Looking For Z4MR....How Many Miles Would You Be Comfortable With?

[HEY32G]

The title kind of says it all, but I am just beginning to look for an M Roadster. It will be close to a daily driver - I work from home and just don't drive that much. I also live in a small town so I never sit in traffic or drive too far. But I will take it out for fun on back roads. My goal is to keep this car a long time. The max I want to pay is around $26k ,maybe up to $27k. CarMax has 7 around that price with around 50k on them. You guys think that's too many miles or would you be comfortable with that? I'm not a huge fan of CarMax, but at least I think they might stand behind it better than "Joe Bob's Used Car World". Plus they will transfer a car for not much money.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. (and yes, I know a coupe would be better )

[silverfishZ4M]

no, i don't think that is too many miles.

[David70]

There's no right or wrong answer, generally with more miles the price goes down so where on this curve you select for your car is an opinion.

I don't think 50k miles is too many, I would prefer a 50k mile car that has been well maintained over a 30k car that wasn't. I also don't think it is that difficult to get a relatively low mile MR for $27k. I would also spend a couple hundred dollars to get an inspection from an outside shop.

I also prefer buying it from an individual over any car company. Think it generally sells for less and I get an idea of who owned it and how they treated it.

[ZeD4Mr]

50k miles are not much on these motors. If you're going to drive it, some might already have Inspection II done and well maintained. It's a 6-8 year old car you're looking at. If it's under 30k on the clock, how well maintained of a car if it's only driven 5k a year? The gas in the car will probably be old during drives.

If it's going to be a garage queen then of course the lower the better.

[jeebus87]

Did you see this one? http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=890489

Seems right up your alley and might be (relatively) local.

[PLCZ4MC]

I bought my 08 model on 2011 for 30k with only 15,000 miles on it, now is around 45k and the value is around 26 so i guess is a goof price specially if it has a full package. Plus a really extraordinary car to have for a day drive, coupe looks like for track (my opinion only).

[seank]

What did every own before they could even afford a BMW, let alone one with a low 50,000 miles? Mine has 55,000 miles and still smells new.

-toyota pick up with 170,000 miles
-honda civic with 160,000 miles
-1958 VW with 130,000 miles
-bmw 320i with 150,000 miles
-bmw e30m3 with 140,000 miles. After 70,000 miles of 8000 rpm track life, I blew the motor (that was at 210,000 miles)

Don't let the forums make you think that BMW's don't run and run. More expensive than a Toyota to repair yes, but more fun too.

[PLCZ4MC]

what seank said is so true. U won't regret driving a M roadster on the roads and it should not give you any problems for a good time if you treat it with the respect it deserves.

[silverfishZ4M]

Like another poster said, at this point it's a 6 yr old car and the things that could break might be due to age, not mileage. So in the end there is not a big difference between a 30k mile car vs 50k car.

[jdoublehcubed]

50k is fine, i would cap it at 70k. you should be able to find an MR with 50k or less for $27k easy.

One thing to consider is that cars with 50k on the clock will most likely not have inspection II yet, while those with 60k will. Inspection II will run you around $2k at the dealer. I would lean towards either one with 60k miles or 40k or less miles, if you find one with 50k ish miles you're setting youself up for that expensive service right off the bat, which is kind of annoying.

[Vanne]

Mines got 198k kilometres , that's around 120k miles and going great : D

[jrainlay]

I have to echo the comments made above... I've owned 6 Bimmers and never had a serious issue with any of them (well... except for the rust problem with my '69 1600!). As long as they are properly cared for, they run forever, so maintenance records are critical to the decision-making process. The prices have firmed up recently, but there are still great bargains out there.

[nekky]

Originally Posted by Vanne

Mines got 198k kilometres , that's around 120k miles and going great : D

You might have one of the higher mileage cars on the forums here, Vanne!

[Vanne]

Originally Posted by nekky

You might have one of the higher mileage cars on the forums here, Vanne!

Yech recon I might. It does come with some extra expenses, but mine is in great nick. Just love it!!