Buying Guide?

[M5Sime]

Hi all,

I have just registered to get your wisdom on the must-have options and have some questions of my own..

This is for my wife who is upgrading from her 3.0L Z3 Individual.. I have had an E39 and E34 M5

We are after a 3.0 Z4, likely pre 2006 model to get the budget to around 18-19k. (seems paying 22k for a 2006 MY puts the car too close to a coupe (which I like and she does not) or a Porsche boxster facelift).

Manual
18s (ride is harsh I heard in many places and saw some of you have binned the run-flats)
Black interior
Multifunction wheel in chrome highlights
Sports seats??? Are these needed.. Regulars look pretty flat
Nav seem an overkill and getting rare for the combination of all options
Min stereo ? - Professional? Want pretty good sound.
Xenons - assume a really good option

WHAT ELSE IS ESSENTIAL??? - re-sale and also general comfort??

Wishing you all well and looking forward to the upgrade compared with our wobbly Z3..

Cheers

Sime

PS - I did a search on buying guide and FAQ..

Based in the UK

 

[Wondermike]

You'll be lucky to get Xenons, M seats, Hifi upgrade and 18s together as a used car, especially a pre-facelift one, although I could have sold you one last year

For that reason I would look at a facelift car, as it'll more than likely be a "Sport" which comes with the M seats and 18s as standard, almost all of them have the multi-function wheel too (or retrofit it), and you might be able top pick one up with either Xenons or Hifi too.

I would say M seats are an absolute must, the rest is optional really, nav is a nice option but not sure if it's essential, there are far more without than with, probably 90% with/10% without.

 

[WLH]

Welcome To The Forum...
As Wondermike noted the "M" seats I consider as must have and heated seats are high on my list as well. I personally place little value on the nav as its' something I only use a few times a year. I really prefer a good portable unit like Tomtom or Garmin that can be moved between vehicles.

 

[Wondermike]

Just looking on the BMW website too, there doesn't seem to be too much on offer of that vintage, and the cars that are around are very expensive, be careful how much you end up paying for one.

FYI too, the pre-facelift 3.0 are very rare on an 2005 05, and virtually don't exist on 2005 55 and 2006 55, because BMW withdrew sales of them for about 8 months IIRC, until the facelift arrived, so the used market has a bit of a gap for almost a year.

 

[M5Sime]

Thanks for the comments.. I was not aware that BMW had a sales gap as you say.. So the other engines were still sold? So an older MY then..

I agree the SE vs Sport models in the new MY are simpler. Few of them have the sports seats in the earlier MY and Nav... People tended to chase the smaller options and perhaps the money went on the alloys. So sports seats an absolute must then...

As you say, having a trawl through what BMW has means its tough to find the collection of options that add-up to a great car. I am looking for the warranty - How much is the BMW warranty annually these days? My M5 was heavy on this and we dropped the warranty extension on the Z3 when expired..

Here is something a little older from Autotrader (BMW Approved). .No Sports seats but good spec
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/BMW+Z4/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-40-50-62-87-113-148-181-4294965351-4294967202/advert.action?R=200811305709610&distance=326&postcode=SL1+6DQ&channel=CARS&make=BMW&model=Z4&min_pr=8000&max_pr=30000&max_mileage=40000
2004 54 Reg BMW Z4 3.0i 2979 cc SE Roadster
Price:
£16,995


Features: 18,458 miles Manual Sterling Grey Petrol 2979 cc 54 reg (2004) Full Description: Glossary of Terms

2 Doors, Manual, Sports, Petrol, 18,458 miles, Sterling Grey, Black Oregon Leather, Auto-Dim Int + Ext Mirror, Auto-Dim Interior Mirror, BMW 6 Disc CD Changer, Composite Star Spoke 108 8/8/1/2 x 18, Cruise Control, Double Spoke 103 7 1/2 x 17, Elec Fold Exterior Mirrors, Hi-Fi Sys Prof Carver, Metallic paint, Multi-function Steering Wheel, Seat Heating, Wind Deflector, Xenon Headlamps, Remote Control Alarm, Fully Automatic Hood, Sport Steering Whl, Automatic Air Conditioning, On-Board Computer, Front Foglamps, Elec Fr Seats + Driver Memory, Headlamp Washer System, Rain Sensor, M-Sports Suspension, Twin Exhaust Pipes, Flat Tyre Indicator + Run Flat Tyres. £16,995

 

[WaZZZZman]

I just completed for me and exhaustive search for the Z4 I purchased last month. I realize you are in the UK so maybe some of what I am going to say may not be appropriate or needed. But maybe it will help you a little as well.

I spent 3 weekends actually looking at and driving BMW Z4s in a distance of over 250 miles end to end. That was from North of Seattle Washington to Portland Oregon. I used Autotrader.com here in the US as well as other resources. I developed a complex scoring system for each car and not only drove a lot of cars, some of which I did not want after just looking at them, but did a close inspection of each candidate.

I do not know if you have the equivalent of CARFAX over there but we have that service here and I subscribed to it for 1 month and could do searches on VIN numbers unlimited for that total month. This report would tell me the history of each car and if it had been reported to have had an accident or was salvaged or in a flood which was very common in the past few years hare after hurricanes. There are ways to get around the report but it is a good tool to have.

I used a sheet magnet; you know the kind that people put advertising on so you can put it on your refrigerator, to check for metal where there should be metal and not plastic filler. You would be surprised to see how many cars I found had damage that was poorly repaired. Usually the price went down very quickly once I found these problems.

Now I know you started the post stating what you want in a new car and what you thought we found useful. Well let me state first that before you get carried away with all the gadgets you could get or did not get, be sure that the basic vehicle is good. That would be my advice. I found a lot of messes out there that were loaded with everything BMW offered, but what good would they be if the car was crap?

I ended up with a 2004 with low mileage and almost every package available on a roadster. The only thing I think I do not have is the navigation system which I did not want anyway. I did get the run flat tires, but took them off as soon as I could and replaced them with good quality performance tires. Because I kept good records of my shopping and had it to show each prospective dealer, I was able to drive the price down over 4K and got him to provide me with a 30 day no quibble guarantee. That is a total savings to me of $27,000 over the price of a new one. I think it pays to shop and look at the car more than what features you are getting.

Just my ideas your mileage my very.

 

[M5Sime]

Hi WaZZZZman,

Thanks for the words of wisdom. Indeed I fully agree that the inspection of the car is equallly important. This is one of the reasons (and the trade-in of the Z3) that I am only looking at dealers and ideally main dealer BMW and a fully approved car.

Can anyone tell me what the warranty is annually on the Z4 and also the M model?

I have seen some of the Z4Ms coming into the 25s and there are some very low mileage cars out there around 27k (GBP). I guess the M models will suffer at the hands of the CO2 police and the road tax.. Having owned M5s I know what the warranty cost is like (around 1k+ a year). Not sure what it is for the standard 3.0 and the M5..

I am still looking for the essential list of options and welcome all your comments on this. Also 2.5 vs 3.0 - this must have been debated before

Any comments on the 'sports suspension' for the SE? Is this even more harsh? We also have a sports exhaust from the dealer on the Z3 and it is nice and musical.. Pops and bangs on overrun... Any semi-standard options here?

Cheers to all

Sime

 

[john32]

How much is the BMW warranty annually these days?

The BMW warranty on a <60,000 mile car is £483

Here is something a little older from Autotrader (BMW Approved). .No Sports seats but good spec
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/BMW+Z4/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-40-50-62-87-113-148-181-4294965351-4294967202/advert.action?R=200811305709610&distance=326&postcode=SL1+6DQ&channel=CARS&make=BMW&model=Z4&min_pr=8000&max_pr=30000&max_mileage=40000
2004 54 Reg BMW Z4 3.0i 2979 cc SE Roadster
Price:
£16,995

Although a nice spec and low mileage the price seems a little hopeful to me from an independant.

I have a March 05 car with 40,000, with pretty much all the options you mentioned except the xenons - been watching the prices for a while and reckon £16k tops at the moment.

John

 

[gannet]

Welcome

M Sports seats are excellent, id also want them heated

 

[flyboyaj]

I don't have the sport seats, but my next one definately will!! Not a must, but if you drive like me they are a huge help.

 

[john32]

M-Sports seats were a must for me 8) and the heated option has been a surprisingly well used feature

 

[M5Sime]

Hi Guys

Well the votes on the seats seems to be pretty unanamous!! That and heating.. We make a good deal of use of our heated seats now

Nav seems superflous and multifunction wheel might be nice, but can be retrofitted along with the chrome inserts on the wheel (I like this).

Few seem to pay for the better leather. Only one advert I have seen with 'New England' leather option.

What about the sports suspension? optional in the previous MY? ... Naturally in the 2006MY its the sports model to focus on and get all these goodies as pointed out

Cheers

Sime

PS - Thanks for the welcome gannet

 

[RustyZ4]

and another one for the M seats

I believe the 3.0i is standard with sports suspension,

I have just had the mfsw retro fitted, worth every penny

 

[GAZA62]

Welcome

That car you have looked at is same model as mine and comes with a lot as standard includindg the M.Sport suspension as Rustyz4 said you will also get a full years warranty+mot+tax +roadside recovery including europe from them as they are a main dealer part of BMW UK.

I paid 17.5k for a 2004 june 04 3.0 i se 11k on the clock from BMW Park Lane just to give you an idea of pricing but Park Lane do price the cars to sell much cheaper than my local dealers.

 

[Wondermike]

...I believe the 3.0i is standard with sports suspension...

It is standard unless it's a facelift SE model, which has comfort suspension.

 

[M5Sime]

...I believe the 3.0i is standard with sports suspension...

It is standard unless it's a facelift SE model, which has comfort suspension.

Speaking of suspension - How is the sports vs SE ?? How many of you have binned the mega expensive run-flats?

The Z4 is not exactly a soft ride, but the wobbly nature means bumps are rather a total effort for the entire car.. Looking forward to structural rigidity

 

[RustyZ4]

I binned my run flats, fantastic ride now

 

[john32]

How many of you have binned the mega expensive run-flats?

Oh yes.

I did 20,000 mles on the RFT's and then changes to Goodyear F1's and it was like a new car. Far more settled and predictable - just wish I had done it sooner.

John