Z4MC Prices

[mmm-five]

Well, mine's on 87k and raising rapidly, but I've done the same sort of mileage in all the ///Ms I've owned.

I don't have space for multiple cars, so mine has to be a jack-of-all-trades. Mine does 15-25k business miles and about 5k pleasure miles (weekend hoons, Ring trips, track days). The M5 was a great all rounder, but it was very heavy on tyres/fuel/brake pads/suspension when used on track - the Z4MC tends to take it in it's stride. The Z4MC is more accomplished on track, but not as much fun as it's like a scalpel to the M5s chainsaw.

Any car I buy has to be able to do track days, long commutes (200-400 miles a day), be comfy for those distances, not be too thirsty (i.e. no less than 20mpg average), not be wallet-rapingly expensive to insure/service/repair (i.e. no 'supercars' - Astons, Masers, Fezzas, Lambos, etc. - even if purchase price is cheap), has to have enough room to carry camping/marshalling gear, etc.

I never buy new, so the 50%-75% depreciation hit has already been taken by another owner (my first e34 M5 was £15k at 4 years old, against a £52k retail).

My cars tend to be over-serviced. In-warranty scheduled maintenance & warranty work done by the dealer network, out of warranty, interim servicing & general maintenance done by my indy/guru/mate in Essex.

In the 80k miles I've owned my Z4MC it's had (all under warranty):

• New engine at 23k due to slight misfire which got worse as BMW/Mondial roadside technician tried to clear it by revving the nuts off it for 30 minutes
• 2 x PDC sensors
• Wiper relay module
• OSF wheel bearing
• New diff at 70k (replaced by dealer even though I hadn't noticed any problems)

I tend to use genuine parts rather than pattern parts, but am happy to buy the genuine parts from somewhere other than BMW dealers if it saves me money.

However, I assume that if I wanted to sell my car right now, I'd probably be told that mine was worth less than that Cat D one on autotrader (i.e. £10k or less) - even though mine's only had one minor skirmish with a lorry (scratched wind/bumper), broken down once (engine replacement) and had to be recovered when I slashed a tyre (both in the first year of ownership). Clutch is still fine (despite me not removing the CDV), brake disc/pads last about 30k miles, rear PSS tyres last over 20k, front PSS tyres currently on 33k and all this is whilst doing a total of maybe 8 20-50 lap Ring trips, and a couple of Cadwell/Oulton/Bedford track days over the last 4.5 years.

I've not even had a broken spring like so many on here have - although as part of my preventative/extra servicing I did replace the springs/bushes at 50k.

2014 plans (if work/income continues at current pace) include:

• complete suspension overhaul (Ohlins/Nitrons, Rogue top mounts, all bushes)
• Vibratechnic engine mounts
• possibly a carbon version of the OEM airbox with an extra intake trunk a la e46 M3 into the bottom/side of the airbox
• front end respray (paintwork is starting to look a bit 'used', but that's what you get for following other fast cars on Welsh roads, and for driving on motorways at 85mph for 6 hours a week)
• new (Alcon) / rebuilt (OEM) calipers
• adjustable ARBs
• etc.

 

[CornishRob]

Well, mine's on 87k and raising rapidly, but I've done the same sort of mileage in all the ///Ms I've owned.

I don't have space for multiple cars, so mine has to be a jack-of-all-trades. Mine does 15-25k business miles and about 5k pleasure miles (weekend hoons, Ring trips, track days). The M5 was a great all rounder, but it was very heavy on tyres/fuel/brake pads/suspension when used on track - the Z4MC tends to take it in it's stride. The Z4MC is more accomplished on track, but not as much fun as it's like a scalpel to the M5s chainsaw.

Any car I buy has to be able to do track days, long commutes (200-400 miles a day), be comfy for those distances, not be too thirsty (i.e. no less than 20mpg average), not be wallet-rapingly expensive to insure/service/repair (i.e. no 'supercars' - Astons, Masers, Fezzas, Lambos, etc. - even if purchase price is cheap), has to have enough room to carry camping/marshalling gear, etc.

I never buy new, so the 50%-75% depreciation hit has already been taken by another owner (my first e34 M5 was £15k at 4 years old, against a £52k retail).

My cars tend to be over-serviced. In-warranty scheduled maintenance & warranty work done by the dealer network, out of warranty, interim servicing & general maintenance done by my indy/guru/mate in Essex.

In the 80k miles I've owned my Z4MC it's had (all under warranty):

• New engine at 23k due to slight misfire which got worse as BMW/Mondial roadside technician tried to clear it by revving the nuts off it for 30 minutes
• 2 x PDC sensors
• Wiper relay module
• OSF wheel bearing
• New diff at 70k (replaced by dealer even though I hadn't noticed any problems)

I tend to use genuine parts rather than pattern parts, but am happy to buy the genuine parts from somewhere other than BMW dealers if it saves me money.

However, I assume that if I wanted to sell my car right now, I'd probably be told that mine was worth less than that Cat D one on autotrader (i.e. £10k or less) - even though mine's only had one minor skirmish with a lorry (scratched wind/bumper), broken down once (engine replacement) and had to be recovered when I slashed a tyre (both in the first year of ownership). Clutch is still fine (despite me not removing the CDV), brake disc/pads last about 30k miles, rear PSS tyres last over 20k, front PSS tyres currently on 33k and all this is whilst doing a total of maybe 8 20-50 lap Ring trips, and a couple of Cadwell/Oulton/Bedford track days over the last 4.5 years.

I've not even had a broken spring like so many on here have - although as part of my preventative/extra servicing I did replace the springs/bushes at 50k.

