Just bought my first Z4 Coupe 3.0si SE (Black, Red Leather, 142k)

Fred Smith said:
To be honest I may well just do a really quick dremmel / hand paint "touch up" on the wheels. As a matter of principle any spending I undertake should be necessary maintenance (the inevitable cost of ownership that I accept) or should try as best as possible to keep me at £5k max. all-in so that I can hopefully get my money back if / when I sell. With 143k or so on the clock it can't ever be more than a £5k car, so I want to keep all other improvements (incl defects to bodywork) to under £900 all in (Car plus necessary immediate repairs I was aware of when I bought totals £4,100)!

As things stand this is my first nice car! My entire car history before the Z4 -

1980 Ford Fiesta 1.1L
1986 Ford Capri Laser 1.6
1980 Ford Capri 2.0S (Forest green, perfect interior with Feshnet Recaros)
1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Estate 1.6 (written off by a hit and run driver whilst parked up on a very quiet residential street with massive speed bumps)
1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Estate 1.6
2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Estate 2.0 Sport (I still own this and am unlikely to sell with replacing first).

Based on this pattern my next three cars have to be E86 Z4 coupes I reckon, or Z4s at the very least. I'm loving it so far and am already on the lookout for a lower mileage, more special, nicer colours, long term option!!! (Caveat, f**k knows how I got away with this one given we have a kid, so a second might just be seen as piss take).
Click to expand...

Agreed, don’t have a second kid :lol:
 
Fred Smith said:
Based on this pattern my next three cars have to be E86 Z4 coupes I reckon, or Z4s at the very least. I'm loving it so far and am already on the lookout for a lower mileage, more special, nicer colours, long term option!!! (Caveat, f**k knows how I got away with this one given we have a kid, so a second might just be seen as piss take).
Click to expand...

Well why not? I'm on my third E86 now because I love them too! And while I've had more than 30 previous cars the Coupes are by far the best cars I've had. :D

Given your thinking on keeping the spending limited I think a "touch up" on the wheels is probably the best option. I picked up my two 3 Series wheels from My Alloys last week after a refurb together with a bill for £163, although they do look good as new.

I took my current Coupe for a 4 wheel alignment at TWG Automotive in Camberley in 2021 and it would have cost £82.50 + VAT, except it needed both track rod ends replacing as the threads were seized solid and a ball joint needed replacing so it came to a bit over £500 in the end. :(

I used TWG because Will who runs it is ex-Sytner and uses his laser equipment to set up his race cars, and mine was totally transformed afterwards.

A month or so before I bought my 330i with the same N52 engine in 2019 the previous owner had an oil change and replacement cam-cover gasket fitted by a garage in Cambridge and got a bill for £649.70, but they did have to drill out two snapped bolts. Shame he didn't get the oil filter housing gasket replaced as well!

Anyway good luck whatever you decide. :thumbsup:
 
Well at least you got them undone and the alignment in the right ball-park.

I had mine aligned to the E46 M3 CSL settings because most of the M running gear is the same.

You're quite local so hopefully we'll meet up some time.
 
You're lucky to have a local garage like that.

But BMWs do have some weird electrical issues now and again, especially if the battery is dying.

If you need anyone BMW specific RBM in Hook, Hampshire look after both of mine, and quite a few others on here. Ross set it up in 2019 after 15 years at Sytner so had worked on BMWs from this ear since they were new and is highly recommended. Plus he has a couple of loan cars which can be handy!
 
Fred Smith said:
The foglights back on the car... not a perfect job, not great photos, but pretty pleased...
Click to expand...
They are better than the fogs on most coupes! Giving the lenses a bit of headlight refurb will bring them up a treat, but I am guessing you have a polish planned for the rest of the car too.
 
Fred Smith said:
The foglights back on the car... not a perfect job, not great photos, but pretty pleased...
Click to expand...

They look great, especially considering how they looked before. :thumbsup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom