Z4 with 150k miles - bad idea?

[Tango22]

I'm looking for my first Z4 and intended on looking at the manual gearbox 3.0 either pre-facelift or facelift. My budget is circa £5 - £6k so I've been keeping an eye on what's on offer out there over the past week or two.

However......a 2007 facelift 2.5 has popped up for sale locally at a very good price. Looks good, part SH, new brakes and tyres all round, online MoT checker shows its passed over the last few years with no issues other than one year where it received advisories for corrosion on the brake pipes. Owner has had it for the last three years and has mentioned the roof motor has been relocated too. But.......it has 150k miles on it.

So what I'm wondering is, would I be daft to buy a Z4 with 150k on the clock? What should I be looking at if I went for a nosey to see it and what am I looking at as potential costs/things to go wrong? I'm thinking lots of components on it will be tired like bushes/suspension/springs and depending on how often its been serviced/oil changes carried out there could be issues with engine wear and oil consumption? Obviously I'll need to go and have a look at it to get a feel for the car and the owner and if alarm bells ring then I'd walk away. But curiosity is getting the better of me.

Also, I assume as a facelift 07 plate 2.5 it will be circa 170bhp? Is that the N52 engine or the earlier one?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Smartbear]

Hi, it will be an n52 engine, are you sure it’s not the si version?
Rob

 

[Brad_B]

I bought my coupe with 141k on it, if it’s got FSH and has had all the expected maintenance done I wouldn’t be too concerned.
Other than that obviously do your research and give it a thorough inspection.

 

[Tango22]

Hi, it will be an n52 engine, are you sure it’s not the si version?
Rob

Hi Rob, I'm unsure but the badges on the wings just have '2.5i' rather than '2.5Si' so guessing it is the lower powered 2.5?

 

[Mr Tidy]

Welcome to the forum.

A 2007 car will be a facelift and they had 2 versions of the N52 2.5 engine. The 2.5i with 177bhp and the 2.5Si with 218bhp, so quite a difference. And from what I have read it isn't practical to get a 2.5i to produce 2.5Si power - it takes much more than a remap!

So it's well worth checking which version it is. Also facelifts came as SE and Sport models. The latter had M-Sport seats as standard which are very sought after, so used ones can sell for up to £1K if heated and with electric adjustment.

I'm not sure 150K mile examples will be any more needy for bushes, suspension, springs, etc. than 80K mile ones - just maybe for the 2nd time. :lol:

In 2018 I bought an E91 325i with the same engine as the 2.5Si that had done 132K but had full BMW history and sold it a year later on 139K. It ran really well so I wouldn't be too woried about 150K on an N52.

Apart from routine servicing it only needed a new electric water pump at 135K. But N52s will always need them from time to time, although probably only once in most peoples' ownership. The downside is the engine overheats in about a mile, and new pumps cost at least £250.

My first E86 needed a new electric water pump at 60K miles, but my second seemed to be on the original when I sold it on 91K miles so it seems pretty random!

It sounds like the corroded rear brake pipes have been addressed but these engines can have issues with oil leaks from the cam-cover gasket and the gasket on the oil filter housing, although if they have it should be pretty visible.

But the N52 is a great engine, which is why I replaced my E91 with an E90 330i that also has the N52. It's currently on 115K and still pulls strongly.

If the price is right I'd take a look. As you say you can always walk away but might bag a bargain.

Good luck anyway.

 

[MKZ4000]

150k would not put me off at all especially if there was evidence of servicing. I would expect the asking price to reflect the mileage though.

 

[Tango22]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I think I'm going to go and take a look at it and speak to the current owner. I figured that with 150k on it, a lot of the things that would need replaced would already have been done (although as Mr Tidy said, some may have been done twice or perhaps be coming up for a replacement the 2nd time around at this mileage).

I'd obviously carry out a service and oil/filters/plugs change, check the Vanos and DISA and unless the owner can shed any light on it, possibly do a water pump/thermostat change as a preventative measure.

 

[brillomaster]

i bought my z4 with 153,000 miles on the clock. nothing particularly untoward happened, few things needed replacing in my ownership (alternator, a couple of brake pressure sensors, and an ignition coil) but nothing i would say was related to mileage rather than just the age of the car.

so yeah, id happily buy a car with 150,000+ miles on, as long as it looked and drove ok and had some evidence of previous servicing.

 

[brillomaster]

that said, i wouldn't buy a high miles 2.5i, unless it was dirt, dirt cheap.

170bhp is a bit wheezy, you should easily be able to find a nice 3.0i with 230bhp in the budget.

theres a guy on here selling a 3.0i for only £3800, with fewer miles than this one... that any good for you?

 

[Tango22]

that said, i wouldn't buy a high miles 2.5i, unless it was dirt, dirt cheap.

170bhp is a bit wheezy, you should easily be able to find a nice 3.0i with 230bhp in the budget.

theres a guy on here selling a 3.0i for only £3800, with fewer miles than this one... that any good for you?

Hi brillomaster, that's the thing - the price is very cheap and it is also local, literally 15 mins drive from me. I agree the 3.0 will be quicker but a lot of folk say its a 'relative thing' when comparing to the smaller cubed engines. It's my first foray into Z4 ownership as a second car which will get used as a mix of a commuter and a weekend toy and whilst I set my budget at around £6k max, if this 2.5 has been looked after well enough I think I'd be inclined to give it a punt and see how I got on with it for 6-12 months or so, if I enjoy it and fancy more power I may look for a 3.0!! I appreciate that sounds a bit back to front and why not just pick up a 3.0 but this car has caught my eye and got me curious.

 

[Zedebee]

It depends what you mean by “very cheap”. You’ll never get more than a couple of grand back for a 150k 2.5i, so that’s how much you should be looking to spend. For £6k you can get a near mint 3.0i or 2.5Si on much lower miles.

 

[Tango22]

So, went to see it today and had a drive. Liked it, and owner was knowledgeable and genuine. So I took the plunge and bought it.

I will have a few questions coming up so I'll post on those so you guys who are the experts can afford me some guidance!

First things to do will be a valet and machine polish and the hood is going to need a good clean too. Then a service/oil change. Couple of photos from the advert, I'll post more photos once I get it looking all shiny!!! Looking forward to picking it up tomorrow evening.

 

[Mr Tidy]

That looks smart especially in that colour combination, and it has heated M-Sport seats too.

Enjoy the drive home tomorrow.

 

[Tango22]

Thanks!!! Felt quite punchy on the drive today, despite it only being the lower powered 2.5. Will take it for a longer run tomorrow and report back. Think my weekend will be taken up with washing, polishing and hoovering it.

 

[Ole gits rule]

Looks quite nice and as you say a bit of TLC and will look like a 70K mile car, just enjoy the experience

 

[Zedebee]

Looks well cared for at that mileage. As Tidy says, you’ve got the good seats, and an N52 straight six to boot. Given it’s a lower stressed engine than the “Si” derivatives, it’s probably only just run in. Many happy miles

 

[GTwice]

I bought mine at over 190k, no regrets. Congratulations, enjoy it!

 

[Chippie]

Congratulations on the new purchase and welcome to the forum, it’s a lovely colour combination and doesn’t look as though it’s done that many miles.

 

[Tango22]

Thanks folks!!! Yes, loving it so far. Even had the top down for a bit today on the way back from picking it up........bit chilly though!!!

I'll get some decent photos at the weekend, weather permitting.