I'm looking for a E89 35i - is this worth buying?

[keving1]

Comprehensive BMW warranty is only a little over £400.

Eta, unless the mileage affect s the price of warranty.

Is there a link to the website where I can get a BMW warranty?

[Z4M-2006]

Warranty will be quite expensive due to miles, after 100k the prices ramp
Up..for example my Z4M was over £3000 a year at 88k miles (full warranty that was being renewed after AUC)

The thing is,with the 35i the parts that can go bad on the engine could go at half that miles...so the mileage on that car is inconsequential really.
You either want the 3.0 twin turbo and take its possible faults on the chin if the crop up or buy a lesser engined model..

The N54 with all its gubbins is a complex design, as is the DCT gearbox,neither are for the diy home mechanics either..

Imho its the wrong Z to buy if your on a budget, because if it goes wrong the bill could be ruinous, much like the Z4M..

[bob4333]

Going by the reg date of 21/12/2013 it needs an MOT by now. Nothing appears to be mentioned in the ad.

Enter GF63 KHP into the Government's MOT Vehicle History check you get - "No vehicle that matched the data you entered could be found."

OP, has this been commented on by the seller?

It's an interesting car. According to the ad it's one owner, serviced more or less when it should and I bet there aren't many that cover 114,000 miles in 3 years. Where's it been?

Quite a few questions to be answered I suspect but if it checks out OK and you don't mind the high mileage it could be a lot of car for the money. Only compromising question is "can I afford to fix it if something goes bang"?

I'd certainly want to know more and talk with the original owner if possible and if you're still keen get a specialist report. This won't predict what's going to blow in the long term future but may put your mind at rest about the state of the car today?

[keving1]

Going by the reg date of 21/12/2013 it needs an MOT by now. Nothing appears to be mentioned in the ad.

Enter GF63 KHP into the Government's MOT Vehicle History check you get - "No vehicle that matched the data you entered could be found."

OP, has this been commented on by the seller?

It's an interesting car. According to the ad it's one owner, serviced more or less when it should and I bet there aren't many that cover 114,000 miles in 3 years. Where's it been?

Quite a few questions to be answered I suspect but if it checks out OK and you don't mind the high mileage it could be a lot of car for the money. Only compromising question is "can I afford to fix it if something goes bang"?

I'd certainly want to know more and talk with the original owner if possible and if you're still keen get a specialist report. This won't predict what's going to blow in the long term future but may put your mind at rest about the state of the car today?

Car is a repossession and it has been off the road since December hence no MOT. Seller is the finance company and they are looking at whether they will MOT it, as I have said to them that I have no way of getting it home otherwise.

It looks like it has been used as a daily drive covering work miles as there is only 1 owner and mileage usage is consistent over the 3 years.

My one worry is if the turbos, DCT box or injectors go in the first 6 months
So far from the BMW history it has only had the HPFP replaced - is this a sign of a reliable car or that it is now time for things to start going wrong?

[bob4333]

I've just posted this in another thread:-

BMW N54 engine

Common problems

1. The most common problem of N54 engine is connected with high pressure fuel pump (HPFP). It will serve you not more than ~50 000 km (30 000 miles) of mileage in case you use fuel of low quality. The main symptoms of HPFP problems include reduced power; the price of new HPFP is not very high.

2. Sometimes problems of white smoke may also occur. This is when you need to check the coolant level which is the main cause of such problem in the majority of cases.

After 100,000 km (60,000 miles) of mileage high pressure fuel injectors often go out of order in N54 engines. The same duration term is for water pump and turbocharger. Spark plugs will serve for about 20,000 km (12,000 miles) of mileage.
Abovementioned figures also depend on level and type of usage.

Summing up we can say that this engine is rather reliable and powerful. Owners will hardly face any problems. At the same time this motor has high level of durability and long lifespan. In addition it is the best bet for those who like different tuning experiments. This is why BMW N54 is one of the best engines ever produced by major bavarian automaker.

Full link:- http://mywikimotors.com/n54b30/

Looks like this car has had the first problem (HPFP) and should be on it's way to the 3rd or 4th pump. But it's not. Likewise it's yet to suffer the other problems listed.

I'm sure there must be quite a few other exceptions to the above depending on how the car has been used. I think most would agree that a car in regular, proper use might fare better than a car stored away for long periods or just used for shopping.

Any Z4 high milers comment.......?

[lordgrover]

Comprehensive BMW warranty is only a little over £400.

Eta, unless the mileage affect s the price of warranty.

Is there a link to the website where I can get a BMW warranty?

https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/Login/Index

ETA Sorry, with that mileage works out rather more expensive than mine.

[R.E92]

That's a used and abused car. The price does match the condition.

HPFPs aren't 50k mile consumables. Maybe in 2007 that was true, but they have revised the design several times and the latest revision seems to be rock solid. Any car that's had the HPFP replaced in the last 3 years will be OK now. Same story for injectors. They are on revision -12 and so far I've not heard of any new ones failing.

Water pump I'm not so sure about. I'm still waiting for mine to fail, they seem to go pop north of 60k.

With regards to warranty I seem to remember than above 100k miles you can only get the drivetrain warranty, not the complete cover. If you buy that car I would expect some pretty ruinous bills within the next couple of years.

[keving1]

Comprehensive BMW warranty is only a little over £400.

Eta, unless the mileage affect s the price of warranty.

Is there a link to the website where I can get a BMW warranty?

https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/Login/Index

ETA Sorry, with that mileage works out rather more expensive than mine.

The warranty would be £622 for 1 year drive-line cover. Has anyone every had the warranty claims rejected for any reason with BMW?

[benv6]

Despite being a 2013 car I think it has got too many miles and I personally wouldn't spent that kind of money on any car with high mileage knowing that if I add 2k or 3k I can have a low miles one (That is me). But again it might have been well looked after and worth checking it in real and negotiate the selling price .... If the car is decent then I might give an offer.

[Silverzedtom]

I would imagine the miles are most likely motorway miles, where the engine is not being tested in the same way a weekend car might be.

That said would you think 'wow that's a nice Zed' if you hadn't seen it for sale and happened to see it parked somewhere? If no would you be bothered? For me it's all about owning a car that has a bit of individuality and looks as good as it drives but others aren't always so fussed

[Z4M-2006]

it needs a bit of work,thats why its so cheap....


A minter would be grands dearer,and would appeal to a different kind of buyer....

As regards individuality.... whens the last time you say a twin turbo 3.0 Z ?

[keving1]

Went to see this car yesterday - what a shed

Would need a complete respray with scratches, chips or dings on nearly every panel and seats probably past being able to be cleaned back to original colour.

My search continues for a cheap 35i