Spec or mileage?

S

simonlpearce

Senior member
Looking at a couple of Z4 MC's, im actually gutted Wantzaz4m (i think thats his username) sold his before my shares cashed in.

Anyhow, there are a couple around my budget that i am now considering.

The first is this one. Its the right colour and the right spec for me, basically has NAV, but the miles are (although reasonable) slightly higher than some i have seen.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201409177483369/sort/default/radius/1500/usedcars/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/z4m/postcode/wr97qu/make/bmw/quicksearch/true/page/2?logcode=p

The second is this one. The colour is good, but not a massive fan on interior and it has no NAV, but the mileage is definitely an attraction.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201409197544313/sort/default/radius/1500/usedcars/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/z4m/postcode/wr97qu/make/bmw/quicksearch/true/page/2?logcode=p

Just curios as to peoples thoughts?
 
My view: I'd start with the spec (or key features) I wanted, then look at the lowest available mileage cars to that spec, in my budget (or a bit about... :D ). Research will soon tell you what the mileage / spec / age matrix looks like. If you can't get one for your money then wait, buy older, or up your budget. If you want a feature and it's missing from the car you buy you'll regret it.
 
Also worth adding that if you're a higher-mileage driver then I think that the starting miles is less relevant to the buying decision. You'll soon turn a low mileage car into a miler....
 
The second one is newer as well, but I could not live with flimper spec.
 
It's an interesting one.

I'd check the Service history of the lower mileage, as it could be very close to needing an Insp II, so could be worthwhile factoring that into any offer.

Car's with 40-45k mileage can sometimes be a poisoned chalice when you are faced with a £1k service bill within the first few months.

I think it depends on a number of factors. If I was planning to keep the car for a long time (5 years +) I'd go for spec over mileage, but if your planning to sell in the next couple, mileage should be a consideration as once these get to about 70k, they become very difficult to flog (which is silly considering the mileages that some E46 M3's are getting to, but it's the way it is)
 
At a quick glance it would have to be the silver grey one, much better colour combo IMO.

a year newer is neither here or there, but 20k on the mileage. As above though depends how many you are going to add and over what period.

Bing bought PVR's 5 months ago with 24K, now on 31k. I bought mine 3 years ago with 35K and now on 40K. Bing will have caught me up by the time I get mine out from hibernation.
 
I had no problem selling mine circa 63k sold in 3 days. If its a good example there will be no issue what so ever people who buy these cars know what they are buying and now at 8 years old some nearly 9 a car thats done 70k is looking at 8k a year which is well below national average. The engines are bullet proof and very little goes wrong.

I would buy on condition not milage. But like StevenH72 says at 45k an inspection 2 is round the corner mine was down at 46k.

Also the thing is the spec is great to try and sell with but compared to new vehicles it is pretty much useless I would take a cheaper car with DSP and no nav as I always took my garmin. Nav only allows 5 digits etc but I find the pop up screen easy to control the different areas of the cars like the phone vehicle stats etc. The difference between flipper and non flipper cars is 600-1000. Its the interior/exterior combinations that are harder to find.
 
Thanks for the advise.

I probably will be racking up the miles as it will be my main car, though i will also be using an E36 M3 Evo once i fill the holes in it. Typically i do around 20k max a year so would look to spread this over both cars. And would be looking to keep the car for at least 2 years. I think my high mileage is what attracts me to the blue one, though as said above i think i will end up kicking myself if i don't get the spec i want.

Will take a look at both and see how it pans out. I may like neither and wait until next spring/summer when there should be a few more on the market.
 
TBH its now the cars start to come, October is a good time to buy as people don't want to deal with the cars over the winter then prices will generally go up during the spring/summer we saw big hikes this year.
 
Irrespective what some say, cars without spec are a pig to shift. So the 1 - 2k savings you make when buying a flimper spec car now, will cause you issues in two years time when you come to sell as your car would be one of many low specs ones on the market.
 
Get the spec you want, buy on condition and history, worry not about miles. Whilst the point about e46 M3s with high mileage is valid, these cars are 'newer' in that the M3 was out a long while before these. As they reach 10 years old - and that's less than 2 years away for some - I think high milers that are well maintained will be easier to sell because low mileage will be as rare as rocking horse s**t. Just my tuppence-worth.
 
Thanks again for the wise words.

Here's another i was considering. Black is an awesome colour and my E46 330 used to be Orient Blue, though its a bastard to keep clean and shows even the tiniest of scratches. The metallic red fleck in the black paint is rather tasty looking though, just a shame the interior is cream/white/whatever the BMW colour code is.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201409217577481/sort/default/usedcars/postcode/wr97qu/model/z4m/make/bmw/page/1/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/1500/quicksearch/true?logcode=p

Also its a shame this is a CATD car, the colour, spec and mileage are bob on. Reckon it could be had for around £11k as its been up for ages. I did speak to the previous garage who had it and apparently its rather mint and to belong to a guy that was a detailer, but it did have an engine tap which according to the new seller was vanos related and has been repaired with a receipt to prove it. Wheels are supposedly genuine too...Im half tempted to take a look at least...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201407055571626/sort/default/usedcars/postcode/wr97qu/model/z4m/make/bmw/page/1/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/1500/quicksearch/true?logcode=p
 
Ruby is a lovely colour, looks a spotless car that interior looks like new! Only a 2 owner car. I would personally stay away from the Cats
 
personally I would take condition and mileage over spec.....

I am not that bothered about parking sensors, cruise control, etc....but bodywork and mileage along with no cat repaired vehicles are what I follow in terms of buying a vehicle.
 
... but you'd have a model, engine, transmission, interior, possibly shortlist of colours in mind, I guess?
 
Just noticed my old one which I chopped in last month is now for sale:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/bmw/z4m-coupe/bmw-z-series-z4-m-coupe--stunning-example--very-high-specification/2810274

Previous owner to me is on here too, and it's never wanted for anything; complete main dealer service history and all the invoices. I'd just bunged new front brakes and pads on too before I sold it, and it's had both rear springs replaced within the last year. Shame I'm not on commission :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom