NEED EXPERT ADVICE!!! BUYING A CAR***********

[LSB_M3]

Hello all,

My friend is planning to buy a BMW Z4 and needs our help!

Here are the details of a Z4 he found:

2003 BMW Z4 3.0L 86,000KM. Black Sapphire, Full Option (navigation and all). Price: AED 80K. Full Insurance wont expire till July next year, included I believe.
Owned by an expat, second owner who bought it from BMW dealership.

My friend is wondering if the price is good???
What to do when it comes to car inspection (prior to purchase).
Shouls he go to dealer (what to ask for)
Sould he take it to a mechanic (what to ask for)

Thanks!

[SSense]

Im sure regarding Z4s Haissam or Naveed can help you more, but regarding the inspection of the car if your friend is willing to take it to the dealer, then ask the dealer to do a '45 point check', it costs Dhs 1800 here but in return you'll get every bit of faults if any on the car.
+ if he is spending an 80K for buyin a car, i dont think spending on a 45 point check hurts :)

[Haissam]

my friend Wissam who just joined our forums today had a 2003 Z4 3.0 also black with 50,000km & excellent condition, sold it for 82k to a friend of our member Pathfinder!

in my opinion your friend should not pay more than 70k with that mileage, no matter how good/clean the car is! :read:

let him test the operation of the electric top, and check that all rubbers/seals are still in good condition.. let him drive it over 100km/h to check for air leaks, and if possible take it to the car wash to check for water leaks :)

let him go to AGMC and ask a service advisor to give him the service record & if it has accident history.. he needs the last 7 digits of the VIN for that..

for further assurance, a regular check up at Tony Edward's or X-Service should be enough ;)

hope this helps :)

[LSB_M3]

Thanks Haissam, now I need more input guys! Ayham, the rest!
My friend is going to see the car tomorrow! I need to give him a solid opinion :)

[Ayham]

Haissam covered it all when buying a convertible. I think 70-75K is a fair price for it. Check it on the highway for air noise, usually the windsheild rubbers on verts go bad (where they contact the soft top), a car wash visit is a MUST! Don't take it lightly, watch for the windshield leaks, windows, and the rear screen.

Dealer check is a must, or X Service....Happy topless driving ;)

[Bruno]

look for color differences alignment issues, body panels and gaps... headlight alignment too.

on another note i second haissam and ayham's comments. price is a bit high and the air leak noise is a thing to watch out from.

[LSB_M3]

Okay my friend saw the car, says its in perfect condition! He took pictures of the car, but thats when i kind of hesitated!



Well, the truth is, if i was looking for a Z4, I would want the bigger sportier rims! the exhaust tips from the picture dont look good at all, is this like the non sport package? does that even exist on a Z4?
The car does look clean! but if it was me, i would go for the one that looks like this

I think its the rims more than anything lol!

What do you guys think?

[Haissam]

hmmm i can see it's got the 17" rims which normally came on the 2.2 & 2.5L :thumbsdown:

sports kit or not? i don't know.. does it have a 3-spoke steering wheel? sports seats? all 3.0 Z4's in dubai i've seen didn't have sports seats.

honestly, i think your friend should pay 70k or less to consider this an acceptable deal :)