E86 viewing

F

flight174z

Member
Hi all

I went to see an e86 this afternoon and wanted some opinions on the car. Here are my thoughts from the viewing and drive. I saw the car before prep by the seller.

- alloys were split rim 108s but very tatty. These are to be refurbished by the seller
- interior smelt of smoke. There were small rips and scratches on the leather seats but the car is 10 years old. Otherwise the interior was average.
- the car was light on options. It had xenon's but nothing else. I think the stereo may be an upgrade as there were speakers behind the seats but I'm not sure

The car is above average price but below average miles.

I told the seller I would view the car again after prep. Would the above put you off and are there any key missing options? I would like cruise and asked for them to investigate this being retrofitted.
 
welcome to the forum

there are a few good coupes around so dont rush, get the right 1
 
Depends a bit on what you mean by low mileage - my current one is about to hit 80K, but it will be 10 years old in December so to my mind that is lowish.

You will struggle to find too many with less at the age they all are now, especially if you are looking for a particular colour combination.

Most of the ones I have seen have limited options - never quite understood why the spec was so sparse in the first place seeing as my E46 had many of the options fitted as standard!

My first E86 had the 10 speaker stereo, Xenons, heated seats and Individual paint, my current one has PDC, storage pack with cupholders and cruise which TBH suits me better!

Current one has storage cubbies behind the seats where the other one had speakers, but I think there was also a 6 speaker upgrade offered - you really need to get the VIN and use one of the vin-checker sites to see what it came with.

Cruise isn't too big a job to retro-fit (there is a guide on here under "How To") the only hassle being the need to splice in a new section to the wiring loom.

I would also be careful about the vendor's offer to refurb the 108s - one of the problem areas is corrosive reaction between the steel bolts and alloy rims which causes the lacquer to lift and the vendor may not be planning to get them spilt and fully refurbed!

I'm pretty sure there is a buying guide on here too that may be helpful - from personal experience if it has had a new water pump that is a bonus. OEM ones are about £500 + fitting!

As far as the seats go I think they can be restored pretty well using the kits by people like Gliptone, etc. (Another "How To" I think).

Good luck anyway - they are a great car (which is why I bought a second one)! :thumbsup:

Please let us know how you get on!
 
I wouldnt consider anything with over 100k and would prefer under 80k as I will probably keep the car for a few years and use as a daily. I have put just under 60k on my current car in 4 years and would like to keep options open for future resale.

Regarding colour - I'm not picky. Not a huge fan of silver but would still purchase if I could find the right car. I will avoid cars with odd interior choices such as the ones with the half blue leather seats etc.

Regarding options. I'm not fussed about things like nav, heated seats, extended leather or audio upgrades (providing the standard system is ok?) However I would like cruise and on reflection I am also keen on PDC. Anything else would be a bonus.

I'm happy to have a go at fitting cruise myself but would prefer paying to get this done. Not sure if this is an option though

Max budget is £15k for the "perfect" car. Would be happier spending 10k if I have to compromise on the above
 
Smelling of smoke and ripped seats alone would mean an unloved car and I'd walk away.
The lack of any extras just means it's harder to sell so should make it cheaper to buy.
108's need special restoration so bank on £400 and beware of the seller doing it on the cheap.

I reckon there are much better cars out there
 
nkbish0p said:
Ideally I would like to buy one from somebody on here as I expect the ones listed here are very well cared for!
Click to expand...

Certainly better than average. £15k will get you one of the very best Z4Cs and is within reach of a Z4MC.

Ripped seat leather is shocking. Unusual, even on high milers.
 
Taz said:
welcome to the forum

there are a few good coupes around so dont rush, get the right 1
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome!

Totally agree with Taz. Set up a list of the spec you want, bearing in mind that some things like MFSW, Cruise, can be retrofitted. But will save you hassle if you can get it as a "standard optional extra".

I wasn't overly worried about mileage, whats more important for me was good service history. If it's been looked after should serve you well.

Keep your eyes glued to http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=41 and autotrader. The right one will come along! Happy hunting and good luck!
 
Be patient - that one sounds rather tatty. I'd be happier with a well loved and cherished higher miler then a low miler that's been neglected. Also the 108s are a bugger to refurb and keep neat. Take your time and keep looking on here.
Welcome btw :)
 
The one I went and looked at was "approved used" therefore I was dissapointed with the condition based on that.

Perhaps when it has been prepared properly there will be a vast improvement... based on the above though it doesn't sound like the right one for me!
 
There is a "low mileage" one near me on replica CSL wheels that I'm going to arrange an appointment to look at. Again, this is priced towards the upper end of the spectrum but it has more options than the first one I saw and is also slightly newer.
 
As has been said the one you looked at sounds a bit unloved, and certainly isn't what I would have expected of an AUC car!

Towards the top of your budget I would expect to get something exceptional - I bought my current one privately in May this year with 78K miles and got more than 4 figures of change from the bottom of your budget! (Including recently fully refurbed 108s and immaculate seats).

Much as you probably can't wait to get one (I certainly couldn't once I had made the decision) you really should until you find the right one - they never built that many so there aren't usually too many for sale at any one time.

Good luck. :thumbsup:
 
Right all

Back from my second viewing. This car is £500 more than the first one. The seller has specified clearly that that is the price with zero movement.

Good points
- Excellent condition, inside and out
- Low mileage
- All the options I want (and mre that I'm not bothered about)
- Clean inside (non smoker) Does not look it's age at all

Bad points
- Tyres look like they are low. Seller is a trader and says they will put it through an MOT before sale
- Some tiny marks on the corners
- One larger "ding" right on the bottom edge of the car on the drivers side, approx the size of a 5p piece
- Alloys may be replicas
- No negotiation on price. Seller used to run a dealership so I suspect this is not a bluff

Any thoughts on this? It's expensive for a z4c but I like it and I think I would pay the asking price
 
nkbish0p said:
Right all

Back from my second viewing. This car is £500 more than the first one. The seller has specified clearly that that is the price with zero movement.

Good points
- Excellent condition, inside and out
- Low mileage
- All the options I want (and mre that I'm not bothered about)
- Clean inside (non smoker) Does not look it's age at all

Bad points
- Tyres look like they are low. Seller is a trader and says they will put it through an MOT before sale
- Some tiny marks on the corners
- One larger "ding" right on the bottom edge of the car on the drivers side, approx the size of a 5p piece
- Alloys may be replicas
- No negotiation on price. Seller used to run a dealership so I suspect this is not a bluff

Any thoughts on this? It's expensive for a z4c but I like it and I think I would pay the asking price
Click to expand...

Hard to be specific, but from what you have said it sounds like a better option than the first one you saw - smell of smoke is almost impossible to get rid of, whereas new tyres can just be bought!

Also no issues with seats, so it sounds like one that has been cared for rather than used and abused!

A ding the size of a 5p piece should be fixable by someone like Chips Away or similar - they did a supermarket trolley dent on the wing of my 1 Series for less than £100.

Look closely at the alloys - I would have thought genuine ones would have "BMW" on the rims somewhere? But I'm sure someone can tell you for sure!
 
Not sure if this is allowed...

It's on Pistonheads and is on CSL's - should be easy to spot. Let me know if that isn't helpful!

The wheels have all the BMW and M badges but are 18" rather than 19"

The ding is ridiculously minor but I am very petty and spot things like that.

You would never be able to tell the interior is 9 years old... it's in great condition.
 
I haven't looked at the ad but CSLs and 18s says reps to me on the basis of: would I bet they're genuine?...
Stevo
 
While it may not necessarily be an issue, I think "CSL style alloys" tells you they won't be genuine! :lol:
 
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