Thoughts On This Please

Paul, I would ignore the "advice" from those on here about what to buy and what not to buy and what "extras" your car should have. Everyone is different, I cant stand the black interiors, its like sitting in a coal mine, the red and black is not my cup 'o' tea, in the words of clarkson "like a mans washbag." Some say you must have the sports seats, me I can't abide them, you need to be a contortionist to get out of them in a parking space, I hate black wheels etc etc........each to their own, we are all, thankfully, different.

You've got to ask yourself some serious questions.....can you live without folding door mirrors, an antiquated oem satnav system, cupholders, reverse sensors, heated seats......the list goes on and on. Basically a load of stuff that can go wrong, which considering the age of these toys should be factored in to your finances. An Mx5 owner I know wouldn't even consider a Z4 due to electric roof and the cost to repair when it goes wrong, I must admit the simplicity of the Mx5 roof is a joy to behold.

If you say find two cars, one is 50k mileage, 1 or 2 owners, full Bmw service history or a 100k mileage with more owners, good service history and eureka! all the bells and whistles! which one do you go for? Go for the 100k, will you then have to replace suspension bushes, wheel bearings, arb's, roof motor etc etc

Do you pass on a really mint car just because you have to switch on the lights and wipers yourself or the stereo is a basic model? For what its worth, decide what you must have and find a really well looked after car and if its got bells and whistles that aren't essential to you then thats a plus, but be prepared for non essentials to go wrong.
 
Davz said:
Paul, I would ignore the "advice" from those on here about what to buy and what not to buy and what "extras" your car should have. Everyone is different, I cant stand the black interiors, its like sitting in a coal mine, the red and black is not my cup 'o' tea, in the words of clarkson "like a mans washbag." Some say you must have the sports seats, me I can't abide them, you need to be a contortionist to get out of them in a parking space, I hate black wheels etc etc........each to their own, we are all, thankfully, different.

You've got to ask yourself some serious questions.....can you live without folding door mirrors, an antiquated oem satnav system, cupholders, reverse sensors, heated seats......the list goes on and on. Basically a load of stuff that can go wrong, which considering the age of these toys should be factored in to your finances. An Mx5 owner I know wouldn't even consider a Z4 due to electric roof and the cost to repair when it goes wrong, I must admit the simplicity of the Mx5 roof is a joy to behold.

If you say find two cars, one is 50k mileage, 1 or 2 owners, full Bmw service history or a 100k mileage with more owners, good service history and eureka! all the bells and whistles! which one do you go for? Go for the 100k, will you then have to replace suspension bushes, wheel bearings, arb's, roof motor etc etc

Do you pass on a really mint car just because you have to switch on the lights and wipers yourself or the stereo is a basic model? For what its worth, decide what you must have and find a really well looked after car and if its got bells and whistles that aren't essential to you then thats a plus, but be prepared for non essentials to go wrong.
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Many thanks Davz for the comments. I totally agree with the sentiment that we are all different and want/need/desire different things from our car. I bought a Z3 in haste last year and it cost a fortune to put it right and even then I wasn't happy! I respect peoples opinions and am delighted to receive any advice or thoughts on my new journey!
 
Davz said:
Paul, I would ignore the "advice" from those on here about what to buy and what not to buy and what "extras" your car should have. Everyone is different, I cant stand the black interiors, its like sitting in a coal mine, the red and black is not my cup 'o' tea, in the words of clarkson "like a mans washbag." Some say you must have the sports seats, me I can't abide them, you need to be a contortionist to get out of them in a parking space, I hate black wheels etc etc........each to their own, we are all, thankfully, different.

You've got to ask yourself some serious questions.....can you live without folding door mirrors, an antiquated oem satnav system, cupholders, reverse sensors, heated seats......the list goes on and on. Basically a load of stuff that can go wrong, which considering the age of these toys should be factored in to your finances. An Mx5 owner I know wouldn't even consider a Z4 due to electric roof and the cost to repair when it goes wrong, I must admit the simplicity of the Mx5 roof is a joy to behold.

If you say find two cars, one is 50k mileage, 1 or 2 owners, full Bmw service history or a 100k mileage with more owners, good service history and eureka! all the bells and whistles! which one do you go for? Go for the 100k, will you then have to replace suspension bushes, wheel bearings, arb's, roof motor etc etc

Do you pass on a really mint car just because you have to switch on the lights and wipers yourself or the stereo is a basic model? For what its worth, decide what you must have and find a really well looked after car and if its got bells and whistles that aren't essential to you then thats a plus, but be prepared for non essentials to go wrong.
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Hi, you should read up on the info on here before giving advice like this as there’s members on here who can fix roof problems for around £100 or so :roll:
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
Hi, you should read up on the info on here before giving advice like this as there’s members on here who can fix roof problems for around £100
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Not if the roof motor is completely corroded beyond use/repair and the hydraulics need replacing.......£100 will be no where near enough. Perhaps before giving advice like that you should research how the system works and the cost of the range of components which have a finite life. Take a look out how easy an Mx5 hood works, it can be put up or down in less than 2 secs with simple, low cost, replaceable components......a masterpiece of simple engineering design. Please also note that my post was not about roof motors, so why you picked on that is beyond me.
 
Davz said:
Smartbear said:
Hi, you should read up on the info on here before giving advice like this as there’s members on here who can fix roof problems for around £100
Click to expand...
Not if the roof motor is completely corroded beyond use/repair and the hydraulics need replacing.......£100 will be no where near enough. Perhaps before giving advice like that you should research how the system works and the cost of the range of components which have a finite life. Take a look out how easy an Mx5 hood works, it can be put up or down in less than 2 secs with simple, low cost, replaceable components......a masterpiece of simple engineering design. Please also note that my post was not about roof motors, so why you picked on that is beyond me.
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You said “electric roof & the cost to repair if it goes wrong” that’s far and away most likely to be a drowned motor (if you’d bothered to research this yourself you would know this)
The vast majority of flooded motors can be rescued for minimal cost and the hydraulic lines rarely give trouble.
But what do I know? I’ve only been here a few years so I bow to your superior knowledge as a z4 owner :roll:
Rob
 
Sorry Rob, I didn't realise that being a member of a forum meant that members were automatically awarded a degree in mechanical engineering.......I bow to your 4yrs membership of reading posts on this forum.
 
Davz said:
Sorry Rob, I didn't realise that being a member of a forum meant that members were automatically awarded a degree in mechanical engineering.......I bow to your 4yrs membership of reading posts on this forum.
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It doesn’t mean a degree in mechanical engineering at all, but the forum teaches a lot about common problems and a lot about how to get on with others....
Rob
 
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