165k mile BMW Z4 2.5 - 3 Careful PH Owners

[greggy50]

TimmyMallett said:

2.5k? Is that how cheap those are? Or is my maths broken?

I picked up a 03 3.0 Manual for £2,650 about 18 months ago, spent £100 having the roof fixed ran it for 6 months and sold it for £3,450 when summer ended...

If you see one with a dodgy roof the Zed Shed will be able to fix it for £90-£100 and relocate the motor and you can get it a lot cheaper to begin with. The vanos will no doubt be gone on a higher mileage example now however and its about £400 if you want that done to get the power back.

The DISA valves is another common fault I replaced mine with the metal part myself in about 30 minutes and its well worth doing as if it fails it can grenade your engine.

I would also advise taking the foam insert out behind the glovebox for more induction noise!

[Sycamore]

greggy50 said:

I would also advise taking the foam insert out behind the glovebox for more induction noise!

The OPs car won't have that I believe. The "sound generator" pipe leading from the airbox into the cabin was only installed onto 3.0 litre cars I think, but I could well be wrong on that. That being said, removing the foam was the first thing I did

[thecremeegg]

Only 1 bit though, both bits is too hardcore!

[0a]

Thanks everyone for such interesting responses!

John Locke said:

I missed this on the barge thread; excellent, much more sensible than a Pug.

I think you're right there. I still have a 'thing' for a 205, but a leaky, rusty 1990 one would probably tire me in, er, 24 hours. Plus is was located in London (100 miles away) and the chap was one of those 'come and see it before talking about price types'. This Z4 was 7 miles away.

I prefer to talk price, agree the condition, then I'll come and buy it without negotiation. I suspect it would not have matched the ad.

CharlesdeGaulle said:

Following this with interest. Might it be a bit too similar to the SL for long-term use?

At times I have owned 3 or more 4 door comfy auto saloons! This is actually so different from the SL - smallish and manual. This is a bit sporty, the SL is a convertible barge, albeit with that old merc thing of going very quickly indeed from A to B. The Z4 is surprisingly fun. I am liking the BMW straight 6 and manual open roof combination.

carinaman said:

That angle and shade really shows off the styling. I'm a sucker for some of the features like the roundel side repeater and rear lights. It's possibly Bangle's second best design.

A colleague has a 6 cylinder Z3. I've told them it's the best sounding car in the car park though a V8 Merc. made an appearance a few weeks ago. I think inline sixes sound nicer than V8s.

This is the last modern BMW I really like the look of. This era BMW 6 are the best sounding 6s - and of course you need a manual, and no roof to actually hear them. I agree that 6s sound better than v8s.

mrtwisty said:

I really don't need another soft-top in my life right now, but the prices of these are very attractive at the moment. They look better with every passing year too - not something I ever thought I would have said when they came out!

I thought they were all 6 pots in the Z4 of this generation?

Do I recall something about having the roof motor relocated for reliability? Has yours been moved op?

Agreed. Looking at the pictures on Facebook Marketplace I found that there was a 4 cylinder in this generation

I think my boot motor has not been moved.

TimmyMallett said:

2.5k? Is that how cheap those are? Or is my maths broken?

I'm not very good at buying, but this was £2,450. It's high mileage, and has some bad previous paint at the rear on the driver's side. It drives very well indeed.

Justin S said:

Nice to see these cars being used and people not being scared off by mileages. The CDV is the the thing that will need removing. I did mine earlier in the year and makes it less jumpy, lighter action and no real downsides. 20 mins under the car and its done.
Look forward to this thread growing with a running report.

There is something that is restricting quick gear changes. I took a quick look, and while it might be 20 mins for you, it will be 4 hours and a broken car for me! Can I get a kit to give to my "The Man"?

TyrannosauRoss Lex said:

Looks great and well done on the purchase!

On the flip side, it's your fault it's been raining heavily here then

Ross, it has been ideal convertible weather here this week. I even cleaned it today!

visual123 said:

I've also got a 2003 2.5i in the same colour:



If it's anything like mine then you'll never tire of the noise. As other people have said, check if the roof motor has been moved as in the stock location it can sit in water and rust (it can be placed in a cubbyhole in the boot), and get the clutch delay valve removed if you find it annoying. Also there are a few aftermarket bluetooth kit options that plug into the CD changer socket if you want that.

Enjoy it, at that price it sounds like a great buy.

I must admit that I was expecting little, but the noise is excellent. I particularly like it when you lift off the throttle and get the full BMW 'woofle'.

Can you recommend a bluetooth solution?!

thecremeegg said:

Great cars! I bought mine 4 years ago for £4k on 100k miles, it's now on 150k miles and still going strong.
I've had the vanos done, the DISA valve replaced (definitely check yours as if it breaks it will cause big damage but is a 5 minute part to swap), plus new shocks and springs, and the usual cosmetic stuff, like Z4M wheels and Euro-spec rear lights.



