too high a mileage?

[philiper]

Good day all,

still on the hunt for the right Z4, found a nice roadster but due to the modifications on it (nothing crazy) the insurance was going to be too much for what I'd be using it for!

found this one, got the right colour combination, heated seats and Xenon's but the mileage is 142k

BMW Z4 Roadster

I'd prefer a lower mileage for sure, but would be interesting to hear your feedback

 

[andyglym]

If it's as good as it looks and the servicing is up to date and has been well maintained it wouldn't put me off. Not even run in yet and if you're going to use it as a occasional car you'd get another 10 years before you hit 200k miles.

 

[mrscalex]

I've noticed with the Z3s that the number of cars with over 100k miles has noticeably changed in the last 12 months. They can of course only go 1-way anyhow. But it seems to be accelerating.

Looking for something low-ish miles under 100k now seems to be the new under 90k of before if that makes sense.

So I don't think we are far off the point where the majority are over 100k. 2-3 years maybe?

This is the current ebay position. So 26.5% over 100k miles. And without going into all the listings I would guess that figure would rise to 40% for over 90k.

10,000 to 24,999 miles (3)
25,000 to 49,999 miles (20)
50,000 to 74,999 miles (33)
75,000 to 99,999 miles (41)
More than 100,000 miles (35)

Excludes<10k and not specified. Although the tend to be the high milers anyway. Eg people putting 132 miles instead of 132k miles gets picked up as <10k.

 

[Nodzed]

Dont get hung up with mileage ..... condition condition condition. you can buy a low mileage car thats a pile of crap and a high miler thats exceptional and has been loved.

 

[chrisjw]

Take a look at the MOT history on the DVLA web site this will give you a good insight to how the z has been maintained.

 

[philiper]

Thanks all, have had a quick look few MOT fails and few passes, have asked for service history to see how it was maintained

 

[benf]

Still want a good few quid off asking price though.

 

[Chaz Ricorn]

I know they are not exactly like for like as these are autos, but just for comparison
2003/100K £3,680
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803174660391

or
2005/75k £4,495
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809130468854

or
2006/88k £4,695
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810111396230

Which makes this one at 142k pretty expensive

 

[Ianmc]

Are auto Z4s generally cheaper than manuals?

 

[2DunnsZ3]

don't know much about the Z4 but I wouldn't be scared of that mileage on a z3. It is all about how it was cared for. mine has 106000 and does not have one speck of rust and has been meticulously cared for buy someone I know is even more OCD then myself. Plus you have to keep in mind it is a BMW, built with quality for distance .

 

[Chaz Ricorn]

Are auto Z4s generally cheaper than manuals?

I don't know, however a quick check of manuals on Autotrader shows up a few similar cars of about the same prices, so I would guess not.

 

[philiper]

I know they are not exactly like for like as these are autos, but just for comparison
2003/100K £3,680
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201803174660391

or
2005/75k £4,495
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809130468854

or
2006/88k £4,695
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810111396230

Which makes this one at 142k pretty expensive

Thanks, but they are not similar, the 3ltr auto is 2003 and the other 2 are 2.5ltr!

As my daily is auto, only looking for manual, not in any rush just looking for something that fits my requirements and within budget

 

[t-tony]

The Z4 3.0i has the same engine as the Z3 3.0. If a car has good maintainance record mileage is much less of an issue.

Tony

 

[Ianmc]

The mileage issue is a quandary: logic (and my experience) says that if these cars are well maintained mileage is not an issue at all, indeed a high mileage car can be a better proposition than a low mileage one that has been used infrequently, often for shorter journeys. That said, most people (including me!) want the lowest mileage car they can get (perhaps afford). Difficult to "square the circle".

