Chanceschmerr's Z4 search - what about cars from Northern Ireland?

Chanceschmerr said:
This one caught my eye - right colour, trim and features, and 1 owner from start is appealing, but it looks like MOT records are limited for Northern Ireland cars. Plus i guess i'd have to go all the way out there and bring it back, assuming it worked.


Any thoughts/risks with cars from Northern Ireland that I might not know about?
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The advert reads like a trader pretending to be a private seller to me.
However, the NI version of our MOT is run by the authorities there and the testing centres are just that. It is not done by a garage like ours.
It is considered to be much more strict than ours also.

It is a nice car, but as others have alluded to, there is better to be had, especially if you can spend a little more and get the 3.0
I looked for about 3 months and then picked up my 30i MSport for £8k (2011, 81k miles, 2 previous owners and full history) from a reputable trader.

PS. I lived in Canada for 4 years, mostly in Winnipeg, which is why I laugh at what is considered "cold" over here!
 
Erudite-Idiot said:
The advert reads like a trader pretending to be a private seller to me.
However, the NI version of our MOT is run by the authorities there and the testing centres are just that. It is not done by a garage like ours.
It is considered to be much more strict than ours also.

It is a nice car, but as others have alluded to, there is better to be had, especially if you can spend a little more and get the 3.0
I looked for about 3 months and then picked up my 30i MSport for £8k (2011, 81k miles, 2 previous owners and full history) from a reputable trader.

PS. I lived in Canada for 4 years, mostly in Winnipeg, which is why I laugh at what is considered "cold" over here!
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Cheers mate, thanks for the info!
I would much prefer to find a 3.0 if at all possible. I guess it depends on everything on balance - trim, colour, etc. Can I ask when you bought your 30i for that price? Your specs seem like exactly what I'm looking for.

Haha I was born in Winnipeg! A function of my father being an RCAF pilot posted to Portage at the time. I grew up mostly on Vancouver Island however. It's true that "cold" here is all relative. I have to go to Ottawa next week for work. -10°C is the high. I hate snow though - Vancouver Island is where it's at. Snow in the mountains for skiing, but not at your door needing shovelling. Much more civilized :rofl:
 
Chanceschmerr said:
Haha I was born in Winnipeg!
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Small world. When I finished school in 1977 I spent a month with relatives who had a farm in Sydney. When we were leaving Winnipeg airport I had to ask them about all the posts in the car park - they were power sockets for your engine block heater!

Anyway back on topic as you are planning to take it back to Canada I'd be inclined to keep looking for a 30i.
 
Errata

CherryM 23i has heated black leather seats..at £4.5k if I was in the market 23i that would make a good car..
 
Chanceschmerr said:
Cheers mate, thanks for the info!
I would much prefer to find a 3.0 if at all possible. I guess it depends on everything on balance - trim, colour, etc. Can I ask when you bought your 30i for that price? Your specs seem like exactly what I'm looking for.

Haha I was born in Winnipeg! A function of my father being an RCAF pilot posted to Portage at the time. I grew up mostly on Vancouver Island however. It's true that "cold" here is all relative. I have to go to Ottawa next week for work. -10°C is the high. I hate snow though - Vancouver Island is where it's at. Snow in the mountains for skiing, but not at your door needing shovelling. Much more civilized :rofl:
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Hey 😊
I bought the 30i in the middle of October.
It took some patience, but you have a little while yet before spring arrives and prices creep up.
-10c is open coat weather in Ottowa 😋
 
Mr Tidy said:
Small world. When I finished school in 1977 I spent a month with relatives who had a farm in Sydney. When we were leaving Winnipeg airport I had to ask them about all the posts in the car park - they were power sockets for your engine block heater!

Anyway back on topic as you are planning to take it back to Canada I'd be inclined to keep looking for a 30i.
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Haha Block Heater posts are a unique experience. I've been up to Iqaluit, Nunavut with the Navy - every parking spot in the town has them.

Thanks for the advice mate - can I ask why the 30i would be better for importing than the 23i? I'm certainly more keen for a 30 than a 23, but curious if there is a specific reason to preference them that I'm not aware of.
 
Erudite-Idiot said:
Hey 😊
I bought the 30i in the middle of October.
It took some patience, but you have a little while yet before spring arrives and prices creep up.
-10c is open coat weather in Ottowa 😋
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Thanks - I am headed north to Scotland in June for Springbank Whisky School, so i've set end May as my deadline for finding something with wheels!
-10 is indeed open coat weather in Ottawa. it's now warming up to a balmy -2 by the middle of next week, time to break out shorts!
 
I saw motorbike for sale in NI.
I checked number plate didn't appear on DVLA site.
Phoned owner asked to double check the reg.
I called DVLA and they said once it goes NI goes off England and Wales DVLA record.
Will come back when i register new ownership back in England.
Which it did.
 
I brought it back by ferry Belfast to Liverpool overnight.
Took 8 hours, like a cruise, book a cabin.
Well worth it.
 
flybobbie said:
I brought it back by ferry Belfast to Liverpool overnight.
Took 8 hours, like a cruise, book a cabin.
Well worth it.
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Presumably it wasn't Winter. The Irish sea crossing in Winter is more like being in a tumble dryer than a cruise IME.
 
Chanceschmerr said:
Thanks for the advice mate - can I ask why the 30i would be better for importing than the 23i? I'm certainly more keen for a 30 than a 23, but curious if there is a specific reason to preference them that I'm not aware of.
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No particular reason other than the 30i being the more desirable option, especially for long term ownership.

And maybe based on my experience when I was looking for a 3 Series. 330i were harder to find and dearer than 325i so I bought a 325i but was a bit underwhelmed, so after a year I replaced it with a 330i that I've had nearly 7 years! (Both with the N52 engine).
 
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