Wanderer Wanting To Return

J

jags_z4

Member
Hi Guys & Girls.

12 months ago I was forced to sell my 53 plate E85 Z4 due to my commute and replaced it with a good but boring VW Golf Cabriolet Diesel.

Now I've moved jobs and will be commuting on the train come September my 6 cylinder itch is back with a vengeance.

Yesterday I test drove a 10plate E89 that was on 15,000 miles and was specced to the hilt. Despite being the 6 speed auto I loved the car and it was basically in as new condition. Whilst getting back up to speed with the forum a few questions and concerns have come to mind. Hopefully you can help.

Wheels: Is it a case of 19's must be avoided at all costs as they will crack if not so already? I can live with 18's rather than pay for repairs.

Roof: There are plenty of threads on roof issues, is this a case of the minority rather than the majority though? I'm nervous as my E85 motor failed, luckily within the dealer 6 month warranty.

The 3.0. I can't seem to find many for sale or many mentioned on here. However there are loads of 23i around despite the similar running costs. Was the 3.0 a poor relative in the engine lineup? Wil a 4 cylinder leave me cold or do they sound as good in an E89?

Thanks for the help, hopefully I'll be returning as an owner soon!

Finally, anyone want a diesel blue motion golf ;) I'm selling privately to give me the best boost into my new Z :)
 
Had our 10 plate 23i for almost 20 months and it is sitting at around 36,000 miles.
No problems at all with anything in our ownership.
By the way in case you dont know the 23i is a 6 cylinder also.
 
Hi

I've got a 2.3i, it's lovely and smooth, but not especially rapid, I hated the 4 cylinder engines but others have found them fine. Best to try both I suggest, there is a difference.
 
Hi, I've added some comments to your questions below. Hopefully they are of some help

Wheels: Is it a case of 19's must be avoided at all costs as they will crack if not so already? I can live with 18's rather than pay for repairs.

- No, it's not a given that they will always crack. Not everyone in here has had issues with their wheels. Some people have and others haven't. I think people have suggested the 296 wheels have been more prone than the 326 wheels but as long as your not setting yourself a target to hit every pot hole then hey should be fine. Run flats however have been seen to be a contributing factor to the cracking due to the rather hard sidewalls

Roof: There are plenty of threads on roof issues, is this a case of the minority rather than the majority though? I'm nervous as my E85 motor failed, luckily within the dealer 6 month warranty.

- where are all these threads with roof issues? I've seen a small handful of E89 owners who've had genuine issues i.e. Micro switches needing replaced but none re the roof motors. There has also been a few threads where people ask about the roof or couldn't get the roof down because the partition in the boot wasn't engaged fully. The roof, like the E85 is a bit complex and unfortunately as its metal on the E89 it's not as easy to get into. There are 21 IIRC micro switches thought the whole roof and possibly theses could go wrong at anypoint and its like finding a needle in a haystack.

The 3.0. I can't seem to find many for sale or many mentioned on here. However there are loads of 23i around despite the similar running costs. Was the 3.0 a poor relative in the engine lineup? Wil a 4 cylinder leave me cold or do they sound as good in an E89?

- the 23i was at the time the 'entry' level and this sold very well as it was cheaper The 30i also sold well but the 30i and the 35i and subsequent 35is are more desirable and tend not to be for sale too often. Nothing wrong with the 23i but ideally the 3.0l variant would be my choice.

Questions, how much do you ideally want to spend? Are you buying private or going to go main dealers? You may find a private seller with a warranty but depending on how that has been paid for as there is a monthly option then you might have to pay more than they were paying. Alternatively you buy from a BMW AUC and it comes with a yeas warranty and then you will get the chance to extend at a very reasonable price especially if your worried about roof issues etc.

With the summer months approaching, hopefully there will be a bit more activity on the car front and you'll soon be in a E89 :driving:
 
Great info. thanks.

I've probably over exaggerated the problems I was talking about purely because I've been looking for them in the problems thread so there are bound to be some there!

I'm definitely on the lookout now this summer so will be keeping an eye on the Internet as soon as I'm shot of my car.

Look out for my next post which hopefully have some pics of a new beast in it!
 
jags_z4 said:
Oh and I'm looking to spend between 17-18k with the example I've found being a bit above that.
Click to expand...

For that money you will probably find a decent spec 35i around a 09/10 plate. Are you looking low miles or not too fussed? And the DTC in them is fab!
 
I'm a bit too cautious to be honest so I'm more likely to drop to a 23i for a low miler with the right spec, as long as the noise lives up to that of the bigger 6 cyls!

Thanks for the welcome back, never known a forum like this having owned 5 other brands of car.
 
Have a 23i and love it. I'm sure I'd have a use for the extra power of the bigger engines, especially the 35is, but find that's it's perfect for hoofing it around country roads and decent speeds. How much do you really need anyway!

As for the roof, I've had mine in twice. The first required some sort of software reset and the last time, a few weeks ago, it needed a microswitch. Luckily I had a 12month warranty from bmw so it cost nothing. I've just extended this so hopefully won't have to worry again. This might be an option if you can find one from a bmw dealer. Yes, you might pay a little extra, but there is a huge pice of mind added to this.

I can't comment on the wheels as I have 18's. Again, I find these perfect and can't see why I'd want 19's.
 
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