E89 BMW Z4

b3mor

b3mor

b3mor

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269
Hi guys,

I'm looking for a new car since the diesel pump on my Focus TDCi has given up the ghost at 92k(!). I'm not without a car as such as I have another I can use, so just bouncing ideas around really, and I'd appreciate your collective wisdom! ;)

I fancy something with more power than the Focus, and I'll probably avoid diesel as I'm not doing more than 10k a year at the moment. Plus they cost £stupid when they inevitably seem to go wrong. :(

So, my first thought has been the E89 Z4, probably with the 2.5 six. The N52 engine seems reliable, but what about the hood etc.? I'll be buying used, but don't have a fixed budget as such.

I could spend 20k cash but am considering finance as I'm saving for my first house deposit and don't really want to blow all that capital on a depreciating car.

I also like the idea of the 130i (and it'll be cheaper), but have a hankering for a convertible! Alternatively a 3 series convertible but I like the idea of a hard top roof.

I'm expecting high running costs after what I've had, say £250 tax, £200 for an intermediate service and £much for tyres if it has big alloys?

If you have any thoughts, alternatives, criticisms etc., please fire away! ;)
 
You are still blowing the money whether you borrow it from someone else or you use your own cash.

Anyway the 23i is fairly pointless as it offers the same running costs as a 30i but without the performance. Even a 35i costs barely any more to run over a 30i as the N52 is hardly any more economical.

If you are saving for a house why not look at a previous gen Z4? The 3.0 is very quick and they are loads cheaper to buy.
 
Not got any tips on the car as such (best to ask someone like Scuzi - who I believe owns one - or Fox) but I will add that in your shoes, i'd halve the budget straight away. You can get some seriously good metal for £10K and that way it doesn't eat into the house budget so badly.

Hell, you could go down to something like £7K and still get a decent car.
 
[TW]Fox;21231831 said:
You are still blowing the money whether you borrow it from someone else or you use your own cash.

Anyway the 23i is fairly pointless as it offers the same running costs as a 30i but without the performance. Even a 35i costs barely any more to run over a 30i as the N52 is hardly any more economical.

If you are saving for a house why not look at a previous gen Z4? The 3.0 is very quick and they are loads cheaper to buy.
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Yes, but by utilising finance I can retain some sort of deposit that can be used should I find the right house. I realise my borrowing capacity is reduced because I have a monthly commitment but if I buy using cash it will take me some time to get that money back. Perhaps I'm looking at it the wrong way?

I would like a 28i but I think insurance may start getting silly, although I admit I haven't run any quotes for that engine. I'm 27 but have a decent postcode. I think 6.5 to 60 for the 2.5 is enough of a jump over my last car that I won't be left wanting. Is it the N54 in the 35i? I've read too many horror stories around the direct injection engines that I'd prefer to leave alone for the moment I think.

I could never quite get on with the looks of the E85 Z4. If I got a convertible, it'll have a soft top, which I'd prefer to avoid. That leaves me with the coupe, but if I was looking at that I'd rather get a 130i. I seem to remember the 1 series had a facelift, do you know when that was?

Thanks you your post btw. :)
 
Bit of a random shout but as you are after a folding hardtop and don't seem to be after all out speed have you considered an SLK?

Should be able to get a ~2005 SLK 350 for £11-12k
 
nanospider said:
Bit of a random shout but as you are after a folding hardtop and don't seem to be after all out speed have you considered an SLK?

Should be able to get a ~2005 SLK 350 for £11-12k
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Thanks for the suggestion, but it isn't the car for me. Is that price right? Seems a lot of money for a 6/7 year old car! :eek:
 
My suggestion would be to buy a house first then see if it changes your thoughts, you won't have to worry about declaring it on your mortgage application, you will get either a better deal or be able to borrow more, you could keep the cash to one side then decide after you move in.

How far are you away from buying?
 
maccapacca said:
My suggestion would be to buy a house first then see if it changes your thoughts, you won't have to worry about declaring it on your mortgage application, you will get either a better deal or be able to borrow more, you could keep the cash to one side then decide after you move in.

How far are you away from buying?
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Fingers crossed I will qualify in my profession within the next 12 months at which point my borrowing capacity will increase sufficiently for me to be able to buy a house. So, a while off yet. Deposit shouldn't be an issue as long as it doesn't morph into a fast car in the meantime. ;)

I would like a car that has some sort of warranty because I've had enough of getting shafted everytime some component packs up. This does not mean I want a Kia though! I want to avoid DPFs, DMFs and all of the other crap technologies that seem to plague all cars these days. That is why the N52 engined BMW appealed as I believe it was the last before the direct injection engines. Plus the roof comes down and it looks awesome. :p
 
Just to add no massive payrise when I qualified either, now doing a different accreditation as I've moved industry but that alone wont see me with any sort of rise either (automatically)

If I were you I would put all that cash into my first house, you'll be borrowing less and paying a massive amount less in interest over the term. It could even give you access to a much better rate. Do this then save up for a nice motor. I wasted a lot of money when I was a bit younger on cars and whilst I don't regret it as such I could have a house right now rather than saving whilst renting if I had kept that cash. Might only be the difference of a year, two max.

If you definately must have something now then half the budget and buy a previous s40. The 2, 2.5 and 3 are all good engines - would probably have the baby engine over the 2.5but that 3 litre 6 is fantastic
 
I'm in a similiar position to you. I'm putting the majority of what I earn away into savings every month in an effort to build up a housing deposit. I would honestly consider spending an awful lot less than you are looking at. To the extent that I will suggest an MX-5 as an alternative. You can get a seriousely good one for 5k or less at the minute, you get the folding roof and rear wheel drive, and there will be no worries about having to dig massively into deposits or worry with finance. I know the folding roof isnt a hard top, but if your using it properly you will have the roof down most of the time anyway so it doesnt matter ;) It's increadibly quick to put up and down and both can be done from inside the car once you get the knack for putting it up.

I accept they arent as fast or refined as the Z4, but they are cracking drivers cars and it wouldnt surprise me if it gives you the majority of what you want for half the purchase price and probably about half the running costs.

This example gives you an idea of what is out there.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201151437046424
 
I had a courtesy E89 Z4 for a few days.

Did not like it much. Too big, too heavy and too sloppy on the roads. Do not see the point of it unless you are getting a sorted model with a proper engine setup.

The only thing I liked about it was the folding hard-top which was a work of art.

Getting back into the S2000 was a breath of fresh air. E89 Z4 is just not a roadster in my mind. It's a 2 seater convertible 3 series. It's just far too big for starters.
 
nanospider said:
Bit of a random shout but as you are after a folding hardtop and don't seem to be after all out speed have you considered an SLK?

Should be able to get a ~2005 SLK 350 for £11-12k
Click to expand...

A 350 is pretty darn quick for the price - quicker than Mercedes claim too. If I wasn't about to buy a house, I would be upgrading from my slk 230. Have seen many good deals on the 350 (mainly because of the running costs).
 
In your circumstances I'd suggest fixing the Focus and then buying something nicer in a years time. This is because:

1) Houses are expensive, particularly when you first move in. You don't yet know how much your outgoings will be each month. You may decide you need to redecorate, etc.

2) When you do start buying stuff for the new house you can throw it in the back of the Focus and not worry.

Lovely cars will still be out there in a year and you'll know much more about your monthly finances by then.
 
I'm looking to buy one of these in the next few weeks too I must admit. From my research the the insurance difference from an 23 to an 35 is not a lot at all (am 28, cat A post code), fuel costs work out about ~400 different over a year. There are huge dealer contributions on the finance for these at the moment, £7k or so which seems rather high. Synter Birmingham seem to have half the UKs stock of them for some reason.

Is the HPFP really a problem in the N54? While obviously no engine is perfect I'm looking at a may 2010 one so I figure that it will be on a slightly better fixed HPFP at least wouldn't it?
 
Okay so the consensus is to spend less on the car and focus on the house; sensible advice but not what I expected from the motoring forum. ;)

I don't know whether to get my Focus repaired and continue using it, repair it and trade it in etc. The car itself has amazing service history (oil changes every 7.5k for life), the DMF was done at about 70k from memory before I got it, camshaft position sensor is done. I'm just weary of fixing it and then something else major going wrong (turbo, gearbox, ECU etc.). I am a bit suspicious of the alternator at the moment as well.

I guess I could trade it in against a petrol nearly new Focus or something German/Japanese, but could be buying into another load of problems. Sometimes better the devil you know...

I'll definitely give the MX5 a look though, thanks for the suggestion. :)
 
I would definately either keep the focus or buy something like an mx-5 at £5kish kinda price, I'm not a massive mx-5 fan but it does make sense in this situation. Remember that no matter what you buy you'll need to look after it and everything is capable of chucking a reasonable bill at you. I wouldn't worry too much about your car, if you're clever about it the turbo, gearbox or ecu don't actually cost too much to fix - certainly sub £500.

If you just launch the car into a dealer/garage and say please fix theb obviously you could treble that but if for example the turbo goes, get it reconditioned or buy one that's already reconditioned (with paperwork to prove) and do it yourself or pay someone for the labour only. Gearbox again just find a decent one and have it fitted, won't be much all in. Alternator is going to need done at some point and is a piece of cake to do yourself. Fords can be fixed on a shoestring really, they're also dead easy to work on so you should have no real problems. Would mean you can bung more in the bank and buy something nice once you've sorted the house out.
 
I think as you're using capital out of your house deposit you should consider the 130i. You said you quite like them, and they can be had very cheaply at the moment. Great cars; lovely engine, practical and have a well balance chassis for when you need to hoon.
 
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