Hey

[Russianog]

Hi, My names Jack.

Currently not an owner of a Z but i have every intention of buying a Z4M upon my return from deployment. (Leaving on the 11th)

Had a couple questions as well:
What does the tuning/mod support look like for the Z4? I do eventually wanna track it.

2006+ Z4M Coupe
Mileage: Under 70k (I eventually plan on doing an engine rebuild on top of cams/polishing and porting heads/etc. so mileage isn't as important, maintained is)
What do you think the price will look like? Im looking to spend 20-25k on it max

My radius for buying is inside California and any bordering states.
My dad thinking about getting it off of Manheim if we can find it so price would be considerably cheaper but just want the Z4M at w/e is the best price i can get it.

[nmulax]

Jack,

Welcome to the forum. Look around and you'll find a ton of great info on the Z4M and available mods.

For power, forced induction is about the only real option. There are headers/tunes/intakes... but with a BMW na engine you won't see huge gains from these things. Although my Z4MC with the ESS tune is more than enough to keep me happy. For everything else, there are a good amount of options out there for the Z4M. Just know that with an M car everything costs more (maintenance, mods, etc).

Don't limit yourself just to Cali. If the perfect car is across the country, a $300 plane ticket is a small price to pay.
As for price, mileage will be the biggest factor; most Z4M's seem to be between $29-35k now, with coupes demanding a slight premium over their roadster counterparts. Since you plan an engine rebuild you can look for something with higher mileage - which will lower your price. I'm not sure how much you save by auction, so I can't say if it's realistic in the $20-25k range. If that it the max you can spend I'd suggest either saving for another 6-12 months for the M, or the Z4 3.0si is a hell of a car still!

Also, thank you for your service to our country!


- adam

[Russianog]

What's resale value of a 3.0si? Will it maintain value if I buy it and upgrade in a couple months?

[chickdr]

The si's are holding about as well as M's so I wouldn't see an issue except that sports cars are not in high demand right now(so reselling may not be so easy). I think you could find a higher mileage M for your price (especially if it is from an auction). You may get lucky and find an off lease car(with lower mileage) in that range at auction too. Good luck and have fun in the search.

One other thing- make sure you drive both the si and M before making a decision as they are completely different in feel(especially the engine and steering). You may like one over the other based on this alone.

[GrayZ4C]

Originally Posted by Russianog

What's resale value of a 3.0si? Will it maintain value if I buy it and upgrade in a couple months?

Welcome to the forum Jack! I agree with Adam, with the money you want to spend the M might be a little out of reach. BUT a low mileage 2006-2007
Z4 SI coupe is totally in your price range. I would think a SI with 35-45 thousand miles would be a better buy then a M with 70K or more miles.

As far as the value is concerned, both cars are not even close to the bottom of the deprecation cycle and are fairly even (SI coupe V M coupe) percentage wise. I'm not sure what you mean by "maintain value" because cars rarely sell for what you pay for them 3-4 years later, but I think the coupes are doing alot better than most cars.

Now, I have no idea what's going to happen to our cars (value) when the new Z1/Z2 comes out, our cars become Z3's, and the 3 series becomes the
Z5. Only time will tell but it sure looks like there will be a lot of Z's on the road.

Good luck with you hunt and take your time to find the right one. Try the carmax web site, it will give you a idea what is out there and they will ship cars from dealer to dealer (for a fee) and you can look at it before your buy it.

I just gotta add, boy times have changed, when I was in the military I would never been able to afford a car like this, the best I could do was a 7 year old Datsun Z which I think I paid 3,800 for. Thanks for you service

[Russianog]

I'm also going to be pulling a ridiculous loan for this car. About 6-9k down payment. Mom as cosigner because my credit isn't near hers. I would probably commit murder right now for the car seeing as it wouldn't be much different then my job here in the corp.

Before the z4, I was set on getting a 05 STi but then something came over and I wanted performance with luxury. A small agile car

[santov]

Thanks for your service! Welcome to the family.

I'm in the Bay Area too and I want to check out any engine rebuilding you do. I'd go M if you're going to be doing engine mods. Hydraulic power steering, etc lend to a better track machine. Si are plenty for us daily driver folks.

[boondocksaint]

You can get the M for the money you want, but not within your search radius. Keep looking. Don't be afraid of the airplane.

[esqu1re]

[QUOTE=GrayZ4C;9740422]

Originally Posted by Russianog

Now, I have no idea what's going to happen to our cars (value) when the new Z1/Z2 comes out, our cars become Z3's, and the 3 series becomes the
Z5. Only time will tell but it sure looks like there will be a lot of Z's on the road.

Whaaaa? I did not know this.

[GrayZ4C]

[QUOTE=esqu1re;9742657]

Originally Posted by GrayZ4C

Whaaaa? I did not know this.

I know WTF??? it would seem that BMW is going to try to get MB SL money for the Z

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=538557

Below is from the link above

"The Z4 would be renamed the Z5 which would allow it to grow in size and for the smaller Z3 to slot in under it in the roadster lineup. The Z5 would utilize the F30 3-series generation platform.

The next few years look to be potentially exciting for fans of BMW roadster fans, as the potential lineup could look like:

BMW Z1: UKL FWD platform, soft top roadster
BMW Z3: F20 1-series generation platform, soft top and coupe versions
BMW Z5 (formerly Z4): F30 3-series generation platform, hardtop roadster"

[beta]

You can definitely get lucky and find one in california for that price (that one is sold, but it went for only 20k). But as suggested above definitely widen your search area. I found my M in Georgia.

[Russianog]

My only problem with going too far out of state is that I have 2 weeks of Post Deployment leave after I come back, and that's my window to get the car. My dad will be researching it while im gone and pretty much make it prepped to purchase in those 2 weeks. If i can't find one in those 2 weeks, flying somewhere to buy it won't be an option as I'm infantry in the marine corp, and we have a 6 month workup for our next deployment as soon as we come back.

Is there a website that searches every state for it?

[Finnegan]

Sure, autotrader.com and cars.com--just select "any miles" for the search radius. For forum specific items up for sale, no, you'd have to look here, bimmerfest, maybe others.

[boondocksaint]

You can all search all of craigslist if you want.

http://www.allofcraigs.com/

[bucko521]

Originally Posted by boondocksaint

You can all search all of craigslist if you want.

http://www.allofcraigs.com/

Here is another that does a search on Craiglist.... http://www.craiggers.com