NO LONGER NEEDED Z4 e89 30i (will consider 28i)

B

Bartekm

Member
 Bristol
Hi all,
First post here so let me know if I missed anything

I’m currently looking to buy a BMW Z4 E89 30i M Sport. I’d also consider a 28i, but my preference is the 30i as I’d ideally like the naturally aspirated engine.

Looking for:
- E89 30i M Sport (28i considered)
- Under ~80,000 miles
- Good service history (preferably full or mostly full)
- Well looked after / reliable example
- Any colour considered except white
- Standard or lightly modified preferred
- Manual or auto

I’m based around Bristol but happy to travel for the right car.

Not in a huge rush, just looking for a clean example. If you're thinking of selling or know of one coming up, please drop me a message with details, spec, mileage, history, and price.

Thanks!
 
Personally, I wouldn’t be too worried about mileage on an N52 example car. The M Sport 30i model is very rare in the UK, so your picks will be limited. I saw an extremely low mileage model (13k) for sale yesterday at £20k!

As these are getting on a bit, I would preference buying on condition and evidence of enthusiast love, rather than dealer stamps. The things that tend to go wrong on an E89 often test the limits of dealers, so history of knowledgable independents is probably more worthwhile, IMHO.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. :thumbsup:

I'd echo what Matt said about the N52 engine being pretty bulletproof. There are 2 members on here who have E86s with that engine that have both done over 220K miles!

Which is worth bearing in mind as the 30i seems to be quite a rare model. My 330i has the same engine too and it still performs brilliantly after 130K.

If you do go for a 4 cylinder turbo don't discount the 18i or 20i which are only a map away from 28i power as they all have the same engine. Only other difference is the 28i has bigger front brakes.

Anyway good luck finding the right Z4.
 
As Mr Tidy says, if you’re happy going for an N20 powered car and come across a good spec 18i or 20i, go for it. A simple map will have you exceeding 28i power for lower money.

If N52 is what you’re after, my 2011 M Sport 30i is on just under 141k now and really hasn’t misbehaved at all. The only really annoying thing I’ve dealt with is failed reluctor rings on the drive shafts. Then again, this could happen to literally any car at 15 years old. It was a cheap and easy fix for my local garage.
 
Thanks for the replies, yes I agree that with the N52 the mileage isn’t as important just that it was well taken care of.
I updated the title and will also consider higher mileage N52 examples. And considering that the msport versions are rare to come by I’d also be interested in non msport ones!
 
Bartekm said:
Thanks for the replies, yes I agree that with the N52 the mileage isn’t as important just that it was well taken care of.
I updated the title and will also consider higher mileage N52 examples. And considering that the msport versions are rare to come by I’d also be interested in non msport ones!
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The only caveat I would add to the N52 recommendation is that if it's over about 70k then I would be looking for the electric water pump to have been changed, or budgeting to do it.
 
Plenty of 2nd hand M sport seats around, aftermarket suspension kits are much better than stock so personally I wouldn’t be bothered if an M sport car is hard to come by. 👍
 
john-e89 said:
Plenty of 2nd hand M sport seats around, aftermarket suspension kits are much better than stock so personally I wouldn’t be bothered if an M sport car is hard to come by. 👍
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For me, it was more about the bumpers and little bits of M Sport trim around the car that made it feel more special
 
Matt.rowley.1990 said:
For me, it was more about the bumpers and little bits of M Sport trim around the car that made it feel more special
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When I was looking for an E89 about 10 years ago there were particular features I definitely wanted (idrive/auto/pdc etc), I couldn't find an Msport at the time that had all of them them, I bought an SE with low mileage and in fantastic condition. I managed to pick up a set of Msport seats from a low mileage car and I changed the steering wheel to the newer paddle shift type with a bit of Royals magic. Now, its new owner has gone to town on it, changed the bumper skins / brake calibers / wheels /exhaust/etc. and really taken the car to a new level, without being biased I think its one of the nicest and pampered E89's I've seen. It's easy to add bits to get the car to where you want it.
 

If you are interested, I have just posted details of my 2010 E89 3.0 N52 6sp manual. Deepsea blue Canberra leather. 133k​

 
Hi,

Just view a 30i, all seemed very good with the car and considering putting an offer in. There is on thing that is bugging me now tho, after taking the car for a 15min test drive, which was quite light, after stopping the rad fan was constantly on while the car was idling for the next 5-10 min. Is this normal? I saw that this could be a sign of failing water pump/thermostat. The car temps were fine at around 90. The pump hasnt been done on the car and it has covered over 70k miles. Replacing was going to be on my list to do after the car but with this should I anticipate on replacing it sooner?
 
Bartekm said:
Hi,

Just view a 30i, all seemed very good with the car and considering putting an offer in. There is on thing that is bugging me now tho, after taking the car for a 15min test drive, which was quite light, after stopping the rad fan was constantly on while the car was idling for the next 5-10 min. Is this normal? I saw that this could be a sign of failing water pump/thermostat. The car temps were fine at around 90. The pump hasnt been done on the car and it has covered over 70k miles. Replacing was going to be on my list to do after the car but with this should I anticipate on replacing it sooner?
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Could be ..without reading the fault codes who knows…a bit early for coolant pump failure on n52 at that mileage..fwiw my 35is coolant pump failed at 60k miles..similar symptoms
 
Does the air-conditioning being on trigger the fan on the e89? It does on several other cars. It could be as benign as that?
 
TriggerFish said:
Does the air-conditioning being on trigger the fan on the e89? It does on several other cars. It could be as benign as that?
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Hmm that’s a good point, I was testing the AC just before and then turned it off, but fan kept going.
But as B21 mentioned no way of telling without fault reading fault codes. I don’t have a OBD scanner but now considering getting one now as it may also come in useful in the future… would buying a car without scanning it first put you off? I’ve got a feeling I won’t be able to get one in time but want to pull the trigger on the car
 
You could probably Amazon (yuck) Prime one over tomorrow, and maybe buy it on the condition of the scan not showing anything terrifying on collection?

Not all faults show codes though, so keep that in mind
 
Bartekm said:
The car temps were fine at around 90.
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Remember the gauge is oil temperature, not water. If the oil was at 90c then the water will also be at least that, so not unreasonable the fan came on . Sounds like someone warmed the car up before you got there?

As long as the fan went off after a few minutes at idle, I wouldn't worry too much.
 
Even if the water pump is fine, there will probably be something else that needs doing soon. Other than when buying at the top of the market for the model, I generally budget 10-20% of the purchase price for servicing and repairs in the first 6 months.

On a 15-20 year old car there's bound to be something cracked/corroded/broken/worn.

I would definitely get an OBD scanner, it's always good to have.
 
Thanks for the replies. The car was cold when I got there, started up cold first try with no issue and had a fairly quiet idle. Then the car was sat running on the drive for a little bit with no fan coming on just yet. After taking it for a test drive we left it idling for a while longer, that’s when I noticed the fan still being on. At the time I didn’t think much of it and didn’t think to wait for it to stop. It was later that night that it started to bug me 😅
 
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