc. That is going to save you £1500 in piece of mind.

So as Mr T says lots of reasons for variations in price. Only way to tell which is best is to take a good look and drive them. Though Silver Grey is, of course, a much nicer colour and stays looking clean longer... So buy that one. :wink:

It's had an inspection 2 service in 2021 at 61k where the valve clearances were checked and adjusted and a recent MOT where they were checked again I believe. I'm assuming the valve adjustments means Vanos?
According to the current owner it's got a full service history and plenty of paper work etc
It's just knowing what to be looking for
Thanks for the help

Very surprised if they checked the valve clearance on an MoT. I understand it's a fairly involved and time consuming task. Mine were recorded in the log book, as in the actual clearances were written down each time it was done. That is not always the case though.

How often should the valve clearances and Vanos be inspected? Thanks

 

[Ole gits rule]

[/quote] It's had an inspection 2 service in 2021 at 61k where the valve clearances were checked and adjusted and a recent MOT where they were checked again I believe. I'm assuming the valve adjustments means Vanos?
According to the current owner it's got a full service history and plenty of paper work etc
It's just knowing what to be looking for
Thanks for the help
[/quote]

Very surprised if they checked the valve clearance on an MoT. I understand it's a fairly involved and time consuming task. Mine were recorded in the log book, as in the actual clearances were written down each time it was done. That is not always the case though.

[/quote]

MOT is a safety check and no way does that include valve clearances, its a predefined list, nit saying you cant ask the garage to check but it is not part of an MOT

 

[Mr Tidy]

How often should the valve clearances and Vanos be inspected? Thanks

Just for clarity valve clearances and Vanos are two different things. The S54 engine doesn't have hydraulic valve lifters, clearances need to be checked on a cold engine and adjusted if necessary using shims - very unlikely to be done at an MOT, and would have been part of the Inspection 2 service anyway.

They only need doing at every Inspection Service which alternate with Oil Services in between. Service intervals are mileage/time based, typically 15/16K miles or 2 years whichever comes first. So if you aren't doing big miles every 2 years.

A recent Inspection 2 is good news as that adds changing gearbox and differential fluid to the mix so probably costs £750 or so at a BMW Indy. My ex-Sytner Indy currently charges £550 for an Inspection 1 (had one in June). Oil Service was less than £200 in 2022 as I supplied the oil!

Vanos is the variable camshaft timing which alters the timing according to engine speed and load. I don't believe it has a service interval, just needs attention if it has an issue although it seems to be becoming a hot topic lately.

Bear in mind that it might be wise to think about getting new crank rod bearing shells fitted around the 100K mark, or sooner for peace of mind, and that will be a 4 figure bill at an Indy.

 

[z4mroadster]

How often should the valve clearances and Vanos be inspected? Thanks

Just for clarity valve clearances and Vanos are two different things. The S54 engine doesn't have hydraulic valve lifters, clearances need to be checked on a cold engine and adjusted if necessary using shims - very unlikely to be done at an MOT, and would have been part of the Inspection 2 service anyway.

They only need doing at every Inspection Service which alternate with Oil Services in between. Service intervals are mileage/time based, typically 15/16K miles or 2 years whichever comes first. So if you aren't doing big miles every 2 years.

A recent Inspection 2 is good news as that adds changing gearbox and differential fluid to the mix so probably costs £750 or so at a BMW Indy. My ex-Sytner Indy currently charges £550 for an Inspection 1 (had one in June). Oil Service was less than £200 in 2022 as I supplied the oil!

Vanos is the variable camshaft timing which alters the timing according to engine speed and load. I don't believe it has a service interval, just needs attention if it has an issue although it seems to be becoming a hot topic lately.

Bear in mind that it might be wise to think about getting new crank rod bearing shells fitted around the 100K mark, or sooner for peace of mind, and that will be a 4 figure bill at an Indy.

Thanks for the information, looking at the service record the last inspection 2 was completed in 2021 at 61k, it's now on 71k and has just had an oil service.

 

[Mr Tidy]

When you turn it on it will show how many miles until the next service, which will be an Inspection 1. Should be done within 2 years of the oil service regardless of mileage - later models show mileage and date.

Some people do an extra oil and filter change between service intervals, but to me that seems like overkill on a car that doesn't do too many miles. I work on 2 year intervals as it's only 7 or 8 thousand miles.

 

[buzyg]

It's had an inspection 2 service in 2021 at 61k where the valve clearances were checked and adjusted and a recent MOT where they were checked again I believe. I'm assuming the valve adjustments means Vanos?
According to the current owner it's got a full service history and plenty of paper work etc
It's just knowing what to be looking for
Thanks for the help

Very surprised if they checked the valve clearance on an MoT. I understand it's a fairly involved and time consuming task. Mine were recorded in the log book, as in the actual clearances were written down each time it was done. That is not always the case though.

How often should the valve clearances and Vanos be inspected? Thanks

I never had the Vanos done in 11 years. It chatted less at 70k miles than it did when I bought it at 16k The valve clearances should be checked on an inspection 2. Mine were checked each major inspection. The diff oil should also be changed. The biggest engine job is to check/replace the shell bearings. I think most people would say get it done on an engine between 70k and 90k. So budget £1000-1500 for that on any with that sort of milage , if not already done. Have a good look at the brakes too. New front disks are not cheap and callipers are extortionate. Though the regular ///M3 caliper is the same, just a different colour and part number.

 

[Mr Tidy]

Have a good look at the brakes too. New front disks are not cheap and callipers are extortionate. Though the regular ///M3 caliper is the same, just a different colour and part number.

Is it though?

My credit card is still crying after I had new front discs, calipers and pads (and an Inspection 1). I understood they were M3 CSL parts, whereas the rears that I'll need soon are "regular" M3 parts.