Advice needed before potential purchase

RedTen · 12 Jun 2013 at 08:56

I'm going to see the following two cars this afternoon and I was wondering if you have guys have any thoughts/opinions.

2004 330ci

2006 Z4 2.5

My initial search was for a grey Z4 with red interior so I've met somewhere in the middle between these two.

I'm swaying more toward the 3 purely because of practicality and the engine however I have a two seater itch that needs to be scratched.

The 3 being an auto worries me a little as I understand they are likely to go around that mileage - anything else I should be checking?

I'm yet to test drive either model so one could completely blow me away but I'd like to have some thoughts on it before turning up at the garage.

Decisions..

acemastr · 12 Jun 2013 at 09:02

Auto box likely to go at 86k? Mine's on 92k, has zero service history apart from what I've done and the box seems ok *touch wood*

Not sure where you heard that from.

RedTen · 12 Jun 2013 at 09:04

acemastr said:
Auto box likely to go at 86k? Mine's on 92k, has zero service history apart from what I've done and the box seems ok *touch wood*

Not sure where you heard that from.

See here. I've seen some mentions of it on BM forums also.

Do you think the 3 seems a little expensive? I guess the hardtop adds a bit.

scratch · 12 Jun 2013 at 12:32

That's the exact same garage I bought my 330Ci from, run by a couple of friendly and helpful young guys.

They source some very tidy and well-specced cars and this can be reflected in their slightly higher than average pricing, but there is bound to be some movement in the price.

RedTen · 12 Jun 2013 at 20:37

scratch said:
That's the exact same garage I bought my 330Ci from, run by a couple of friendly and helpful young guys.

They source some very tidy and well-specced cars and this can be reflected in their slightly higher than average pricing, but there is bound to be some movement in the price.

Well..I went for it in the end. I've put down a deposit on the 330 and hope to pick it up next week.

One thing I need to look into is bluetooth/iPhone integration if anyone has any suggestions?

I've seen android headunit replacements which look the part but I'm not sure if it would be good day to day.

scratch · 12 Jun 2013 at 22:04

Good job

How much did you pay in the end?

Looking at your pics the car already has the factory Bluetooth prep so you'll be able to pair up your iPhone to make calls. Are you looking to do more with it like streaming music over A2DP?

[TW]Fox · 12 Jun 2013 at 22:24

My thought is decide what you want first as a manual Z4 and an auto 330i are both very different cars. For example I'd happily have a 330i as a daily car but the Z4 would annoy me.

RedTen · 13 Jun 2013 at 08:10

scratch said:
Good job How much did you pay in the end?

Looking at your pics the car already has the factory Bluetooth prep so you'll be able to pair up your iPhone to make calls. Are you looking to do more with it like streaming music over A2DP?

They would not move at all though we did negotiate a better price for my trade in.

I'm quite confident it's not a lemon (touch wood). It's had all four wheels recently refurbished and the paint is in great condition considering the age.

Also the big plus was the gearbox had been serviced relatively recently at a cost of £1700 at a main dealer. That's one thing that I don't need to worry about!

The previous owner traded in to buy a £40k Nissan GTR so I'm hoping he hasn't cheaped out anywhere on this

.

[TW]Fox;24444860 said:
My thought is decide what you want first as a manual Z4 and an auto 330i are both very different cars. For example I'd happily have a 330i as a daily car but the Z4 would annoy me.

Agreed. Once I'd driven the auto I knew that's what I needed - definitely enjoyed the hassle free (lazy) drive.