E89 Purchase

[Adam. Eustace]

Hi Everyone,

I am 19 year old and from the UK,

And I am looking to get my second car I have always liked cars and the Z4 e89 has been a car I have wanted for quite some time.
I test-drove a 2011 23i e89 about a week ago and loved it it had a full-service history and only 70 K on the clock it was perfect.

My worry is about running costs as much as I love the car I don't want to end up with a financial burden that will leave me with too many holes in my pocket.

From my research, the 20i engine is very close in performance to the 23i, except has much better running costs, cheaper tax slightly cheaper insurance and servicing is much cheaper too. I wondered however if the engine was slightly less reliable and cost me more in repairs if the 23i would be a better option.

From my research the 23i would cost me about £5500 a year to run, including insurance tax service fee and fuel cost for the year is this accurate I do about 12,000 miles a year. When you compare this to the 20i £4500 does this sound about right?

Would anybody be able to give me a price breakdown of what ownership looks like and some advice between the two engines?

Thank you very much, Adam.

 

[jenniferlouise]

Hi Adam. That’s a bold jump for your second car, although I recall I went from a Ford Fiesta to VW Scirocco much to parents bemusement (and loved it).

Sounds like you’ve done the maths and it’s whether you want the extra financial burden. I just saw a picture and told myself‘I want one of those’ then went out to find the right one… As a 23i owner, I can say that in 3 years the only expense I’ve had is from work I’ve chosen to do. Find yourself a recommended independent specialist to look after it and you’ll be fine either way.

Buy a car that’s been evidently well cared for; regular servicing, invoices for any work done, a bundle of paperwork. You can afford to be fussy. I wanted the straight six, having had an E46 M3 it’s the only way to fly! That said, you’ll find lots of support for 4-Pots on here too.

Look for a car with all the extras you think you want as well. Mine came with near £9,000 from the options catalogue. Oh, and colour!! Of course colour!!

Having nursed our M-Sport through 2 years of motoring and two fracked rear rims on the original Bridgestone RFTs, I’d recommend finding a Z4 that’s had them removed or budget to change the tyres; it’s transformed the ride more than anything else (and you’ll read that a lot on here).

The final bit from me is ‘stubbby or whippy’ (it’s another regular opinion divider ) (that’s a bit of a joke btw)

Whatever you go for, make sure you share some pics and make sure you bring it along to any meets and events so you can truly enjoy your Zed.

 

[BeardyJon]

I've got a 20i M Sport and have owned it for 7 years. Engine has run nicely in all that time. I've had it remapped at Celtic Tuning so it's got some kick to it, and fuel-wise hasn't made too much of a difference (it's all in how you drive it really).

The main problems have been with the roof wiring failing (the wire BMW used is not very robust and eventually will snap - lots of info on here about it), and a cracked alloy (thanks potholes). Other than that, it's been pretty easy to own. I do about 4000 miles a year in it, so it's not been ragged about too much, but hopefully that helps. Like jenniferlouise said, be choosey and pick one that's been looked after and properly maintained, and you won't go too wrong. Would maybe recommend browsing the ones for sale on here first. Might find a good un.

 

[Pondrew]

Cost of ownership is very subjective.
Most people on here are ancient (including me), so the insurance will be a lot less than a 19 year old. It's about the ONLY advantage with age!
A 23i will probably give you around 5-10 MPG less than an N20 turbo on a similar drive. But if it's stop-start and slow traffic then it will the same. ALL cars are terrible on fuel in those scenarios.

I would say the most important thing is choose a car with a VERY good service history and as low mileage as you can afford. Not necessarily just for the mileage, but it should have been 'used' less, so roof cycles should be less, etc.

I wouldn't want you to come back here in a month's time saying your roof has failed and you are looking at £2,000 to fix it.

 

[MikeyH]

Hi, welcome to the forum, whichever engine you buy will be great. Oh, and if you want to make it look great, get a stubby.

 

[jenniferlouise]

Hi, welcome to the forum, whichever engine you buy will be great. Oh, and if you want to make it look great, get a stubby.

and it only took four posts

 

[AnubisZed]

...
Most people on here are ancient ....

Oi! I resemble that remark!!