Buying my first Z4

K

Kutubkhan

Member
Hi All,

Just joined the forum and looking to buy my first Z4 :D. Im looking to get an early E89 model car with the N52 engine. I have seen a few options around all with around 60k miles on the clock but not sure what to keep an eye out for. Some have full service history but 5+ owners, is that a big deal or not?

Did a quick MOT check on a few of them and the one im looking at had rust on the underside, but the seller is saying its been sealed - is that a no go? and what features should I go for?

Background: I really like cars and want to start working on them myself - hence the N52 engine (No prior experience tho) but also wants some of comfort features hence why not the E85 (Plus i like the look of the E89 more)

Thanks all!
 
Firstly welcome to the forum and happy hunting.

I am not able to offer any advice on the N52 but if you are after options then look for a car with them already there, most are able to be retrofitted but some of those are difficult to do.

Desired options include iDrive, heated seats, PDC, heated steering wheel, cruise control, extended lighting, extended storage (cant remember the exact term for it).

FOr me the number of owners is not too much of a concern, there will be many people who buy a Z4 on a whim but dont keep it long due to impractical or costly. Most important is good service history.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the response. The one I'm looking at is the following:
2009 2.5 Z4 SDRIVE23I ROADSTER 2d 201 BHP
54,000 Miles
Automatic
8 services by independent garages
£9k

Nothing major on the MOT history checker - apart from quite a few tyre & brake advisories
 
Kutubkhan said:
Hi,

Thanks for the response. The one I'm looking at is the following:
2009 2.5 Z4 SDRIVE23I ROADSTER 2d 201 BHP
54,000 Miles
Automatic
8 services by independent garages
£9k

Nothing major on the MOT history checker - apart from quite a few tyre & brake advisories
Click to expand...

Number of owners is not that important as said above, people buy them and then realise they are not very practical so they get sold on, buy on condition and S/H

Do you have link for the car as people will point you the right direction.
 
Ole gits rule said:
Do you have link for the car as people will point you the right direction.
Click to expand...

Link to the car is (Option 1): https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404198832567?advertising-location=at_cars&atmobcid=soc5&fromsra&make=BMW&maximum-mileage=70000&model=Z4&price-to=9500&sort=relevance&transmission=Automatic&year-from=2009&year-to=2011

Option 2: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310092806354?advertising-location=at_cars&atmobcid=soc5&fromsra&make=BMW&maximum-mileage=70000&model=Z4&price-to=9500&sort=relevance&transmission=Automatic&twcs=true&year-from=2009&year-to=2011 Reg:DY59ULJ. This car was the one with the rust but its been sealed by the previous owner. Is that okay?

Option 3: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406050422235?advertising-location=at_cars&atmobcid=soc5&fromsra&make=BMW&maximum-mileage=70000&model=Z4&price-to=9500&sort=relevance&transmission=Automatic&year-from=2009&year-to=2011

Option 4: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406241067134?advertising-location=at_cars&atmobcid=soc5&fromsra&make=BMW&maximum-mileage=70000&model=Z4&price-to=9000&sort=relevance&transmission=Automatic&twcs=true&year-from=2009&year-to=2011

Open to other suggestions/recommendations too
 
OP, welcome to the fold.

IRT options: they’re indeed fun and nice to have, but when they break, and they do, it’s expensive and at times hard to fix. Food for thought.

Good luck with the purchase.
 
Marcoose said:
IRT options: they’re indeed fun and nice to have, but when they break, and they do, it’s expensive and at times hard to fix. Food for thought.
Click to expand...

What is the average maintenance cost of one of these - I'm looking at £150-200 a month, is that reasonable? Its going to be a weekend/summer car
 
Welcome to the best Z4 forum on the web (and the only one TBH)! :D
My two penneth on those three cars:
Option 1 is WAY overpriced. It's an early SE spec with very little options. Basic seats and wheels. Only options I could see are parking sensors and i-drive (which are quite dated now).
Option 2 is still slightly overpriced just not as much. Again an SE spec with the only options I could see being M-sport seats and wind deflector.
Option 3 is on the high side for a private sale. It is an M-sport with 326M wheels and parking sensors but still very low spec. The advert is terrible; 5 pictures and no write up. That alone would make me discount it.

MOT history looks fine on the two with reg showing.
All are expensive purely down to the low mileage. The N52 is considered pretty bulletproof (if maintained well), so higher mileage shouldn't be an issue and the cars will be a lot cheaper. You obviously want an auto. All will have the ZF 6 speed auto which is fine but not exactly modern and can be a little hesitant IME. The later 4 cylinder cars got the more modern ZF 8 auto which is much better IMO.

