Z4 3.0si Coupe adventure
Discussion
Hello everybody,
I wanted to introduce my new purchase. A little bit of background story about how I came about having this car and what made me want to purchase the car.
I've been a BMW tech for about 15 years now and when I was an apprentice Z4's were around but I wouldn't say they were common. I remember going out in a phoenix yellow E86 3.0si and being blown away by the induction noise into the cabin and the overall performance of the car. I also remember at the time thinking it was a very unique shape, I wouldn't say I was overly flattered with the shape at the time but I liked it.
Fast forward a few years and I've had many many BMW's, E36, E46, E87, F11 and loads in between.
I developed quite an interest for track days and built up quite a well specced E46 330ci. It had GAZ monos, pro race, rs29 etc but children came along and while building this car I listened to Internet rules a bit too much and ended up pretty much ruining the car for road use, on track it was lovely but on the road it was pretty awful, the monos were 330 challenge spec and made the car so hard it was almost undriveable over the tops. It looked lovely though!
I put it back to standard and sold most of the bits off the car, drove it for a while and then sold the car itself. I knocked about in a few R56 minis but couldn't really get on with them so sold those and then found my way into the E86.
So the E86, its a 3.0si manual that's done 101k. It's a really really clean car as you can see from the pictures below. Initial impressions are and don't laugh I've never had a car like this before, I'm still not 100% sure about it. I've never had an e85 or e86 and all the cars I've had before have been saloons, coupes or hatchbacks so it's completely alien to me a car like this. So in the previous cars you're sat almost in the middle of the car, loads of visibility around you and loads of cabin room. The Z is very small inside, I'm only 5ft 8 and it feels small to me, the visibility out of the car as well I think is something I'm going to have to get used to. The windscreen feels tiny and you can't see a great deal out of the back of the car. I do love though the view of the rear quarters in the mirrors!!!
The positives of the car are without a doubt the N52, what a glorious glorious engine BMW made. It sounds amazing, goes amazing, is simple to work on and is just great. The performance and actual driving of the Z4 is definitely one of the best cars I've had, it's not a saloon car that's been made into a sports car, it is a sports car and you can tell that.
I want to keep costs down really and would just like to enjoy the car so the plan going forward is a set of coilovers, polybush the rear trailing arms as the rear end is vague so the rtab are shot. Z4M front control arm bushes, these make night and day difference to an e46 and just enjoy it really. I want to get the steering wheel retrimmed, the central locking doesn't work and the glovebox lid had fallen off, all this will be sorted.
It's already had a new waterpump, thermostat, dsc unit and brake pipes so they're all common things done. The rocker cover gasket was leaking when I bought it to the point the cats were soaked in oil so I've fitted a new rocker cover with valvetronic motor gasket and multiplug gasket.
I wanted to introduce my new purchase. A little bit of background story about how I came about having this car and what made me want to purchase the car.
I've been a BMW tech for about 15 years now and when I was an apprentice Z4's were around but I wouldn't say they were common. I remember going out in a phoenix yellow E86 3.0si and being blown away by the induction noise into the cabin and the overall performance of the car. I also remember at the time thinking it was a very unique shape, I wouldn't say I was overly flattered with the shape at the time but I liked it.
Fast forward a few years and I've had many many BMW's, E36, E46, E87, F11 and loads in between.
I developed quite an interest for track days and built up quite a well specced E46 330ci. It had GAZ monos, pro race, rs29 etc but children came along and while building this car I listened to Internet rules a bit too much and ended up pretty much ruining the car for road use, on track it was lovely but on the road it was pretty awful, the monos were 330 challenge spec and made the car so hard it was almost undriveable over the tops. It looked lovely though!
I put it back to standard and sold most of the bits off the car, drove it for a while and then sold the car itself. I knocked about in a few R56 minis but couldn't really get on with them so sold those and then found my way into the E86.
So the E86, its a 3.0si manual that's done 101k. It's a really really clean car as you can see from the pictures below. Initial impressions are and don't laugh I've never had a car like this before, I'm still not 100% sure about it. I've never had an e85 or e86 and all the cars I've had before have been saloons, coupes or hatchbacks so it's completely alien to me a car like this. So in the previous cars you're sat almost in the middle of the car, loads of visibility around you and loads of cabin room. The Z is very small inside, I'm only 5ft 8 and it feels small to me, the visibility out of the car as well I think is something I'm going to have to get used to. The windscreen feels tiny and you can't see a great deal out of the back of the car. I do love though the view of the rear quarters in the mirrors!!!
The positives of the car are without a doubt the N52, what a glorious glorious engine BMW made. It sounds amazing, goes amazing, is simple to work on and is just great. The performance and actual driving of the Z4 is definitely one of the best cars I've had, it's not a saloon car that's been made into a sports car, it is a sports car and you can tell that.
