Pick-Up Day - Z4M

Gwest44

Senior member
 Sheffield
Tomorrow is collection day - any tips on what to look out for or are most of these pretty solid.

Good thing is it’s a 250 mike trip home so plenty of time to get used to the car.

Keeping my SAAB 9-3 so best insureance quote on this with 0 no claims was £560 with Admiral which I didn’t think was bad.
 

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Have you tried Classicline for insurance ? Had majority of my ZS insured with them on future classic policies , they don't use NCD & most years ive paid around £300 for 5k miles .
On the pick up points , have you not viewed it prior to buying ? If not i would always want a walkround video with cold start & bonnet up ?
 
Thanks for the heads up - what am I looking for on cold start up?

No £560 is just for the M - I want to get some use out of it so requested 6,000 miles with business use.
 
First one - previously looked at the Z4C Sport but decided to go all in on the M sport.
 
Gwest44 said:
First one - previously looked at the Z4C Sport but decided to go all in on the M sport.

Well brace yourself for a ear opener :D on initial start up the S54 can come across as rough & on cold start very loud :evil: 94k on your intended & due a Ins2 so may or may not sound a little unrefined once warmed up .
Also listen for vanos rattle especially on initial start up ( think ball bearings in empty coke can ) .
Obviously a big help if your ears have heard these cars running & even better been in one previously as the induction noise alone when going through 2nd & 3rd can be enough to alarm those used to more sedate & refined engines such as your Saab
 
Thanks for the heads up really appreciate that and looking forward to the experience :thumbsup:
 
Just my opinion but I'm not sure I'd buy with at least either looking at others, so you can get a comparison, or having a good look over the one you are buying. This isn't a reflection on yourself or the car by the way. Might be worth speaking to Bodyboarder, the seller delivered his car and whilst he loves it now, the engine noise and a few other things really unsettled him.
 
Thanks but I really wanted that combination - apparently it’s only one of 3 in the world so I doubt I will get another chance. I’ve just sold my Mercedes 350e hybrid which was very smooth and quite (see boring) so under no preconceptions about the engine noise. The Merc cost me just over £40k and sold at auction for £17k on a 65 plate with 41k mile so really after something totally different hence the 9-3 / Z4M combo :D
 
.... I also run a hybrid Merc.

Brakes should be on par, the way it handles will be totally different & may be unsettling at first... though if you’ve read much here there are solutions.

Fingers x all goes well
 
Gwest44 said:
Thanks but I really wanted that combination - apparently it’s only one of 3 in the world so I doubt I will get another chance. I’ve just sold my Mercedes 350e hybrid which was very smooth and quite (see boring) so under no preconceptions about the engine noise. The Merc cost me just over £40k and sold at auction for £17k on a 65 plate with 41k mile so really after something totally different hence the 9-3 / Z4M combo :D

Fortune favours the brave so don't miss out on a potentially good car , 2 of my 3 ZMs i bought "blind" as in deal agreed before id even viewed or driven . Did get detailed lenghty videos via whatsapp prior though & worthwhile asking the garage to do that for you today .
I'm no expert by any means but i did this with another 65k MR i was interested in & after the video decided not to pursue :wink:
You have to bear in mind with yours that its pretty damn cheap as it stands for a 93k rare spec ZMC so can afford a spend to bring up to standard servicewise . Providing you are going in with eyes open then there should be no tears :thumbsup:
 
These cars are robust, dont worry too much but the above is definitely something to be aware of. Obviously any higher mileage performance car will need some attention short and longterm. 100k is usually a good time to get the major stuff out of the way.

Im assuming you will get a 3 month warranty with it. Get it booked in for an purchase inspection and make sure all is well, get any service requirements out the way etc. The purchase inspections usually arent expensive and it will give you an idea of whats good, bad and what needs attention.

Worth having a look at the disks and pads obviously these are consumable but can cost around £700 per axel, tyres obvious one £6-900 depending on preference, inspections are expensive so if it needs one off the bat bare that in mind too. These bits and pieces mount up quick. A car that looks good value can then be expensive if the consumables all need doing at once.
 
I bought my old Z4MC blind also. Jumped on a train early on Saturday morning for 3 hours to inspect and drive home. Had a great experience with mine and would do the same again. These cars are so rare a Nationwide search is really the only viable option to get the right car, so your situation will not be unusual.

Just make sure you are willing to walk away if something does trouble you.

But if all is as it should be, enjoy the car and get ready to grin a lot :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for all the comments and advice - really appreciate it. Hopefully I end up with what i want but as advised will walk in eyes open and ready to walk away if necessary. With any luck the SAAB will be getting much less usage over the coming weeks :D
 
Good luck OP. :thumbsup:

If the one you want is 1 of only 3 and it's that far away you either have to go for it, or probably miss out.

Hope you have a great drive home. :driving: :lol:
 
Gwest44 said:
Thanks for all the comments and advice - really appreciate it. Hopefully I end up with what i want but as advised will walk in eyes open and ready to walk away if necessary. With any luck the SAAB will be getting much less usage over the coming weeks :D
My ///M is still clocking up more more than my daily shed. Great fun cars :driving: Hope you get her and enjoy the drive home. :thumbsup:
 
This thread is turning out to be a bit of a cliff hanger.

Did it go well and OP is too busy burning rubber in his new M to give us an update? :driving:

Or did it turn out to be a lemon and OP is in hiding? :headbang:


Chris
 
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