Thinking of buying a z4 - silly newbie questions....

D

dsb

Member
it's my own fault for buying a 2 seater convertible as my first ever car.
it died due to a spark plug breakage incident and the fiesta I test drove yesterday seemed far too antiseptic.
thinking of a second hand z4 but have heard some things - please either confirm my suspicions or better still put them to rest....

someone claimed to me that they often have suspension problems - is it inevitable that sooner or later it will need doing? - an expensive fix?

their new tyres cost £1000 and you'll need new ones once a year - really?

is the hood generally good at keeping the moisture out? - I've seen some nasty fogged up mx5 in my town - my last convertible was a hard top but a hard top z4 is out of my budget.

guess i'm saying is it an expensive hobby owning such a car or if you get the right model is it ok? - the fuel economy certainly sounds reasonable.
thanks in advance!
 
No real suspension problems apart from rear springs breaking...... Cheap fix..

Tyres arent £1000 a set.... Half of that seems more feasible,and you will only need a set a year of your doing 20,000 miles pa..

The roof is great,very water tight but the motors can play up..Try and find a car that had a replacement and water drains cleared.

They are a cheap car to run and own....
 
I haven't had mine for long enough to comment on a lot of your points, but mine stays totally dry inside in a downpour and there's no way that the tyres are that much. ZM-2006 is about right with ~£500.

Mine does about 25 mpg.

If you're tempted you should go for it !

Good to see you're looking a Roadsters - you're clearly a person of good taste. Now you need to focus on getting a black one. If you buy from a forum member you'll probably need to do the mod to restore the whippy aerial - there's some crazy guys (and girls) on here! :wink:

Good luck!
 
Z4M-2006 said:
No real suspension problems apart from rear springs breaking...... Cheap fix..

Tyres arent £1000 a set.... Half of that seems more feasible,and you will only need a set a year of your doing 20,000 miles pa..

The roof is great,very water tight but the motors can play up..Try and find a car that had a replacement and water drains cleared.

They are a cheap car to run and own....
Click to expand...

What he said & welcome to the forum. :)
 
Hi and welcome. As above really. Might not be that easy to find one with documented roof motor change, but as as you keep the drains clear you should be fine. Roof motor diy is about 300 and it is possible to get someone to for it for you for around 500 all in.
 
Thanks for the replies. The local one I'm looking at is a 2.0 se with claimed 39mpg - 50 mph extra urban. Is it a realistic figure?
 
If you have 17 inch wheels you can get the best bmw approved continetal tyres for about £6oo a set fitted. Which should last up to 2o.ooo miles depending how you drive.
 
dsb said:
Thanks for the replies. The local one I'm looking at is a 2.0 se with claimed 39mpg - 50 mph extra urban. Is it a realistic figure?
Click to expand...
We have the 3.0si so cant give a true comment about the 2.0 but i would suggest high 20s around town and a bit of spirited driving and low to mid 30s on a decent run
 
Thanks for the replies. The local one I'm looking at is a 2.0 se with claimed 39mpg - 50 mph extra urban. Is it a realistic figure?dsb
Newbie
Click to expand...

I have a 2.0 sport. daily to work (7 miles) I get 33-36mpg, most of it is in a 40 MPH limit :(

On a run, anywhere between 40-44 mpg (depending how hard you push obviously)
In the winter you can knock about 2-4 off the above

Tyre prices that others have quoted I think must be non Run Flats. A set of Run Flats will be around £800/900, but again you should get 20k+
Don't even think of asking your next question or you will start a war :rofl:

Great car, loads of smiles/mile
 
Can't say I've ever had a puncture so not sure id want to spring for run flats. My daily commute is 25 miles - mostly down the a34 at 55mph (I know I know but why get to work early?) and then back again so hoping for a decent mpg
If it's ok to post shortcuts here's what I'm looking at http://www.lodgehillgarage.co.uk/index.php/used-cars/oxford-oxfordshire-bmw-z4-z4-20-se-roadster-402/
Anything stand out?, bargain? Overpriced?
 
Imo coming from jap cars prior to this i had expected some reliability issues... However outside of my warranty (touch wood) i've not had any issues in 5 years of ownership.

Rear springs go - but thats common on all bmw's. Tyres are more then say a fiesta- but if you do t get runflats can be had for under £150 per corner for premium branded tyres.

The 2.0 you are thinking of is probably the least reliable of the lot... Issues with manifold cracks and pre cat sensors... But still not too bad, but maybe worth looking at a 2.5si.

Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
 
Hi
Just bought new front 18" run flat tyre £140. Could have got it cheaper but needed it ASAP. A good search on web and you will get it cheaper.
 
Not had my z long. I looked at the 2litre 4 cylinder but ended up with a 2.2 6 cylinder. Not as economical but much smoother and the sound is amazing. Just replaced all my wheels and tyres for less than £800 combined but not run flats.
TBH I was not sure that it would be a good car to have as a daily driver but it's great and I don't regret the purchase one bit.
I would say go for it but consider the 6 cylinder rather than the 4 pot

Chris
 
Not had my z long. I looked at the 2litre 4 cylinder but ended up with a 2.2 6 cylinder. Not as economical but much smoother and the sound is amazing. Just replaced all my wheels and tyres for less than £800 combined but not run flats.
TBH I was not sure that it would be a good car to have as a daily driver but it's great and I don't regret the purchase one bit.
I would say go for it but consider the 6 cylinder rather than the 4 pot

Chris
 
thanks for all the advice.
I've decided to be sensible - i'll buy a far newer more reliable z4 next year when i'm back working a couple of miles from home. I've got a cheap fiat 500 for commuting in the meantime - should hold it's value ok for when I resell.
 
I bought a 2.0L 05 Z4 35K on the clock recently .... I would recommend it. As any car just take out warranty or put some money aside each month.

I read all the Pro's and Con's and thanks to the wealth of info on this site I took the plunge. At the end of the day,no car is 100% not gonna breakdown. Just take the necessary precautions and you will have a great car.

I drive the car about 30mins each day to and from work. so MPG never bothered me. I don't have a garage so cant keep the car safe from water, but I will be doing regular checks and tests on the roof motor, tyres etc. At the end of the day... Look after your car and it will keep running.

I was happy to wait for the ideal Zed and after about 3 months I found one that was low milage, only a few owners and from a dealership! For peace of mind I took out warranty, not with BMW but another as with everything you have to be sensible with money as you still have a life outside of the Z4.

Good luck... and definately get one.
Cheers,
Tony
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom