Potential purchase - some questions...
- Thread starter tallstevef
- Start date
tallstevef
Member
@ mr wilks - Nope not a daily driver (weekends mainly) and usually only 4-5K miles a year. As far as space - as I said, I'm used to the lack of space now, had a Mk2 MX5 which was REALLY tight and made me ache like buggery after some long drives - and I kept that for 3 years! 
Drove a roadster and hit the sport button - could feel the difference there, so imagine I'd feel something similar in the coupe... I guess with the foam removal if it was too noisy it's an "easy" thing to put back...
Drove a roadster and hit the sport button - could feel the difference there, so imagine I'd feel something similar in the coupe... I guess with the foam removal if it was too noisy it's an "easy" thing to put back...
mr wilks the funny thing is I have more leg room in the ZED than some other cars I have owned used to have an old MG you do look a bit funny getting out but at least I can nearly have my legs straight rather than my knees up round the top of dashboards :rofl:
tallstevef said:@ mr wilks - Nope not a daily driver (weekends mainly) and usually only 4-5K miles a year. As far as space - as I said, I'm used to the lack of space now, had a Mk2 MX5 which was REALLY tight and made me ache like buggery after some long drives - and I kept that for 3 years!
Drove a roadster and hit the sport button - could feel the difference there, so imagine I'd feel something similar in the coupe... I guess with the foam removal if it was too noisy it's an "easy" thing to put back...
If it's not going to be a DD you might find the insurance cheaper on the ///M. When I upgraded from a 2.5si roadster my premium went down by 20%
Try classicline.co.uk they are very good and do not require any no claims as their price does not take this into account.
tallstevef
Member
@ srhutch
Very interesting about the insurance - I didn't even bother getting quotes on the Z4MC as I thought it'd be sky high...
Surely the servicing is quite a bit more? //M tax and all that? I suppose getting a specialist to do it rather than dealers might offset slightly...
Very interesting about the insurance - I didn't even bother getting quotes on the Z4MC as I thought it'd be sky high...
Surely the servicing is quite a bit more? //M tax and all that? I suppose getting a specialist to do it rather than dealers might offset slightly...
Road tax is more, but servicing doesn't have to be. 4-5k miles pa means a proper service every six years with oil every two in between. Do these at a bmw specialist and you'll pay a lot less than a main dealer.
Bartley, a bmw specialist in Southampton do an insp 2 for £500 which is the most expensive service you have. Some main dealers will try this cost on with a 3.0si
Bartley, a bmw specialist in Southampton do an insp 2 for £500 which is the most expensive service you have. Some main dealers will try this cost on with a 3.0si
ranski said:
I don't have warranty, never bothered me, it's only a weekend car, I may have considered it if it was a daily driver
Buying AUC you should get at least 6 months warranty and up to 2 years warranty. I've listed here how to get up to £1500 off an AUC car but it requires patience, a slow market and a little luck.
Having said that, it was this time last year I had exactly that recipe!
Thread: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32413&hilit=+%C2%A31500
Mine is also a garage queen having done about 2500 miles in the past year however I'm glad I had the warranty (3.0) as there were a few niggles which saved me about £500. Would I renew it? Probably not.
Also I wanted the 3.0 for running cost reasons and it was more than enough power for me. Plus I was sold on the auto box after driving both, everyone has their own tastes try them both.
I do agree with RLiu though. I enquired about several AUC cars and 90% of the dealers offered me £500 off virtually immediately.
Having said that, it was this time last year I had exactly that recipe!
Thread: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32413&hilit=+%C2%A31500
Mine is also a garage queen having done about 2500 miles in the past year however I'm glad I had the warranty (3.0) as there were a few niggles which saved me about £500. Would I renew it? Probably not.
Also I wanted the 3.0 for running cost reasons and it was more than enough power for me. Plus I was sold on the auto box after driving both, everyone has their own tastes try them both.
I do agree with RLiu though. I enquired about several AUC cars and 90% of the dealers offered me £500 off virtually immediately.
ranski said:
My insurance was cheaper by £45 per year on the M compared to 53' 3.0i I owned previously, also...
It averages 3.5 mpg less, so not much at all
I do not have a warranty and don't see the point in one (touchwood...!) Just a good SH and good maintenance at home but that's a given for any enthusiast, the engine is known to be pretty bullet proof and other costs are just consumables which apart from brakes are pretty similar to the 3.0
The servicing has/will be completed by a very competent Indy for a fraction of the cost compared to main stealers, for little more than the 3.0si costs
The tax is about £200 more a year, so £3.85 a week...!
I really don't understand this scare mongering of the 'M Tax'...it's an amazing car that isn't that much more to run...
GLWTS
tallstevef
Member
I guess (for me at least) the appeal of an AUC warranty is that it's supposed to be a "no hassle" situation if things go wrong. True, the Z4 generally has a good reputation for reliability - but it doesn't take much (a bust spring for example!) to start totting up...
I thought that servicing on an M would cost more, especially if the double VANOS on the M plays up - although I appreciate that I have no idea about the frequency of these problems!
Insurance wise, just using the "meerkat" service for speed and major players, the insurance (for me at least) is around £200 per year more than the 3.0Si. Plus the M version is around 3-4K more to purchase for a similar year / mileage car...
Price wise, I'm not a big one for haggling (too british!) and in this instance, even when looking against private ads the price difference isn't THAT big - maybe a 1-1.5K more. And none are as low mileage or as new. Plus the PX on my car is pretty generous (maybe 500 - 700 more than expected).
Still in two minds though, and in no hurry so maybe I'll wait and see what else comes up in the winter months and try a Z4MC to see the difference! Don't you have to wind up the M to higher revs to appreciate the extra power? Pootling around London on test drives doesn't always give the opportunity to wind a car around to 5K rpm (especially not a car with 340ish bhp!)
I thought that servicing on an M would cost more, especially if the double VANOS on the M plays up - although I appreciate that I have no idea about the frequency of these problems!
Insurance wise, just using the "meerkat" service for speed and major players, the insurance (for me at least) is around £200 per year more than the 3.0Si. Plus the M version is around 3-4K more to purchase for a similar year / mileage car...
Price wise, I'm not a big one for haggling (too british!) and in this instance, even when looking against private ads the price difference isn't THAT big - maybe a 1-1.5K more. And none are as low mileage or as new. Plus the PX on my car is pretty generous (maybe 500 - 700 more than expected).
Still in two minds though, and in no hurry so maybe I'll wait and see what else comes up in the winter months and try a Z4MC to see the difference! Don't you have to wind up the M to higher revs to appreciate the extra power? Pootling around London on test drives doesn't always give the opportunity to wind a car around to 5K rpm (especially not a car with 340ish bhp!)
