Is it the re-map?

Pondy

Pondy

Muppet
 At the summit of the picturesque fens
My E89 has not had a sniff since I put it up for sale. It is now on the 'Bay too and there has been very few views in three days. Not even dealers ringing and offering me £5 for it!

I would be interested to know people's views on why, as I have gone to great lengths to explain how good the car is, and it really is a good one.

Is it price?
Is it cos it's an 18i (although in name only)
Is it cos it's been re-mapped?
Is it something else?
 
Taking a guess here but I think if it is priced correctly it could be one of two things or both or none of them.

Remaps might put some people off but not everyone, I wouldn't think most people looking for a Z4 would be looking for an 18i, most do not know it's the same engine as the 20i or 28i and most do not know that it can be remapped to give the same output. if they are after a 4 pot then most will be looking for 20i or above, probably they wouldn't enter 18i in the search, and if it's a 6 pot they are after then of course it won't get a look in. If I was still trading in cars (which I am not now) I don't think I would be looking to buy a 18i for stock.

Finally it could be none of those reasons and just a matter of time, to find the right buyer. e.g. recently a neighbour of mine was selling two of his cars one an Opel Insignia and the other Seat Leon, of the two the Leon is the more popular car I would say, and I thought would sell the quickest. Well it took him 2 weeks to sell the Insignia and 5 to 6 weeks to sell the Leon. Made no sense really.
 
Might be a symptom of the slowing economy and cost of living, but as mentioned above the 18i isn’t the most desired of the models. I’m sure it’s a spectacular and well presented car though.
Also, is the 18i ulez compliant? I remember for some reason some of the smaller engines zeds weren’t?
 
I think as cars like Zeds age they fall more and more to enthusiasts, and they are obviously a niche vehicle, which means most will search for the top spec 6 pots, guilty of it myself.
That said it took weeks to sell my 35iS, in my case 79k miles probably was the fear factor, still one of the best spec I’ve seen listed.
End of the price is everything, only option is to lower it.
 
I think about these things a lot.

To anyone on AT, this is just a 1.8 z4 with some options. All the words detract from the advert, and the mods are negative (even though the forum likes them).

Mods are an insurance problem for a purchaser, and whilst I personally like what you have done, I would rather get a stock car & change it myself.

But, at the end of the day, it's always the price that matters. No sniffs after 2 weeks & the car is too expensive for the market.

I wouldn't judge it after 3 days though!
 
I'd add 28i to the title to get it in front of the people searching for the higher power output. I would always be searching for a particular model over a generic Z4 and I assume others do too.

I do rather think we're about to have a big downward readjustment on second hand car prices. They've been high for a long time and suddenly people's mortgage payments are going up 40%. A friend who bought a rather ropey Smart car last November is starting to turn up better alternatives at a sharper price (because he can't stop looking while I rebuild the engine on the one he bought.)
 
Ps - I cannot see it in the search results on auto trader. That won't be helping :)

Guessing you have it up for sale on here & ebay only?
 
matsmith749 said:
I wouldn't judge it after 3 days though!
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I get that!
The last two cars I have sold (one on here) sold within hours, not days or weeks. I only buy (and then at some point sell) the very best cars, cos I am very fussy and always have one eye on residual value. If they are not the best when I get them, I do my utmost to make sure they are when I sell them.
I am struggling to understand why no-one wants the best car on the market (for what it is). I can't think of how to persuade potential buyers without dropping the price. That would be a real shame and would leave a bitter taste TBH.
I could sell it tomorrow to a dealer from Motorway for average money and they would stick £2,500 on it. Someone would then buy a very good car for a lot more than they could have done!
 
You were asking & 12k firm for it, that would compare very well to the ones on auto trader.

Personally I would stick it up at 12.5 and expect a quick sale.
 
matsmith749 said:
Guessing you have it up for sale on here & ebay only?
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Yes, not on AT. I was going to go AT rather than the 'bay (as to me that is a more discerning market) but I couldn't put the length of advert on there and it would have to go up as an 18i (which doesn't help). The ebay advert doesn't mention 18i in the title.
 
It is a 1.8i

You don't help the sale by not saying so. The car is going, no need to be sentimental.

My honest advice is get it up on AT, trim out every word of fluff & just keep the facts.
 
smorris_12 said:
I'd add 28i to the title
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I can't do that as it is not true. I don't want to go down that road and have problems with people thinking I'm a 'typical' car salesman! :)
 
matsmith749 said:
It is a 1.8i

You don't help the sale by not saying so.
Click to expand...
The advert mentions it several times, just not the title. That says "2 litre", which is true!
 
The problem their is that BMW make a z4 20i.

Yours is not one.

Keep it simple, the car sells itself, it is a credit to you.
 
The car is a good car (so you keep saying) but you have to remember that everybody wants a good deal and not pay the same for yours that they could pay for one with a better spec.
Whether you like it or not your car on paper is an 18i without idrive or electric seats, it doesnt mention it anywhere but possibly the basic stereo too.
If any of the others for sale are around the same price but with any of these extras it will make yours look overpriced.
You will just have to wait it out or lower the price to encourage people who would possibly overlook it otherwise.
 
Nictrix said:
The car is a good car (so you keep saying)
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Yes I do keep saying, because it is! It has none of the common problems of an E89, low miles, oil changed every 4k miles, immaculate to look at, great to drive with the extra power, etc, etc.

If people are overlooking it due it not having a 14 year old, out of date i-drive, or the 'wrong' amount of speakers then I give up!

I have always bought cars on 'the best available', not colour, or how many toys they may have. I-drive is no use when the boot is full of water!
 
Pondrew said:
Nictrix said:
The car is a good car (so you keep saying)
Click to expand...
Yes I do keep saying, because it is! It has none of the common problems of an E89, low miles, oil changed every 4k miles, immaculate to look at, great to drive with the extra power, etc, etc.

If people are overlooking it due it not having a 14 year old, out of date i-drive, or the 'wrong' amount of speakers then I give up!

I have always bought cars on 'the best available', not colour, or how many toys they may have. I-drive is no use when the boot is full of water!
Click to expand...

You can say that and it is important to buy the best car based on condition but for most buyers of premium brands they want the toys that includes the iDrive, you might call it old and out of date but I specifically looked for a car which had it. Even in its standard state it’s better than a Zed that doesn’t have it. I suspect more buyers than not will be looking out for a car with it.

As others have mentioned you have to either hold it out and wait or drop the price. Also it would be and idea to get it listed on Autotrader.
 
Perhaps not mention the remap? I suspect that due to the engine size people would look for that model to be on the low insurance / running costs side. The remap spoils that as it would make it more challenging to insure
 
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