Howdy! Future owner checking in.

[dxh]

Been lurking here for a while but thought it was time to introduce myself.

I’m thinking of getting into a Z4 Coupe so been reading everything I can find here to get some idea of specs, prices, foibles etc.

I’ve never actually bought a used car before so I’m hoping not to get my fingers burnt. My budget is around £14k and it’s going to be a second car but I’d still like to not be spending loads of cash getting things fixed. Upgrades and mods are a different thing!!

Curious what the forum wisdom thinks I should be looking at with my budget, needs to be a Sport, needs to be a manual.

 

[Number5]

Welcome.
Do you have any other specific requirements and what sort of radius are you prepared to travel from your location ?

 

[dxh]

Thanks for the quick reply! I’d prefer non-black leather and I don’t want the Sat Nav. I also don’t want any beige carpets!

I’m less fussed about exterior colour but I have a priority list where Montego Blue is at the top and Alpine White at the bottom

PDC would be nice, as would a decent HiFi system.

I’m looking at this https://www.cramag.com/cars/ro57mzt, bit confused as it seems to not have the multifunction wheel when I thought that was standard on these.

Oh, don’t mind travelling a couple of hours, I’m in Warwickshire.

 

[Pondrew]

I’ve never actually bought a used car before so I’m hoping not to get my fingers burnt.

Hello.
There are a few E86s in the for sale section on here at the moment well within your budget. Most forum members' cars will have been cared for very well and will generally be honest, so IMHO buying from here is much less of a risk than a dealer, especially if you haven't experience of motor traders.
I hope you get what you require

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

You've probably got good colour choices there as 315 manual Coupes were registered in the UK in Montego Blue but only 19 in Alpine White! Although both those numbers include SE models.

The standard spec was pretty spartan, although they all had electric seat adjustement with driver's memory and headlamp washers. The Multi-Function Steering Wheel, Cruise Control, rear parking sensors, heated seats, Bi-Xenon headlamps, upgraded stereo (2 choices) and cup-holders were all options, as was the Sat-Nav that you don't want so it's worth deciding which are essential and which would be nice to have. Of those the easiest to retro-fit are cup-holders and Cruise Control.

The car in your link is pretty strong money, and a lot of black! Although it has the Bi-Xenons and heated seats it doesn't have cruise or rear parking sensors. You can tell if one has an original upgraded stereo as there won't be storage cubbies behind the front seats - that's where some of the additional speakers live!

My previous Coupe had done 91,000 miles when I sold it and the drivetrain was still brilliant. Someone has one for sale on here that has done 149,000 miles so I'd focus more on condition, history and spec than mileage. My daily driver 330i has the same N52 engine that is still pulling strongly at 116,000 miles!

There are a few things to look out for. Engines can leak oil from the cam-cover gasket and the oil filter housing gasket. Tailgates can be rusty - just open it and look all around the edges. Rear brake pipes can corrode just in front of the passenger side rear whell. Electric water pumps die. There is usually no warning of this the engine just overheats in less than a mile, so having recovery cover is useful! Or some people have replaced them as a preventative measure, but new ones cost £250 or so (£500+ from BMW).

But they are great cars, so enjoy your search.

And as Pondrew said forum members' cars are generally looked after better.

 

[True-Blue]

Welcome,

£14k should be able to buy you one of the very best examples available (presuming you’re not aiming for a Z4M Coupe)

Take your time, be patient. You should be able to get an excellent E86 for significantly less than your maximum budget

I’d be looking for a low mileage example serviced on time intervals not mileage, preferably with the suspension refreshed. I’d be looking at when the last Inspection 2 was completed and for invoices to back this up.

I’d have a good look at the MOT history for any potential purchase and I’d always do an HPI check after inspecting, regardless of whether the seller claims it’s HPI clear or not.

Be prepared to travel! ….Z4 3.0 Si coupe’s (and roadsters) are genuinely rare, you’ll be very lucky if one pops up on your doorstep.

Put a wanted add in the classifieds section, you’ll be able to search a sellers post history to get an idea of any work completed and any problems encountered if cars are offered to you. You’d hope a fellow forum user would be honest, but there’s no guarantee.

If you find a car it’s also worth asking if anyone knows it, previous owners may well frequent the forum… some of us are serial Z4 owners and it never hurts to ask

 

[Z450]

Good luck with your search! As others have said you have a healthy budget, so should be able to get what you are after.

Some good cars do come up on this forum, but at the same time there is nothing wrong with buying from a dealer of that dealer has a good reputation. The particular dealer you are looking at specialises in BMWs and always has a selection of Z4s so probably not a bad place to look at

 

[buzyg]

Welcome to the forum. That seems like a sensible budget to fine a good example. Happy hunting.

 

[dxh]

Thanks for the welcomes and all the useful advice I will take it all on board.

