Timmy T said:
First post and at the very start of the journey! The folks on a FB group pointed me this way, so some may have seen this already! Anyway, always hankered after a soft top and loved the look of the Z4 for years, then, out of the blue, Mrs T says “Go on then, treat yourself!” Totally gobsmacked
So where do I start with a budget of around £10k? What should I be looking for? It won’t be our main car and I’m not looking for track day thrills or hoofing it around. I’ve watched a few YouTube vids, read a few articles, and there appears to be pros and cons for both the older soft top and newer convertible. However, I do like the idea of a hardtop for the winter, although the associated drop in boot space is a con! Engine wise, I’m not a speed freak and am not interested in tuning/modding etc, so feel the smaller engines may be ok for what I need.
Any thoughts?
Hi,
I found myself in a similar position to you a few months ago. Having had 60’s convertible classics for years I lost my garaging and so thought enough was enough - time to give up fun cars. My wife persuaded my otherwise and I started looking at the Z4 having always liked them.
I set out some criteria. I quickly ended up wanting an E89 as it can sit outside all year round without worrying about deteriorating a soft top. I’d not joined the forum at this point (doh!) so did all my research via google. Budget rules out a 4 pot E89, but everything I read about the six cylinder engines told me that’s what I wanted - having had six cylinder TR’s before helped me make that decision.
Then came spec. I must confess to being completely ignorant on what the options were, but concluded I wanted heated seats, iDrive, not white, a black leather seats and 50k to 75k miles. I also wanted a 23i as it seems to be the most reliable engine and I wanted standard suspension - again for cost and reliability reasons. I wasn’t fussed re manual or auto - although I’m pleased I bought a manual in the end. I’ve since learnt so much that could have added to or taken away from that spec. However, off i set on my search with a budget of £10k max in mind.
I searched the auto trader and eBay, dismissing cars without looking at them as they either didn’t meet spec or didn’t feel right. There were plenty of good ones, but always with red or cream interiors. It’s an entirely personal thing - but neither colour works for me but there’s a lot of them about!
Finally I found a car that ticked pretty much every box, went to look at it and bought it. The seller was extremely helpful and the whole thing ‘felt right’. Subsequently of course I found out he’s a forum member - so that’s why it felt right, because it was!
I can’t recommend the forum enough and the advice and knowledge the members bring. I wish I’d known about it when I started looking, I think I would have arrived at the same conclusions and outcome - but I would have felt a lot more confident and better informed about my choices.
So how am I enjoying my E89 23i? It’s bloody marvellous! It’s exceeded my expectations by some margin.
Cheers
John
So stick with it and ask all the questions you can
Attleborough, Norfolk
North West Surrey
