Used BMW Z4 - What to look out for?
Discussion
Been looking at a few used Z4s (either 2.5 or 3.0) most of which are within a budget up to £6k and as you would imagine some of them are quite leggy with between 90 - 110k +
I have owned an E36 323 with 140k and didn't have any issues with it at all - can anyone say if the Z4 will be a similar story (of course providing the service history is complete) Are there any particular weak points to look out for engine / drivetrain / suspension?
I am wondering that up to this sort of budget would I be better off looking at a late 3.0 Z3 with fewer miles instead?
Any thoughts would be helpful!
I have owned an E36 323 with 140k and didn't have any issues with it at all - can anyone say if the Z4 will be a similar story (of course providing the service history is complete) Are there any particular weak points to look out for engine / drivetrain / suspension?
I am wondering that up to this sort of budget would I be better off looking at a late 3.0 Z3 with fewer miles instead?
Any thoughts would be helpful!
I sold my 3.0i Z4 manual at about 80,000 miles.
Usual E46 platform wear and tear items such as bushes and rear springs will be needed at some point (mine had the springs and lower front arms done for the mot just before I bought it).
Only 3 issues with mine over 30,000 miles -
Noisy DISA flap (a plastic contraption that alters the inlet manifold). £125 from the main dealer and 5 minutes to fit.
The airbag light kept coming on. After being reset by a specialist it would stay off for over a month then come on again. Was advised that there was an airbag ecu fault on early Z4s. I lived with the light being re set once in a while.
There was some play in the diff, giving an audible 'clunk' at low speeds when you came off or applied throttle. Again, I lived with it as I din't think that it warranted a diff strip down and rebuild.
People report problems with the electric motors.This is mainly down to lack of use and blocked drainage holes near the motors.
The 3.0i (which has sport suspension as standard) sits low to the ground. My front bumper frequently caught speed bumps in London, and the sill on a couple of occasions, so look out for damage.
I wouldn't have any issue with keeping it for another 30,000 miles, but I had bought it at the bottom of the market (Feb '09), and sold it 16 months and 30,000 miles later for only £300 less than I'd paid for it!
Beware of clocked and written off Z4s.
When I was selling mine, the 5 closest to it in price were all Cat C or D, but not advertised as such.
I also had two 'specialists' offer to alter the mileage on my car; The first was when I had the key programmed to remotely operate the roof and the second when I had the airbag light reset.
Usual E46 platform wear and tear items such as bushes and rear springs will be needed at some point (mine had the springs and lower front arms done for the mot just before I bought it).
Only 3 issues with mine over 30,000 miles -
Noisy DISA flap (a plastic contraption that alters the inlet manifold). £125 from the main dealer and 5 minutes to fit.
The airbag light kept coming on. After being reset by a specialist it would stay off for over a month then come on again. Was advised that there was an airbag ecu fault on early Z4s. I lived with the light being re set once in a while.
There was some play in the diff, giving an audible 'clunk' at low speeds when you came off or applied throttle. Again, I lived with it as I din't think that it warranted a diff strip down and rebuild.
People report problems with the electric motors.This is mainly down to lack of use and blocked drainage holes near the motors.
The 3.0i (which has sport suspension as standard) sits low to the ground. My front bumper frequently caught speed bumps in London, and the sill on a couple of occasions, so look out for damage.
I wouldn't have any issue with keeping it for another 30,000 miles, but I had bought it at the bottom of the market (Feb '09), and sold it 16 months and 30,000 miles later for only £300 less than I'd paid for it!
Beware of clocked and written off Z4s.
When I was selling mine, the 5 closest to it in price were all Cat C or D, but not advertised as such.
I also had two 'specialists' offer to alter the mileage on my car; The first was when I had the key programmed to remotely operate the roof and the second when I had the airbag light reset.
Great cars, dont worry about the mileage these engines go on forever as long as there serviced properly, if the body is mint and its got 100k on it that wouldnt put me off, so long as the price reflected the miles.
Yes the roof motors can fail but its not the motor thats at fault, the drain holes get blocked up causing the compartment that houses the motor to fill up and short the motor.( a simple diy job to clean the drain holes )
Rear springs are common for snapping, Cheap to buy and take 10 mins to fit.
Apart from that, same running costs as an e46 .
Buy one
Yes the roof motors can fail but its not the motor thats at fault, the drain holes get blocked up causing the compartment that houses the motor to fill up and short the motor.( a simple diy job to clean the drain holes )
Rear springs are common for snapping, Cheap to buy and take 10 mins to fit.
Apart from that, same running costs as an e46 .
Buy one
I've just put a deposit down on one of these. An 04 3.0i Convertible. Body has a few minor scratches and one small dint, nothing major. Has stacks of receipts and a full BMW history. It's done 68k but on the test drive it felt brand new. Can't wait to pick it up.
Quick question, I think the PO had a private plate on which has now been taken off, but my insurance company can't find the registration on their database. I can enter it manually (like they ask you to) but is this going to cause trouble in the future if I am ever stopped? As I WILL be insured on that spec Z4 and it will be registered to me but obviously a quick scan of the registration wouldn't show the car has insured on a data base would it?
Edit: Car hadn't been in the dealership long so the database possibly hasn't updated yet.
Quick question, I think the PO had a private plate on which has now been taken off, but my insurance company can't find the registration on their database. I can enter it manually (like they ask you to) but is this going to cause trouble in the future if I am ever stopped? As I WILL be insured on that spec Z4 and it will be registered to me but obviously a quick scan of the registration wouldn't show the car has insured on a data base would it?
Edit: Car hadn't been in the dealership long so the database possibly hasn't updated yet.
Edited by Jimmy No Hands on Friday 16th September 19:03
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff