Wooooooohooooooooooooooooo!

Welcome to the forum!

I remember picking mine up last year, was excited yet really nervous having never owned a car quite so low with a massive bonnet and a fair bit of poke! Make sure you introduce yourself 'properly' with some info about you and your new zed, and you will be 'strongly encouraged' to post some pics!
 
i need some help.

so the z4 i wanted to get got sold whilst on the way there to buy it :-(

now, i've found another one, has everything i want, but the mileage is 81k. 53 plate, 3.0.
it has full BMW service history.

What would your opinions be on it?
does 81k seem a lot?
 
Condition, condition, condition.... all important as is sevice history etc. Do the usual checks. I go with initial gut reaction - if I have any doubts I just walk away irrespective of mileage. However the fact that you are asking about mileage suggests a doubt and for me that's a walk away point. However having said that it should not be a complete bar to considering the purchase. 81k miles if properly maintained and serviced is no issue and should be good for that again with regular maintenance.

If it looks OK and condition reflects careful ownership and you work through the checklist and all seems OK worth having it professionaly examined before deciding. Anything too pefect at 81k miles might suggest something untoward. Its things like bushes, bearings etc that may need replacing on a high mileage motor irrespective of history and can soon add £s to the overall cost of purchase which could have been saved buying a lower mileage one.
 
Deffo look longer fella. Just picked my first Mauritus Blue 3.0 Z4 up two weeks ago on 47k. Got lots of lovely xtra toys such a xenons, M sport seats & wheel, CD multichanger. Just was after the Elipsoid 107's and got stuck with the 108's... so glad I got the 108's now.

Choice you have to make is do you want a facelift of go for a late 2005 and be in a position to negotiate harder... is 1st registered Aug 2005, 1 previous owners so am the third and yowza, what a lovely sound @ 3k rpm from that straight six. Gent had a compelling event to sell - his girlie had a son - hence needed a 4 seater... left him gutted, well beaten down on price but £8.75k richer.

3.0's are often overlooked especially they way fuel is at the mo, but did 38mpg on the way home @ 80 & is currently averaging 33 which am gobsmaked as you just can't help engaging warp speed every so often.

I run a new black edition A3 Quattro, but you're one amongst the masses. as the curves & lines on a Z4 are truly unique.

Good hunting fella... and remember the killer line when you first open negotiations 'It's a really beautify motor, well looked after, but what's the absolute lowest you'd take for cash'

PS: Have a look at my post on tyre prices, theyre a bit steep on this type of car but well worth the investment
 
At 81k I would always think about resale....if you get it and keep it say 2 years, and add 20k miles....people will shy away from a 100k mile car.....it's just one of those things. But all of this depends on price, and how long you will keep it for, and how much you think you will want back when you sell it. I don't know, but say you pay £10k for it, and keep it 2 years, would you be happy with say £6k for it? Taking into account it had 100k miles etc etc......I'm just guessing at values but hope you get my point...
 
Jembo said:
... and remember the killer line when you first open negotiations 'It's a really beautify motor, well looked after, but what's the absolute lowest you'd take for cash'
Click to expand...


No - just offer a silly price and you never know it may be accepted - or you can work up from there. If you ask his/her lowest price then difficult to negotiate lower. Sellers always feel in power if you negotiate upwards rather than down - so I'm told :thumbsup:
 
Mines on 82k now and is in tip top condition. Its all about wether someone has spent some money on it in the last few years.
As has said the engine isnt really the issue with mileage. Especially as its not lugging around much weight like a 3 series. Its the susension components, state of the bodywork, roof motor and window regulators etc that are the things that will go.
Buy on Spec more than anything else. Msport seats etc etc
 
thanks for the advice guys.

the 81k went, found one with 110k. it is fully kitted out....but then again, not so keen on the 110k miles.
I know the engine can cope with 200+k miles, but i'm thinking 2/3 years time when i might need to sell up.

the hunt continues......watch this space!
 
