Used Z4M (E85/E86) advice

[Dav3]

I've fallen in love with the E85 Z4M after a friend let me drive it for the weekend and I'm seriously looking to get one (Europe)

Admittedly, I was a bit surprised with their current price/mileage ratio and was wondering whether it would still be worth it to get one with 50,000 miles / 80,000km or above

I've browsed this sub a bit and it looks like I'm in the right place to ask

What do you guys suggest? Is it still worth to get a higher mileage Z4M in 2019? Or will it be a money pit that's not worth it?

[David70]

Not sure what you mean by "is it worth it". As the mileage goes up the price goes down and the market has set this price. I would worry more about condition and history than miles (to an extent as I am not interested in a really high mileage car) and 50k miles isn't that many miles. Mine has been very trouble free but I wouldn't buy a 10 year old car without having some money available for maintenance and repairs.

Only you can really decide if it is worth it or not. If your are planning on putting 15k - 20k miles a year on it then I would pass. Otherwise if it isn't losing a lot of value right now and possibly going up a little (depending on how many miles you put on it).

[The HACK]

The car is 11-13 years old. A 50,000 mile car means it's been driven 6,000 miles a year.

That's not a lot of miles. On the contrary, that's just about "right" for a car that regularly gets its exercise rather than sit in a garage for the various internal engine seals to rot. PERSONALLY I'd be a lot more comfortable with any 10+ year old, non-collector's car to have some miles, like 30,000-60,000 miles, than the same car to be less than 10,000 miles.

Especially with modern cars. For a car to have THAT little miles, it means the car's fired up, driven once a week, and almost NEVER driven long enough for the engine to be warm (and even if it is, it's just BARELY long enough to get warm, then shut down for another 2 weeks).

Also, with total of less than 10,000 made world wide, and maybe only about 3,xxx or so available in EU, I think you let your budget dictate where the mileage lies, IMO. Beggars, as they say, can't be choosers. Not with this few examples laying around. They're few enough where they're hard to find, but not so few that mileage and condition doesn't matter (like, say, the 1M Coupe) to price.

[mziggy16]

Originally Posted by David70

Not sure what you mean by "is it worth it". As the mileage goes up the price goes down and the market has set this price. I would worry more about condition and history than miles (to an extent as I am not interested in a really high mileage car) and 50k miles isn't that many miles. Mine has been very trouble free but I wouldn't buy a 10 year old car without having some money available for maintenance and repairs.

Only you can really decide if it is worth it or not. If your are planning on putting 15k - 20k miles a year on it then I would pass. Otherwise if it isn't losing a lot of value right now and possibly going up a little (depending on how many miles you put on it).

This pretty well sums it up.

A little over a year ago I picked one up with 127k miles on it. I broke my own rule of not buying high mileage BMW's, but it had a 2" thick folder of maintenance back to when it was first turned in off lease and the owner lived forever away from where he worked, so mostly highway miles. The price was right and I had money set aside to knock out some big ticket items off the bat. From there it's just been maintenance, tinkering and replacing wear parts. But make sure you have some cash on hand - there's no such thing as a cheap German car, especially one that's over a decade old.

The car itself is amazing - I go back a forth driving the Z4M and a F30 335i and the cars couldn't be more different. The Z's handling, steering feel and S54 noises are unparalleled for the money.

[WeekendWarriorz]

I bought one with 52k miles on it a few months ago. My old one I sold with 94k miles. There are not many issues with these cars, just small things that need to be replaced occasionally. There is no other car on the planet that gives you the driving experience for the money that you pay. If you plan on getting on then you should account that you're probably going to keep the car for a while. absolutely it will be a money pit, but it's an enjoyable money pit that you will feel satisfied driving.

[ShawnPaul]

I don't hear a lot of reliability problems from the drivers I know. I haven't had to make any repairs on mine that I have owned for a year. I think the car is more fun than anything currently for sale (minus maybe a gt3). I own a newer Porsche, but the bmw is still my favourite by a long shot. My only advice is that I would say to get the coupe. It has a cool factor and a visual presence that is well above its price tag. They might also continue to increase in value. I can't say enough good things about my Z4m. You should get one.

[elerner61]

When considering a car with anything but low mileage to buy (less than 40K) I would say there are two S54 engine concerns that need to be considered.

1. Vanos exhaust hub tabs. The tabs on the hubs break. Period. From the factory, they break because the tolerance between the tab and the oil pump disk hole they fit into is too great. There are a number of ways to proactively treat or repair the situation. If a tab breaks and gets somewhere "bad" it can be a catastrophe. It should be on your list to ask the seller about. Unless you want to be thinking about them constantly.
2. Crankshaft Rod Bearings. Every 70,000 miles or so. Unless you want to be thinking about them constantly.

[86Zed]

If you decide to pull the trigger, purchase the condition that makes sense for your usage. Don't buy a collector low-mileage car if you want to hammer it down back-roads and take it to the track - just parting yourself from extra money and adding the stress of "harming" a pristine car.

As iterated by many folks here, 50-80K (miles) is a pretty typical mileage range for these cars given the age. High would be cresting 100-120K range.

[Dav3]

Thanks to all of you for all the feedback

I've contacted a few sellers and with proper background research I came to the conclusion that the cheaper lower mileage ones either suffered freak accidents or have had their odometer tampered with

I'm leaning towards a 50-60k mile model, preferably post 2007 (few improvements iirc), most likely roadster variant. Might end up with a higher mileage one only if did its maintenance through BMW

What common or major things should I be looking out for when inspecting the car? Obvious and less obvious

Will bring OBD scanner and a flash light for the engine bay but don't really know what to look for specifically

[DaveJB]

FWIW, I have an '07 Z4 M Coupe with 120,000 miles and mechanically it's perfect. I've had it about 3 years and haven't had one problem. Lastly, it doesn't burn any oil in 7,500 mile oil change intervals. So, while I'd love to buy a low mile car too, when I saw this car in person 3 years ago and drove it (it had ~96,000 miles at the time) I wasn't worried. The interior was like new and the condition was amazing. I paid $20,500, btw.