Im thinking of buying this Z4M - Concerns

P

Pom

Member
Hey guys,

I'm looking at a 2006 BMW Z4 E85 MY07 M Coupe.

It has 41,055km's on the clock. One of my concerns is that the only service which was oil and filters but not an inspection 1 was done at 36,000km's.

There is also some slight scuffs on the leather - are these easy to take care of fix up?

And lastly it has Continental Contacts for tyres - are these ok (i think they are?)?

Cheers,

Chris
 
Chris,
I bought my 2006 Z4 M three months ago with 19K miles on it. I have a friend that is a BMW mechanic and he says the 3.2L engine is one of the most indestructible engines BMW has. I have the Continental Contact tires on it and they are about 75%. I took the M around a clover leaf on-ramp at 55mph a couple of days ago......suggested at 25mph. It stuck like glue and my friend s**t his pants! As for the leather.....no ideas, sorry.
Perry
 
Hi,
What does the service indicator show on the dash? 41k is around 25-26k miles, and it may be possible to go that long without an Inspection 1 but it would be imminently due. An oil service at 36000km/22000m seems rather late, the interval is usually around 12-15000 miles. Did it have the 1200 mile running in service?
If in any doubt I'd walk away. I wouldn't buy an M car that hadn't been serviced properly.
Not sure about the leather sorry. The continentals are the original tyres.

Good luck!
 
All I'll say is.. I was looking at a 2007 with around 13k on the clock, going for £18k but it had missed its first service. Even though "BMW engine indestructible etc etc" it means its not covered by warranty and put some questions in my mind about why the owner would have missed this when its a free running in service that BMW say is vital to the M engine.. as such I didnt buy it and ended up getting a similar age/mileage car which was £3k more which had excellent history (albeit with quite a few more features). I was happy to pay this extra for a good example and think its always worth waiting for a good one unless its an absolute bargain..
 
501 gallons of fuel between services, 20mpg - 25mpg averages would give circa 10-12k between services....if it hasnt been done the dash indicator should be showing its pretty imminent.
As has been mentioned it should of had the 1200mile running in service (there is a time deadline as well, 3 months maybe?)....if it hasnt WALK. The oil from factory is mineral oil to aid running in and hence shouldnt be used for long.
Leather marks/scuffs/rips etc can be reapired.....probably depends on where you take it as to how good a job it'll be. You'll probably notice the seat leather does tend to ripple even with a few K on the clock.....again this appears to be normal.
Continental Contisport M3 are the OEM tyres and were designed specifically for the E46 M3 (which the Z4 is based on), just had the rears replaced on mine with another set....no complaints here, seem to be very sticky and cant see anything else being better (i have tried Eagle F1 GSD3 and Asymmetric on other cars).
 
well the interesting thing is it seemed to only have the 1 oil/filter change in the service book - it didnt have inspection 1 ticked - but im thinking it must have been this (filters arnt normal on an oil change are they?). im going to call the dealership that stamped it tomorrow and see if they can give me a full service history. If i cant find proof of the 1200mile (3000km) service i'll probably walk. I'd have to know why they wouldnt have gotten a free and critical service done....

Yea the conti's look about 75% tread which is all good.

thanks for the advice guys. its a beautiful car - unfortunately there arnt many of them for sale in aus (not in a coupe version anyhow!)

Chris
 
The 1200 miles service is a running in service, different engine, gearbox and diff oil.

Absolutely vital this is done
 
hmm well i've spoken to the 2 main dealers around here - they only have 1 service on record for this car - which is the 36000km one. This just seems insane that it wouldnt have had a service in 2 years....

guess i might have to walk away from this one? i'm going to have a chat to a mate whose a bmw mechanic and see what he thinks :(
 
Although Z4Ms are rare, they're not so rare that you won't find another one - walk away!

Put it this way: if the previous owner missed a service, what else have they neglected with the car? That's what I'd be thinking...
 
Pom said:
hmm well i've spoken to the 2 main dealers around here - they only have 1 service on record for this car - which is the 36000km one. This just seems insane that it wouldnt have had a service in 2 years....

guess i might have to walk away from this one? i'm going to have a chat to a mate whose a bmw mechanic and see what he thinks :(
Click to expand...

36k to first service? 22,000 miles on an M car?

Isn't the initial oil designed for running in only?

Also consider the resale difficulty. As values drop and buyers get more picky out of warranty, that will be harder to sell on imho!

Just get another one.

Dave
 
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