Coupe buying advice

S

speed12

Member
Well, After I sold y 03 plate 3.0i roadster in May to raise funds for a house deposit I am having a craving for another Z4 but this time a coupe.

My current work horse is on its last legs (VW Bora TDI) with 114K and lots of things needing doing soon.

So I am tempted to shop it in and get something a little more special. I am on a tight budget so looking at around the 12K mark. Found a nice blue coupe (08 model) with 41K on the clock, right spec for me (Xenons with the rest standard).

The downsides;

The car looks like it has done its 40K as the interior is not quite what I would expect, it needed a good clean (Garage only recently had it in) but the seats were a little scuffed and the drivers side door aperture seal was badly torn (which I am trying to get them to fix). My 03 plate was immaculate inside and looked better than thsi 08 plate! not sure whether a bit of TLC will bring it up to my standards.

Opened the oil cap and there appeared to me a reasonable amount of emulsified oil, which surprised me on a car that has done circa 10K a year, is this normal? or is it head gasket failure?

Car has only been serviced twice, I know this is the acceptable minimum but 2 years does seem like a long time to be on the same oil. Its last service was an insection 1 in June 12.

The good points:
Exterior looks ok, a few very minor scuffs which I would want sorted and the fogs are full of condensation but thats a minor point.

Car drove fine, noticed a slight ticking on idle but as I would use it as an every day runner I dont think the infamous ticking will be a problem for me?

No squeaks or rattles, no sticky steering, gearbox seems fine, clutch seems fine.

Would these sort of things put you guys off? this is the best priced 08 model I have seen but its clearly priced because it is not "tip top" condition.

Kind regards
 
Hi speed12, if you're gut feeling is mmmmm, then I'd look at another, here's one from a quick search on PH, a little older but lower miles :thumbsup:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/z4-coupe/bmw-z-series-z4-si-sport-coupe-2006-56/924717
 
I concur with Darren, the above link is a forum members car you can find the details here:

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=44567

it looks a lovely car and has the best interior / exterior colour combo.

If not then you should easily find a coupe at your price range in better condition as long as you arnt too fussy (like me!)

GLWYS
 
Thanks guys,

The forum members vehicle looks lovely, however although Age should not really bother me with those low miles, it does bother me a little as I wanted something a little newer (I know the mileage should be more important).

The 08 plate I have seen is 2 years newer and has only 12K more miles but is the lower in price, with scope to reduce further. Also it will come with 3 months warranty (not much I know but I think most issues will become apparent by then).

I will take a look on piston heads, I guess I wanted to consider dealer only due to a little more security in the early days of owning, that said my previous roadster was privately brought without any issues.
 
speedy / The 08 would be a walk away for me .
Any used car that you can visibly see has not been cherished probably means it has not been cherished 8)
There are some great coupes around just now & £12k seems cheap for an 08 so ask yourself why ?
Best of luck with your search & feel free to add any links to other possibles :thumbsup:
 
What would concern me is why a Coupe with low mileage and not very old isnt in the franchised dealer network? Can you not get the previous owners number and ask him about the car?

( I,m talking about the one Speed12 found in a dealers)
 
Yeah I did try and ask for the previous owners details but the garage was not willing to pass details on, though they did say they would ask permission so waiting to hear on that front.

The car is at a SEAT dealership, the previous owners shopped it in for a new "sensible" car I guess.

I think the general consensus is not to buy, but I will see what price I can get them down to, I think really i need to see the car when its been properly valeted, I mean my Z4 looked in a right state during one winter, not because I did not take care just because it was impossible to keep clean.

The hunt continues, trouble is my VW needs a service soon which I do not want to pay for so the price I was offered for part ex was very tempting with no come back on me.
 
I agree, I think you will struggle to find a low mileage, good condition 08 coupe even with limited spec for 12k.

However there are some cracking low mileage 56 plates in good condition at that price range.. Low mileage will always force the price up no matter the age of the vehicle people will always think they can get more for it.

BMW are trying to sell their low mileage 07's for 14k..
Autotraders are from 13k

Agree with slick about getting the previous owners number. I did this when buying mine AUC to help alleviate some of my worries.

Low mileage examples are getting harder to find..

The things you mention above would put me off if they were not being corrected before a purchase but then again if you take it into account of the price you can offset some of that saving for rectifying those bits.

As I bought mine AUC I told the dealer it had to be perfect before I signed as I was forking out much more than book value (in my opinion)..
 
I’ve been looking for a few months now and found a few examples I’m keen to look at.

What I can’t seem to get my head round is the difference in AUC prices.

Two examples, both Si’s, 2007, around 30k miles, same spec except one has Xenons – almost 2k difference in price.
 
DPG said:
I’ve been looking for a few months now and found a few examples I’m keen to look at.

What I can’t seem to get my head round is the difference in AUC prices.

Two examples, both Si’s, 2007, around 30k miles, same spec except one has Xenons – almost 2k difference in price.
Click to expand...

Dont get me started .. dealers price independently, I purchased from Specialist cars who only have 3 dealerships and when I first saw the car it was price at about £1500 OTT in my opinion. It took me 2 months but I knocked them down the price difference and got all the little bits sorted in that time. Looking back I think I still overpaid a little but I'm glad I purchased the one I wanted or else to find the same again in private ads may have taken 6 months..

But yes I saw some horrific prices from AUC - all over the shop. One or two were bargains and sold virtually instantly but there were far too many the other side.. hanging around for up to 6 months being reduced at £500 at a time and still not selling..
 
The Garage emailed me today;

Door Aperture Seal will be replaced before purchase.

Door Edge will be repaired before purchase (the door edge had minor paint chips)

Alloy Wheels will be painted (Though I would get this removed from the list and money off the car).

The only advisories on its last MOT were the rear tyres which now have 7mm of tread so it looks like they were replaced fairly recently.

Service history is full BMW (though admitedly spaced out by 2 years).

They are unable to provide contact details for the previous owners.

Their final comment; "Whilst I understand your concerns regarding the car and you having a car prior that you say was in better condition as this one, this car has been used on a regular basis by the previous keeper. I just want to make sure that we are looking at the right car for you or whether you would be looking for something else where the condition is maybe better"

The only negative points once the other areas are corrected is the interior where the seats are a little scuffed on the bolsters, as I would use it every day I would probably get some seat covers to protect the leather when I am in my work gear.

Hmm will let them sit on it for a while.
 
Personally ....and particularly with a Z4 , condition is everything.....these cars can bite you in the wallet in amounts and ways that,d make most peoples eyes water. Again , personally I,de buy an AUC at those prices or direct from a forum member , and certainly only a car that looks and drives like it was someone's pride and joy.
Either way , I hope your successfull in finding a nice one :)
 
This one right...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201212194669609?atmobcid=soc4

? Don't think they shut the bonnet quite right!
 
The leather is such a minor point.

The seats can be rendered new with little or no effort.

Budget 60x4 for professional rim refurbishment, get 6 months warranty and bobs your uncle.
 
shawna said:
The leather is such a minor point.

The seats can be rendered new with little or no effort.

Budget 60x4 for professional rim refurbishment, get 6 months warranty and bobs your uncle.
Click to expand...

Agree completely. Bought mine 14 months ago from a non BMW dealer.
They'd reduced to £13k as no interest (people don't seem know what Z4Cs are).
I got a full service, 12 month MOT, new fogs, all trim sorted, bumps and scuffs removed, 6 month warranty etc etc and it was way cheaper than an AUC as I haggled them down another grand as well as getting the work done.
Spoke to previous owner who'd chopped it in against a 911 turbo. Got some receipts etc from him and it all stacks up.

Had issues with TPMS but getting the tracking sorted fixed it (£60).
Also had emissions light recently but that was a one off blip and hasn't come back.

If it's going to spend 6 months a year in a garage then condition is probably more of a concern, but it's not everything provided you look after it.

Z4012.jpg


Mine lives on the road, although in a quietish close.
It's my daily drive and I love it.
The pleasure is sitting in the driving seat looking out eh? :thumbsup:
 
i would say decide exactly what spec you want then search high and low till you find it

we all have different taste but my opions had to be automatic and piano dash

another option i ended up with was bi-colour seats

check the rear hatch for signs of rust on the inside - thats the only coupe specific issue that comes to mind
 
Woody said:
This one right...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201212194669609?atmobcid=soc4

? Don't think they shut the bonnet quite right!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Yes that is the one. As you can see it is the only 2008 model that is anywhere close to my price range and I love that blue colour. THe alloys I can get powder coated by a place I used for my previous Z4 and I can choose the colour.

I have spoken to the garage again and have agreed to pay the car another visit once it has been fully valeted inside and out. My only concern is that it will be a week until I can visit so there is a risk it will be gone but who knows.

Is the corrosion on the rear hatch a common problem? is this a paint issue during manufacture or is part of the hatch prone to chaffe?

Kind regards
 
Hmm clearly you can see they have no idea how to advertise it. Poor pictures, pathetic description, etc etc.

The only option I can see on it is heated seats, you mentioned it has xenons also?

If you can give me a full list of the options, I will put it into my depreciation calculator and tell you how much I think its worth..

Rear hatch corrosion has been seen on a handful of coupes as per here: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27364

If you can get the dealer to give you the VIN you can pull the list, build date etc from the BMW site which is nice to have..
 
Admitedly the description is poor and the sales woman didnt have a clue about the car itself.

The only options I am aware of are the heated seats and xenons, other features which I am not sure about being standard or not are the chunky M sport sterring wheel with steering controls (I just know my old Z4 had a standard wheel), the seats are different in shape to my old Z4 (again not sure if this is an option), I assume the alloys are non standard too (though admiedly not uncommon), I thought 17" were standard.

I think that is about it. I dont really care about options too much, I only really wanted the heated seats and xenons.

They have offered £2k for my old VW which is about what I expected based on its age, mileage and the fact that a service is due. I may try and push for a little more.
 
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