How Many Miles is Too Many on a 2006 Z4M?

[HEY32G]

I'm starting to search for a used (2006 probably) Z4M Roadster. I want it to be reliable and I want to enjoy it for a long time. I'll probably drive it 4 times a week or maybe even more. We don't really have to store cars like this for the winter down here in Texas.

I doubt I will go the CPO route, from what I'm seeing I just can't justify the wide price difference on CPO cars.

Just looking for opinions, how many miles should I set my limit?

[KevinC]

If I were in your shoes, one consideration would be how many miles am I going to be putting on the car? If I'm going to drive it a lot (say > 15k/yr) I'd want a low-mileage car.. like below 25k, the lower the better. If it were going to be a weekend-type car, maybe 5k/year, then I'd look at anything up to maybe 40k or even more - especially if it put me in a good negotiating position on a higher-mileage car. Good luck in your search!

[nmulax]

there's no mileage limit - just depends on what you're paying, and how long you wanna drive the car. Keep in mind there are plenty of E46 M3's with 80k+ miles on them.
I don't think with regular maintenance, you'd have a problem getting 150k out of the S54 motor.

[GP20]

I would never buy an out-of-warranty ///M car. I'd get one that's at least 5k~10k miles before the warranty expires so you're covered if something goes wrong.

[VitaminT]

I bought a lady driven M3 two years ago and put about 20k miles on it before selling to buy my roadster. With 135k miles on the S54 it still pulled pretty similar to my M roadster. A different way of putting what the previous poster said is, it isn't how many miles is too many, but how many until it becomes unbarably expensive. $6k+ in one year was enough for me on my M3. I bought my 06 roadster with 13,500 miles.

[vachss]

Originally Posted by VitaminT

A different way of putting what the previous poster said is, it isn't how many miles is too many, but how many until it becomes unbarably expensive. $6k+ in one year was enough for me on my M3. I bought my 06 roadster with 13,500 miles.

What sort of things went wrong that cost $6K to fix??

[VitaminT]

SMG pump, SMG relay, right side fuel pump, fuel pump relay, rear differential. Those were the big things that I remember. I probably spent another $400 give or take on misc stuff like the trunk seal that was leaking when it rained, scratched up interior door handle pull, rubber flappy thing in front of the rear tire, shift knob that was worn, dash trim that was bubbling, thermostat that was stuck open, belts and other expected stuff.

I am not really complaining about what all went wrong or saying it was not expected, I have just made the decision since I only have one car that a low mileage car under warranty/maintenance is better for me.