My midlife crisis purchase; E86 BMW Z4 Coupe

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Having made the decision to sell my 335i at the start of the year to try and buy an E90 M3 only for grown up stuff to get in the way, I decided to stick it up for sale anyway to see what would happen. I did t think that it’d sell given the number available and because I’d modded it, but sell it did (and quite quickly).

Whilst it was up for sale, I started to think about replacements and given the fact that the rear seats in my 335i were rarely, if ever used now my wife has a touring I decided that I might be able to get away with a two seater as a stop gap.

The main criteria were relatively cheap, at least six cylinders and a manual gearbox. A Boxster would have been a great option and are good value but the need to try and lug at least one bike around killed that idea. A Cayman was another option but decent ones were probably a bit out of budget and ultimately I’m not sure I’m brave enough given the horror stories especially as this is likely to be a shortish term car.

Given my criteria, my options were very limited, leading me to an E86 Z4 coupe, a car that I’d always liked. Yes, they won’t drive as well as the rivals from Stuttgart, but they’re better looking to my eyes at least and far less scary.

There aren’t loads around given the short manufacturing life and then if you have any specific requirements the pool of cars gets even smaller because BMW were mega stingy with the base spec! I didn’t want black paint or a black interior, xenon’s were an absolute must and heated sears were a nice to have.

In the end, I settled on this one a 2006 car that’s covered 113k and has the following spec;

• Monaco blue paint
• Champagne nappa leather
• individual gloss black trim
• Heated seats
• CCC nav (which is comically useless in the Z4)
• bluetooth phone (not that I can get my phone to connect to it)
• Xenon lights
• style 108 wheels
• rear parking sensors

Having checked a website that is supposed to track all Z4 coupes, this is one of 20 manual UK cars in this paint / leather colour combination. Less if you get more specific about nappa leather / dash trim.

It needs a wee bit of faffing with, but I think it’s going to be a really good car. Prior to me buying it, it’s had various gaskets replaced (rocker cover, valvetronic motor, oil cooler and filter housing), an oil change, new front discs and pads and a near side from calliper. In 2021, the springs were replaced with Eibach pros and Bilstein B4 dampers were fitted to the front.

The paint needs a really good decontamination and polish and the seats need recolouring due to wear / dirt.

So, first impressions driving it….firstly it’s low, really bloody low. It’s very small too - I sat at some traffic lights on the way home next to a VW Polo which seemed to dwarf it! Getting in and out is not all that graceful and visibility is a bit crap, but it feels quite special sitting so low, with what feels like a huge bonnet up front. I love the view of the rear arch shoulders in the wing mirror. The engine feels quite punchy, certainly stronger than the one in the 330i which I guess is due to less weight and feeling so low. The engine is quite vocal as you ref it out - I won’t be trying to add ore noise that’s for sure.

Enough waffle for now, here’s some pictures.

First up was a decent clean. The interior was pretty rancid, but I was too carried away to take any pics. I got a bit carried away removing trim to clean trapped dirt. Interior looks much better now:





Once the interior was done, it was time to tackle the exterior. The obligatory snow foam shot:



After it was dried a decided to do a test panel with my DA and got a bit carried away - I ended up doing a two stage polish on the roof, rear wings, bootlid and rear bumper. It’s tiny, so it’s not a long process The paint is better than it was with only deeper marks left, the swirls are all gone. Whilst I had the DA out, I debadged the bootlid. Part way through:



Then I waxed the polished areas with Fusso Coat topped off with Kiwami Extreme:





It was then time for a quick trip out for some better photos:











PH smilie added









And my favourite angle of the car

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So, now it’s in the process of getting cleaned and looking good, what are my plans? Well I don’t intend to get to carried away with mods in this one, I’ll focus on maintenance and keeping it well looked after.

Having driven it a bit, it’s clear that I need to do a few things now. First up is some suspension work. The alignment is off, so I’ll get it booked in some where cheap this week to see if they can improve it in the short term until I can replace parts. The front end is quite busy especially on the motorway, where it follows cambers and ruts. Having owned an E46 before I’m pretty sure the lollipop bushes are shot. Complete wishbones are not expensive from AUTODOC so I’ll replace the whole wishbones especially as there’s no evidence of them being done. When I orders the Powerflex front ARB bushes for my 335i AUTODOC sent me the 24mm ones not 26mm and they just happen to fit this, so they’ll be going on.

The front dampers are quite new Bilstein B4’s, so I’ll chuck on a pair of rear B4’s to match. Whilst I’m mucking around with the suspension, I’m toying with fitting Powerflex RTAB - it looks easy enough in the videos I’ve watched and it’d make sense before taking it somewhere for a nice alignment.

