Hi, 1st post so please be gentle 
I am looking at Z4M Roadsters and had a drive in one today ..... but have a few questions.
The one I drove was in the blue metallic and had sat nav / cruise and reversing sensors for £25K with 19,000 miles on it + presumably FSH on an '07' plate.
It was fairly mint and drove well ... apart from the gearbox which was notchy to say the least. I loved the car as a whole but didn't like the gearbox one bit. Are they all notchy and obstructive or was this a one off ? The car has done 19K and, as I say, looked totally mint from the outside.
I let it warm before putting my foot down and was out for about 20 minutes with roof up and down + no rattles at all. It was a really nice place to be .... apart from the gear change and one other thing -
On my return to the garage (who had been kind enough to let me out on my own) there was smoke coming from the back of the bonnet. On putting the bonnet up the 'smoke' seemed to be coming from the back of the engine - couldn't see where but coming from base area at back i.e. the windscreen end. It smelt kind of plastic / oily but I couldn't be sure.
Now, should I let them get it repaired or just look for another (the dealer are a small independent - not a main dealer). The salesman said he would book it into the local BMW dealership but he felt it was where they had sprayed engine cleaner on it and the car hadn't been used ....
It the smoke just bad luck ? Is there something down where it was coming from that is a common problem ? Does it indicate the previous owner may not have looked after it ? I was gentle with it; only flooring it once warm and in straight lines .... so know it wasn't anything I did ! The 'smoke' seemed at odds with the general condition of the car but why isn't an '07' for sale at a main dealer ? Do people think this means anything ?
Sorry for the long post - I have tried searching for some help but haven't got too far .... other than finding the 1200 service is vital and some seem to have issue with the gearchange !
Comments welcome .....
I am looking at Z4M Roadsters and had a drive in one today ..... but have a few questions.
The one I drove was in the blue metallic and had sat nav / cruise and reversing sensors for £25K with 19,000 miles on it + presumably FSH on an '07' plate.
It was fairly mint and drove well ... apart from the gearbox which was notchy to say the least. I loved the car as a whole but didn't like the gearbox one bit. Are they all notchy and obstructive or was this a one off ? The car has done 19K and, as I say, looked totally mint from the outside.
I let it warm before putting my foot down and was out for about 20 minutes with roof up and down + no rattles at all. It was a really nice place to be .... apart from the gear change and one other thing -
On my return to the garage (who had been kind enough to let me out on my own) there was smoke coming from the back of the bonnet. On putting the bonnet up the 'smoke' seemed to be coming from the back of the engine - couldn't see where but coming from base area at back i.e. the windscreen end. It smelt kind of plastic / oily but I couldn't be sure.
Now, should I let them get it repaired or just look for another (the dealer are a small independent - not a main dealer). The salesman said he would book it into the local BMW dealership but he felt it was where they had sprayed engine cleaner on it and the car hadn't been used ....
It the smoke just bad luck ? Is there something down where it was coming from that is a common problem ? Does it indicate the previous owner may not have looked after it ? I was gentle with it; only flooring it once warm and in straight lines .... so know it wasn't anything I did ! The 'smoke' seemed at odds with the general condition of the car but why isn't an '07' for sale at a main dealer ? Do people think this means anything ?
Sorry for the long post - I have tried searching for some help but haven't got too far .... other than finding the 1200 service is vital and some seem to have issue with the gearchange !
Comments welcome .....
