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BeeEmm said:
How do you know he hasn’t had a big payout (Maybe after many years with the same employer) and has sufficient funds to bridge the gap between now and retirement?
Calling someone you don’t know, and whose financial position you have no understanding of, a loser.... and assuming they’re going to be dependent on your national insurance contributions for support is at best ignorant :roll:
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True-Blue said:
...and at worst as arrogant as they come . The assumption that im on the bread line and will end up on the dole because of a car purchase just beggars belief.
Seriously though, why does every forum have one??
One thing to perhaps consider is that the facelift zeds are euro 4 emission status, while (I think) pre facelift aren’t. It really depends what you want to do with the car and where you want to take it - I know going around europe is getting trickier in anything below euro 4 and some UK cities have been toying with restrictions for a while....
A load of tosh if you ask me but go on, it’s something you might want to consider.
Good luck!
A load of tosh if you ask me but go on, it’s something you might want to consider.
Good luck!
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Ok, 'crisis' over and thankfully nobody over reacted! 
But just to clarify, my financial position is more than secure and yes, im very lucky. Especially as i have a wife who's prepared to go along with the purchase.
So, back to the interesting stuff. Suspension. What say the forum? Theres a couple of 2.5iSports out there for sale that look good but they have the msport suspension. I could either wait for the right car or use this as a bargaining point.
But just to clarify, my financial position is more than secure and yes, im very lucky. Especially as i have a wife who's prepared to go along with the purchase.
So, back to the interesting stuff. Suspension. What say the forum? Theres a couple of 2.5iSports out there for sale that look good but they have the msport suspension. I could either wait for the right car or use this as a bargaining point.
My first Z4 had the M Sport suspension along with the Runflats and it was very firm - but then the non runflats were added and it became quite acceptable.
As a personal choice and especially if this car is going to be a toy, then I would go for the 3.0l
Enjoy the hunt for the right car
As a personal choice and especially if this car is going to be a toy, then I would go for the 3.0l
Enjoy the hunt for the right car
I prefer the handling and ride on my coupe than to my roadster. The coupe has M sport suspension and the roadster didn’t have. Neither had run flats. But the roadster had 98k on it, the coupe has 45k. The roadster didn’t have a roof (obviously ;-) ) but the coupe does - so the coupe is stiffer chassis-wise.
Try both and see what you think....you always have the option of changing things if you don’t like it. And seconded on the run flats - they’re just terrible, don’t go there...
Try both and see what you think....you always have the option of changing things if you don’t like it. And seconded on the run flats - they’re just terrible, don’t go there...
Suspension wise, if you go for a high miler then factor in for a refresh. Bilstein do a range of options for the z4 and should suit your needs (from OEM to track day firm). This forum has plenty of guides how to replace the suspension if you are happy to get your hands dirty, it's not too difficult.
Good luck with getting one. I took the plunge 7 years ago and have no regrets, enjoy your life while you can
Good luck with getting one. I took the plunge 7 years ago and have no regrets, enjoy your life while you can
North West Surrey
Great choice of car for a crisis - I bought my 1st when I was 55 and just love them (I wish I had done it sooner)!
I'm not sure it's been covered completely, but pre-facelift cars only came in one trim level, so they only have the M-Sport seats if the first owner chose that option. The 6 cylinder options were 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i - all the same engine, just different sizes so running costs are much the same.
Facelifts had a later engine and BMW offered a 2.5i (probably to replace the 2.2i), 2.5Si and 3.0Si - also the same engine just different sizes, but the 2.5i produces significantly less power than the 2.5Si.
All of the facelifts came with a choice of 2 trim levels, SE and Sport. SE models got "Sports" seats but all the Sport models got "M-Sport" seats which look much more appropriate for a 2 seater IMHO, as well as M-Sport suspension (15mm lower and stiffer) and M-Sport steering wheel.
Personally if buying a facelift I'd opt for a Sport model just for the seats as they are so much better (and expensive to retro-fit) although some SE models had them fitted as an option, which may suit you best. I'm pretty sure all 3 litre models came with electric seat adjustment and driver's memory.