E89 Z4s really need heated seats to make them desirable. Parking sensors are a MUST IMO, as you can't see much of the front and none of the rear when sitting in them. Options may not matter to you, but they will to others when it comes time to move it on. A wind deflector is also a must as they make driving with the roof down so much more comfortable. Folding mirrors are very useful, so is cruise control IMO. Extended lighting is nice, as it gives you puddle lights, lit door handles and little interior additional lights.

Look for water ingress on any car, especially under the carpet in the boot, where the battery and roof motor sit. Also look for water ingress in the light clusters, especially the rears. Check all interior carpets are dry too. E89s have miles and miles of rubber weather seals. If they are not looked after properly and especially if they are washed with a pressure washer, they WILL let water in.
The roof should operate easily with no creaking or struggling. They are very complex and can be a real problem if there are faults. Great when they work, though.
 
Thanks for the reply Pondrew - very helpful.

Pondrew said:
All are expensive purely down to the low mileage. The N52 is considered pretty bulletproof (if maintained well), so higher mileage shouldn't be an issue and the cars will be a lot cheaper. You obviously want an auto. All will have the ZF 6 speed auto which is fine but not exactly modern and can be a little hesitant IME. The later 4 cylinder cars got the more modern ZF 8 auto which is much better IMO.
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I was looking at the newer ones, but then those dont have the N52 engine, was the N20 just as reliable? I dont want to be spending the cars equivalent on maintenance every year thats all. What price should i be looking at for the older E89s then what do you recommend for the newer ones with the ZF 8 gearbox.
 
Kutubkhan said:
Thanks for the reply Pondrew - very helpful.

Pondrew said:
All are expensive purely down to the low mileage. The N52 is considered pretty bulletproof (if maintained well), so higher mileage shouldn't be an issue and the cars will be a lot cheaper. You obviously want an auto. All will have the ZF 6 speed auto which is fine but not exactly modern and can be a little hesitant IME. The later 4 cylinder cars got the more modern ZF 8 auto which is much better IMO.
Click to expand...

I was looking at the newer ones, but then those dont have the N52 engine, was the N20 just as reliable? I dont want to be spending the cars equivalent on maintenance every year thats all. What price should i be looking at for the older E89s then what do you recommend for the newer ones with the ZF 8 gearbox.
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TBH both my E89s have been manuals. I have had the ZF6 and ZF8 in other BMWs. The ZF6 is fine, there is nothing inherently wrong with it, don't get me wrong.

The N20 comes with it's own potential issues but I have had two with no problems. The N52 is considered a very good engine and will be very different to the N20 as it's a n/a 6 cylinder rather than a blown 4.

When you say you are worried by maintenance costs; the engines and mechanicals in any of the Z4s are pretty good and not known for breaking expensive parts often (maybe the big N54 can but that is a different animal).

If you are not doing mega miles and it's a 'fun' car, then it shouldn't cost much to run TBH. I have the oil and filter changed on ours once a year and brake fluid every two. That costs around £150.00 per year average from a local garage NOT BMW. I then replace air and pollen filter when needed and spark plugs every few years myself (as it's easy and cheap). Decent brakes should last 30-40k miles easily and are no more expensive than for any other car.
Tyres can be cheap or expensive but should last 20k miles if driven normally.

The only real expense generally is if the roof goes wrong, but even that quite often is a cheap fix and easily DIY-able. There is info on virtually every conceivable fault on this forum, which can help greatly.
 
I would echo that - costs are not huge, but a bit more than simpler cars with solid roofs :)

I reckon if you are spending £8k ish on the car (ie not the cheapest possible shitbox out there), then you might be able to get by with £100 a month going into the car fund.

This should cover a basic service, couple of tyres a year & anything minor. If something big breaks, then yeh, it will be more expensive to fix than a ford fiesta. It's not a budget level motor, everything on it that might need replacing is double or more the equivalent costs with say a Corsa or Fiesta.

Tax, petrol etc on top of course.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. :thumbsup:

I've not owned an E89 so can't add anything about them, but I have had four cars with the N52 engine - two E86s and two 3 Series.

In my experience they're pretty bulletproof. My current 330i has done 125K miles and it's predecessor (a 325i) had done 139K when I sold it, but both engines performed as well as my lower mileage E86s did.

But given their age they can suffer from oil leaks once the gaskets on the oil filter housing and cam-cover get brittle. And dying ancillaries like alternators, starter motors and water pumps. Water pumps on these engines are electric so when they die the engine overheats in about a mile although they can be driven a bit further (don't ask how I know) before the engine goes into limp mode. New Pierburg pumps (the OE fitment) can be bought for £250/300 - just don't pay BMW over £500 for one! My first Z4 needed a new one at 60K but my 2nd Z4 seemed to be on the original when I sold it on 91K, so how long they last is a bit of a lottery. Finding a car that has already had a new one is a bonus, and to avoid being stranded some owner replace them as a preventative measure because it'll only need doing once.

