Hey Folks

[F7GOS]

Morning folks! newbie here..

I've been considering buying a E89 23i Z4 for a while now, realistically looking for something betweek £6k and £8k, unsure if that is reasonable. Figure that the N52 engine is a decent bet even at the higher miles ill likely be having to look at and Ill get that 6 cyclinder goodness but I am open to be swayed to the 4 cylinders.

Reason for looking now is that im permanently based at home for work with me either working remotely from Scotland or in Houston for a few weeks at a time here and there so when that became the norm we went down to one car - Your typical wife and kids wagon.
Thing is with the 2 kiddos getting up a bit now with all the various clubs and stuff like that having the option if two cars to split the parent runs is starting to make sense again.

Most of the time my fun car has been things like the RCZ, Type-Rs, a brief dalliance with an Elise and tuned Ford / Vauxhalls but mostly MGs with ZT's, ZS180's, MGF's or MGTF's - so im quite happy tinkering and getting my hands a bit dirty :lol: - I really want the option of roof down fun again but with the MG's values creeping up - a late run out model of the TF can go for over £5k, -the idea of spending that on an endulgance has me looking at spending that bit extra on something fresher like the E89 instead.

Ill be honest here coming from a Rover / MG persuaission my view of BMW has always been coloured by the forum chat on that side of the fence but being in my mid 30's now and no longer a slave to faceless corporation love-ins that permeate car forums like I probably was in my teens and 20's I figured it could be fun to see what Bavarias finest is actually all about without the biases of youth

As mentioned, I've been having a look at the E89 but really need to dig into what all the different models are all about, the differences between an sDrive, an MSport or a Highline or if there are variations within each trim... I really dont have the foggiest other than whats listed on wikipedia.

I'm not looking for the ultimate driving experience, but still want a reason to take the scenic route which is why i'm thinking the 23i and probably a manual though but i'm not really adverse to the 6 speed ZF unless there are realiability reasons to avoid it.

But that's my story, not desperate to get into a car for summer or anything so i'm just going to keep my eyes open, try learn a bit about these car and wait till something ticks the boxes.

If you all want to impart any wisdom or if any of my preconceptions on what i want to get need challenged then i'm all ears

 

[B21]

Welcome..

All E89s are S drive aka rear wheel drive

High line was a UK packaging of a base model with some small amount of options

MSport was the higher end version of the base, with shorter / stiffer springs, different front and rear bumpers, M Sport trim on the cills and a MSport steering wheel along with sports seats..

On top of that you had various options

Most 23i tended to be poorly equipped compared to later models..whether it matters to you is obviously your call.

The powertrain is pretty bulletproof in either manual or auto mode.

£6k-£8k in this market should get you many good examples ..mileage isn’t really an issue with these models..I have a friend at 150k miles and it still runs very nicely.

I’d suggest if you’re in Scotland heated seats and a rear wind diffuser amongst other goodies..parking sensors is a good idea…

Enjoy your search..

 

[F7GOS]

Cheers for the response, I'm with you on the windstop! Was always the first thing I fitted to the MG's and it made a huge difference.

 

[buzyg]

Happy hunting and welcome to the Bavarian madhouse.

 

[Pondy]

Parking sensors are a must on an E89 IMO, as you can't see the front or rear of the car whilst inside.

You will quickly learn that BMW like to charge for pretty much EVERYTHING as an extra when a car is new. I would advise making a list of things you can't live without and things you can. If you are not bothered by spec and 'toys' a low rent car should be quite a bit cheaper than a really high spec one.

If you like the look of the M sport version (as opposed to SE), just be aware that the springs are very 'unforgiving' which is not to everyone's taste. Run Flat Tyres don't help. All E89 Z4s came with RFTs, some will have been changed to 'normal' but many won't.

 

[Zed Baron]

The 23i is a great car (still look great after 15 years!), I had one for 8 years. Find one that has been serviced regularly (oil and brake fluid changes), try to find one with as many bells and whistles as possible, my list was white/auto/idrive/pdc/black leather sports seats (heated). Some items are easy to retro fit and some hard (and some definitely not). As others have said BMW charge for everything, so don't assume that they all come with this & that. In all the time I had mine it was very reliable, had to replace the rear springs and just serviceable items, first BMW I ever had and persuaded me to get the newer Z4. Seeing as you're based in Scotland (like me), why don't you come along to one of the breakfast meetings that we have and see some cars and have a chat with the owners? If you do find a potential car, I'm sure a few of the helpful people on here will share some wisdom on the + & - points before you make a purchase

 

[Ole gits rule]

Hello and welcome, the Highline was actually far from the base model, they came in two forms -

SE which gained different alloys and heated Msport seats.

Msport which gained 19" alloys, iDrive, heated seats, wind deflector, extended lighting pack, extended storage pack, F&R PDC & Cruise control, they were actually a runout edition of the 6 cylinder cars prior to the launch of the 4 cylinder versions.

In all honesty the highline in Msport trim should give you everything you need, had mine for 2.5 years and was the longest I have ever kept a car.

Good luck with the search, its a far better choice over an MGTF as I have one of those and it night and day.

 

[B21]

Hello and welcome, the Highline was actually far from the base model, they came in two forms -

SE which gained different alloys and heated Msport seats.

Msport which gained 19" alloys, iDrive, heated seats, wind deflector, extended lighting pack, extended storage pack, F&R PDC & Cruise control, they were actually a runout edition of the 6 cylinder cars prior to the launch of the 4 cylinder versions.

In all honesty the highline in Msport trim should give you everything you need, had mine for 2.5 years and was the longest I have ever kept a car.

Good luck with the search, its a far better choice over an MGTF as I have one of those and it night and day.

Looks like the basic highline and the MSport highline had these options as standard…some of the options you mentioned were optional to these models..

Price list here…. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/attachment/T0105203EN_GB/154191

 

[RAYK47]

Firstly welcome.

Look for one that has the key options you need. As Pondrew said, PDC is a must, also heated seats. For me, i wanted the iDrive, not everyone has the same priorities. But with the iDrive you have the option to add a Mr12Volt MMI box and it totally transforms the entertainment system while still looking stock.

i have a 35i with the DCT auto box. At first it was not on my wish list but i have since grown to love it. Turns the car in to a great GT car and with the 300HP and twin turbos, can also be very fun. Also cant speak highly enough about the heated steering wheel.

Happy hunting, Zed Barons idea sounds a great one. GO and look at them

 

[Ole gits rule]

Hello and welcome, the Highline was actually far from the base model, they came in two forms -

SE which gained different alloys and heated Msport seats.

Msport which gained 19" alloys, iDrive, heated seats, wind deflector, extended lighting pack, extended storage pack, F&R PDC & Cruise control, they were actually a runout edition of the 6 cylinder cars prior to the launch of the 4 cylinder versions.

In all honesty the highline in Msport trim should give you everything you need, had mine for 2.5 years and was the longest I have ever kept a car.

Good luck with the search, its a far better choice over an MGTF as I have one of those and it night and day.

Looks like the basic highline and the MSport highline had these options as standard…some of the options you mentioned were optional to these models..

Price list here…. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/attachment/T0105203EN_GB/154191

I will agree on heated seats & PDC etc but the extend lights and storage were in the packs from the books I had

 

[B21]

Hello and welcome, the Highline was actually far from the base model, they came in two forms -

SE which gained different alloys and heated Msport seats.

Msport which gained 19" alloys, iDrive, heated seats, wind deflector, extended lighting pack, extended storage pack, F&R PDC & Cruise control, they were actually a runout edition of the 6 cylinder cars prior to the launch of the 4 cylinder versions.

In all honesty the highline in Msport trim should give you everything you need, had mine for 2.5 years and was the longest I have ever kept a car.

Good luck with the search, its a far better choice over an MGTF as I have one of those and it night and day.

Looks like the basic highline and the MSport highline had these options as standard…some of the options you mentioned were optional to these models..

Price list here…. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/attachment/T0105203EN_GB/154191

I will agree on heated seats & PDC etc but the extend lights and storage were in the packs from the books I had

If you look at the price list you’ll see that the comfort pack was a generic pack for all versions at various prices depending on the model..

If you can show me the book I’d be delighted to be educated …

As a general rule of thumb more options migrate to the base model over time..but comfort pack wasn’t one of them afaik..

The price list was the last one published featuring the 23i/30i AFAIK..

 

[Ole gits rule]

Looks like the basic highline and the MSport highline had these options as standard…some of the options you mentioned were optional to these models..

Price list here…. https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/united-kingdom/article/attachment/T0105203EN_GB/154191

I will agree on heated seats & PDC etc but the extend lights and storage were in the packs from the books I had

If you look at the price list you’ll see that the comfort pack was a generic pack for all versions at various prices depending on the model..

If you can show me the book I’d be delighted to be educated …

As a general rule of thumb more options migrate to the base model over time..but comfort pack wasn’t one of them afaik..

The price list was the last one published featuring the 23i/30i AFAIK..

Book has gone with car unfortunately, but it defo list extend storage and lighting in their as part of the highline pack

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Plenty of good advice already in relation to E89s but the N52 engine in the 23i is brilliant. I'm on my 4th now in a 3 Series that is still performing well after 125K miles. You might not find a 30i in your budget but if you do there is no downside as it's the same as the 23i, just a bit bigger!