I’d be looking for a low mileage example serviced on time intervals not mileage, preferably with the suspension refreshed. I’d be looking at when the last Inspection 2 was completed and for invoices to back this up

Notwithstanding what everyone says about buy on condition and servicing rather than mileage, what would you actually class as low mileage? All the cars I’ve seen seem to be between 40,000 and 150,000 miles, so in my mind 70-90k is probably a decent middle range.

Any thoughts on buying a warranty, BMW or otherwise?

 

[True-Blue]

Thanks for the welcomes and all the useful advice I will take it all on board.

I’d be looking for a low mileage example serviced on time intervals not mileage, preferably with the suspension refreshed. I’d be looking at when the last Inspection 2 was completed and for invoices to back this up

Notwithstanding what everyone says about buy on condition and servicing rather than mileage, what would you actually class as low mileage? All the cars I’ve seen seem to be between 40,000 and 150,000 miles, so in my mind 70-90k is probably a decent middle range.

Any thoughts on buying a warranty, BMW or otherwise?

This is a difficult question, in the sense that ‘all other things being equal’ the higher the mileage the lower the appeal/value when compared to peers.

If I was spending £14k on an E86 right now it would have to be an incredible example, 30k miles, 1 maybe 2 owners, serviced religiously, high specification in a great colour and in virtually show room condition. In my mind, this is the only way an E86 could be worth anything near £14k… even in the current market.

For some reason, the collective knowledge of the Uk internet has somehow come to the conclusion that more or less any HPI clear E86 up to about 120k miles is worth a minimum of five figures, and they’re just not. This has driven asking prices up and sales volumes down - loads have sat about for ages. When someone prices a car realistically on here, it sells super fast as a result.

I can understand why you might think you need to spend £14k to get a good example but, in reality, £11k should get you a great car, £12k a fabulous car and £14k a virtually concourse minter. Even for £11k I’d be hoping for something up to circa 70k miles. To be clear, this is paid price not asking price

Is this car going to be a long term proposition? and do you care if you lose a significant amount if you sell it?

I watch the Z4 market for fun (I’m not a trader) and loads of Z4’s (not just E86’s) have been advertised at very ambitious (and that’s being kind!) prices and surprise surprise they haven’t sold.

If you’re looking to buy as a form of fun investment be careful!

E85/E86 are inherently pretty reliable cars, engine failures are rare for properly serviced cars. There are a number of things to look out for, but many threads about this dotted throughout the forum.

On this basis, I’d be much more inclined to purchase a warranty for something like an E89 35i/is than an E85/E86 to be completely honest.

Don’t know if that helps or not :?

 

[Mr Tidy]

I think True-Blue has summed things up pretty well.

For £14K I'd also want a pretty exceptional one when there is a 98,000 mile MC on A/T for £16,995!

The only thing it may be worth avoiding is one on about 90K miles knowing the issue people seem to have about cars that have done 100K. If you find one that has done that already then it doesn't become an issue.

I didn't bother with warranties on either of my 3.0Sis. (Or my current one).

 

[Pondrew]

Notwithstanding what everyone says about buy on condition and servicing rather than mileage, what would you actually class as low mileage? All the cars I’ve seen seem to be between 40,000 and 150,000 miles, so in my mind 70-90k is probably a decent middle range.

Any thoughts on buying a warranty, BMW or otherwise?

If you are looking at dealer cars the mileage will make a massive difference in what they will ask. A dealer knows nothing about a given car before he buys it, apart from what he can see, any paperwork that is supplied and maybe what he is told from the seller. So a car with 40k miles is worth x and the same car with 150k miles is worth x - about 50% to the dealer regardless of how it has actually been looked after.
Aftermarket warranties are issued by insurance companies (it is an insurance policy). A 15 year old performance car with (potentially) big bills is a high risk, therefore any useful warranty which includes the important and expensive things is going to be expensive.

I have a huge problem with high mileage cars, but that is MY problem, so I generally pay high prices for cars and have to live with it.

On a 15 year old car I would say 70k miles is very good mileage (3.5k a year is low) and should be somewhere in the mid range price-wise

 

[dxh]

The only thing it may be worth avoiding is one on about 90K miles knowing the issue people seem to have about cars that have done 100K. If you find one that has done that already then it doesn't become an issue.

Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind

On a 15 year old car I would say 70k miles is very good mileage (3.5k a year is low) and should be somewhere in the mid range price-wise

Thank you

Aftermarket warranties are issued by insurance companies (it is an insurance policy). A 15 year old performance car with (potentially) big bills is a high risk, therefore any useful warranty which includes the important and expensive things is going to be expensive.

So really, it’s down to whether I’m happy with the cost or not as a hedge bet, the 53,000 car came in at about £560 for a BMW Comp warranty.

