New member, looking for car

R

relic222

Member
Hi all, another new member looking to buy a Z4. I currently have an Audi TTS which I absolutely love however I'm saving up for a house so I'm looking to sell the TTS and get a Z4 instead to free up some cash. Ideally I'm looking for a facelifted 2.5 or 3.0 but to be honest I'm right at the beginning of my search so don't know a lot about the cars. If anyone could give me any advice then it'd be greatly appreciated! I've read the FAQ section which has already answered some questions but I have a few more!

Is it worth considering the 2.0? The TTS does 0-60 in 5.2s so I initially decided it'd have to at least be a 2.5 to avoid too much of a loss in performance. I'd also prefer to have the 6 cylinder soundtrack considering it's a roadster, however the 2.0 seems to be quite a lot more common. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Should I at least consider the 2.0?

How good is the base sound system and how common are upgraded units? I read in the FAQ there are 3 different options for the sound system. I have the Bose unit in the TT and sound system is always fairly high on my list of priorities. How good are the other two units in comparison to the base unit?

What kind of mpg can I expect from the 2.5 and 3.0 engines? I drive almost completely on 60mph main roads and average 32mpg in the TT. I tend to do a pretty high mileage (16k per year) so mpg will always be a consideration.

My ideal car would be:
2.5 or 3.0 facelifted model
Preferably less than 60k miles
Any colour but red
Decent sound system
Ideally no more than £8k

Can anyone think of anything else I should know about? Sorry for the massive first post but it's good to get all the facts first and hopefully I'll be able to get to know you more if I find the right car for me.
 
Hi and welcome to the Forum. :)

Good luck in your search. Theres a link in my signature to a pre purchase check list which you may find useful As for engine size a matter of choice/insurance but for my money go with the 6 cylinder engine - smooth power delivery and a fairly reliable unit :thumbsup:
 
Hi Relic, Welcome to the Forum.

With your price point you should be able to find a 6 cylinder Zed, facelift with the mileage you want. With regards to the 0-60 performance of your TT you will find the 2.0 frustrating. I loved my 2 lire and feel it is an under-rated Zed - It's a great engine, smooth and has enough performance on the road but will seem lacking in that vital 'lift' you experience in the TT. It does have much better mpg however and my 2.0i Sport handled really well. I used to be able to regularly achieve high 20 and high 30+ mpg in the 4 pot but this takes effort and deliberate commitment in my 3 litre Zed. I find that the 3 litre is very sensitive to driving style. I use mine mostly as a weekend car and on a 70 mile favourite route can vary from 22mpg to 31 mpg depending how much I use the performance and lower gears. The 6 pot will be a fine car on dual carriageway 60 limits and may stretch to even better mileage on those types of roads - some forum members post quite high mpg with their 3.0 litre Zeds. But an extra 2 pots will increase your fuel bill.
The basic sound system will be a disappointment if you are used to quality systems - there are some 'improved set ups with extra speakers - you will need to do some searching on the Forum to find out more as I've only experienced the 'business' system.

You are right - there are lots of the 2 litre facelifts about with plenty of high spec examples - the 3.0si is sought after as it has 265bhp (pre facelift 231 bhp) and there are quite a few members who are happy with their 2.5 litre Zeds - I'll leave them to speak for themselves.

Good luck with your search!

:driving: :thumbsup:
 
paulgs1000 said:
Hi Relic, Welcome to the Forum.

With your price point you should be able to find a 6 cylinder Zed, facelift with the mileage you want. With regards to the 0-60 performance of your TT you will find the 2.0 frustrating. I loved my 2 lire and feel it is an under-rated Zed - It's a great engine, smooth and has enough performance on the road but will seem lacking in that vital 'lift' you experience in the TT. It does have much better mpg however and my 2.0i Sport handled really well. I used to be able to regularly achieve high 20 and high 30+ mpg in the 4 pot but this takes effort and deliberate commitment in my 3 litre Zed. I find that the 3 litre is very sensitive to driving style. I use mine mostly as a weekend car and on a 70 mile favourite route can vary from 22mpg to 31 mpg depending how much I use the performance and lower gears. The 6 pot will be a fine car on dual carriageway 60 limits and may stretch to even better mileage on those types of roads - some forum members post quite high mpg with their 3.0 litre Zeds. But an extra 2 pots will increase your fuel bill.
The basic sound system will be a disappointment if you are used to quality systems - there are some 'improved set ups with extra speakers - you will need to do some searching on the Forum to find out more as I've only experienced the 'business' system.

You are right - there are lots of the 2 litre facelifts about with plenty of high spec examples - the 3.0si is sought after as it has 265bhp (pre facelift 231 bhp) and there are quite a few members who are happy with their 2.5 litre Zeds - I'll leave them to speak for themselves.

Good luck with your search!

:driving: :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


^^^^^ this!

Welcome to the forum :thumbsup:
 
Thanks guys, that's very helpful. If I can achieve low 30's on my commute then I'll be perfectly happy with that - I tend to get above average mpg compared to other TTS drivers so hopefully it'll be the same in the zed. I'm in no rush to sell just yet so will wait around until the right car comes along. Would you say it's worth getting an si over the standard model? From what I understand they have more equipment and slightly more powerful engines but are quite hard to get hold of.

Thanks for the buying guide, I'll make sure to re-read it all before I go. I'm going to try and have a look at this car on the weekend so I can at least get an idea of whether I like the car - I've never actually been in one, just admired from afar. Any comments on it? http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201403242762844/sort/locasc/usedcars/postcode/hp201jj/make/bmw/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/z4/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/transmission/manual/radius/1500/price-to/10000/page/3?logcode=p

As for the sound system, I think I'll just have to deal with it, hopefully the sound of the straight six will make up for the lack of a decent sound system! On this note, what are the options for audio input? In my current car I have SD card slots which are great but I know the Z4 doesn't have this. Do all facelifted cars have AUX In? If so I may get a little mp3 player and just leave that in the car or something, does anyone have any other tips?
 
relic222 said:
Thanks guys, that's very helpful. If I can achieve low 30's on my commute then I'll be perfectly happy with that - I tend to get above average mpg compared to other TTS drivers so hopefully it'll be the same in the zed. I'm in no rush to sell just yet so will wait around until the right car comes along. Would you say it's worth getting an si over the standard model? From what I understand they have more equipment and slightly more powerful engines but are quite hard to get hold of.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum.

Just briefly, having driven all of the facelift (E85/86) models my conclusion was as follows:

In terms of running cost the 2.5 is so close to the 3.0 that for me it was simply a choice of a 2.0 or 3.0. I found the 2.0 fun to drive and it certainly benefits from good mpg. As someone coming from a 1.6 focus the 2.0 would have been sufficient for me, but coming from your TT you may not find it enough. With my heart set on a coupe it made the decision for me... on which topic btw, you're obviously looking at roadsters given the engines you've mentioned, but don't rule out the coupe if you opt for a 3.0 :thumbsup:
 
I have a 3.0si facelift zed and i achive around 32mpg on every tank. I dont drive like a granny either. My commute is a roads mainly from 30mph up to 60mph and 34miles a day. The price difference between the 2.5 and 3.0 is minimal so for the best of all worlds the 3.0si is the one to consider in my eyes. They cost pretty much the same to run but you get an extra 50 bhp ? No brainer right ? 8k at this time of year for a facelifted 6 pot might be a struggle though if your after a nice example. With regards to the sound system, the base model is of a good standard but you will be much happiet with the upgraded versions as they have subs behind the seats. It will be on par with the bose system (only heard it in an a3 s line).
 
@ab7 Very useful insights, thanks. As you guessed I'm looking at roadsters - while I like the coupe they tend to be slightly above my price range due to only being released in 2006(?) so unfortunately not currently an option. Looking at the stats on Parkers mpg figures of the 2.5 and 3.0 are very similar so as you've suggested a 3.0 sounds like the ideal choice - again it comes down to whether I can get one in my budget.

@ryanwhite19 That's great, I get 32 out of my TT so it sounds ideal. As above, 3.0si sounds like the perfect model but I may have to up my budget slightly to find one. Would be happy if the levels are similar to the Bose, I just remember the first time I sat in my friend's M3 with the stock sound system and thinking 'I'm pretty sure my Fiesta has better speakers than this!' It's the one thing he hates about his car but retrofitting costs quite a lot apparently.

Thanks for all of the help guys, you don't know how much I appreciate it! Keep it coming! One thing is for sure, the Z4 is definitely at the top of the list of possible replacements for the TT.
 
Going to have a look at this one tomorrow. It's slightly above budget and it's an auto (thought I might compromise with semi-auto). Will be my first proper look around a Zed. Any thoughts?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201312200633279/sort/locasc/usedcars/make/bmw/page/1/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/postcode/hp201jj/radius/1500/model/z4/price-to/10000/keywords/3.0si/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles?logcode=p
 
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