Thinking about purchasing a Z4 2003 / 2008
Discussion
Hi all,
Thinking of buying a Z4 run around. Aiming for a 2.5 or 3.0. Seeking advice etc. is the 2.5 under powered ? im aiming for reliablity if honest so which ever is the best. Read that the roof motor can sieze / needs to be moved, and that the sills rust so need to review all those typical areas. Do the chains stretch on these, and if so when roughly 100k ? Im 6ft, is the cabin cool with 6ft ?
All very early in my search, planning to review a few cars so would be grateful for any advice, common issues to look for, or service items that need to be replaced i.e. that dis / vanos valve ?
simon
Thinking of buying a Z4 run around. Aiming for a 2.5 or 3.0. Seeking advice etc. is the 2.5 under powered ? im aiming for reliablity if honest so which ever is the best. Read that the roof motor can sieze / needs to be moved, and that the sills rust so need to review all those typical areas. Do the chains stretch on these, and if so when roughly 100k ? Im 6ft, is the cabin cool with 6ft ?
All very early in my search, planning to review a few cars so would be grateful for any advice, common issues to look for, or service items that need to be replaced i.e. that dis / vanos valve ?
simon
sbk1972 said:
Hi all,
Thinking of buying a Z4 run around. Aiming for a 2.5 or 3.0. Seeking advice etc. is the 2.5 under powered ? im aiming for reliablity if honest so which ever is the best. Read that the roof motor can sieze / needs to be moved, and that the sills rust so need to review all those typical areas. Do the chains stretch on these, and if so when roughly 100k ? Im 6ft, is the cabin cool with 6ft ?
All very early in my search, planning to review a few cars so would be grateful for any advice, common issues to look for, or service items that need to be replaced i.e. that dis / vanos valve ?
simon
The 3.0 is the one to have, but then I am biased as that is what I have - a 2004 version.Thinking of buying a Z4 run around. Aiming for a 2.5 or 3.0. Seeking advice etc. is the 2.5 under powered ? im aiming for reliablity if honest so which ever is the best. Read that the roof motor can sieze / needs to be moved, and that the sills rust so need to review all those typical areas. Do the chains stretch on these, and if so when roughly 100k ? Im 6ft, is the cabin cool with 6ft ?
All very early in my search, planning to review a few cars so would be grateful for any advice, common issues to look for, or service items that need to be replaced i.e. that dis / vanos valve ?
simon
The roof motor location is definitely a problem and needs moving, don't buy one that hasn't been moved. They also leak from the windscreen scuttle and the door seals failing. I am trying to track my leak down as the underside of the carpet was sopping wet after two years stored in a dry garage.
I'm not sure about chain stretch, mine is only at 88,000 miles. Fingers crossed...
I'm 6' 2" and fit just fine.
The PH buying guide on the Z4 M covers most other things: http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guid...
Thanks guys.
Scuttle leaks ? Is this from the window screen itself, or over filled drains around the wipers ? jesus I hate water leaks :-)
I read that the motor is quite doable to move, Im not shy with the spanners so will do this myself if needs be. Also, I dont mind a no working roof if it lowers the price as I was told that the roof are easy to use manually ? True ?
Gearbox wise Im leaning more towards the auto but dont mind a manual. Arethe clutches hydrolic ? Are the auto reliable ?
Simon
Scuttle leaks ? Is this from the window screen itself, or over filled drains around the wipers ? jesus I hate water leaks :-)
I read that the motor is quite doable to move, Im not shy with the spanners so will do this myself if needs be. Also, I dont mind a no working roof if it lowers the price as I was told that the roof are easy to use manually ? True ?
Gearbox wise Im leaning more towards the auto but dont mind a manual. Arethe clutches hydrolic ? Are the auto reliable ?
Simon
sbk1972 said:
Thanks guys.
Scuttle leaks ? Is this from the window screen itself, or over filled drains around the wipers ? jesus I hate water leaks :-)
Blocked drains from the scuttlesScuttle leaks ? Is this from the window screen itself, or over filled drains around the wipers ? jesus I hate water leaks :-)
sbk1972 said:
I read that the motor is quite doable to move, Im not shy with the spanners so will do this myself if needs be. Also, I dont mind a no working roof if it lowers the price as I was told that the roof are easy to use manually ? True ?
Everything I've seen on the roof motor has said take it to BRM in Hampshire and get them to do it. They are generally quite spannerable though.I wouldn't touch an old BMW convertible where the electrical roof didn't work. There are a lot to go wrong, and not many spares even on ebay and it is probably indicative of a car that hasn't had any love shown. Why take on someone else's problem?
All the 6 cyl models are quite reliable tbh.
Early ones will be the M54 engine, the later ones are the N52. The latter are more powerful (and iirc a lighter block).
Early (pre-facelift) models can suffer from the 'sticky' steering, I believe this was sorted on the facelift.
Yes, if the motor doesn't work, you can raise/lower the roof manually (currently my issue!). Roof motor replacement is possible DIY (see various youtube videos), access is what makes it tricky rather than the job itself actually being particularly complex.
Look out for spec - heated seats is a must imo. Xenons are desirable.