The wheels might get changed - I’m not a fan of the 108’s although my wife really likes them and thinks there suit the car. The ride is quite firm on 18’s and given how the small the car is, I’m tempted to drop down to 17’s. I’m trying to avoid CSL’s having been there and done it. Z4 options are limited / a bit crap but one wheel that I think might work is the style 194’s from an E9x 3 series. I really like them and they’re pretty cheap to buy. I did find a person who had done it and I like it:



Another option is 261’s from a 1 series but a friend has done that and I don’t want to be a city cat! The 216’s suit them well too, I think they need to be off a 1 series. Downside to both of these is that they’re 18’s.

I need to modernise the connectivity too. There is a CarPlay option for these, but it’s expensive. To start with I might just add an aux input so I can at least plug my phone in (I’m currently having to relay on a few CD’s that I have left). There are plenty of Bluetooth options but I’m not sure if they’ll work since I have the CCC nav.

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Kevin-y9fs3 said:

Not sure why my username has changed following a password reset, but it's Kev who had the Z4 35i!

I guessed it was given the Twycross reference!

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gf15 said:

That looks lovely and is the spec I wanted. In 2011 I was going to get one of these or a 650i. I ended up with a 650 and put 160k miles on the 650 in 8 years. Often wonder how the z4 would have faired over the same period.
Enjoy.

Thanks. For big miles, the 650 was probably a better tool (other than the fuel consumption). The Z4 is rather cosy and there are parts that do feel a bit cheap / crap like the door handles. It’s quite noisy too - the N52 is surprisingly vocal in this.

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Today was a cheap day on AUTODOC so I may have ordered a few bits….

• pair of Moog wishbones with the lollipop bush
• pair of Mooc tie rod assemblies because I’m expecting the current ones to be seized
• pair of covers for the row rods
• front and rear drop links
• pair of rear ATE discs (surprisingly cheap compared to my E9x cars’
• ATE ceramic pads (again very cheap)
• Powerflex RTAB

I’ve also ordered a few bits from Sytner

• ZHP gear knob
• 2 x side badges and 1 x boot badge because they’re really scruffy
• new storage flap due to damaged hinges
• stubby antenna

I’ve cracked the windscreen already courtesy is a stone so that’s getting replaced on Thursday. It’s a shame because it’s then original glass. Hey ho.

I tried to take a picture to demonstrate how much smaller it is compared to modern(ish) superminis



Some subtle tinkering started today to try and bring the connectivity vaguely in to the 20th century I bought an an AUX adapter from Amazon. I had to unplug something to free up space in the connector block (I think it was for audio sat nav instructions), but I now have an aux connection.



The socket is in a small removable panel just above the heated seat controls and is barely visible. I did take a picture but it was blurry, so I’ll try again tomorrow

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d_a_n1979 said:

Looks really well that Sam; superb colour!

They're some of my favourite wheels as well; I know what you're saying re 17s. But hose 108s suit the car so well... I reckon decent tyres, but with a slighter softer sidewall, might be the happy medium?

Goodyear Assym6s or similar maybe?

Cheers Dan.

I’m not a fan of the wheels personally, but most people seem to love them including my wife who is adamant that I should keep them. It’s on Dunlop Sport Max which are pretty crap so I might leave them.

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DKIE92 said:

Woah, didn’t expect this! Car looks great.

Thanks.

I figured advertising my 335i workday make my decision for me.

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JakeT said:

Honestly these are great. E46 based so parts a plenty and the N52 is way better than M54, you’ll enjoy it. I drove a few looking for them for the good lady and definitely enjoyed them. Sitting so far back in them helps to feel involved too.

I’ve generally been surprised at the part prices so far. I’m a big fan of the N52 when mated to a manual gearbox.

Sitting so low and far backs certainly makes it feel a while load more special. The cabin is unique too it doesn’t feel like there are loads of parts from a 3 series etc. Sitting so far back makes junctions a bit of a pain though.

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cerb4.5lee said:

This is a big surprise! Nice one Sam and that looks lovely.

These are such a great shape I reckon, and rare too. Plus I'm personally a big fan of 2 seaters as well, and they just feel that little bit more special to drive I think.

Enjoy it bud.

Thanks Lee.

I think they’re a great shape too, especially the rear three quarters (the shoulder of the rear arches is very prominent in the wing mirrors too).

I’ve never had a two seater before so now we have the touring I thought I’d give one a whirl.

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TotalControl said:

These really have aged well. Yours looks like it shaved years off with a polish. What's space like?

Thanks. I’ll sort the rest of the paint out once the weather improves.

Space, is not too bad. It feels pretty dinky after my E92. The boot seems pretty big (although I’ve not really carried anything yet). Cabin space feels ok (I’m six foot) but storage space is crap - the door bins are tiny and it lacks places to pop a phone, house keys etc.

