Would you avoid a high mileage car?

Jerakeen

Member
I'm just looking around for my first Z4 and a lot of the ones within my budget have over 100k on the clock.
Now I'm not afraid of high mileage generally, my mx5 is approaching 200k but I don't know much about the Z4 yet.
Are there problems that frequently arise in higher mileage cars that I should be aware of or would you just walk away from one with 120k on it?
 
If the price was right I would certainly consider a high miler. Quite a few on here have them
 
As above really... no real issues if the car is well maintained and serviced at regular intervals! I've owned many cars over 100k and had no 'big' issues.

Might be worth looking for key jobs that have been done such as suspension refresh, if it's still on originals at 120k they'd be pretty much ruined so would need to factor in the cost of that. Electric water pump is another one to look out for, if changed recently then it's one less thing to worry about.
 
as above - the m54 (assuming you're looking at a 6 cylinder) isn't a particularly stressed engine so providing been maintained properly will go on well above 200k miles!

just ensure there is a bucket load of receipts so you can see what's been done!
 
I bought mine on 106k and it's now on 133k about 2.5 years later - it's needed a new starter and I've re-done the suspension (but tbh it was actually ok!) and that's it.
 
Even a low mileage E85/E86 is now 10 or more years old so low mileage is no guarantee it will not have been abused or need cosmetic issues sorting. The best plan might be to find a bargain >100k car that has already had water pump (if Si), suspension and even clutch done as these could all be big ticket items in the near future if you buy a lower mileage one.

Chris
 
As above mate. A 40k car that has spent 10 years in city traffic with only short journeys is likely to be far more troublesome than a 150k car that has ran up and down the motorway. Whilst a book full of receipts is always a positive the general feel of the car is just as important in that a well maintained car that looks tatty and unloved would be a car I would walk away from as would a pristine 40k car with no history - both would say unloved to me. It's important to put things into context too, as long as the block, head and gearbox are good, most other replaceable items are relatively low cost in the big scheme of things - what people do forget is the cost involved in sorting the body work and paint on an older car. This can run into thousands if it is to be matched properly and you want a first class job, I know most of us "enthusiasts" wouldn't accept a second rate paint job. The cost of a paint job can very quickly outweigh the cost of sorting out some major mechanical issues.
 
Id have no issue with high mileage, long as its been looked after and maintained, from the posts I have seen lower mileage, older cars, tend to give you more problems, as they have been sitting around, seals dry out, corrosion forms etc,
I was chatting to a guy last month with his Zed E85 on a 04 plate, that had done 186k, TBH it looked like it had done 50k it was that good and sounded that sweet
 
Concur with all above.
However, the M54 is famous for being generous with decanting its oil via perished gaskets. Cam cover, oil filter housing, sump gaskets will be past their prime and I had to replace mine on my new to me 100k miler.

Look for evidence of oil leaks therefore both around the engine compartment and under the car.

Gearbox oil should have been replaced as well as diff oil at 100k+ miles.

Roof motors can fail due to blocked water drains causing the motor housing to be continuously submerged in water. Can be rectified via replacing the motor to the boot. Plenty of posts on here about that.

One of the easiest engine bays to work on due to the amount of space to work with!

Book full of receipts as mentioned previously is desired but not absolutely essential imo following a competent inspection.
 
I bought mine at 148,000... was good and cheap at £3k, but seems to be holding up ok so far, done 3 trackdays with only minor electrical gremlins. from the condition you'd never tell it had done so many miles, paint and interior are excellent, and had it up on a ramp the other day and my mechanic friend commented on what good condition it was underneath (though he did mention the dampers looked a bit past it lol)
 
Coming from old Japanese cars before buying my z4 coupe, I am accustomed to not even looking at mileage and just going on condition and what you can find/evaluate from history and owner.

I remember buying a mk1 mx5 without even asking the mileage before viewing and not even checking when visiting. Just looked for the usual rust and normal things for looking at when buying a car, Turns out it was 200,000+km, I added about 6-7000 miles to it and then sold it, the guy i bought it from bought it back.

In fact it was my lowest mileage car i owned, an e46 318 which caused the biggest bill when its decided it didnt like its head gasket on the m74 and left me stranded for 4 hours. Cost an expensive emergency sign up to AA to get home and £500 for head skim and gasket.

All other cars, civic vti's, integra type R's, toyota celica have normally been 100,000+ miles and no big issues.

Theres a common theme than most remedial work is going to be required around 70,000 miles, shocks, bushes, clutches etc but these can go anytime really and you cant predict it but at the age of z4's now regardless of mileage things are going to need to be replaced every now and then, even if you buy your bumped up price for "low mileage"

I really dont understand the price with all z4 variants in regards to mileage, people put huge disparity on prices on mileage which ive never understood, seeing 3k price differences over near identical spec because of a 40,000 mile difference. I would take the money saved and put into fuel for driving the thing or some dampers, springs, bushes and pocket the rest. And even that 50,000 mile car which is now going to me anywhere upto 12 years old may need the same things, but you have already paid the higher price.

Il just have to take the hit when my coupe nudges into 6 figures. Thing i bought mine on around 92,000ish, so far its needed a brake caliper when one was sticking. an exhaust hanger bracket which snapped off and i think thats been it. no other problems in 2 years for those "high mileage cars"
 
I bought my Z4MR 4 years ago with 87k miles on the clock. Now at 113k, but going forward it won't rise by so much now that the Mini is my daily drive.

During my ownership I think that all the expense has been more to the age of the car than its miles - refurbed roof motor moved to boot, replaced brake lines, replaced caliper and replaced rusted exhaust clamps, plus a replaced rear coil spring.

I do change the oil every year irrespective of mileage and in addition stick to the servicing schedule.

My upcoming mileage-related expense will be replacing the bearing shells - I am not aware of any issues but it seems like a sensible precautionary thing to do.

From a casual look at prices, a low mileage car would attract a premium of around 50% over mine and you can get a lot of work done for that money!
 
Wouldn't care about mileage, vanos dies at 20k anyway and the engine is pretty robust. Mine took an SC kit at 130k just fine.
The problem is age related bits. Like bushes, brakes and suspension components. If these are in good nick and recently changed then go for it. It's very easy to chuck 1k at refurbing all this stuff and they will be shot on all factory fitted items by now regardless of mileage.
 
Bought mine on just over 100k, and since changed the shocks, bushes, track rods, swap to hydraulic steering, refresh cooling system and new alternator.

The only things that needed doing were the alternator, as it was causing power surges, and the EPS died. Both random, both could happen to any age car. Had a couple of sensors fail as expected with age, but all relatively minor parts.
 
This is an old perception that once a car had done 100k it was scrap. This certainly applied to a lot of older cars but not anymore. Having said that I would not buy a high mileage one and would prefer to pay a bit more for something that covers around 5k a year and I would then call it a keeper.
 
Welcome to the forum OP.

As others have said I wouldn't worry too much about mileage. Higher mileage ones are likely to cost a bit less but may well be in just as good condition - history is probably more important. And the condition of a lot of service items like suspension joints and bushes are age-related rather than mileage.

I bought my first Coupe on 54K miles, and just as it reached 60K and 9 years of age the electric water pump died! I don't know if my current Coupe has had one replaced before, but it's now on 86K and still going strong. I also just bought an E91 325i as a daily with the 2.5 litre version of the N52 engine (as used in facelift Z4s) and it's done 134K, but it drives just fine.

Now you just need to go and buy one - and don't forget the photos! :lol:
 
I was at a car show recently, there was a 04 z there with 2 owners 30 odd thousand miles, and to be honest my 128k z was in better condition in every department.

Forget about mileage and find a car that has been looked after and has stacks of paperwork from the previous owner.
 
Thank you for your input guys.

You've confirmed what I was thinking. I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't like the diseasal Ford Mondeo I once had which pretty much self destructed at about 120k with clutch problems that cost me over a grand to fix and then a failed turbo which I refused to fix and sold for a pittance.

I've already seen what is almost my dream car for sale on here but unfortunately is over my budget by 1500 quid. That's the Si that Batmobile4 is selling.

We've got to wait for a few dominos to fall before we can get one. My wife's grandfather passed away a while ago and there will be a fairly good lump of cash coming our way from her inheritance and we also have to sell at least one of the other cars first although neither of them will fetch very much.
 
My m54 engines Z3 has 140000 miles on it now and feels more responsive than my 88000 mile Z4 with the m54, so miles mean nothing. Also we had a 42k miles 520d in work which was running like a bag of nails as it was carboned up in the cylinder head, turbo and Egr. I say history, service and most importantly the way it keys up and DRIVES are the decider.
D
 
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