2006 BMW Z4

I drive a 2006 Z4 Roadster with the 3.0 six-cylinder engine. I am also a mid-50's ballie FYI.

There is nothing wrong with buying a 10y old sports car. If you do your homework right and buy from a dealer, you have the 6-month CPA protection anyway should there be anything majorly wrong with the car.

I would advise that you take the car for a good test drive first. The N46 engine in the 2.0liter version does not have a lot of power, and the Z4 is meant to be driven like a sports car. You might be frustrated by the lack of power unless your main purpose is to drive like an old ballie through town with the roof down.

The main problems areas with the N46 engine are the Valvetronic motor which might fail (typically around 120000km) which is a R8k repair job. The valve stem seals can also fail which is somewhat cheaper to fix (around R5k) but special tools are required. Other than that, the engines are good for high mileage if the cooling system is looked after and oil changes/services are not neglected.

Check that the roof mechanism works properly on the Roadster. They are normally very reliable in our climate, but failures have been reported in wet climates (UK etc) where water can get into the roof motor.

You should obtain the VIN for the car and then get the service history from BMW. That will detail all the repair work that was carried out on the car while under Motorplan as well as any accident comments.

Ask around on the BMWfanatics forum for further advice, you will get a lot more constructive advice than here on MBB.

Lastly, BMW's are more expensive to maintain than VW Polo's. Budget for that and don't complain that it will cost R6k to replace the brake pads and disks for example.
 
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All Z4's except the Z4M came with runflat tyres because there is no space in the boot for a spare.

You can replace the tyres with regular non-RFT's but you should then at least get a repair kit with gorrila-snot and compressor which BMW provided as an accessory. These sell on gumtree for around R1000.
 
The car itself is an awesome drive, and you won't find many issues other than general wear and tear, however, that engine, after 100k km the seals go so if that hasn't already been done, budget for it.
 
Blue Shirt said:
continued:

All Z4's except the Z4M came with runflat tyres because there is no space in the boot for a spare.

You can replace the tyres with regular non-RFT's but you should then at least get a repair kit with gorrila-snot and compressor which BMW provided as an accessory. These sell on gumtree for around R1000.
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Thanks for the great advice. I will take it to heart. I drive a 1.4 polo now, I'm sure the 2.0L will feel like a lot of power to me.
 
Watch out for insurance premiums. You'll be hit heavily if you're mid 20's (Especially under 25), and with a car that is classified as 'high performance'. I've just been through this hassle, needless to say, insurance is hectic.
 
Do as much homework as possible before buying. Research all sorts of places... Join the BMW Fanatics forum.

Make sure the car is in good condition and ALWAYS look after it. If you don't look after a car, things go wrong and you don't want that happening to a BMW.

If it's in good condition and you've got some spare change should something go wrong (I'd say 10k is a safe amount), go for it ;) Nothing wrong with buying an old car if it's been looked after
 
So the roof on the car was broken and justifies the lower price. They also didn't offer me enough for the polo. Otherwise a really nice car. Will now try and sell the Polo myself. Check classifieds later if interested.:p
 
If you still want one have a look on the BMWfanatics forum as Blue Shirt suggested.

Guys buying and selling on there the whole time.
You will also get some good tips and advice.
 
I'm a huge fan of the BMW Z4, but with the 2.0L motor it's just dog slow, especially at altitude. 3.0L straight six or bust.
 
BLIXEMPIE said:
So the roof on the car was broken and justifies the lower price. They also didn't offer me enough for the polo. Otherwise a really nice car. Will now try and sell the Polo myself. Check classifieds later if interested.:p
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:erm: Why would they sell it with a broken roof? That will cost $$$ to fix, the part (roof motor) alone is around R8k but the whole roof has to come off to replace it. The labour must be another R8k for that.

Just out of interest, what price is the car advertised for?
 
Blue Shirt said:
:erm: Why would they sell it with a broken roof? That will cost $$$ to fix, the part (roof motor) alone is around R8k but the whole roof has to come off to replace it. The labour must be another R8k for that.

Just out of interest, what price is the car advertised for?
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It's for R110k. Where would one fix this? Bmw themselves? They will be expensive. Surely if someone did it privately it would cost less. Also, when pressing the button to close the roof I can hear a sound coming from the back. Perhaps the motor works but the mechanism is broken?
 
You guys have very low expectations if you are willing to exchange bodily parts that...
 
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