Need to change the title : new Z4 owner :-)

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felkoryov

Member
Biel/Bienne
Hey !

This is my first post, so I'll introduce myself quickly. I live in Biel, Switzerland, am 23, and my previous cars were : VW Golf TDI, AUDI A3 2007 sportback quattro 2.0 TDI.
I still own the audi, but am currently trying to sell it (~13'500€).

The reason I want to change my car, is mainly because I don't drive as often as I used to, and when I do, 98% of the time I am alone or with my girlfriend. I now go to work by train and only use the car ~3 days a week, most of the time for short trips (15km~).
Another thing is : I'm tired of the 2.0 TDI, I want to try something new.

So the Z4 seems like a very good option for me. I know it will be much worse to drive in the snow than my quattro, but with good winter tires, I think it should be allright, except for maybe a few days this season..

But I'm worried about one thing: the size of the trunk! I don't necessarily need to move stuff very often, but it would be nice to be able to f.ex. put skis in the trunk (is there a pass-through?).

I'm also wondering : will the insurances, taxes, maintenance be more expensive than on my A3; and with 77'000km, do I need to plan on having a big maintenance any time soon ?

This is the green beauty has caught my attention: 2.2i, 2005, 77'000km, ~9000€:

med_bmw_z4_z4.6.jpg

big_bmw_z4_dscn0115.jpg

big_bmw_z4_z4.5.jpg
 
So the Z4 seems like a very good option for me. I know it will be much worse to drive in the snow than my quattro, but with good winter tires, I think it should be allright, except for maybe a few days this season..

But I'm worried about one thing: the size of the trunk! I don't necessarily need to move stuff very often, but it would be nice to be able to f.ex. put skis in the trunk (is there a pass-through?).

I'm also wondering : will the insurances, taxes, maintenance be more expensive than on my A3; and with 77'000km, do I need to plan on having a big maintenance any time soon ?


Hi felkoryov,

Welcome to the forum.

There's no ski hatch with these cars so I guess you'd need to think of something else there but the boot (trunk) is a fairly decent size, given the type of car. Plus, the roof doesn't take up any of the space when it's down.

I'm not sure about the tax in Switzerland but a 2.5 is likely to be more than your A3 I would say. As with maintenance, depends on where you get it looked at. A specialist or independant garage is going to be less than a BMW dealer as i'm sure you know.

The 'bigger' service jobs are the Inspection 1 and Inspection 2, again, it depends on where these are carried out, which will relate to the cost but it's worth phoning around.

You've certainly found an individual Z4 in that colour and markings. I'm sure it won't be to everyone's taste but if you like it then go for it. You can't beat the noise of the engine, music up loud and the wind in your hair.

They can take a little while to get used to but I absolutely love mine (ownly owned it since August) and it's worth losing some of the practicality.

:thumbsup:
 
Hey Wyldie,

Thanks for your answer!

I will look up the taxes, but I don't think it's gonna be much more expensive (and this is a 2.2i, not the 2.5!).

I just called the owner of this Z4 and will meet him this weekend to see and test the beast!

I know the colour might not be to everyone's taste, but I don't care as long as it's to mine :D


Edit : Just found out that the taxes are even cheaper than for my A3! now I just need to check the difference with the insurance :roll:
Edit2: The insurance is ~30€ per year more expensive :driving:

So now the only thing between me and the Z4, is my A3 that needs selling! And my mind that needs to stop having second thoughts :D
 
Love that colour, though personally I'd lose the stripe. Good luck this weekend :thumbsup:

Oh, and make sure you ask where it has been kept - if it has lived outdoors, ask if the roof drains have been cleared regularly or the roof motor has been changed. The drains can become blocked with dirt / debris and the void around the roof motor fills up with water... Which eventually kills the roof motor. If it dies then the cost to replace can be reasonably high (£600-700) to replace as the whole roof has to come out. If you're mechanically minded you can change it yourself for just the cost of the motor. The motor is on your drivers side, but unfortunately you cannot get to it or inspect the drains from the top on that side without removing the roof.