Oh and I had the backbox modded to give a bit more noise, totally worth it

https://youtu.be/wa5OpuhMh8k

Sounds like I need to understand this DISA valve and the Vanos thing. It pulls really well - better than my 3.2 merc (heavier, but in good health!).

g3org3y said:

Congrats OP.

I see you've got heated seats. Great feature as well, perfect for roof down winter driving.

M54 engine in this is pretty solid. The 2.5 is reported to use a lot less oil than the 3.0.

Early Z4s are a bargain. Styling still looks fresh. Enjoy!

Some great info and advice here: https://z4-forum.com/forum/


(3.0Si, Montego blue, manual of course...needs a wash).

Thanks, seems like there is a lot of support around these cars. Are those gold wheels?


Sorry for those I missed!



I did do some DIY today....

Before:

[0a]

thecremeegg said:

Oh and I had the backbox modded to give a bit more noise, totally worth it

https://youtu.be/wa5OpuhMh8k

Sounds good!

[0a]

Sycamore said:

Obligatory pic:

I thought that my wipers were parking too high - it looks like they could go lower. These look to be similar.

[visual123]

0a said:

Can you recommend a bluetooth solution?!

Mine comes up as 'Car Kit' which I think is this, which connects to the CD changer port (I assume all Business CDs have this, mine is the basic one). Still have the changer in the storage compartment between the seats but it's not connected.

Doesn't display track info but allows me to skip tracks, and microphone installed by the rear-view mirror seems to be alright for calls. The bluetooth box itself sits under the steering wheel cowling (there is a flap you can pull down, quite flimsy).

[Sticks.]

visual123 said:

0a said:

Can you recommend a bluetooth solution?!

Mine comes up as 'Car Kit' which I think is this, which connects to the CD changer port (I assume all Business CDs have this, mine is the basic one). Still have the changer in the storage compartment between the seats but it's not connected.

Doesn't display track info but allows me to skip tracks, and microphone installed by the rear-view mirror seems to be alright for calls. The bluetooth box itself sits under the steering wheel cowling (there is a flap you can pull down, quite flimsy).

This came up on the Z4 forum recently. A number of Bluetooth/audio products have come up over the years but I've yet to be bothered enough to do anything about it.
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t...

Remote and/or one touch roof operation is a nice addition, discussed here https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1754395... with either coding or this http://www.gap-tech.co.uk/rchp.html

Looks a nice enough car Oa, hope you enjoy it.

Btw they were all 6 cyl at the outset, but the 2.5 was dropped in favour of the 2.0 4 cyl @ 2005 iirc, ie before facelift.

[carinaman]

Sticks. said:

Btw they were all 6 cyl at the outset, but the 2.5 was dropped in favour of the 2.0 4 cyl @ 2005 iirc, ie before facelift.

Wikipedia says the 2.2 was dropped in 2005 for the 2 litre Four. Wikipedia also says the 2.0i four was only sold in Europe.

[Sycamore]

RE the wipers parking too high, it's an easy enough fix. You essentially just strip the whole area down, and clean up the motor. It'll be full of grease and st which messes with the circuit, so they start to park too high.

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55535

[thecremeegg]

The wipers are incredibly annoying - I've done mine twice and they're parking too high again.

[s m]

0a said:

It has been over a year since I purchased a car, so despite having old mercs in various states, I was feeling the need to buy something.

I was looking at Peugeot 205 convertibles, and had chased down a couple to work on this week, trying to fit viewings hundreds of miles away into my 'working from home' conference call schedule.

Then last night, I started thinking about Z3s. Manual ones. There was a nice individual one listed on Facebook marketplace in a dodgy purple, but when I contacted the seller a massive 50 minutes after the ad went live, he had already had 4 enquires and two viewings booked.

Returning disheartened to Facebook, a Z4 popped up 7 miles away. No engine was listed, but from the pictures it was a manual, and from the underbonnet pictures a 6 cylinder.

I messaged the seller and he was clearly a solid chap. Pleasant, helpful and polite - makes such a difference and always gives me confidence.

I headed over first thing today, pretty sure I would be coming away with the car.

It's imperfect, having covered 155k miles, and needs a poor rust repair blow over done on the rear on the driver's side. But it drives really well. I was very surprised that it feels really tight, and rides well. Better than my Dad's SLK from the same generation.

The straight 6 engine feels very strong and sounds fantastic. I have always been a fan of BMW's old straight 6s, and this is the punchiest and nicest sounding '25 I have experienced (I think they get better with miles). I am told I need to do some valve thing to help the gear change - it's okay, but not great.

There are a few other bits and bobs - the headlights are cloudy, the driver's seatbelt retracts slowly, the BMW badge on the front requires renewal (ordered), it needs floormats that don't have an ///////M type logo on them.

