What i should look out for - Z4 Coupe

[iwantagta]

Hi,

I'm looking to buy a Z4 coupe as i need a change of car - budget up to around £10k.

Does anyone have any advice on what options are essential?
Or anything to be checking when i view a car?

Any assistance appreciated!

[ian in lancs]

These were the options available at the time for an M roadster. There wasn't much! Cruise is good to have but rare.

£119 - Auto dimming interior and exterior mirrors
£260 - BMW 6 CD changer
£0 - BMW Assist (only available when Professional Navigation System & Bluetooth telephone preparation + telematics selected)
£440 - BMW Hi-Fi loudspeaker system
£343 - Bluetooth telephone preparation
£343 - Bluetooth telephone preparation + telematics (only available when Professional Navigation System & BMW Assist selected)
£158 - Cruise control
£141 - Electric folding exterior mirrors
£44 - Graduated tinted windscreen
£216 - Heated front seats
£0 - Hood - Dark Beige
£53 - ISOFIX child seat system
£0 - No model inscription
£0 - Paint - Metallic
£251 - Park Distance Control (PDC)
£625 - Professional Hi-Fi loudspeaker system
£1,316 - Professional Navigation System
£44 - Storage Compartment Pack
£625 - TV function (only available when Professional Navigation System selected)
£0 - Trim - Brushed Aluminium
£312 - Trim - Individual Bi-colour Leather (only available when Individual leather upholstery selected)
£312 - Trim - Individual Mahogany Wood
£312 - Trim - Individual Piano Black
£158 - Trim - Madeira Walnut Wood
£1,685 - Upholstery - Full Nappa leather, Black
£1,685 - Upholstery - Full Nappa leather, Light Sepang Bronze
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual Nappa leather, Amarone
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual Nappa leather, Caramel
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual Nappa leather, Champagne
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual Nappa leather, Syrah Blue
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual New England leather, Dark Estoril Blue/Anthracite
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual New England leather, Imola Red/Anthracite
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual New England leather, Phoenix Yellow/Anthracite
£1,280 - Upholstery - Individual New England leather, Silverstone/Anthracite
£2,499 - Upholstery - Individual extended Nappa leather, Amarone
£2,499 - Upholstery - Individual extended Nappa leather, Caramel
£2,499 - Upholstery - Individual extended Nappa leather, Champagne
£2,499 - Upholstery - Individual extended Nappa leather, Syrah Blue
£0 - Upholstery - Nappa leather, Black
£0 - Upholstery - Nappa leather, Imola Red
£0 - Upholstery - Nappa leather, Light Sepang Bronze
£0 - Upholstery - Nappa leather, Sepang Brown
£251 - Voice Control System (only available when multifunction steering wheel & Bluetooth telephone preparation selected)
£145 - Wind deflector

[motco]

Cruise can be retrofitted to the ///M but people who know how are hard to find. Speak to Phil at CPC in Amersham. The first service on the ///M is vital, I'm told. Look for one with it documented. Oh, and drive with your mouth slightly open, it is a lively ride and teeth shattering might result! No idea about non-Ms though. There's an ///M in my family and it's an exciting car to drive.

[iwantagta]

Unfortunately wont stretch to the ///M. So would be a boggo model.

Is the auto any good or, as i suspect, am i better off with a manual?

[SamJD]

manual, xenons, sport spec not se.
Stay away from the split rims as they corrode and don't worry too much about higher mileage if its well maintained.

[Pistom]

SamJD said:

manual, xenons, sport spec not se.
Stay away from the split rims as they corrode and don't worry too much about higher mileage if its well maintained.

Some good advice there although I did like the auto with paddles.

The sat-nav is ancient now but gives access to additional audio options. Not a deal breaker.

Look out for general corrosion underneath, broken springs (easy cheap fix), worn suspension bushes, wear on drivers seat bolster.

If you like cruise control, the kit from BMW is an easy fit on none M cars but will need coding.

I struggled to find a good one when they were only a couple of years old so good luck finding one now.

[DeltaTango]

A friend of mine is about to put his 3.0 si sport up for sale. 92,000 miles but in excellent condition. They do exist. Feel free to pm for details as I'm unsure of the current PH rules of posting such things.

[iSore]

iwantagta said:

Unfortunately wont stretch to the ///M. So would be a boggo model.

Is the auto any good or, as i suspect, am i better off with a manual?

I preferred the 3.0Si to the M version tbh, easier to drive most of the time and still brisk enough. Great cars but they were very hard work to sell when new. Open the tailgate and inspect the panel edges thoroughly as it wasn't unknown for rust to start here - a few had new tailgates under warranty.