Autos will be ZF 5HP on the early models and 6HP on the later They claimed by BMW to be sealed for life but ZF themselves recommend fluid changes (sorry, can't remember the interval). Manual is decent enough, many (including me) replace the knob for the shorter/heavier ZHP version which really does make a difference. Some also remove the clutch delay valve (CDV).
Early ones will be the M54 engine, the later ones are the N52. The latter are more powerful (and iirc a lighter block).
Early (pre-facelift) models can suffer from the 'sticky' steering, I believe this was sorted on the facelift.
Yes, if the motor doesn't work, you can raise/lower the roof manually (currently my issue!). Roof motor replacement is possible DIY (see various youtube videos), access is what makes it tricky rather than the job itself actually being particularly complex.
Look out for spec - heated seats is a must imo. Xenons are desirable.
Autos will be ZF 5HP on the early models and 6HP on the later They claimed by BMW to be sealed for life but ZF themselves recommend fluid changes (sorry, can't remember the interval). Manual is decent enough, many (including me) replace the knob for the shorter/heavier ZHP version which really does make a difference. Some also remove the clutch delay valve (CDV).
The pre facelift 2.2 is not to be discounted
Re the roof motors they sit in a void which can fill with water if the drain holes aren't clear
Frequently they don't need replacing just drying out
There's a number of people that can revive/replace/relocate dotted around the country which you can find on the Z4 forum
Most relocate the motors to the side of the boot where it's dry
The early cars are all SE and the seats are quite flat, you need a facelift car to get the sports seats which are a massive improvement imo
The later cars have a number of improvements including engine revisions and a different water pump ( which is a weakness on the earlier cars ) they also have bette sound deadening and insulation
The later 2.5Si has pretty much the same power as the earlier 3.0 but revs much more freely
Be aware that there's quite a power difference between a 2.5 and 2.5Si
Id probably avoid cars with Nav as they can drain batteries and it's pretty useless today
The only thing I'd say is avoid the 2.0 4cyl cars
Mechanically I'd say they are pretty bulletproof but I would check if the suspension has been refreshed as they can get tired
A key to improving drive ability is to remove the clutch delay valve, it transforms the gear change and remove the runflats
Re the roof motors they sit in a void which can fill with water if the drain holes aren't clear
Frequently they don't need replacing just drying out
There's a number of people that can revive/replace/relocate dotted around the country which you can find on the Z4 forum
Most relocate the motors to the side of the boot where it's dry
The early cars are all SE and the seats are quite flat, you need a facelift car to get the sports seats which are a massive improvement imo
The later cars have a number of improvements including engine revisions and a different water pump ( which is a weakness on the earlier cars ) they also have bette sound deadening and insulation
The later 2.5Si has pretty much the same power as the earlier 3.0 but revs much more freely
Be aware that there's quite a power difference between a 2.5 and 2.5Si
Id probably avoid cars with Nav as they can drain batteries and it's pretty useless today
The only thing I'd say is avoid the 2.0 4cyl cars
Mechanically I'd say they are pretty bulletproof but I would check if the suspension has been refreshed as they can get tired
A key to improving drive ability is to remove the clutch delay valve, it transforms the gear change and remove the runflats
As others have said I wouldn't bother with the 4 cylinder ones. A straight 6 is one of the Z4s unique features, and the 4s don't seem as robust as the bulletproof 6s either.
The pre-facelift 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0 litre all use the same engine, just in a different size, so running costs will be much the same. But if you plan longer Motorway trips the 3 litre is the only one that had a 6 speed gearbox.
Facelifts came as 2.5i, 2.5Si (and there is a big performance difference between those two) and 3.0Si. Facelifts all had a 6 speed box and came with SE or Sport trim. The latter all had the desirable M-Sport seats as standard which very few buyers seem to have selected from the options list on other models.
OE spec was a bit mean, although all the 3 litre cars had electric seat adjustment with driver's memory and headlamp washers - which usually just leak!
Rear parking sensors, heated seats, Xenons, cup-holders and cruise control were all options. Most owners want heated seats and preferably Xenons. Cruise isn't too difficult to retro-fit and cup-holders are easy
It's worth digging around a bit on a site like z4forum for some background and what to look for. You might even find a car advertised there!
As has been said the Clutch Delay Valve needs to go in the bin from any manual BMW.
The pre-facelift 2.2, 2.5 and 3.0 litre all use the same engine, just in a different size, so running costs will be much the same. But if you plan longer Motorway trips the 3 litre is the only one that had a 6 speed gearbox.
Facelifts came as 2.5i, 2.5Si (and there is a big performance difference between those two) and 3.0Si. Facelifts all had a 6 speed box and came with SE or Sport trim. The latter all had the desirable M-Sport seats as standard which very few buyers seem to have selected from the options list on other models.
OE spec was a bit mean, although all the 3 litre cars had electric seat adjustment with driver's memory and headlamp washers - which usually just leak!
Rear parking sensors, heated seats, Xenons, cup-holders and cruise control were all options. Most owners want heated seats and preferably Xenons. Cruise isn't too difficult to retro-fit and cup-holders are easy
It's worth digging around a bit on a site like z4forum for some background and what to look for. You might even find a car advertised there!
As has been said the Clutch Delay Valve needs to go in the bin from any manual BMW.
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