2007 BMW Z4m convertible

[garywitha WHY]

Hi Guys,

So after a year of love with my 330d, a drunken police officer decided making it to his party was more important than stopping a red light and assisted me with disassembling my 330d front end. Basically long story short, she was written off and I have been looking for a replacement eversince.

I have the opportunity to buy a 2007 BMW Z4m Convertible with 110 xxx km on the clock for roughly R200k.

I took her for a test drive, she sound healthy, no error codes on the dash that I could see, and no signs of body work.
The brake pads and rotors were changed in August, she is due for a service soon and the Gear-knob has seen better days(needs a replacement).
Seeing as I've never owned a petrol car before, what should I look at and check for preventative maintenance.
Also, what am I looking at insurance wise, running costs and gremlins I should be aware of?

I have the VIN, I just need to know whom can I call to have the car's incident report/history pulled?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Gary

 

[KPM3_30]

Sorry to hear about the mishap..

Where is the car coming from and is there a proper maintenance history? If you have never owned a petrol car before, do more homework on an M car and more specifically the S54 - a cheap one could cost you buckets in the end. At that mileage bearings would need to be done and some other maintenance, budget a good R50k for basic maintenance work, on top of the purchase price.

Please make sure you do as much reading as possible before you take the plunge, there is no such thing as a cheap M car..

If it is the Z4M vert from WeBuyCars (https://www.webuycars.co.za/buy-a-car/934CB4288), you would be better off steering clear.. Here is why (Post #13) https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=94608&highlight=guts

 

[Divio]

Calling @"PLV" The 'self proclaimed king or queen [we are not sure as yet]" of of Z4M Roadsters....

 

[momo1]

Sorry to hear about the 330d, I have both albeit my Z4M is a coupe. they are epic little cars and will put a smile on your face every time, having had the brakes done you have already saved a lot, the big ticket item would be bearings if not yet done, at R200k its below the average asking price so I'm assuming this hasn't been. Good thing is you wont be losing any money down the line as they seem to be holding their value well.

 

[AdiS]

They're great cars, I enjoy mine a lot.

R200k for an example with 110 000km is a decent price, so just be sure to check it out carefully.

Key risk is connecting rod bearings. I recently did mine at 78 000km, and was quite shocked at the condition of the old ones given such low mileage, but it's not the first time I've seen something like that come out of a low mileage Z4 M. It's best to do them immediately - better safe than sorry.

Otherwise, there can be a fair amount of wear and tear that adds up quickly. I agree that you should budget at least R50k for bearings and initial maintenance catch up.

 

[TBP88]

Hi Guys,

So after a year of love with my 330d, a drunken police officer decided making it to his party was more important than stopping a red light and assisted me with disassembling my 330d front end. Basically long story short, she was written off and I have been looking for a replacement eversince.

I have the opportunity to buy a 2007 BMW Z4m Convertible with 110 xxx km on the clock for roughly R200k.

I took her for a test drive, she sound healthy, no error codes on the dash that I could see, and no signs of body work.
The brake pads and rotors were changed in August, she is due for a service soon and the Gear-knob has seen better days(needs a replacement).
Seeing as I've never owned a petrol car before, what should I look at and check for preventative maintenance.
Also, what am I looking at insurance wise, running costs and gremlins I should be aware of?

I have the VIN, I just need to know whom can I call to have the car's incident report/history pulled?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Gary

Howsit

Brakes being changed is a plus, a rotor is around the R4-5k mark per front.
A new gearknob is around R500 iirc, an easy DIY.
These cars do run bearings around the 100k km mark, this should be something you budget for. Peter is on the forum, he is highly regarded for this sort of work, there are other shops that do the work and some members have taken cars directly to dealers to have the work done as well. Costs in the region of 20-30k for this work.
Insurance - I am 32, male and have my car insured for R250 000, I pay +-R1050 a month. The "book" value on these cars is in the region of R140k, my car I'd value around the R220k mark. But I got a local sportscar dealer to write me a valuation letter. Most insurance will up your premium and deductable if you go for this option, but it's worth it to have your car better insured, talk to a broker.

Gremlins - I've had issues with my light control units (xenon ballasts) as well as with my alternator bushings.

These are common issues, fixes you're talking around R7.5k for the former and around R1k for the latter.

Beyond that the car has been a joy to own and drive. Heavy on gas (+-13l/100km in normal driving) unpleasant in traffic (especially when cold) would be the negatives. Positives are the noise, speed and turn in feel.

At high speed the car can feel a little unsettled over rough surfaces, the suspension is stiff.

I own the coupe though, so don't know how reliable these electronic roof operation systems are. Would assume same parts from a normal Z4 roadster and those are dime-a-dozen.

 

[444YYY]

What everyone said above is spot on!
It’s a very entertaining car. Does come with its quality issues as highlighted above, but that’s the way that era of BMW’s were. If you know it from the onset, it’s the best bang for buck car around!

 

[Rotinaj]

If it is the WBC one, then 200k is to much.

Front shocks are blown vanos is dead as a dodo and like i said motor is of unknown repair or providence. It's bene for sale since August, offer them 185k/190k and understand it's 10k for Konis and 30/40k you will be dropping into the engine to avoid it blowing it's gut again. Roof does work perfectly and all the other gubbins also seemed fine.

 

[garywitha WHY]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the assistance and advice. I do not mind the added expenses at this point as I am looking to find myself a for the rest of my life car if that makes sense, and with modern cars dropping the high compression and high revving engines for smaller blocks and more boost I do feel like the Z4 m is a much more unique ride.

And to be fair it was between this and a FC Rx7...

 

[Fordkoppie]

I think owning an S54 will be a breeze compared to a boosted 13B

 

[Rotinaj]

and did you end up pulling the trigger?