Just bought my first Z4 Coupe 3.0si SE (Black, Red Leather, 142k)
Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2024 2:55 pm
Hello Forum,
I have posted a bit elsewhere, but here's my proper new member post... just picked up a high mileage 2006 Z4 Coupe... sold on the forum in 2021 in what appears to be very good condition (see bottom photo) and then had a few years of driving around Europe and then sitting on and driving around the streets of London (see top photo for the 2024 appearance - in reality it looks decent from a distance but up close the minor-ish faults are easy to spot!) The previous owner (2021-24) seems to have done a decent job of doing what needed doing, but a car like this is inevitably going to deteriorate unless you wrap it up in cotton wool or spend and lot of time and / or money putting every fault that appears right. And if your car is sat on the streets of London you would have to be mad to take it to a body shop at the first sign of defect.
My plan is to do everything necessary to keep it going as a reasonably reliable road-legal car, and gradually repair and upgrade, at a fairly low cost if possible, to make it as close to perfect as possible. Given the mileage it's never going to be a top top vehicle... so I can make modifications guilt-free, which is a nice bonus. I'm never going to make a profit on it, but it would be nice if any expenditure is low and enhances value.
My bodywork and mechanical experience and knowledge are fairly low, but I am not clueless and looking to increase my stock of tools and learn much more. It is probably unrealistic due to family commitments and time constraints, but I would be open to being a second set of hands for any decent amateur mechanic or body worker near me in return for a bit of knowledge and experience.
I am in no way looking to sell, but - assuming I find myself enjoying the car as much as I did on the journey home yesterday - I can see myself owning a Z4 Coupe long term, and long term it might be nice to upgrade to something lower mileage and nicer. But it might be nice to keep a car that I will have got to know, and which I can enjoy without feeling too precious about.
There are so many things I am going to want advice on... I hope the search function on this website works efficiently!
I think that the first thing I am going to want advice on is the wheels. Currently the car has 19” Veeman V-FS34 Wheels in Gloss Graphite, with fairly new Continentals up front and some well-worn, poor order cheaper tyres on the rear. The wheels look OK from a distance but would very much benefit from a refurb. Before I need to spend money on tracking and new rear tyres I need to work out my plan for the wheels -
(1) Do I get the wheels refurbed? Any recommendations of how much I might spend getting it done, and who would you recommend (I am based in SW Surrey)?
(2) How much are the wheels / tyres worth in current condition? I am open to selling them if anyone is interested and wants to get in touch.
(3) If I do sell them what do I replace them with? I am minded to go with something 18", in black, lots of spokes, but not too crazy.
For what it's worth the roads around me are a disgrace. I am not looking to lower the car. Saying that I was pleasantly surprised on first drive... the ride was nowhere near as harsh as I expected even on these wheels, and in some ways better than my daily driver (a cheap old estate car with stock low-profile tyres / rims.)
And one more thing from the advert "There's a very small oil leak from the cam cover nothing serious but should be noted"... I am very much of the opinion that the best time to do any repair on a car is ASAP, but then again I am not going to be driving the car much anyway... how quickly would you want to get that sorted if it were your car?
I have posted a bit elsewhere, but here's my proper new member post... just picked up a high mileage 2006 Z4 Coupe... sold on the forum in 2021 in what appears to be very good condition (see bottom photo) and then had a few years of driving around Europe and then sitting on and driving around the streets of London (see top photo for the 2024 appearance - in reality it looks decent from a distance but up close the minor-ish faults are easy to spot!) The previous owner (2021-24) seems to have done a decent job of doing what needed doing, but a car like this is inevitably going to deteriorate unless you wrap it up in cotton wool or spend and lot of time and / or money putting every fault that appears right. And if your car is sat on the streets of London you would have to be mad to take it to a body shop at the first sign of defect.
My plan is to do everything necessary to keep it going as a reasonably reliable road-legal car, and gradually repair and upgrade, at a fairly low cost if possible, to make it as close to perfect as possible. Given the mileage it's never going to be a top top vehicle... so I can make modifications guilt-free, which is a nice bonus. I'm never going to make a profit on it, but it would be nice if any expenditure is low and enhances value.
My bodywork and mechanical experience and knowledge are fairly low, but I am not clueless and looking to increase my stock of tools and learn much more. It is probably unrealistic due to family commitments and time constraints, but I would be open to being a second set of hands for any decent amateur mechanic or body worker near me in return for a bit of knowledge and experience.
I am in no way looking to sell, but - assuming I find myself enjoying the car as much as I did on the journey home yesterday - I can see myself owning a Z4 Coupe long term, and long term it might be nice to upgrade to something lower mileage and nicer. But it might be nice to keep a car that I will have got to know, and which I can enjoy without feeling too precious about.
There are so many things I am going to want advice on... I hope the search function on this website works efficiently!
I think that the first thing I am going to want advice on is the wheels. Currently the car has 19” Veeman V-FS34 Wheels in Gloss Graphite, with fairly new Continentals up front and some well-worn, poor order cheaper tyres on the rear. The wheels look OK from a distance but would very much benefit from a refurb. Before I need to spend money on tracking and new rear tyres I need to work out my plan for the wheels -
(1) Do I get the wheels refurbed? Any recommendations of how much I might spend getting it done, and who would you recommend (I am based in SW Surrey)?
(2) How much are the wheels / tyres worth in current condition? I am open to selling them if anyone is interested and wants to get in touch.
(3) If I do sell them what do I replace them with? I am minded to go with something 18", in black, lots of spokes, but not too crazy.
For what it's worth the roads around me are a disgrace. I am not looking to lower the car. Saying that I was pleasantly surprised on first drive... the ride was nowhere near as harsh as I expected even on these wheels, and in some ways better than my daily driver (a cheap old estate car with stock low-profile tyres / rims.)
And one more thing from the advert "There's a very small oil leak from the cam cover nothing serious but should be noted"... I am very much of the opinion that the best time to do any repair on a car is ASAP, but then again I am not going to be driving the car much anyway... how quickly would you want to get that sorted if it were your car?