But the alloys have been refurbed, the roof and roof motor replaced recently, and the interior is in great condition. And I rather like it. A nice car to zip about in over the summer. Hopefully.







It was a tank of fuel and some mats under half the budget of my favourite thread's £1-5k limit.

The 2.5 does sound nice doesn’t it



I’ve got the 3-series hatch which came with that engine
It’s a 6-speeder and has hydraulic pas but zips along well

Hope you get to enjoy some nice weather with it - my sunroof is somewhat smaller!

[Mr Tidy]

s m said:

0a said:

It has been over a year since I purchased a car, so despite having old mercs in various states, I was feeling the need to buy something.

I was looking at Peugeot 205 convertibles, and had chased down a couple to work on this week, trying to fit viewings hundreds of miles away into my 'working from home' conference call schedule.

Then last night, I started thinking about Z3s. Manual ones. There was a nice individual one listed on Facebook marketplace in a dodgy purple, but when I contacted the seller a massive 50 minutes after the ad went live, he had already had 4 enquires and two viewings booked.

Returning disheartened to Facebook, a Z4 popped up 7 miles away. No engine was listed, but from the pictures it was a manual, and from the underbonnet pictures a 6 cylinder.

I messaged the seller and he was clearly a solid chap. Pleasant, helpful and polite - makes such a difference and always gives me confidence.

I headed over first thing today, pretty sure I would be coming away with the car.

It's imperfect, having covered 155k miles, and needs a poor rust repair blow over done on the rear on the driver's side. But it drives really well. I was very surprised that it feels really tight, and rides well. Better than my Dad's SLK from the same generation.

The straight 6 engine feels very strong and sounds fantastic. I have always been a fan of BMW's old straight 6s, and this is the punchiest and nicest sounding '25 I have experienced (I think they get better with miles). I am told I need to do some valve thing to help the gear change - it's okay, but not great.

There are a few other bits and bobs - the headlights are cloudy, the driver's seatbelt retracts slowly, the BMW badge on the front requires renewal (ordered), it needs floormats that don't have an ///////M type logo on them.

But the alloys have been refurbed, the roof and roof motor replaced recently, and the interior is in great condition. And I rather like it. A nice car to zip about in over the summer. Hopefully.

It was a tank of fuel and some mats under half the budget of my favourite thread's £1-5k limit.

I used to be a Mercedes fan in the 80s/90s but changed my mind when my C280 Sport couldn't keep up with a 325i.

Plus BMW offer manual gearboxes!

So I've had nothing but BMWs since 2005 and only manual petrol 6s since 2014.

It's well worth having a look at "z4forum" for some useful tips, etc. and if you have a new roof motor you'll find someone on there who can relocate it into the boot so it won't get wet in the future.

The valve thing is removal of the Clutch Delay Valve, and is a definite improvement. A ZHP gear-knob also helps!

[0a]

My headlights have condensation in them, so I have ordered new back plates. Looking under the bonnet though - how on earth do you access the lights?!

[Sticks.]

0a said:

My headlights have condensation in them, so I have ordered new back plates. Looking under the bonnet though - how on earth do you access the lights?!

Via the wheel arch. there's an access plate.

[thecremeegg]

Sticks. said:

Via the wheel arch. there's an access plate.

Yea, this!
There are two actually, you want the larger one, just use a coin to undo the clip. Inside you'll see a thin metal bar that is clipped (tightly!) over the back of the headlight cover. You just need to use a bit of force and pull it and the back of the lights will pull out.
Fitting is the reverse, but harder hah

[0a]

Sounds like just my thing to mess up! Enthusiastically get them off, but fail to refit them!

[Sticks.]

0a said:

Sounds like just my thing to mess up! Enthusiastically get them off, but fail to refit them!

I thought that when one of the indicator repeaters failed for the second time. My jack doesn't go low enough to be of any use and although I thought I could reach it with one hand, getting both in to refit it would be a PITA. The dealer charged me 15 mins to take it out, clean it and refit.

[Court_S]

£2.5k? Slinks off to AT to have a look and wonders if I can convince the outlaws to let me store it on their drive!

I think the 2.5 of this era sounds sweeter than the 3.0, but part of me would want the 3.0 just because.

[Mr Tidy]

Court_S said:

£2.5k? Slinks off to AT to have a look and wonders if I can convince the outlaws to let me store it on their drive!

I think the 2.5 of this era sounds sweeter than the 3.0, but part of me would want the 3.0 just because.

When I saw the post with the road test I was surprised how quick the 2.5 litre was!

My only experience of the M54 2.5 litre engine was in an E46 Compact but it also worked pretty well in that.

And 2.5s seem to be easier to find for sensible money than 3 litres just because!