I want to keep costs down really and would just like to enjoy the car so the plan going forward is a set of coilovers, polybush the rear trailing arms as the rear end is vague so the rtab are shot. Z4M front control arm bushes, these make night and day difference to an e46 and just enjoy it really. I want to get the steering wheel retrimmed, the central locking doesn't work and the glovebox lid had fallen off, all this will be sorted.
It's already had a new waterpump, thermostat, dsc unit and brake pipes so they're all common things done. The rocker cover gasket was leaking when I bought it to the point the cats were soaked in oil so I've fitted a new rocker cover with valvetronic motor gasket and multiplug gasket.
That looks superb; sits so well on those 18” 405Ms too! They’re the summer wheels for our F31 albeit I’ve had them refurbed in ferric grey, which IMO, would suit your Z4 to a tee 
I’ve always wanted one of these; unfortunately I’m too tall and even with the weight loss I’ve had, still too wide across the shoulders & back as well
I’ve always wanted one of these; unfortunately I’m too tall and even with the weight loss I’ve had, still too wide across the shoulders & back as well
Gad-Westy said:
Wills2 said:
Asking prices seemed to have jumped up, some punchy prices being asked for some of them.
They do seem a little higher but I always thought these were quite undervalued for a while so maybe the market is just catching up. They had a Covid bounce but that seems to have dropped back down to where they were pre Covid
Earthdweller said:
Gad-Westy said:
Wills2 said:
Asking prices seemed to have jumped up, some punchy prices being asked for some of them.
They do seem a little higher but I always thought these were quite undervalued for a while so maybe the market is just catching up. They had a Covid bounce but that seems to have dropped back down to where they were pre Covid
I paid £8,600 for my 77K mile Sport Coupe in 2016 and people still seem to be wanting 5 figures for ones with that sort of mileage.
I took a real hammering when I sold it in February 2020, but it had to go because I'd just got a great deal on an M Coupe!
They can ask all they like for them .. doesn't mean they'll get it !
There's a 77k mile Montego blue coupe for sale on r the forum with the owner wanting near 11k for it
It's been for sale since August
Last post on the for sale thread on 9/12
"As a rough comparison and I appreciate it’s difficult without seeing each car in the flesh. There is a Montego blue Coupe on Auto trader with 69,000 miles at £9990 which has been for sale for a little while, so the car needs to start under £10,000 in the current market it would likely shift quickly at £8990"
My view is that £8k-£10k is where they need to be for coupes and £6k-£8k for roadsters which is around.£2k off the peak and roughly where they were before the prices went daft
Just to add the for ale thread has been viewed 4600 times ... and no one has bitten
There's a 77k mile Montego blue coupe for sale on r the forum with the owner wanting near 11k for it
It's been for sale since August
Last post on the for sale thread on 9/12
"As a rough comparison and I appreciate it’s difficult without seeing each car in the flesh. There is a Montego blue Coupe on Auto trader with 69,000 miles at £9990 which has been for sale for a little while, so the car needs to start under £10,000 in the current market it would likely shift quickly at £8990"
My view is that £8k-£10k is where they need to be for coupes and £6k-£8k for roadsters which is around.£2k off the peak and roughly where they were before the prices went daft
Just to add the for ale thread has been viewed 4600 times ... and no one has bitten
Edited by Earthdweller on Sunday 22 December 21:04
I bought my E86 in Feb 22 and paid £10,250 with 88k miles.
It came with a horribly looking Sony head unit which I then sold on and put the original back in so the car effectively cost me £10k. In September this year I sold the car 91k miles and lost only £25
Good ones are worth the money but there are plenty or ropey ones about.
I now have a 3.0 Alfa GTV which has had more spent on it in the past 3 months than I did in 2 1/2 years with the E86.
It came with a horribly looking Sony head unit which I then sold on and put the original back in so the car effectively cost me £10k. In September this year I sold the car 91k miles and lost only £25
Good ones are worth the money but there are plenty or ropey ones about.
I now have a 3.0 Alfa GTV which has had more spent on it in the past 3 months than I did in 2 1/2 years with the E86.
Earthdweller said:
They can ask all they like for them .. doesn't mean they'll get it !
