Thread: Noobs
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      09-08-2012, 11:35 PM   #247
Asbjorn
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Drives: Z4 N54 DCT (VTT GC lites)
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: European in China

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Originally Posted by Tritholan View Post
I am Sam and I am from India but live in China now (10+years). Have driven only Japanese cars all my life and finally have decided to get rid of all my stuff and settle for a nice BMW Z4.

BMW Z4 sDrive30i - Luxury

Black Sapphire metallic
Exclusive leather Nappa Ivory White

First registration - March 2010
Production date - not known
Mileage - 20,500 Miles
Service and repair history - will check at dealer next week. He confirmed on phone that there are no accidents or major repairs.

Original on road price (03/2010) - 116K + 10K = 126K (dealer price + tax)
Current offer (09/2012) - 65K

So, what do you all think about the deal.... any and all comments are welcome.

Most importantly, what would you want me to look out for during the test drive next week. Thanks to everyone.

Cheers!!
Hi Sam

Great to hear you are getting yourself ready for the Chinese Z4 experience!

Premium selection sounds like a good idea, and the price seems resonable. I got a 35i with half the milage, but one year older for around 100k more in April. But this was from a private seller! As the market for 30i is much bigger here, good premium selection deals are on offer! I got my 2nd hand Z4 from Chengdu and drove it home to Tianjin with one stop-over in Xian. Here are my comments:

+ I believe the 30i with 6AT is a very reliable machine as it is imported, and it doesnt feature any technologies known for expensive quality problems. I wouldnt be too nervous and the car probably never saw any snow or freezing temps. You will be missing the option of tuning the car for more power later, but that is not a big issue when you live inside big traffic jam anyway. Dont however underestimate the value of being able to extend the "life-time" of your car-crush with tuning! This could eventually lower your car-turnover and save money in the long run. In any case, the sound of the 30i is awesome and probably a safer choice!

+ Do check the tires well before setting off on such a long journey, and bring someone to accompany you on the trip

+ I would also get the oil changed right away. You just never know what the previous owner used, or even what BMW used, if you didn't see the actual castrol edge bottle... there are so many fake products in China, especially wihin this segment. And I experienced two times that I ordered 5W-40 and got 10W-30 - or something else - due to poor communication between the sales guy and the shop. Tell them you will take the empty bottles with you home to make sure!

+ Check the sound system properly. And I mean properly! Its a convertible and the speakers behind the seats (4-5 in total) are "outside". It will be very annoying to find out later that one speaker is broken and you have to spend the honey-moon with no music.

+ Try and demand that they install the latest Chinese map. You can check the version in iDrive. China is building new roads with serious speed, and it shouldn't cost the dealership much to install it, but it will cost you alot to do it later.

+ Vechicle registration is probably only done on week days, and you will need to re-register your car in sz to get the blue plates within one month. You maybe already know this process from previous car ownerships here? But until then you can legally hide from all the speed cams, and I personally wish I had enjoyed this period to a much greater extend. Do expect the toll gate cashiers to occasionally check your paper plates though.

+ You cannot expect BMW dealers to accept foreign credit cards, so check in advance if you plan to use such cards... I guess if they accept it anywhere in China, Shanghai must be one of them. A local debit card is the safest choice.

+ Check carefully if there are any scratches on the lower part of the front bumber, or if the doors have any marks from being hit by other cars' doors. Its likely to have happened and can be used as towards price negotiation!

ok, those were my initial thoughts, happy shopping!

Last edited by Asbjorn; 09-08-2012 at 11:51 PM..
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