As has been said most Z4s tend to change hands quite often as they are often a weekend car/box to tick/become impractical/an extravagance, etc. so I wouldn't be too worried about the number of previous owners. Just concentrate on condition and history because my experience suggests mileage isn't much of an issue.

30i models are quite rare, but if you manage to find one it might be worth a bit of budget creep. The 23i does need to be revved if you are in a hurry, which is why my 325i got replaced by a 330i after just a year! Although mine were manual, it may not matter so much in an Auto or a 2 seater.

Anyway good luck finding the right one. :thumbsup:
 
Lest we forget, BMW stands for Bring More Wallet. Over the last 15 years, between the E85 and the E89, I’ve spent just shy of US$50,000 at the local indy. Plus other expenses at other shops. Granted, it’s US dollars, San Francisco labour rates are high, and some of that money was for performance parts. So some conversion and translation is needed.

I’m sceptical a 15-yo BMW will be cheap to maintain. I really, really hope I’m wrong. If I were buying an early E89 for weekends and summer only, I’d buy one with as few accessories and options as possible. Those will break and aren’t cheap to repair. But that’s me. YMMV
 
In the UK an aftermarket alternator is a few hundred dollars and then labour on top so I would've thought $500 to $600 max at an indie, $2500 seems like an absolute con
 
Ole gits rule said:
In the UK an aftermarket alternator is a few hundred dollars and then labour on top so I would've thought $500 to $600 max at an indie, $2500 seems like an absolute con
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It’s been a few years since I’ve visited the U.K. But I do return to Europe once a year or so. Yes, prices in America have become an abomination. A to-go salad in downtown San Francisco is $18 ! But I digress.

This was the second alternator. My old indy installed an aftermarket alternator that wasn’t communicating with the DME. That one was $2,400. I started a credit card dispute and to squash any doubts, I took the car to the ‘official’ shop.

If OP can own a 15-yo BMW, especially an E89, and getaway with only £100 a month, that’s a steal. Do it. I’m sceptic.
 
Mine is a bit newer I guess, and i purchased the very best 1 I could find (not the cheapest one) - but my unexpected running costs have been zero in 18 months.

Tyres - changed when I bought it £800
Brake fluid service £150
Big service (oil / all the filters / spark plugs) £500
Warranty £500
Fuel & insurance - lots.

So in 18 months it's cost £1950 (all at the BMW dealership) - that's give or take £100 per month.
 
matsmith749 said:
Mine is a bit newer I guess, and i purchased the very best 1 I could find (not the cheapest one) - but my unexpected running costs have been zero in 18 months.

Tyres - changed when I bought it £800
Brake fluid service £150
Big service (oil / all the filters / spark plugs) £500
Warranty £500
Fuel & insurance - lots.

So in 18 months it's cost £1950 (all at the BMW dealership) - that's give or take £100 per month.
Click to expand...
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 
Marcoose said:
Ole gits rule said:
In the UK an aftermarket alternator is a few hundred dollars and then labour on top so I would've thought $500 to $600 max at an indie, $2500 seems like an absolute con
Click to expand...
It’s been a few years since I’ve visited the U.K. But I do return to Europe once a year or so. Yes, prices in America have become an abomination. A to-go salad in downtown San Francisco is $18 ! But I digress.

This was the second alternator. My old indy installed an aftermarket alternator that wasn’t communicating with the DME. That one was $2,400. I started a credit card dispute and to squash any doubts, I took the car to the ‘official’ shop.

If OP can own a 15-yo BMW, especially an E89, and getaway with only £100 a month, that’s a steal. Do it. I’m sceptic.
Click to expand...

I had a 13 years old e89 23i for 30 months and apart from standard servicing and MOT I never spent a penny and the car had 72k miles on it when I purchased it and 84 when I sold it.

Total I spent was around £1200 using an indie to do the servicing and a couple of tyres.

I think 1200 a year is pretty sensible for running costs (maintainability) in the UK.
 
It's not the same car, but I bought my 2005 BMW 330i with the same engine in April 2019 with 107,000 miles.

I've only done 18K miles in the 5 years I've had it, but total running costs have been £6,800 to date. However that includes Road Tax and Insurance at an average of about £600 a year, so all servicing and repairs have totalled less than £4,000 for 5 years, or £800 a year which doesn't seem too bad given that it isn't costing anything in depreciation.

I would hope a Z4 with an N52 ought to cost something similar.
 
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