Newbie in Hampshire

R

rokkan

Member
 Hampshire
Morning all, I thought I’d add a quick post as a newbie to the forum and to the world of the z4.

I'm currently hunting for a 3.0l in the region of 6k to 7k. I’ve seen a couple so far but nothing has really grabbed me. I’m after a manual with low mileage and good service history. I’m flexible on spec and colour (but some do appeal more than others).

I’m searching autotrader and this forum but are there other good sources out there (apart from ebay)?

The Z4 buying guide has been excellent in identifying what to look out for, as has the forum search facility. Any other points to look out for would be greatly appreciated.

Anyhow, I’ll try and keep this post updated and I'll hopefully provide some pictures if and when I find the right car.

Cheers,

Mark
 
welcome from hants too! im from titchfield/fareham way..

just try p/heads / autotrader....never really found ebay motors that useful myself
 
I'm based in Fareham. Good to hear that other people are in the area.

Re the car. I'm watching both piston heads and AT. There are a few on AT but nothing that's grabbing me. I see there are a few at dealers but I'm not keen as much of it seems over priced (I guess they have to make a living).
 
Will take a while to find the right car - unless you're lucky - so be patient . Everyone wants low mileage and FBMW history . You could probably discount anything that's been hanging around for a few weeks - the best ones go in the first week of being advertised. People's interpretation of excellent / immaculate etc can vary enormously as you've probably discovered. Don't get too hung up about the price - for an 8 + year old car there can be £2k differences - better to pay top money for a genuine car than go for something that looks like a bargain and ends up a money pit. 3 litre models are the most sought after and command the highest prices ( but are worth it !! )

Good luck with your quest.
 
Gov, some words of real wisdom in your post. Patience has never been a strong point of mine! I'm trying to be reasonable with my expectations and price is a challenge. Your certainly right about the description people place on their cars however I must say that I've been lucky so far.

I've looked at a couple of private cars and both were very good/high standard (given their age). I have got a little hung up on one car - 8/10 condition for age (scratch on front bumper, scratch on rear bumper, scratch on door) everything else looked good. 04 plate, FBMW history, v.low mileage for age (under 40k) and low no of owners. Pretty basic spec though and did not have heated seats (are they even worth it?). I'm hung up on price. Given my (woeful) description, what price would you place on the car?

...the quest continues....
 
Hi Rokkan, I'm new to the club too, and also from Fareham. I managed to pick mine up recently on AT from a garage in Farnborough. It took me a fair few weeks to find the right one!
 
rokkan said:
Gov, some words of real wisdom in your post. Patience has never been a strong point of mine! I'm trying to be reasonable with my expectations and price is a challenge. Your certainly right about the description people place on their cars however I must say that I've been lucky so far.

I've looked at a couple of private cars and both were very good/high standard (given their age). I have got a little hung up on one car - 8/10 condition for age (scratch on front bumper, scratch on rear bumper, scratch on door) everything else looked good. 04 plate, FBMW history, v.low mileage for age (under 40k) and low no of owners. Pretty basic spec though and did not have heated seats (are they even worth it?). I'm hung up on price. Given my (woeful) description, what price would you place on the car?

...the quest continues....
Click to expand...

Sounds genuine - there's many would say an 04 plate ,even in good nick , shouldn't be more than £6k but if its all original with that mileage and FBMW history then its worth paying more. If all the tyres have plenty of tread , the wheels are genuine BMW and look good enough without needing a refurbish and its not due an Inspection 1 or 2 then ,in my opinion , it's worth another grand . Ignore Parkers guide thats only accurate with trade in prices. How OCD are you ? The scratches would annoy me and any paintwork is expensive and you end up with a car that's not original. If you really want the car then all these things make it negotiable. If you are that serious make sure everything works ie a/c , all electronic seat positions , mirrors etc - even minor things can cost a lot ! You can check the mileage by going on to the dvla website and getting the whole MOT history ( including advisories ) - you'll need the Registration document number - the owner can give you this ( unless he's hiding something )The hardest part is establishing if all the paintwork is original but even the untrained eye can usually tell if you look closely - if the front's been painted you'll see an overlap on the two headlight washer plugs etc. Having said this if it's only cosmetic then it shouldn't really matter but at least you will know what you're buying.

Good luck
 
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