Bought a 2003 3.0 2 weeks ago. See my previous posts. Lined up an Indy who for £50 checked car over and latched up to diagnostics. Quoted £2100 to bring car fully up to speed and found probs that prob would not have been found on AA checks (e.g. ABS sensors) Net result was seller wanted £8500, I had printed off every Z4 around £8000 to show that was my price for a car that was "good to go". We settled at £6250 and I got all the work done (for £1700 as it turns out) Highly recommend sourcing an Indy to do a full check. If the seller won't agree he is hiding something=walk away. Its a buyers market so be patient and negotiate hard . This kind of car is often a stress sale. Would not think you need to pay top dollar for high mileage. Mine has 44k on the clock by the way.
 
blowers said:
Bought a 2003 3.0 2 weeks ago. See my previous posts. Lined up an Indy who for £50 checked car over and latched up to diagnostics. Quoted £2100 to bring car fully up to speed and found probs that prob would not have been found on AA checks (e.g. ABS sensors) Net result was seller wanted £8500, I had printed off every Z4 around £8000 to show that was my price for a car that was "good to go". We settled at £6250 and I got all the work done (for £1700 as it turns out) Highly recommend sourcing an Indy to do a full check. If the seller won't agree he is hiding something=walk away. Its a buyers market so be patient and negotiate hard . This kind of car is often a stress sale. Would not think you need to pay top dollar for high mileage. Mine has 44k on the clock by the way.
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Excellent advice! :thumbsup:
 
^^^^ agree.

just take your time, the right one at the right price with the right spec will come up, don't be too eager having lost out on 2 potentials that you were considering thinking that your going to keep missing out, it might be a good thing that you did.

look at a few to compare the conditions but go in with an open mind, not a buying head on! just give them a good looking over and ask plenty questions about it's history etc, then when the right one for you comes along you'll know!

good luck.

ps - be prepared to go over your budget slightly, quite often the ones you find good are slightly dearer than you plan, but 9 times out of 10, worth it. :thumbsup:
 
AlanJ said:
Jembo said:
... and remember the killer line when you first open negotiations 'It's a really beautify motor, well looked after, but what's the absolute lowest you'd take for cash'
Click to expand...


No - just offer a silly price and you never know it may be accepted - or you can work up from there. If you ask his/her lowest price then difficult to negotiate lower. Sellers always feel in power if you negotiate upwards rather than down - so I'm told :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Must be a million books on negotiation, though so as not to give too much away, that was my opening & immediately got £750 off without a murmour.

You then need to find the compelling event... ie: why does someone want to sell, because if they just fancy a change & just putting their tow into the market to see if they can get a good price, offering them silly money will annoy them & you won't get anywhere. I work in a sales arena, so got a rough idea of some of the gameplay, as anyone willing to move on price shows u have a chance, anyone just moving £100 or so you're just wasting your time.

After checking physically & the docs first of course before any test drive (shows yr serious) building a rappor & complementing on the car led me to qualify that compelling reason... I'd also printed out 'we buy any car' to see what a pittance they'd pay (without any of the options), then thought add 1k to that as my baseline, show the guy the evidence, point out a few things that needed attention & put £ notes on the table in front of him & went from there...

Ended up getting another £500 off plus a full tank of fuel (from the money I gave him) & left him feeling grateful... and I was after another £750 off so happy days - car has since been turning out to be better each day...

Hope this helps anyone looking... and also if you see it happening to you when you're selling be prepared to have good answers that will flummx the hagglers...
 
so, update.

didnt get the chance to see any last weekend....was building ikea cupboards :headbang:

i've spotted on not too far from me, but the earliest i can go is this coming weekend....i really hope that its still for sale.

thanks for all the advice by the way....really appreciate the "tatics" involved in buying a car. Def going to book it in for a once over before i consider proceeding.

watch this space!
 
morning folks.....i did it!!! :rofl:

picked up my first z4 yesterday.

will post pictures once i've had the car detailed.

Has everything i wanted expect bluetooth and electric folding mirrors.
 
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