There's a 77k mile Montego blue coupe for sale on r the forum with the owner wanting near 11k for it
It's been for sale since August
Last post on the for sale thread on 9/12
"As a rough comparison and I appreciate it’s difficult without seeing each car in the flesh. There is a Montego blue Coupe on Auto trader with 69,000 miles at £9990 which has been for sale for a little while, so the car needs to start under £10,000 in the current market it would likely shift quickly at £8990"
My view is that £8k-£10k is where they need to be for coupes and £6k-£8k for roadsters which is around.£2k off the peak and roughly where they were before the prices went daft
Just to add the for ale thread has been viewed 4600 times ... and no one has bitten
Maybe my perception of values is based on my own experience. There's a 77k mile Montego blue coupe for sale on r the forum with the owner wanting near 11k for it
It's been for sale since August
Last post on the for sale thread on 9/12
"As a rough comparison and I appreciate it’s difficult without seeing each car in the flesh. There is a Montego blue Coupe on Auto trader with 69,000 miles at £9990 which has been for sale for a little while, so the car needs to start under £10,000 in the current market it would likely shift quickly at £8990"
My view is that £8k-£10k is where they need to be for coupes and £6k-£8k for roadsters which is around.£2k off the peak and roughly where they were before the prices went daft
Just to add the for ale thread has been viewed 4600 times ... and no one has bitten
Edited by Earthdweller on Sunday 22 December 21:04
I bought my first manual Sport Coupe in 2014 on 54K miles with full BMWSH for £9,600. Got a big bill for a new water pump and sold it on 62K for £10K in 2016.
Stupid move, which is why I bought my 77K miler 2 days later for £8,600 which seemed about right at the time.
Then in 2019 I started to get that M itch and drove a couple, then my 76K mile MC got advertised on 15 December for £14K. I loved it and just couldn't resist the deal I got.
So it looks like values have increased significantly over the last decade, to the point sellers are looking for almost as much for a 3.0Si as I paid for my M.
Anyway I hope the OP gives us an update of his progress and that all is going well. The N52 is a fantastic engine, which is why my current 330i daily has one!
Here's mine, I bought it last May, At 61 years old my first BMW and i could not be more happier with it! 2006, 128K miles, Manual, Silver grey with red leather, Previous owner spent a few ££ on it, He also owns a mint E46 M3 and was only selling the Z4 to contribute to his new house purchase deposit, All brake hard lines replaced and aeroquip hoses, Pilot sport 4 tyres, All new standard shocks, Front calipers, Water pump and thermostat etc, Great service history and wads of his and previous owners receipts, I paid just under 6K for it, The purchasing experience was great, The seller is a real enthusiast, I had coffee with him and his wife in their house whilst he was going through all the work done and i had all the time i needed to inspect and road test the car, He even offered to jack it up so i could inspect the underside! I've since done some preventative maintenance myself on it including Oil filter housing and cooler seals, Full PCV system, Both Disa valves and whilst the inlet manifold was off may as well fit a new starter motor as these are a common failure point on them, Also for this era of BMW's they seem to be very rust resistant! It's a great car and i always look forward to driving it, It sounds
lovely, Pulls like a train up to the 7K redline and drives great, Very rare as well as only built for 2 years, I've only seen one other E86 in North Devon since owning mine and i drive North/Mid Devon for a living! A surefire future classic car IMO, Mines going nowhere!
Edited by klunkT5 on Tuesday 24th December 08:30
klunkT5 said:
Here's mine, I bought it last May, At 61 years old my first BMW and i could not be more happier with it! 2006, 128K miles, Manual, Silver grey with red leather, Previous owner spent a few ££ on it, He also owns a mint E46 M3 and was only selling the Z4 to contribute to his new house purchase deposit, All brake hard lines replaced and aeroquip hoses, Pilot sport 4 tyres, All new standard shocks, Front calipers, Water pump and thermostat etc, Great service history and wads of his and previous owners receipts, I paid just under 6K for it, The purchasing experience was great, The seller is a real enthusiast, I had coffee with him and his wife in their house whilst he was going through all the work done and i had all the time i needed to inspect and road test the car, He even offered to jack it up so i could inspect the underside! I've since done some preventative maintenance myself on it including Oil filter housing and cooler seals, Full PCV system, Both Disa valves and whilst the inlet manifold was off may as well fit a new starter motor as these are a common failure point on them, Also for this era of BMW's they seem to be very rust resistant! It's a great car and i always look forward to driving it, It sounds
lovely, Pulls like a train up to the 7K redline and drives great, Very rare as well as only built for 2 years, I've only seen one other E86 in North Devon since owning mine and i drive North/Mid Devon for a living! A surefire future classic car IMO, Mines going nowhere!
Edited by klunkT5 on Tuesday 24th December 08:30
The argument when buying an 18 year old car is always low mileage v high mileage
Often a higher mileage car that has had a lot of preventative work is a better buy than a lower mile one that will need it doing
As to numbers you mention ... there were 3152 3.0Si's sold in the UK of which 2189 were coupes and of those 339 were in Silbergrau the same as yours
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