[Earthdweller]

I'd look for an Si Sport with MV2 alloys

As standard they have pretty much everything you need

Upgraded leather is nice as is cruise and comfort/storage pack but not essential

I wouldn't bother about Nav tbf .. Waze would leave it for dead and it destroys clean lines of dash

Service wise low mileage cars should be serviced every two years and it should run as below (higher mileage cars as per service interval but still every two years)


Oil service
Insp 1
Oil service
insp 2 (big one) to be done at 8 yrs regardless

Then repeat

Brake fluid every two years

I think the engines are superb and pretty bullet proof

Rear springs are a known weakness and only last about 40k before snapping .. cheap to replace or you can move away from standard set up

Rust in the tailgate can be an issue .. Bmw may stump up if there's a full history

I wouldn't bother about number of owners but buy on condition and history

Edited by Earthdweller on Thursday 27th July 18:15

[motco]

In my opinion the coupé is beautiful whereas the Roadster is 'ordinary' with its kicked-arse boot lid.

[TR4man]

motco said:

In my opinion the coupé is beautiful whereas the Roadster is 'ordinary' with its kicked-arse boot lid.

Very true

As Mr Tidy hasn't been here yet with a photo of his, here is a couple of photos of mine to be going on with

[Billy_Whizzzz]

The water pump will go if it hasn't already. Get it replaced (with thermostat) preventatively.

[dgm]

All valid points although the rust on the tailgate isn't usually on the edges, it's normally found on the inside of the panels and along the internal seams. The bonnet should be checked for the same thing.

Also a correction about retrofitting cruise, no coding required and it can be retrofitted as a fairly easy DIY. Also, on the M version the wiring has now been cracked by a member on Z4 forum and it's as easy to do as the non M.

[TR4man]

I'd always understood that any rust issues on the tailgate were due to the slight lip immediately after the tailgate glass which collects water after it rains and is known as the "bird bath". It tends to be a problem for those cars which are not used much and left standing with no opportunity to dry off.

Has anyone mentioned rear springs yet?

[mon the fish]

If you test drive one with runflats, and it hasn't had the front lower wishbone bushes changed, don't think they all wander and tramline like that.

We have a roadster 3.0si but changing the bushes and to normal tyres made an incredible difference. We've had no problems apart from the battery properly dying after sitting for 3 weeks (down to 7 volts!), wouldn't even respond to the key. But it was the 10 year old original.

[aquarianone]

Head over here, say hi and have a look around ---> http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/ (there's a for sale section as well)

Had mine for over a year now and its used as a daily driver, absolutely love it.

[Sticks.]

mon the fish said:

If you test drive one with runflats, and it hasn't had the front lower wishbone bushes changed, don't think they all wander and tramline like that.

We have a roadster 3.0si but changing the bushes and to normal tyres made an incredible difference. We've had no problems apart from the battery properly dying after sitting for 3 weeks (down to 7 volts!), wouldn't even respond to the key. But it was the 10 year old original.

Slightly O/T but did you change the bushes and tyres at the same time? I'm wondering how much difference each one made.

Although low battery will impact on the central locking, OP should note it could also be the G5 module.

[motco]

mon the fish said:

If you test drive one with runflats, and it hasn't had the front lower wishbone bushes changed, don't think they all wander and tramline like that.

We have a roadster 3.0si but changing the bushes and to normal tyres made an incredible difference. We've had no problems apart from the battery properly dying after sitting for 3 weeks (down to 7 volts!), wouldn't even respond to the key. But it was the 10 year old original.

My Z3 tramlines too...

[Mr Tidy]

[quote=TR4man]
Very true

As Mr Tidy hasn't been here yet with a photo of his, here is a couple of photos of mine to be going on with

Sorry, I've been away for a bit!

I just love how they look (and drive) which may explain why I'm on my second one.

So gratuitous photo time!



But standard spec is pretty basic - cruise, MFSW, PDC, heated seats, Xenons, cup-holders, Sat-Nav (but why bother) were all options. Some aren't too hard to retro-fit, others aren't.

Like all cars buy on condition and look for good history and an enthusiast owner, which you can assess if buying privately!

Electric water pumps do die and aren't cheap, so if you find one that has had one already that is probably a bonus!

SE models have Sport seats, Sport models have M-Sport seats which are just so much better!

And spend some time searching a dedicated forum (like Z4forum maybe) before you commit..........

Then get a drive in one to be sure it works for you before you take the plunge!

The split-rims (108s in Z4 parlance) look good but are prone to deterioration and are expensive to get refurbed, but if you find one with a good set and avoid kerbs there is no reason to discount them.

Good luck with your search.

Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 29th July 01:46

Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 29th July 02:00

[iwantagta]

Thanks all for the messages.
Very split now between the fun of one of these Vs the practicality of an Audi S5.
I prefer the split rims - think they set the car off!
Going to have to sit in one i think to decide. Seen a lovely one on the Z4 forum but its a long way away - going to make a phone call .