Posted on Pistonheads, thought I should post here too as well.
Here's my 2006 BMW Z4 Coupe (at Elan Valley in 2022).
I bought it on the 8th of February 2020 at around 90,000 miles from a well known Pistonheads and Z4Forum member.
It's Montego Blue with Pearl Grey leather seats, Cirrus Aluminium interior trim and a manual gearbox.
I travelled from South Wales to the Reading area to pick it up.
I looked into a number of different cars before buying it, such as the Civic Type R FN2, MX5 NC, MR2 MK3 and the GT86/BRZ, finally settling on a Z4 after realising I wanted something with more than 4 cylinders, plus the price to performance and looks were difficult to beat.
I fell in love with it as soon as I pulled up and seen it, it looked a bit sad next to it's Z4M Coupe replacement however.
I still remember how nervous I was driving it for the first time, peering over the massive bonnet, nearly double the power of my car at the time (Celica VVTi MK7), rear wheel drive and with the owner in the passenger seat.
It drove brilliantly on the test drive but It was an absolute pig to drive home, the M4 plus runflats are a terrible combination, it skipped across imperfections and it tramlined all over the place.
First change: Michelin PS4 tyres and a flat tyre kit.
Unfortunately I haven't got any pictures from around the time I bought it, apart from this one I took through a dirty window at work a few days after buying it.
In March 2020, my partner and I were planning a trip to the Midlands, we were set to go on the 18th, just as the UK was starting to see Covid-19 as a serious issue.
After a lot of umming and ahhing, we set off, with no idea if we were to be stranded somewhere A. due to lockdowns or B. due to breakdowns.
The main destinations were West Midlands Safari Park, Coventry and then on to Stratford upon Avon for another night's stay.
Here's how I'd rank how civilised these places are:
1. Stratford upon Avon, 2. West Midlands Safari Park, 3. Coventry
I knew Coventry would be rough, I tried to dissuade my partner but it was of no use.
The highlights of Coventry were:
Eating McDonalds in the hotel room, a side lamp that switched on when you got on the bed, and going back to my car in the morning to find one of Coventry's inhabitants had poo'd behind it.
Oh well, at least it wasn't on the car.
It was surreal being out during the Covid scare, there were only us, the animals and the staff at the Safari Park.
Between Covid and the rain, there were no queues for the rides, with just my partner and I on them.
The staff kept themselves busy by literally sweeping puddles!
Stratford upon Avon was much the same, the weather was better but there was hardly anyone around.
I managed to get in a visit to Caffeine and Machine, though there wasn't much of an atmosphere due to the circumstances.
The Z4 performed brilliantly and had proved reliable, with only the odd whining noise from the passenger side.
Between then and 2023, I've done another trip to Stratford up Avon, a couple of trips to Tenby, a trip to Cornwall (a very long drive) and plenty of drives out in Mid Wales.
It's a good all-round car, It's got decent performance and a big boot for what it is.
Not had one issue but I have done a lot of maintenance on it (Covid was a blessing and a curse).
Since I bought it:
93,023 - Oil Service - 11/07/20
95,755 - New Battery - 13/10/20
98,669 - "Inspection 2?" - fluids, filters and spark plugs" - 02/04/2021
Water pump, thermostat and expansion tank changed same time
99,268 - Ignition Coils x6 replaced (preventative maintenance)
99,285 - Calipers, pads, disks and brake fluid changed - 18/04/2021
103,253 - Suspension refresh (Front control arms, tie rods, ARB link rods, Suplex springs and Bilstein B4 shocks front and rear) - 05/11/2021
This made one hell of a difference, massive improvement in comfort plus handling!
104,065 - Oil Service (plus oil, air and cabin filter) - 24/06/2022
106,465 - "Inspection 1?" - all filters (including cabin again!) plus fluids under bonnet - coolant Flush, Brake fluid flush. - 09/04/2023
I changed both DISA valves, both Vanos solenoids, the CCV and associated pipework in that time, also got underneath it to paint and treat it to keep it looking good.
Fixed leaking door membranes at some point too.
Apart from that, the only changes were a Maxton lip spoiler in 2021, removal of the front number plate surround and fitting of new plates, plus a full set of Goodyear Eagle AS5s were fitted in 2022 due to a puncture in the rear and getting a really good deal.
Random assortment of photos:
Fixed leaky door membrane with new butyl tape, reinforcement with a lot of duct tape.
CCV replacement, inlet manifold out.
Exhaust got some protection too...
