Thinkiking of buying a 2nd Hand Z4
Thinkiking of buying a 2nd Hand Z4
Author
Discussion

moresauce

Original Poster:

178 posts

284 months

Monday 3rd September 2007
quotequote all
Seems like the 3.0i with sat nav can be found for anyway between £14500 to £17500 for a nice one.

But is it any good, reviews say it is great, I don't mind the looks but what to hear owners views etc.

Would be part of a 2 car combo, 1 x Defender and 1 x Z4

plowy

262 posts

235 months

Monday 3rd September 2007
quotequote all
The reviews are all correct !!, great little car with no real issues to be concerned about, if buying in the BMW network fantastic warranty and plenty of comeback but you will pay for it. If you are confident enough then buy private there are some real bargin cars to be had, you can check all work BMW have done buy contacting customer services, local dealer will supply the number and stick to all other rules on buying along with HPI check and you should be safe.
One thing you must insist on is heated seats, it might appear a bit of a gimmick but come winter there are loads of days you will drop the top and the benifit will become apparent as well as resale time !!.
As for servicing they are the same as any recent BMW, when you turn the ignition you get a read out telling you how long to the next service and what it is, inspection or oil service ( change ).

When I bought mine I was a bit unsure as to having done the right thing but I tell you this is a fantastic car, the chassis is sublime, no scuttle shake at all, styling is a personal thing but I have really fallen in love with it, just drive out one day and count how many you see, exclusivity is a factor, residuals are bullet proof provided you keep the right side of £20K, just try and get as many extras as you can, including HEATED SEATS !!!!!.

Windymiller

1,937 posts

269 months

moresauce

Original Poster:

178 posts

284 months

Monday 3rd September 2007
quotequote all
Thanks Plowy,

I'll be buying outside the BMW dealer but through a sportscar dealer.

I'm after one with sat nav and heated seats just a question of best colour and also the wheeel options!

Glad to hear your happy with your car though.

Andrew D

968 posts

269 months

Tuesday 4th September 2007
quotequote all
I'd be tempted to have a look at the main dealers if I were you. Since the facelift a few striking pre-facelift bargains have drifted through the forecourt that you'd be pushed to beat. I've seen a 3.0i for £17k.

The 3.0i is a good choice because it came with an adequate level of spec as standard. Acceptable 17" wheels, leather trim, sports suspension, electric seat adjustment, six gears (!), etc. It's also only marginally more costly to run than a 2.5i, but not really more expensive to buy, and the 2.2i or 2.0i are a bit underpowered really.

Wheel choice is an interesting one, because by virtue of having runflats the 18" ride is slightly rough, but then all the 18" designs look really cool. The ellipsoid spoke design is my favourite.

As for colour, the 3.0i's came with metallic paint as standard so most were grey, silver or metallic black. I liked the blues and reds available, but they're pretty rare, so out of the remainder I'd be tempted to go with Titanium Silver, preferably with red leather (if you can find that combo). That said, bland colours are often favourable for resale so silver with black leather could be the way to go.

Windymiller

1,937 posts

269 months

Tuesday 4th September 2007
quotequote all
Only problem I've found with the ones with red leather is the nasty light grey interior they all seem to be paired with! Why do I never see them with the dark interior? Saw a new Coupe on the weekend with red leather and dark interior....lovely!

dan101smith

17,049 posts

240 months

Wednesday 5th September 2007
quotequote all
Just bought a Z4 3.0i auto for the girlfriend, absolutely superb car! Pretty quick, very comfortable, and a massive step forward over the Z3 she had before.

Try and get one with the uprated Carver stereo if you can, the standard one is a little tinny, and as mentioned before heated seats are a bonus.

She ended up with a black one with beige leather on 17s, but looks really smart. Paid over the odds a little at a BMW dealer but was in much better condition than the ones advertised privately, has a 12 month warranty and they offered a great p/x deal on the Z3.

Andrew D

968 posts

269 months

Wednesday 5th September 2007
quotequote all
Windymiller said:
Only problem I've found with the ones with red leather is the nasty light grey interior they all seem to be paired with! Why do I never see them with the dark interior? Saw a new Coupe on the weekend with red leather and dark interior....lovely!
Yeah, for some reason the "Red Leather" option involved simply swapping the trim on the seats and door inserts from black to red and keeping the rest of the "Black Leather" interior. Which is all the stranger when you consider that the beige interior involved swapping everything bar the seat belts and dashboard for beige trim.

MK4 Slowride

10,028 posts

237 months

Wednesday 5th September 2007
quotequote all
Go for the split rims Star spoke 189's. black with red or beige with blue are my favs.

plowy

262 posts

235 months

Wednesday 5th September 2007
quotequote all
MK4 Slowride said:
Go for the split rims Star spoke 189's. black with red or beige with blue are my favs.
180's wink, mine has them, they are actually a BBS wheel.