I've added photos of the 2 seats types below so just enjoy your search.
I'm not sure it's been covered completely, but pre-facelift cars only came in one trim level, so they only have the M-Sport seats if the first owner chose that option. The 6 cylinder options were 2.2i, 2.5i and 3.0i - all the same engine, just different sizes so running costs are much the same.
Facelifts had a later engine and BMW offered a 2.5i (probably to replace the 2.2i), 2.5Si and 3.0Si - also the same engine just different sizes, but the 2.5i produces significantly less power than the 2.5Si.
All of the facelifts came with a choice of 2 trim levels, SE and Sport. SE models got "Sports" seats but all the Sport models got "M-Sport" seats which look much more appropriate for a 2 seater IMHO, as well as M-Sport suspension (15mm lower and stiffer) and M-Sport steering wheel.
Personally if buying a facelift I'd opt for a Sport model just for the seats as they are so much better (and expensive to retro-fit) although some SE models had them fitted as an option, which may suit you best. I'm pretty sure all 3 litre models came with electric seat adjustment and driver's memory.
I've added photos of the 2 seats types below so just enjoy your search.
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Thanks guys, didnt realise this thread had some more answers!
Update: i looked at a facelift 2.5si last week and i really enjoyed driving it! Although reasonably quick, the car didnt overwhelm me particularly but it was more than enough to 'potter' about with
On the plus side, my wife wouldnt be too scared to drive it either so im starting to think the 2.5 may well be the way to go. Im hoping to meet up with the owner of the 3.0i in the classifieds sometime next week so that is going to be a good comparison. Money wise, theres not much between them but the 2.5si is 4 years younger and only 2 owners. Tempting....
But, taking onboard all the advice here, ive made up a shortlist of extras i would prefer the car to have and after trying to reverse the si i definitely would like the pdc sensors. I know theres aftermarket kits but how easy would it be to retro fit the genuine BMW ones?
Update: i looked at a facelift 2.5si last week and i really enjoyed driving it! Although reasonably quick, the car didnt overwhelm me particularly but it was more than enough to 'potter' about with
On the plus side, my wife wouldnt be too scared to drive it either so im starting to think the 2.5 may well be the way to go. Im hoping to meet up with the owner of the 3.0i in the classifieds sometime next week so that is going to be a good comparison. Money wise, theres not much between them but the 2.5si is 4 years younger and only 2 owners. Tempting....But, taking onboard all the advice here, ive made up a shortlist of extras i would prefer the car to have and after trying to reverse the si i definitely would like the pdc sensors. I know theres aftermarket kits but how easy would it be to retro fit the genuine BMW ones?
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Mr Tidy said:
I really couldnt make my mind up about the msport seats in the si. I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with the base as it felt like my bum was on a metal strut. Do they wear out at all?
Upper body wise was fine but as above, reversing was tricky without turning around.
On a more positive side, when i actually drove the vehicle it didnt feel as hard as i previously thought. In fact after 10mins, i completely forgot about the suspension and just gave it some stick... 8)
Agree with all points raised above. I bought my 2007 facelift 2.5si E85 roadster in March 2016 and use it as my daily drive. It had 32K miles on the clock when I bought it and now has about 70k. I relocated the roof motor to the boot when that packed up, thanks to the guides here on the forum, and am currently in the process of replacing a leaking, rusted steel engine sump which I've had to buy from BMW as there are no other suppliers making them. With the aluminium screw set and gasket as well, the bill came to an eye watering £530. But to put that into context, I was spending nearly that amount to get my Mk1 Eunos through the MoT in 2015. And apart from the usual consumables, it's been as good as gold.
I'll be hitting the six-zero next year so all I can say on that front is that it's not often I find the drive to be uncomfortable.
No regrets about buying the car though. But go for an i6 engine if you can.
I'll be hitting the six-zero next year so all I can say on that front is that it's not often I find the drive to be uncomfortable.
No regrets about buying the car though. But go for an i6 engine if you can.