Looking at buying a z4 with 125k miles...have some basic questions

[slo_335-e90]

Hey everyone. Im looking into possibly buying a z4 as somewhat of a weekend adventure car since summer is here and the idea of a convertible is quite tempting. There is one for sale by me with 125000 miles on it, a 2003 silver convertible. Its the 2.5 model, a 5 speed manual transmission.
My questions are the following:
1) What should I be looking for or expecting in terms of maintenance and mile based repairs?
2) I know this depends greatly on the way the car has been driven, but other than a few exterior signs of wear (missing a turn signal emblem, some scratches etc.) what should I expect to repair in the near future? (by this I mean should I be expecting a timing belt, clutch etc.)
-The carfax noted that the front brakes and rear brakes including pads and rotors have been replaced in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The carfax also indicated recent tire replacement and the spark plugs were changed in 2008, but I didn't see anything about a clutch or timing belt which Im concerned with. Im going to have it brought to a BMW dealership tomorrow morning to get it inspected, but I want to know what I'm in store for.

Thank you!

[slo_335-e90]

anyone?

[dekaliber]

I can't help you with the repair issues but AFAIK all BMWs are somewhat expensive to maintain out of warranty.

IMO the facelifted Z4's ('06+) look better and have better engines. I don't know how much said Z4 with 125K miles is, but since the depreciation has been huge on Z4s, it might not be a better value to look at a newer car with fewer miles. The market is going to be saturated this year with lease returns from '07.

Better yet, trade your E90 in for an M roadster.

[CalRick]

The Z's seem to hold up well in the higher mileages - while low mileage is fairly common for these cars that are often weekenders, there are several on these boards in the 100k-200k+ mileage range and they seem to be doing well. More wear-out replacements than a car with 100k less, but no major chronic headaches. These are fairly simple cars as BMWs go, particularly in their electrical toys, which tend to be the most trouble prone areas for BMWs. A 2.5 likely wasn't driven as hard as a 3.0 so that would be a plus in a higher mileage car. I can't recall any of the high mileage owners reporting clutch issues (tho some of them are autos) but that is as much an individual owner issue as it is a design issue. These cars don't have a timing belt, so there is no regular servicing there.

A major tune up was called for at 100,000 miles, so that is probably when the spark plugs were replaced. By the book (or in dash service indicator, such as it is...) BMW calls for an oil service (basically oil change and cabin air filter replacement) at nominally 15k miles, and a more thorough Inspection service every 30k miles; most owners who are concerned about longevity will change the oil at around 7-8k miles; BMW calls for a low mileage oil change annually if the car doesn't reach the specified mileage in that time. Brake fluid should be flushed every 2 years. BMW insists that coolant and gear oils are "lifetime" (whatever that means) but again, most longevity inclined owners will change them out at some regular point, usually around 60k.

There is some controversy in the BMW world over preventative cooling system replacements - lots of plastic have crept into BMWs over the past 20 years or so to the detriment of their service life; the plastic radiator hose connections and expansion tanks can let go with little notice and the engines are very sensitive to over heating. One common practice is to replace the radiator, water pump, thermostat and plastic housing, and the expansion tank every 60-80k miles (not specifically on Z's, but BMWs in general since the early 90s) while many get by with no problems in doing nothing for 200k miles. It mostly gets down to your usage and comfort level - lots of long trips vs mostly local use and its probably best to be safe.

Good luck in your purchase.

[AWM3]

An 8 year old car with 125K miles on it is pretty much past its useful service life. Where it should go really is the recycling yard. If you buy it, be prepared to replace virtually anything that might break, including the engine, transmission, differential, engine computer, and lots of other parts that are in the several thousand dollar range.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by iloseguitarpicks

anyone?

Head to www.bimmerforums.com and search for posts by users Imz4n and CoolZ4; the former had 180k miles or so when he replaced his Z4, the latter has over 200k miles and still drives his. Both have posted the sort of maintenance and repairs they've done to achieve these miles. User BlackSapphireZ is also well over 100k, but I'm not sure he still has his - he doesn't post on the Z4 forums anymore, as far as I can tell.