I can understand why you might think you need to spend £14k to get a good example but, in reality, £11k should get you a great car, £12k a fabulous car and £14k a virtually concourse minter. Even for £11k I’d be hoping for something up to circa 70k miles. To be clear, this is paid price not asking price

The 14k is more about what the monthly would be to replace my (now finished) student loan payment so (in my mind) it’s not costing me any more money.

What percentage difference do people typically see between asking price and paid price?

Not really fussed about value, not intending to sell once I have it.

 

[Z450]

It’s interesting reading opinions on what people think you should or should not pay for a Z4 Coupe. As is always ultimately something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I know it’s been suggested that for £14,000 people would want a low owner 30,000 mile car… that sounds great but where are these cars??? I have seen cars on this forum with higher mileage sell for not much less than 14k!

With regards to what percentage you will get off thats a really difficult one, that more comes down to how keen the person is to sell the car !


All the best with your search

 

[Z450]

Not sure if you have seen this one, but would fit into your budget, this one has been forsale for a while so maybe some room to negotiate on the price:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2009-BMW-Z4-3-0si-SE-2dr-265-Bhp-6-Speed-Manual-COUPE-Petrol-Manual-/373756459266?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

[True-Blue]

It’s interesting reading opinions on what people think you should or should not pay for a Z4 Coupe. As is always ultimately something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I know it’s been suggested that for £14,000 people would want a low owner 30,000 mile car… that sounds great but where are these cars??? I have seen cars on this forum with higher mileage sell for not much less than 14k!

With regards to what percentage you will get off thats a really difficult one, that more comes down to how keen the person is to sell the car !


All the best with your search

I’ve just been back through the classifieds and there aren’t many with higher mileage that have had asking prices near to £14k let alone sale prices?

Quite a number of circa 90k +/- cars with asking prices circa £10k +/- that have sold this year, possibly below ask… but not above I doubt!

If I was the OP I’d forget the £14k and find a nice 60-90k car for a lot less, leaving budget for repairs and maintenance.

With respect to the 30k mileage comment, this is my personal view on how an E86 could be valued at £14k and it reflects the rarity of this type of car. There are many traders (and a couple of private sellers) chancing their arm with big asks for low mileage E86’s - these cars are still available :?

 

[Z450]

It’s interesting reading opinions on what people think you should or should not pay for a Z4 Coupe. As is always ultimately something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I know it’s been suggested that for £14,000 people would want a low owner 30,000 mile car… that sounds great but where are these cars??? I have seen cars on this forum with higher mileage sell for not much less than 14k!

With regards to what percentage you will get off thats a really difficult one, that more comes down to how keen the person is to sell the car !


All the best with your search

I’ve just been back through the classifieds and there aren’t many with higher mileage that have had asking prices near to £14k let alone sale prices?

Quite a number of circa 90k +/- cars with asking prices circa £10k +/- that have sold this year, possibly below ask… but not above I doubt!

If I was the OP I’d forget the £14k and find a nice 60-90k car for a lot less, leaving budget for repairs and maintenance.

With respect to the 30k mileage comment, this is my personal view on how an E86 could be valued at £14k and it reflects the rarity of this type of car. There are many traders (and a couple of private sellers) chancing their arm with big asks for low mileage E86’s - these cars are still available :?

The low mileage cars always divide opinions on values. From a seller point of view it’s very much the case you know it’s rare, to have a low mileage low owner car, so you can argue it’s worth the premium, the issue then is, it leaves such a small market of potential buyers so it can take a long time to sell…

Back to the OP if you are in no rush it probably wouldn’t harm taking your time as there will be more Z4 Coupes on the market come spring

 

[dxh]

If I was the OP I’d forget the £14k and find a nice 60-90k car for a lot less, leaving budget for repairs and maintenance.

This is pretty much where I am at the moment, nice to have a bit of leeway/contingency

 

[Mr Tidy]

by dxh » Thu Dec 30, 2021 9:32 pm

True-Blue wrote: ↑Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:29 pm
If I was the OP I’d forget the £14k and find a nice 60-90k car for a lot less, leaving budget for repairs and maintenance.
This is pretty much where I am at the moment, nice to have a bit of leeway/contingency

Somethng like this might fit the bill - although sadly it just sold. https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=132848

It was actually my first Z4 in June 2014 and had the DSP stereo option, heated seats, Bi-Xenons, non-black leather with black carpets but no parking sensors or cruise. Full BMWSH until 62K miles when I sold it to "Snails" in 2016, and only really 4 keepers as it was a pre-reg.

Most of the £14K cars just seem over-priced IMO.

 

[True-Blue]

If I was the OP I’d forget the £14k and find a nice 60-90k car for a lot less, leaving budget for repairs and maintenance.

This is pretty much where I am at the moment, nice to have a bit of leeway/contingency

There’s an excellent looking car just been listed at £10,750 Firm - it’s at circa 90k miles, but it looks a very good example with a fair amount of recent maintenance & MSport seats. I don’t know the car or the seller, but it definitely looks worthy of attention and I doubt it will hang around long