OK so having acquired Zed #18 last week I thought it was about time I got an ownership thread up – I’ve enjoyed keeping these for previous cars to share progress and photos and they always serve as a great personal reference point for someone like me with the memory of a goldfish. I’ve previously kept these threads exclusively on Zroadster.org but on this occasion have decided to double-up and also keep one on the Z4-forum.com so apologies for any duplication. Both forums have proved invaluable over the years and I’m sure like me most people are on both but I think there are still a few individuals which only frequent one or the other.
So I guess the best place to start is at the beginning which in this case was the decision to consolidate Z3 and Z4C ownership in to what would be my 4th E89.
Obviously with this being my 18th Zed, since I acquired my first one in 2018, I wasn’t going in blind but equally didn’t want to limit my search to much – so with the 3 main criteria decided upon (value, hardtop and six cylinder) the search could begin.
Now by this point I had already made my first mistake in that I hadn’t yet sold (or even advertised) Zed’s #16 & #17 – a mistake I had made on numerous occasions to the point where my wife had threatened serious consequences if my current ownership volume exceeded 2 cars.
With that in mind I made a conscious note to advertise the Z3 and Z4C but commenced the search for #18 having done nothing in this regard – if I’m honest though I always tend to keep one eye on the classifieds scanning eBay, Facebook and Autotrader for the potential next purchase and as a result I’d like to think I’ve become pretty adept at spotting a scam or equally a lemon.
Pretty much immediately I landed on a car that was advertised on eBay for what appeared to be scam money but looked genuine and also appeared on one of the dedicated Z4 advert sites which served further to alleviate my concerns it was a scam – I completed and independent vehicle check before speaking to the seller and agreed a deal that I verified with an offer on eBay ahead of sorting logistics and collection.
With that all agreed my wife’s voice was now ringing very loudly in my ears so I thought I better get a shift on to advertise the Z3 and Z4C – this time I decided to use eBay rather than the dedicate forums and Autorader as I had in the past. As much due to the urgency of the situation rather than the fact these hadn’t been successful previously.
So on the 19th February I listed both cars on eBay with a fixed price and best offer advert and much to my surprise by the following Saturday after just 2 separate viewings both cars had sold – have to say it was very nice to be on the receiving end of the classic ‘first to see will buy’ scenario especially given the current market and my situation.
The coupe was taken on the day and will be residing in York for the foreseeable and after leaving a deposit the Z3’s new owner collected the following week to take that back to Driffield – hopefully both have already or will subsequently become forum members.
Big sigh of relief and now I could collect the E89 without fear off retribution from the Mrs – so agreed a collection date of March 1st (yes I hate giving the Govt more tax than in necessary) and arranged a one-way ticket to Colwyn Bay after the seller agreed to pick me up from the station. Must admit I do quite like a train ride and long drive home when collecting a new car purchase.
So I guess the best place to start is at the beginning which in this case was the decision to consolidate Z3 and Z4C ownership in to what would be my 4th E89.
Obviously with this being my 18th Zed, since I acquired my first one in 2018, I wasn’t going in blind but equally didn’t want to limit my search to much – so with the 3 main criteria decided upon (value, hardtop and six cylinder) the search could begin.
Now by this point I had already made my first mistake in that I hadn’t yet sold (or even advertised) Zed’s #16 & #17 – a mistake I had made on numerous occasions to the point where my wife had threatened serious consequences if my current ownership volume exceeded 2 cars.
With that in mind I made a conscious note to advertise the Z3 and Z4C but commenced the search for #18 having done nothing in this regard – if I’m honest though I always tend to keep one eye on the classifieds scanning eBay, Facebook and Autotrader for the potential next purchase and as a result I’d like to think I’ve become pretty adept at spotting a scam or equally a lemon.
Pretty much immediately I landed on a car that was advertised on eBay for what appeared to be scam money but looked genuine and also appeared on one of the dedicated Z4 advert sites which served further to alleviate my concerns it was a scam – I completed and independent vehicle check before speaking to the seller and agreed a deal that I verified with an offer on eBay ahead of sorting logistics and collection.
With that all agreed my wife’s voice was now ringing very loudly in my ears so I thought I better get a shift on to advertise the Z3 and Z4C – this time I decided to use eBay rather than the dedicate forums and Autorader as I had in the past. As much due to the urgency of the situation rather than the fact these hadn’t been successful previously.
So on the 19th February I listed both cars on eBay with a fixed price and best offer advert and much to my surprise by the following Saturday after just 2 separate viewings both cars had sold – have to say it was very nice to be on the receiving end of the classic ‘first to see will buy’ scenario especially given the current market and my situation.
The coupe was taken on the day and will be residing in York for the foreseeable and after leaving a deposit the Z3’s new owner collected the following week to take that back to Driffield – hopefully both have already or will subsequently become forum members.
Big sigh of relief and now I could collect the E89 without fear off retribution from the Mrs – so agreed a collection date of March 1st (yes I hate giving the Govt more tax than in necessary) and arranged a one-way ticket to Colwyn Bay after the seller agreed to pick me up from the station. Must admit I do quite like a train ride and long drive home when collecting a new car purchase.