2014 plans (if work/income continues at current pace) include:

• complete suspension overhaul (Ohlins/Nitrons, Rogue top mounts, all bushes)
• Vibratechnic engine mounts
• possibly a carbon version of the OEM airbox with an extra intake trunk a la e46 M3 into the bottom/side of the airbox
• front end respray (paintwork is starting to look a bit 'used', but that's what you get for following other fast cars on Welsh roads, and for driving on motorways at 85mph for 6 hours a week)
• new (Alcon) / rebuilt (OEM) calipers
• adjustable ARBs
• etc.

I salute you sir.

This is what they should be used for, and in my mind, the whole point of an M car. A reliable fast jack of all trades epic machine. I just couldn't entertain walking past an M car for 5 days a week to sit in a euro box diesel.

 

[Merrsh1]

Yes, keep your cars in the garage or the driveway and they will be worth a couple of grand more when you sell them. WTF?

I think this comment is a bit naive. My commute to work is not a particularly interesting one. Stuck behind lorries travelling along singletrack 'A' roads at about 40mph with very few overtaking opportunities and getting held up in traffic through towns/ at roundabouts and traffic lights. Taking the Z would be annoying, not to mention a lot more expensive than my diesel Astra for little fun.

I plan to use my Z for driving that I'll enjoy. I don't see anything wrong with that at all (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be doing it). It's not a case of keeping it on the driveway to help residuals, it's about driving the car you enjoy driving, when you can enjoy driving it.

I think you're sensible. I've used mine as my daily for the last year and I've came to the conclusion I don't want to any more. The MC isn't a nice car to drive round town and I just feel I'm putting miles on a truly lovely car that isn't being used for what I enjoy, for long trips on country roads evenings and weekends.

Mine is going to become my toy and ill be getting a 'normal' car for everyday use. Probably a 3 series. I just did 9 days driving to the top of Scotland via the west coast and it made me realise that these cars are made for clear winding roads, not being stuck behind a lorry or stopping at traffic lights.

Mine is on 22.5k, I've done 10k in a year and would imagine mine will now do 4 k a year and track days.

As for these appreciating I think they will, I still think the Alpina will become a classic with the M coupe following sometime after.

 

[FR08MEE]

I think prices of Z4MC's and Z4MR's will firm up if anything mainly due to the increasing costs and difficulty in finding a decent Z3MC and Z3MR. Prices of the latter two are definitely heading up slightly.

Other running costs are easy to live with if depreciation is low

 

[Z4coupebeaver]

Well, mine's on 87k and raising rapidly, but I've done the same sort of mileage in all the ///Ms I've owned.

I don't have space for multiple cars, so mine has to be a jack-of-all-trades. Mine does 15-25k business miles and about 5k pleasure miles (weekend hoons, Ring trips, track days). The M5 was a great all rounder, but it was very heavy on tyres/fuel/brake pads/suspension when used on track - the Z4MC tends to take it in it's stride. The Z4MC is more accomplished on track, but not as much fun as it's like a scalpel to the M5s chainsaw.

Any car I buy has to be able to do track days, long commutes (200-400 miles a day), be comfy for those distances, not be too thirsty (i.e. no less than 20mpg average), not be wallet-rapingly expensive to insure/service/repair (i.e. no 'supercars' - Astons, Masers, Fezzas, Lambos, etc. - even if purchase price is cheap), has to have enough room to carry camping/marshalling gear, etc.

I never buy new, so the 50%-75% depreciation hit has already been taken by another owner (my first e34 M5 was £15k at 4 years old, against a £52k retail).

My cars tend to be over-serviced. In-warranty scheduled maintenance & warranty work done by the dealer network, out of warranty, interim servicing & general maintenance done by my indy/guru/mate in Essex.

In the 80k miles I've owned my Z4MC it's had (all under warranty):

• New engine at 23k due to slight misfire which got worse as BMW/Mondial roadside technician tried to clear it by revving the nuts off it for 30 minutes
• 2 x PDC sensors
• Wiper relay module
• OSF wheel bearing
• New diff at 70k (replaced by dealer even though I hadn't noticed any problems)

I tend to use genuine parts rather than pattern parts, but am happy to buy the genuine parts from somewhere other than BMW dealers if it saves me money.

However, I assume that if I wanted to sell my car right now, I'd probably be told that mine was worth less than that Cat D one on autotrader (i.e. £10k or less) - even though mine's only had one minor skirmish with a lorry (scratched wind/bumper), broken down once (engine replacement) and had to be recovered when I slashed a tyre (both in the first year of ownership). Clutch is still fine (despite me not removing the CDV), brake disc/pads last about 30k miles, rear PSS tyres last over 20k, front PSS tyres currently on 33k and all this is whilst doing a total of maybe 8 20-50 lap Ring trips, and a couple of Cadwell/Oulton/Bedford track days over the last 4.5 years.

I've not even had a broken spring like so many on here have - although as part of my preventative/extra servicing I did replace the springs/bushes at 50k.

2014 plans (if work/income continues at current pace) include:

• complete suspension overhaul (Ohlins/Nitrons, Rogue top mounts, all bushes)
• Vibratechnic engine mounts
• possibly a carbon version of the OEM airbox with an extra intake trunk a la e46 M3 into the bottom/side of the airbox
• front end respray (paintwork is starting to look a bit 'used', but that's what you get for following other fast cars on Welsh roads, and for driving on motorways at 85mph for 6 hours a week)
• new (Alcon) / rebuilt (OEM) calipers
• adjustable ARBs
• etc.

I love posts like this. These are the words of not only an enthusiast but someone who has his priorities right. My car has not very high miles because I've got so many distractions that prevent me from getting out in it but there is no point preserving these cars for someone else to enjoy.

Not sure if the following is a sign of prices changing but my local dealer had an MC last month that sold quickly and have now got another almost identical one with a sticker price £1k more than the last one was. Maybe just trying it on - we'll see.