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Heathwood said:

I like these a lot and often have thoughts of swapping into one, but can’t help feeling that it’s not different enough from my current 130i. I believe you owned a 130i previously didn’t you OP? How does the Z4C compare?

I did indeed have a 130i before my 335i.

The Z4 feels very different - the driving experience is very different sitting so far out back. The N52 is much more vocal in these too and the view out feels quite special.

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mooseracer said:

Very nice. This and your estate should cover most bases.

I really like the shape of these. A friend had a Z4M a while ago and that was lovely, if a bit hyperactive.

Looking forward to the ownership journey, vicariously of course.

Thanks - I’m hoping that they’ll be a good combination. I’ve heard they can be a bit busy, I guess part of that is sitting on the rear axle.

My wife is smitten with it already despite not having driven it yet.

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Glassman said:

The last time of checking which was several months ago, there was no OE stock of Z4 windscreens. The aftermarket offering from Saint Gobain (Sekurit) has a shape issue on the driver side (went through a couple which confirmed it's an issue).

Pilkington showing stock.

That’s good to know. I’ll keep an eye out for that / check what they’ll be fitting before they get stuck in.

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Craikeybaby said:

I think you buy a BMW more frequently than my MR2 gets washed...

I think these are brilliant, I love the looks of the coupe. A couple of my mates have/had the roadster versions, and the 3.0 sounds awesome.

it seems a bit like that doesn’t it?

It’s certainly a pretty big thing.

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cerb4.5lee said:

The Z4M Roadster was my first midlife crisis car back in 2012, and I remember struggling to choose between the Roadster/Coupe. I much preferred the Coupes shape, and even now when I see a Z4 Coupe(or a Z4M Coupe) it always makes me wish that I'd gone in the direction of the Coupe.

The Z4 Coupe is one of BMWs best ever designs to my eyes for definite.

I really like it, particularly from the side and rear three quarter angle.

The coupe is pretty rare as well so I think they stand out quite a lot.

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I’ve taken it for a basic alignment this morning until I can start replacing parts and the rear dampers have been replace already with B4’s, so that’s one job off my list.

But the brackets for the rear trailing arms used for the rear alignment are a bit crusty….so much so that the garage didn’t want to touch them! I have Powerflex bushes on the way but need to get some new brackets. The existing RTSB bushes look a bit shot.

Amazingly the front tie rods aren’t seized solid. I’ll replace them anyway since it’s easy.

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Deep Thought said:

I would concur RE: the alloys. Not a fan of those BBS Split rims.

CSL style are the go to choice - i did the same on mine - but as you say it would maybe be nice to do something different this time around.

I do like that 17 inch E90 wheel you're looking at. I changed to those on my 330i SE and loved them.

Another choice might be the Style 216 Motorsport alloys fitted to the 320Si (and to more editions later)

https://www.zacharylukecarslimited.co.uk/assets/82...

Edited by Deep Thought on Tuesday 9th April 09:16

I think you’re the only one who agrees with me!

The 108’s do seem quite popular. I like the 216 on these as well. There is a well priced set for sale, but they’re bloody miles away. I need to check to see if they’re 1 or 3 series fitment and if the latter will fit ok. The 194’s will be a bit pokier which is fin.

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d_a_n1979 said:

Yeah; they're not great tyres Sam; I know that, had them before and bloody horrible

Wheels are a personal choice; they'll sell easy enough

What about some 216s?

https://www.auto-treff.com/wcf/index.php?article/2...

Although as I said on email; 17s work so well on the UK roads. They're more than likely going to be the happy-medium

Part of me wonders if a set of better tyres might help.

Some times I look at the car and think the 108’s suit it but other times I want to change them….I’m very much on the fence. I don’t think I’ll rush into anything, I want to get the suspension sorted before mucking about with wheels. One thing I will say is that the 108’s are dead easy to clean.

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christhreadgill said:

Oh wow, nice choice! Surprised to see the E92 depart, but I'm the same as you in terms of once it's in my head, the decision is made.

Always liked the look of these, but 2 seats has never been an option for me. Superb colour choice also.

Cheers. The E92 was a really good car, but it was never going to be what I really wanted (i.e. an M3). Good to see that yours is progressing now (I need to catch up on your thread but saw the picture on the E91 thread).

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cerb4.5lee said:

I'm on the fence with the wheels as well Sam. I wouldn't say that I dislike them, but I wouldn't say that I love them either though.

I love the CSL style wheels, but you've been there and done that though. However I did quite like the standard wheels that came on my Z4M though(224's).

I like the 224M’s but they’re bloody expensive which rules them out. The Z4 seems to be quite a hard car to match wheels too so I may just end up sticking with what I have and at least with 18’s I have more options if I decide to change them at a later date.

They look ace on CSL’s though….