 

[gookah]

I will be the only one to share a different view here then
Higher mileage and well maintained.? OK that will protect some things, but not everything. Various mechanical components have a life span. some cannot be maintained and some lifespans can not be increased with regular maintenance.
Ball joints bushes and bearings wear, water pumps, shock absorbers, and a lot of other things do not benefit from a service
Now you could go for a mileage around or below when they are due first replacement, (maybe 70-80k?) so expense could be imminent, or a mileage where they should have been replaced once already.
They may well have been replaced, but that also depends on the quality of the replacements.
My 1 Series has just had an MOT yesterday. however last week I had a look around to see if it needed anything doing so I jacked it up
One rear shock absorber was leaking, so I ordered two new ones.
On replacing them I found that the 'still good' shock absorber was an original, still badged with the BMW sticker
The leaking one however was a replacement and a name I had not heard off
Now the car has done only 56,000 miles, would you expect it to be on a third shocker?
I also had to change a track rod end ball joint and a steering arm , Both had already been replaced .....with cheapo stuff.

Even electrics suffer with age, the lamps get dimmer, dashboard instrument cluster, outside lamps, all will help the car look a bit tired, Sure they can be changed but less likely to require it on a low mileage.
Bodywork will have more chips and marks that cannot be helped, seats will show more wear, steering wheels will be a bit more worn. All can be maintained but at a cost not necessarily needed yet on a lower mileage.

So a higher mileage HAS to show a good price to allow for stuff that is still due to fail
The rate of requiring stuff goes up exponentially as more things reach their lifespan. its not linear.
Maintenance, (where you can) just means you get the maximum out of it, but it still wears, and fails eventually.

Most things that people are having to change on here are items that cannot be maintained, not engines, gearboxes and differentials that see the affect of good or bad maintenance.
We are all doing bushes, suspension, brakes, water pumps, thermostats, radiators etc etc no amount of looking after the car affects them.

 

[Ianmc]

Well maintained means to me that everything is serviced as required and/or replaced as necessary with good quality parts. This includes trim items etc.
Many low mileage cars suffer from being just that, in terms of electrics, rust, reliability and so on. Guess logic is that it's all about condition, whatever the mileage.

 

[Brian4]

Hi @philiper mileage as long as maintained not too much of a worry taking into account points from @gookah and @Ianmc . That is the cheapest 3.0 si on autotrader and they do command a bit of a premium for the newer engine. 6 months warranty just check what the warranty covers.

Ask if a local member would come along to view if you think you would like a second opinion or ask if ok for an independent check at a garage etc.

 

[2DunnsZ3]

Having a member nearby for a second opinion and devils advocate is a great idea. If you are anything like me , if I want it bad enough I can talk myself into anything!

 

[abh29]

Its one think to be talking about mileage ---but how many of us buy cars as old as Z3 and can be sure the speedo mileage is accurate.
Since buying ours its been possible to look at older MoT's and I know suspect the car was "clocked" at one stage, its a case of the MoT record not quite tying in with the service book.
Of coarse this could just be similar to when I had a car back from service with the invoice and book saying over 888k not the true figure of 88k miles.

I had a 51 plated 525d that gave a lot of engine trouble in the first 15,ooo miles but was perfect until I parted with it at 145,000 when 2 years old. A friend bought it and when I last saw it had 255,000 on clock , and had had injectors replaced , nothing else except services

Since writing this I have checked the MoT records , the car last MoT expired Set 2011

 

[Redline]

Cars willl cost you whether they are used or not.

Low miles on an older car means it has either been sat doing nothing for long periods or has been doing short journeys. Neither is good for the engine and other parts too. If the car has been stored in a garage or controlled atmosphere then corrosion shouldn’t be too much of a worry. But, cars in long term storage still need to be run to keep oil circulated around the engine or left completely unused and then carefully coaxed back in to life. Most wear happens in the first few minutes of use.

Rubber degrades over time too.

Using a car wears out parts though.

A used but well maintained car, that is one having those parts subject to wear and degradation is well worth considering. Many of the parts will be much newer than the car. If good parts are used, there is little risk.

Only a close and thorough examination of the car and it’s documentation will tell you what you are looking at.
Anyone selling a good car will not mind you doing that.

Don’t expect to buy any car that doesn’t have issues unless it has been owned by someone who has spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds on it.

Low mileage is no guarantee of a perfect trouble free car when looking at older examples. Buyer beware.
Buying from a dealer giving a warranty gives some short term protection. But, that is all.