If the chap says he's cleared the drains then ask him to show you where they are and how he did it - a good test of whether he's being truthful. The motor side cannot be see from the top as said, but you can see down the other side with a torch. The bottom of the drains are behind the lower front of the rear wheel arch liners. They have a rubber plug in the bottom of them.
 
just skimmed through. i wouldnt worry about the boot. its huge. you can easilly get 2 decent bags in there. more than enough for you both to go away for a week with.
 
thanks Bing for the info! I will check all this!

And thanks for the info about the boot (first time I use that word! learned something today :lol: ).

Now I just need to sell my Audi, and the Z will be mine!

I have one more question, I have also found this one for sale, it's a 2004 3.0i . How big is the difference between the 2.2 and the 3.0, in terms of power and fuel consumption ?

NrYIOZEtXk6j84tA2gW-0g_2.jpg
 
Swiss market :D on http://www.autoscout24.ch and on http://www.anibis.ch ! Yeah I don't want a "regular" gray or black car... I wanna go for something a little crazier :P

The white one is 1000€ cheaper, with 150'000km ... But I'm affraid that a 3.0i would be considerably more "thirsty" than a 2.2 ... Plus the insurance is more expensive!
 
Hello:)
I actually live in CH, so I can share my thoughts with You.

1. I decided to buy 3.0 litre instead of 2.5. Why? As long as You will avoid big cities (Zurich etc.), You should be able to achieve really good MPG. I mostly travel over low traffic highways, and this superb engine need only about 8,5 l/100km fuel. I'm not sure if 2.5 or even 2.2 will get better result, but I have no doubts that 3.0 guarantees much more fun (thanks to amount of torque) :)

2. Trunk - it's relatively big for such car. My girlfriend complains more about to much windy interior with roof down than amount of space in the trunk;) And I do have a Windschott ;) I wouldn't worry about trunk space.

3. Sound of 2.5 or 3.0 is far more enjoyable since those are 6 cylinder motors.

4. Anyway, if You are planing to visit east CH (Winterthur or such), I can show You my car, give You a ride and tell You more about living with Z4 ;) i have to admit - it's a great car.

Cheers
 
Love the green, and the mileage is lower... but you can't beat the 3.0l, and the black/white is nice. Tough choice - I'd go green....
 
Thanks everyone,

@szatras : thank you for your advices, and your offer! :D But unfortunately, Winterthur is a long way from Biel!!

Now I have this choice:

Green 2005 2.2i, 77'000km, CHF 11'500
Black&White 2004 3.0i, 150'000km, CHF 10'000 + insurance ~150.-- more expensive

Aesthetically speaking, I'd take the green one. But I'd prefer the 3.0 engine, and the 6th gear!

Tough choice!! :o
 
Just for the little story, I've bought the black&white.

This forum has really gotten me addicted to the Z4. At first, I was looking at different cars, wasn't too sure what I wanted to buy... But seeing this community and the love that you all have for your Z4... I couldn't look at anything else than Z4's anymore :lol:

And now here I am, lurking (don't know of any other word I could use here that would make more sense :oops: ) on in this forum everyday for hours, waiting for the day when I'll go get mine! I can't wait, I feel like a kid on Christmas' Eve :driving:

PPKrWEdrQ0irhugFMQ5Vrw_2.jpg

Z81EZcEedEeQNVi4LRbPzg_2.jpg

aMaHpejek0a8UzS3SBICgw_2.jpg

NrYIOZEtXk6j84tA2gW-0g_2.jpg
 
In the scheme of things that's had a fair bit of modding done to it already, but looks like it has been lavished with love - congratulations :thumbsup:
 
Ahah I won't bother trying to go skiing with this car... I will borrow my girlfriend's car for this, should be more convenient!

The previous owner has indeed done some work already, the black/white in&outside in particular. Absolutely clinical work btw. Apart of that there is not much (except a parrot bluetooth device with ipod and AUX plugs that I would've installed anyway).

I already have a few ideas in mind for further mods... f. ex. the exhaust pipes... we'll see


EDIT : I forgot : the front bumper has been replaced by the M version
 
If your skis are short you could use a magnetic ski holder on the top off your boot with the skis lying left to right
 
that is actually a good idea... both snowboards I'd want to transport are 1.65m at most... and the car's width is 1.78m... I'll look into it!
 
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