Here's my 2006 BMW Z4 Coupe (at Elan Valley in 2022).
I bought it on the 8th of February 2020 at around 90,000 miles from a well known Pistonheads and Z4Forum member.
It's Montego Blue with Pearl Grey leather seats, Cirrus Aluminium interior trim and a manual gearbox.
I travelled from South Wales to the Reading area to pick it up.
I looked into a number of different cars before buying it, such as the Civic Type R FN2, MX5 NC, MR2 MK3 and the GT86/BRZ, finally settling on a Z4 after realising I wanted something with more than 4 cylinders, plus the price to performance and looks were difficult to beat.
I fell in love with it as soon as I pulled up and seen it, it looked a bit sad next to it's Z4M Coupe replacement however.
I still remember how nervous I was driving it for the first time, peering over the massive bonnet, nearly double the power of my car at the time (Celica VVTi MK7), rear wheel drive and with the owner in the passenger seat.
It drove brilliantly on the test drive but It was an absolute pig to drive home, the M4 plus runflats are a terrible combination, it skipped across imperfections and it tramlined all over the place.
First change: Michelin PS4 tyres and a flat tyre kit.
Unfortunately I haven't got any pictures from around the time I bought it, apart from this one I took through a dirty window at work a few days after buying it.
In March 2020, my partner and I were planning a trip to the Midlands, we were set to go on the 18th, just as the UK was starting to see Covid-19 as a serious issue.
After a lot of umming and ahhing, we set off, with no idea if we were to be stranded somewhere A. due to lockdowns or B. due to breakdowns.
The main destinations were West Midlands Safari Park, Coventry and then on to Stratford upon Avon for another night's stay.
Here's how I'd rank how civilised these places are:
1. Stratford upon Avon, 2. West Midlands Safari Park, 3. Coventry
I knew Coventry would be rough, I tried to dissuade my partner but it was of no use.
The highlights of Coventry were:
Eating McDonalds in the hotel room, a side lamp that switched on when you got on the bed, and going back to my car in the morning to find one of Coventry's inhabitants had poo'd behind it.
Oh well, at least it wasn't on the car.
It was surreal being out during the Covid scare, there were only us, the animals and the staff at the Safari Park.
Between Covid and the rain, there were no queues for the rides, with just my partner and I on them.
The staff kept themselves busy by literally sweeping puddles!
Stratford upon Avon was much the same, the weather was better but there was hardly anyone around.
I managed to get in a visit to Caffeine and Machine, though there wasn't much of an atmosphere due to the circumstances.
The Z4 performed brilliantly and had proved reliable, with only the odd whining noise from the passenger side.
Between then and 2023, I've done another trip to Stratford up Avon, a couple of trips to Tenby, a trip to Cornwall (a very long drive) and plenty of drives out in Mid Wales.
It's a good all-round car, It's got decent performance and a big boot for what it is.
Not had one issue but I have done a lot of maintenance on it (Covid was a blessing and a curse).
Since I bought it:
93,023 - Oil Service - 11/07/20
95,755 - New Battery - 13/10/20
98,669 - "Inspection 2?" - fluids, filters and spark plugs" - 02/04/2021
Water pump, thermostat and expansion tank changed same time
99,268 - Ignition Coils x6 replaced (preventative maintenance)
99,285 - Calipers, pads, disks and brake fluid changed - 18/04/2021
103,253 - Suspension refresh (Front control arms, tie rods, ARB link rods, Suplex springs and Bilstein B4 shocks front and rear) - 05/11/2021
This made one hell of a difference, massive improvement in comfort plus handling!
104,065 - Oil Service (plus oil, air and cabin filter) - 24/06/2022
106,465 - "Inspection 1?" - all filters (including cabin again!) plus fluids under bonnet - coolant Flush, Brake fluid flush. - 09/04/2023
I changed both DISA valves, both Vanos solenoids, the CCV and associated pipework in that time, also got underneath it to paint and treat it to keep it looking good.
Fixed leaking door membranes at some point too.
Apart from that, the only changes were a Maxton lip spoiler in 2021, removal of the front number plate surround and fitting of new plates, plus a full set of Goodyear Eagle AS5s were fitted in 2022 due to a puncture in the rear and getting a really good deal.
Random assortment of photos:
Fixed leaky door membrane with new butyl tape, reinforcement with a lot of duct tape.
CCV replacement, inlet manifold out.
Exhaust got some protection too...
Montego Blue / Pearl Grey Leather and Black wheels are a great combination but then I would say that 
North West Surrey
