Shed4 - NC500 in a £20 189k mile BMW Z4 2.5
Discussion
Having recently ventured up to Scotland to purchase a BMW 645ci, I had no plans to return, but my luck came in and I won this beauty of a Z4 in an Autos
te raffle for just £20.
Having the briefest of tastes of Scottish roads last time, made me keen for more. So this time I brought my girlfriend and decided that it was my best opportunity to experience the NC500 since the car was most of the way there already.
After a stressful journey up where our transfer to the airport failed to show, we are currently in a hotel on the shore of Loch Earn and exhausted. Tomorrow we head further North in the UK than either of us has ever been.
I do love an adventure.
te raffle for just £20.Having the briefest of tastes of Scottish roads last time, made me keen for more. So this time I brought my girlfriend and decided that it was my best opportunity to experience the NC500 since the car was most of the way there already.
After a stressful journey up where our transfer to the airport failed to show, we are currently in a hotel on the shore of Loch Earn and exhausted. Tomorrow we head further North in the UK than either of us has ever been.
I do love an adventure.
snoopy25 said:
Looking forward to this then 
Me too. it's been a while since I've had a proper road trip.Mr Tidy said:
A Z4 for £20 is a real win, even if it is a bit leggy!
That's a proper adventure in progress - looking forward to the next instalment.
Thanks. I will try to get some better photos!That's a proper adventure in progress - looking forward to the next instalment.
Initial impressions are good, it feels very nimble and confidence inspiring. It cruises nicely and whilst the suspension is firm, on non run flats it's better than I expected.
Issues so far include a roof that needs to be unlatched manually, a coolant level sensor that doesn't and a Christmas tree of lights and horrible running when I bounced it off the limiter. A quick on and off cures the last thankfully with no issues after.
stickylabels said:
Nice one Woody. Loch Earn is always a nice spot and the roads just get better the further north you go. Pity the weather has gone a bit Scottish now ( I blame Sturgeon....) but enjoy!
You're not wrong! Incredible is the word. Amazing scenery and great driving roads. The Z4 is a great companion and top down is the way to go. Weather hasn't been too bad, certainly better than I'd expected.
W00DY said:
Issues so far include a roof that needs to be unlatched manually, a coolant level sensor that doesn't and a Christmas tree of lights and horrible running when I bounced it off the limiter. A quick on and off cures the last thankfully with no issues after.
Lovely photos in Scotland. It might be worth having a look on z4forum for those issues.
There are a few people on there who can often revive drowned roof motors and will relocate them into the boot so they don't get soaked by water from the roof drains where BMW put them! New motors are about £800 IIRC.
The three amber warning lights, aka the trifecta, are a common problem sometimes simply due to the battery getting low on charge, but wheel speed sensor, yaw sensor and steering angle sensor issues can also cause them. You need to get the fault codes read to know where to start.
Good luck getting it sorted.
Good luck….sounds like a fun adventure. I love the Z4, so one for £20 has to be a winner.
I did the NC500 in April and really enjoyed it.
If you have time, it’s worth stopping at Whaligoe Steps, Smoo Caves, Port Skera was lovely too. All are pretty much on the route too. I thought the Applecross Pass was a bit gash; potholed to hell and singletrack. Nice views at the top though.
Loch Marie is worth a slight detour on the way back. It was very quiet an very pretty. I enjoyed the open, flowing roads too.
I did the NC500 in April and really enjoyed it.
If you have time, it’s worth stopping at Whaligoe Steps, Smoo Caves, Port Skera was lovely too. All are pretty much on the route too. I thought the Applecross Pass was a bit gash; potholed to hell and singletrack. Nice views at the top though.
Loch Marie is worth a slight detour on the way back. It was very quiet an very pretty. I enjoyed the open, flowing roads too.
Beautiful shot and thanks for the tips, I'll check them out if I can. Agreed on the Applecross pass.
I'm really liking the Z4. It's much closer to a straight 6 MX-5 than I was imagining.
3 warnings on my wagon and I'm still rolling along.
I will get the code reader on it soon, but it drives well and the fluid levels are all good so I'm not too worried.
I'm really liking the Z4. It's much closer to a straight 6 MX-5 than I was imagining.
3 warnings on my wagon and I'm still rolling along.
I will get the code reader on it soon, but it drives well and the fluid levels are all good so I'm not too worried.
ChrisCh86 said:
Stunning photos! Looks like a great trip and a real bargain of a car at £20!
Yes it all should be ok if you keep the levels topped up, at least until you get home
Thanks. It's had a hard 1600 miles in 4 days and it seems happy enough. Cleared the engine code and it hasn't come back. Yes it all should be ok if you keep the levels topped up, at least until you get home
Court_S said:
Looks like you’re having good weather.
Car looks grand especially for £20.
It's been better than I could've hoped. Roof down 90% of the time and any showers were very short lived. Most of the rain fell at night luckoly.Car looks grand especially for £20.
I don't have loads of photos since I prefer to just enjoy the the experience as much as I can. The Z4 was a perfect companion for the trip, the cabrio element really lifted the experience and with the nimble handling and the M54 signing I certainly wasn't wishing for any more car. It crashes over pot holes and gets shaken around by really broken road, but for the most part it was fantastic fun, sure footed and comfortable.
Scotland was incredible and the NC500 is fantastic. We will definitely back, but we'll probably skip a big part of the east coast next time (It was nice to visit John O'Groats once, but once is enough). If you get the opportunity then do it, the scenery is like nothing else on this planet. It was much quieter than I expected and the roads in general much better. There were times where it really felt like we were in a dream or perhaps an advert for some masculine product.
I agree re the can point. Doing it in her 125i added so much to the experience especially with the incredible weather we had (same as you roof down for pretty much the entire 1500 miles aside from 20 minutes because of showers).
Lots seem to hate the east coast, but I quite enjoyed it once we cleared the traffic; the roads were pretty flowy, quick and it looked stunning with her yellow gorse to the left and they blue sea on the right.
Lots seem to hate the east coast, but I quite enjoyed it once we cleared the traffic; the roads were pretty flowy, quick and it looked stunning with her yellow gorse to the left and they blue sea on the right.
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