Higher Mileage Cars

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Hi all,

Been looking at a few roadsters lately with a budget of around £6-7k only. Drove a nice little 04 plate 2.2 last weekend but unfortunately had 92,000 miles on it (although the condition of it was, in my opinion, very good). Priced too high though.

I've done all the right things in reading the FAQs and printing off AlanJs handy guide, but seem to find no mention of problems as the miles creep up on these cars.

I'm going to look at another car this weekend, a 54 plate 2.2 with 80,000 miles and wondered if there is anything extra I should be looking out for?
Also, in terms of service intervals, are there likely to be any major cost items coming up (ie. BMW recommended replacement of particular parts)

Thanks for any help :)
Andy
 
No one?

Not even any pointers on service intervals and upcoming costs?
 
ABS pressure sensors seem to go about 7 years old...

not heard any major horror stories following big mileages...
 
I'm not aware of any real issues on high mileage cars, just the usual things that go at anytime such as coil packs, springs etc.

regarding servicing it depends on when it last had an inspection2 which would be done at approx 60k but again shouldn't be an issue.

Suspension and steering bushes are most likely issues, but could easily have been replaced already.
 
First of all welcome to the forum....

If you have a quick topic search, there is an absolute wealth of knowledge here, particularly Wondermikes guide to buying a Zed, a link to it is in his signature.

There are lots of things to be aware of, rear springs etcetera but asking a general question as you have without searching will generally not get a response from the forum since these questions have been asked and answered previously, hence the guide to buying a Zed.

Good luck with finding the right car for you, and as an Engineer 92,000 miles on a straight six in no mileage at all if maintained and used properly.
 
The engine isnt afraid of high miles.

The problems that can crop up are:

Coil packs (pretty cheap to replace)
Rear suspension Springs cracking (couple of hundred quid)
Suspension Bushes needing replacement (couple of hundred quid)
Roof motor failing (depends if you can get a second hand unit)
Clutch may need replacing, not sure what the cost of that is.

As for servicing, at that sort of miles and age its not worth spending too much on the car, an independant will do an inspection 2 for a couple of hundred and give you a BMW stamp that nobody will frown upon.

Buy on the condition of car and importantly OPTIONS. Not sure where the lists are on this site listing whats standard and whats not.
 
My 3.0si is approching 70k and has not missed a beat (touch wood!)
Nothing major occured for me outside of regular servicing and related items.
Bushes etc still good
 
my 3.0 now has 96k... probably 97 by the end of this weekend.

had a disa unit fail a few weeks back cost £130 to replace and now its as good as new. i regulally drive brand new cars through work and my z4 is still a plesure to get into to drive home.

i have no plans of selling and will probably push over 100k by the end of the year... no worries from me :D
 
Front Tie Rods, and Wishbone Brackets tend to need replaced at around 70k, but can go higher if the car has been used predominantly on motorways.
 
The main potential problem with a roadster of that age is the roof motor failing. I bought an 03 2.2 with about 65k miles on it and the roof motor failed about 3 months later.

Not an easy issue to spot when looking at a car. I would try the roof multiple times and check that it opens and closes at a consistent speed. If it starts to become sluggish and sound a bit under stress then walk away.

On the other hand, if (like me)you fancy a challenge the motor can be extracted, refurbished and reinstalled for the cost of a few hours DIY.

I've since traded the car in for an ///M Roadster with 67k on it. In the 5000 miles or so since I've just had the well known broken spring issue.

I seem to remember someone on here a while back who had around 230k on their Z4 roadster!!!
 
It was 236K before some Nissan took it out.
major problems..
Blown Trans about 200K, my bad for not changing the trans oil more often.
Broken Soft top frame. Bolt came loose and it got caught in there somehow.
At this point, the car was starting to nickel and dime me to death. Everything was wearing out, but the springs were still good :thumbsup:
Of course, all the normal stuff was replaced regularly, such as tires, brakes, window wipers..etc...
Changed the oil about every 15K. Had the Vanos changed at about 200K and the engine was still very clean on the inside.
Now I have a 2007 3.0i Roadster Monaco blue and really miss my Maldivas blue 2.5i, but the 3.0 has a whole lot more power and heated seats, too :D :D
 
Thanks all, thats superb. Dreamer particularly, thats precisely the info I was after in a nicely condensed version, cheers :thumbsup:

I did spend quite a while search, but things like 'common problems', 'mileage issues' etc didn't seem to throw up anything particularly helpful at first glance. Of course it might be I searched the wrong terms but I didn't come on blindly....

Returning to servicing then, am I correct in saying that Insp1 is due at 90k, and presumably Insp2 at 120k, with oil changes approx every 5000 miles?
 
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