Higher mileage Z3M Coupe?
Discussion
Off to look at this tomorrow http://pistonheads.com/sales/1070099.htm
I've seen the list of things to check on z3mcoupe.com but what are the thoughts on it having almost 100k on it?
I've seen the list of things to check on z3mcoupe.com but what are the thoughts on it having almost 100k on it?
Most of the Z3Ms were kept under BMW extended warranty up until BMW hiked the price a couple of years ago. Therefore it's entirely likely that lots of bits will have been replaced as soon as needed as the warranty will have covered it.
Rear shock top-mounts are a common part to wear prematurely. Even if they have been changed, you'll probably have to replace them at some time in your ownership.
The main thing is, keep the revs below 3000 until the oil temp is up.
Z3Ms tend to have been well looked after, so check the service history is either all Main Dealer, or well regarded specialist ( Phil Crouch CPC, Munich Legends etc). If it has been, there will be a large wad of receipts and bills from previous work. Sadly that's just part of owning these.
You'll be getting bills whether the car's got a perfect history or not. In my 20 months of ownership I've had one VANOS rebuild (not the usual failure in my case), rear top mounts, front wishbone bushes and trackrods, 1 set of tyres, one oil service and one Inspection2.
When I was buying mine I looked at 2 cars. One with 43,000 miles and one with 79,000. The higher mileage car felt like a better car in every respect, so don't get too hung up on mileage.
Rear shock top-mounts are a common part to wear prematurely. Even if they have been changed, you'll probably have to replace them at some time in your ownership.
The main thing is, keep the revs below 3000 until the oil temp is up.
Z3Ms tend to have been well looked after, so check the service history is either all Main Dealer, or well regarded specialist ( Phil Crouch CPC, Munich Legends etc). If it has been, there will be a large wad of receipts and bills from previous work. Sadly that's just part of owning these.
You'll be getting bills whether the car's got a perfect history or not. In my 20 months of ownership I've had one VANOS rebuild (not the usual failure in my case), rear top mounts, front wishbone bushes and trackrods, 1 set of tyres, one oil service and one Inspection2.
When I was buying mine I looked at 2 cars. One with 43,000 miles and one with 79,000. The higher mileage car felt like a better car in every respect, so don't get too hung up on mileage.
Edited by DavidCane on Friday 7th August 16:29
DavidCane said:
Most of the Z3Ms were kept under BMW extended warranty up until BMW hiked the price a couple of years ago. Therefore it's entirely likely that lots of bits will have been replaced as soon as needed as the warranty will have covered it.
Rear shock top-mounts are a common part to wear prematurely. Even if they have been changed, you'll probably have to replace them at some time in your ownership.
The main thing is, keep the revs below 3000 until the oil temp is up.
Z3Ms tend to have been well looked after, so check the service history is either all Main Dealer, or well regarded specialist ( Phil Crouch CPC, Munich Legends etc). If it has been, there will be a large wad of receipts and bills from previous work. Sadly that's just part of owning these.
You'll be getting bills whether the car's got a perfect history or not. In my 20 months of ownership I've had one VANOS rebuild (not the usual failure in my case), rear top mounts, front wishbone bushes and trackrods, 1 set of tyres, one oil service and one Inspection2.
When I was buying mine I looked at 2 cars. One with 43,000 miles and one with 79,000. The higher mileage car felt like a better car in every respect, so don't get too hung up on mileage.
Thanks David. Rear shock top-mounts are a common part to wear prematurely. Even if they have been changed, you'll probably have to replace them at some time in your ownership.
The main thing is, keep the revs below 3000 until the oil temp is up.
Z3Ms tend to have been well looked after, so check the service history is either all Main Dealer, or well regarded specialist ( Phil Crouch CPC, Munich Legends etc). If it has been, there will be a large wad of receipts and bills from previous work. Sadly that's just part of owning these.
You'll be getting bills whether the car's got a perfect history or not. In my 20 months of ownership I've had one VANOS rebuild (not the usual failure in my case), rear top mounts, front wishbone bushes and trackrods, 1 set of tyres, one oil service and one Inspection2.
When I was buying mine I looked at 2 cars. One with 43,000 miles and one with 79,000. The higher mileage car felt like a better car in every respect, so don't get too hung up on mileage.
Edited by DavidCane on Friday 7th August 16:29
Maintenance and servicing is fine with me. I've seen on the Z3M forum that there are few popular privates near me so that's good to know. As I said, I'm happy with having those sorts of costs. I just don't want something that's going to depreciate rapidly and the Z3MC seems to tick that box too.
I bought mine with 92000 miles on the clock and bought it because it seemed a sound car that had been correctly looked after. I also liked the fact that it had been driven a lot for most if its life, with atleast a couple of owners putting 20k plus on the clock in a year, so clearly using it as daily driver rather than as a garage queen.
My logic followed, that these owners were using it for long journeys rather than popping to the shops, and that is what in my opinion suits these cars the best. Allowing them to properly warm up on each run and stretch their legs on a regular basis. Of course this is only my opinion and I could be wrong with this assumption.
I have now owned it for nearly two years and it has been completely trouble free so far. I generally don't use mine as a daily driver as I have the use of other cars (but I would be happy to if I had to), but when it is used it is mostly driven on long distance runs and has performed without any faults.
My logic followed, that these owners were using it for long journeys rather than popping to the shops, and that is what in my opinion suits these cars the best. Allowing them to properly warm up on each run and stretch their legs on a regular basis. Of course this is only my opinion and I could be wrong with this assumption.
I have now owned it for nearly two years and it has been completely trouble free so far. I generally don't use mine as a daily driver as I have the use of other cars (but I would be happy to if I had to), but when it is used it is mostly driven on long distance runs and has performed without any faults.
(See the SOTW 325i Touring thread 
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