Hi, I’m 19 years old and I’ve been wanting to buy an E85 Z4 for a while now as I’ve always loved them from an early age and I feel like now is the perfect time for me to buy one. I’ve seen one that looks like it’s in mint condition - It’s the 2.0 litre 4 cylinder version and it’s from 2008 with only 14,000 miles on the clock. Was wondering if I would have to spend an arm and a leg on maintenance/repairs and if it’s a bad choice as I’d be using it as my daily and I cover around 12,000 miles a year.
Need advice on buying an E85 Z4
- Thread starter nsb123
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2012
- Points
- 178
- Location
- Newport, South Wales,UK
- Model of Z
- Z3 M43 1.8 (1999) and Z4 E85 2.5 (2003)
Main points to check are oil leaks from the cam cover gasket and the oil filter housing to block gasket, both go hard with age and repeated heat cycles, both DIY fixable. Roof motor/pump gets drowned if the roof drain gets blocked, always best to relocate the motor to the boot, a real pain to get it out but there are experts at relocation one here who can do it very quickly. I always recommend Alan, (Number5) on the Z4-Forum.com who is based in Bristol to do relocations he won't rip you off like some I could mention. You will need a decent code reader, bound to need one sooner or later with the amount of electronic modules these cars have, a good one is the Creator 310+ or the 410 model which is their latest one, circa £50 on ebay or Amazon. Try and buy a car with more than 1 key or its ging to cost you to get an additional key..
Do check out previous MOT history on any prospective purchase and look to see if advisories have been dealt with. Exhaust down pipe joint studs rust away and are a pain to replace as they are studs and awful to get out. Replaced mine with stainless bolts but took two days to get the old studs out.
Always good to plug a scanner in and scan the car your looking at and check for any warning lights when ignition switched on, airbag light should come on with key on and go out after a few seconds, if it remains on then there is a fault which the scanner should tell you what's at fault. Airbag modules, main one and satellite modules left and right are regular faults usually due to water ingress destroying them. Can be fixed with used replacements with acceptable part numbers that are compatible but they do need coding to the car with the Vin number. Z4-Forum members can do this and are spread across the UK so you may be near one if that problem ever arises.
If the car still has runflat tyres budget to get rid of them for normal tyres at the earliest opportunity.
Z4 as a daily will be fine.
Hope that assists your search.
Do check out previous MOT history on any prospective purchase and look to see if advisories have been dealt with. Exhaust down pipe joint studs rust away and are a pain to replace as they are studs and awful to get out. Replaced mine with stainless bolts but took two days to get the old studs out.
Always good to plug a scanner in and scan the car your looking at and check for any warning lights when ignition switched on, airbag light should come on with key on and go out after a few seconds, if it remains on then there is a fault which the scanner should tell you what's at fault. Airbag modules, main one and satellite modules left and right are regular faults usually due to water ingress destroying them. Can be fixed with used replacements with acceptable part numbers that are compatible but they do need coding to the car with the Vin number. Z4-Forum members can do this and are spread across the UK so you may be near one if that problem ever arises.
If the car still has runflat tyres budget to get rid of them for normal tyres at the earliest opportunity.
Z4 as a daily will be fine.
Hope that assists your search.
I presume you are paying a big premium for a car with such low mileage? The 2 litres are generally very cheap to buy now, as they are not the most desirable model. It was the entry-level model.
If you put 12k on it a year, the premium value will be gone pretty quickly.
The 2 litre engine in the E85 is not considered to be the best in terms of reliability. The six cylinders all are held in much higher regard. Although I do know of a few people who have had no problems with the 2 litre and love them.
As these cars are now getting old, be careful of cars that may have not been looked after well, even with very low mileage. Many will have not been serviced for many years, due to the lack of use. A car that has been sitting in a garage (or outside) for many years with little use can come with it's own issues.
Bear in mind aswell that a 16 year old BMW convertible will not be cheap to run unless you are extremely lucky. Parts can be very expensive. Not trying to put you off just being realistic.
If you put 12k on it a year, the premium value will be gone pretty quickly.
The 2 litre engine in the E85 is not considered to be the best in terms of reliability. The six cylinders all are held in much higher regard. Although I do know of a few people who have had no problems with the 2 litre and love them.
As these cars are now getting old, be careful of cars that may have not been looked after well, even with very low mileage. Many will have not been serviced for many years, due to the lack of use. A car that has been sitting in a garage (or outside) for many years with little use can come with it's own issues.
Bear in mind aswell that a 16 year old BMW convertible will not be cheap to run unless you are extremely lucky. Parts can be very expensive. Not trying to put you off just being realistic.
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