Hi all, considering a (cheap) Z4... Risky?

W

WJB

Member
 Yorkshire
Hi all, first post here, been a BMW owner for a good few years on/off, had 4 in total, 2 current as well as plenty of other marques.

I was considering an E46 M3 as my next car, but as it will only be for me travelling to & from work alone, I wasn't sure I'd need 4 seats, we have an X5 for family duties, plus my budget was gonna be nearer 5k than 8k, so I started looking online at 986 boxsters, but at that price they could be risky.

You can see where this is going!

3.0 Z4! Can I get a good one for well under 5k? I've seen a few for sale at 3.5- 4.5k will it be a dog?

Or is the z4 a genuine performance bargain these days?
 
WJB said:
3.0 Z4! Can I get a good one for well under 5k? I've seen a few for sale at 3.5- 4.5k will it be a dog?

Or is the z4 a genuine performance bargain these days?
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1) yes but it may have covered around 100k ( no issue if looked after )
2) like any used car there will be dogs but also good ones , you have to search well :wink:
3) early 3.0 are a great car capable of shifting along brisque & also hitting mid 30s mpg ,
search the buyers guides on here for the ins & outs
welcome btw :thumbsup:
 
Welcome to the forum, buying high mileage 10 year old cars is always risky and you will need to know your stuff - fortunately this is the place to learn about the Z4 :thumbsup:
 
Welcome along to the Forum. :) With a 5k budget you should be able to find a decent 3ltr Z4. May take a while and some patience, but reading posts from new members joining here in the past 12 months. It appears they are out there. Good look searching and ask lots of questions. :wink:
 
Thanks for the replies, I'm gonna wait till summer is over before I start looking properly (so in about a week at this rate)

I've had a good used car history, never bought a bad one yet, although my wife might disagree :lol:

Been lurking for a bit, seems like a great forum.

Cheers
 
WJB said:
Thanks for the replies, I'm gonna wait till summer is over before I start looking properly

Cheers
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Sensible and keep an eye on the for sale section of the forum - check the history of the postee and you might find the cherished example you need :thumbsup:

Welcome to the Forum
 
Thanks again for the welcomes, been having a look around for insurance, seems cheap which is good. I'm probably just old :roll:
 
Five grand is plenty to pick up a good z, my mate just got an awesome early 3.0 for 4.6k and mine was even less than that (but it's a 2.5)

Have you test driven one yet? I only ask because I was looking for a 3.0 then I saw my 2.5 come up at a bargain price took it for a test drive and decided it was plenty quick enough so put a deposit down there and then
 
85genius said:
Five grand is plenty to pick up a good z, my mate just got an awesome early 3.0 for 4.6k and mine was even less than that (but it's a 2.5)

Have you test driven one yet? I only ask because I was looking for a 3.0 then I saw my 2.5 come up at a bargain price took it for a test drive and decided it was plenty quick enough so put a deposit down there and then
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Not driven a Z4 yet, I used to own an E46 325i sport which I enjoyed, and I've driven a 330ci. Would I be right in expecting Z4 3.0 performance to be a bit better than the E46 330?

I wouldn't rule out a 2.5 if it was the right car, I'd probably drive both to be sure, my boy racer years are behind me anyway, sort of :)
 
WJB said:
85genius said:
Five grand is plenty to pick up a good z, my mate just got an awesome early 3.0 for 4.6k and mine was even less than that (but it's a 2.5)

Have you test driven one yet? I only ask because I was looking for a 3.0 then I saw my 2.5 come up at a bargain price took it for a test drive and decided it was plenty quick enough so put a deposit down there and then
Click to expand...

Not driven a Z4 yet, I used to own an E46 325i sport which I enjoyed, and I've driven a 330ci. Would I be right in expecting Z4 3.0 performance to be a bit better than the E46 330?

I wouldn't rule out a 2.5 if it was the right car, I'd probably drive both to be sure, my boy racer years are behind me anyway, sort of :)
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Yes and no..

The 2.5 e85 is similar performance to an e46 330, the 3.0 is closer to the e46 m3! http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/facts-and-figures/bmw/z4/roadster-2003/

I started looking for a z4 after driving a mates 330 and had my heart set on the 3.0 but after test driving the 2.5 it was more than fast enough! If you are used to the e46 325 then the same engine in the z will blow your socks off, the 3.0 will feel ridiculously quick.

Basically I'd just go with the best deal you find FWIW the mate who's 330 I drove test drove a boxster s on Thursday and put a deposit down on a z4 3.0 today. It really comes down to what you are used to as to what you would be happy with but I'm very happy with my 2.5 and after going for a drive with a few mates a two weeks ago including an e46 330 and an e36 m3 found my z4 easily kept up with both of them
 
Here's a couple I found when helping my mate look for one
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/for-sale/search/bmw/z4/roadster-2003/usedcfs-569524538593552/
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=321828656249&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web

Saving the best 2 til last (just my opinion based on the ads)
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=252048597820&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=231516970646&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web
 
85genius said:
Yes and no..

The 2.5 e85 is similar performance to an e46 330, the 3.0 is closer to the e46 m3! http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/facts-and-figures/bmw/z4/roadster-2003/

I started looking for a z4 after driving a mates 330 and had my heart set on the 3.0 but after test driving the 2.5 it was more than fast enough! If you are used to the e46 325 then the same engine in the z will blow your socks off, the 3.0 will feel ridiculously quick.

Basically I'd just go with the best deal you find FWIW the mate who's 330 I drove test drove a boxster s on Thursday and put a deposit down on a z4 3.0 today. It really comes down to what you are used to as to what you would be happy with but I'm very happy with my 2.5 and after going for a drive with a few mates a two weeks ago including an e46 330 and an e36 m3 found my z4 easily kept up with both of them

Here's a couple I found when helping my mate look for one
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/for-sale/search/bmw/z4/roadster-2003/usedcfs-569524538593552/
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=321828656249&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web

Saving the best 2 til last (just my opinion based on the ads)
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=252048597820&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=231516970646&globalID=EBAY-GB&alt=web
Click to expand...

Cheers for that info, I was watching the blue & black ones, they are both actually fairly near to me.

This one finished this morning, nice colour combo, but didn't meet its reserve, quite surprised it only got bid up to £2.5k??

URL: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=151777217503&alt=web

There's a 3.0 near me too, again nice colour combo and wheels, but looks a bit suspect with some mileage issues.

http://www.autozoneuk.co.uk/used-BMW-Z4-Wakefiled-West-Yorkshire-655962

Might try and look at a few in a week or so to get a feel of them.
 
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