Used 09 z4/ 100,000 km/3.0

Bimmer North · 05-27-2018, 09:00 PM

Looking at buying a used one. Love the hardtop styling. I believe this engine is solid? I know all the service has been done on the vehicle, any other things to look out for at this stage?
Any advice appreciated in advance.

Coercion Shaman · 05-29-2018, 10:11 AM

We have owned three. Obviously let that top up and down several times with someone else controlling it and watch for any pauses and sticking/rubbing. I have seen a couple where the wiring has rubbed a fair amount.

I still think that the 3.0 was my favorite. Wife loves the current 35is, though.

You already know it is a complex system and not cheap to fix.

sjeupie · 05-29-2018, 11:42 AM

I recently had water in the battery compartment. Probably because I took it through a car wash for the first time. The hardtop motor is located in that compartment as well. It sits underneath the floor of the trunk (where you'd expect the spare). Check for rust and excessive corosion there on the hardtop motor and its connectors.

Also, if you stop the hardtop halfway in opening/closing, you can see the wiring and hydraulics. Check for wear/rubbing/leaks as this is an expensive soab to replace . My 2010 looks pristine (50k kms) fyi. Do your check good but quick btw as leaving the top half open is not ideal.

Uneven alignment and thus uneven wear of tires can be spotted especially on the rear tires. This, afaik, is fairly common and nothing to be too concerned about.

My windscreen gets dirty on the inside. Like a super thin layer of blue-ish vapor. It easily wipes of but gets back quickly; cleaning the aircon filter helped a lot. You won't notice this on your testdrive but you might in the week after you bought it. So now you know.

Check if it has cruise control. That was my biggest mistake; I simply assumed a car of this level had CC fitted as standard. I really mis it on long stretches and it is not possible to retrofit.

That's all from me. I've got the 23i so can't comment on the engine. Oh, one last thing and the only issue I face on regular basis: I get a lot of hate. People pushing me no matter the speed, cutting me of, using their wiper spray while cutting me of if I drive topdown, vandalism, people walking on top of my car, etc. Excessive and it never happens when I drive my Land Rover. I really hope I'm just an exception in this but it kills a lot of the fun in owning this car for me. Have to get her completely polished next week because of all of the scratched made over winter, sigh. Still a blast to drive though

05-27-2018, 09:00 PM	#1
Bimmer North Private 69 Rep 84 Posts Drives: 2018 430I grand coupe Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Used 09 z4/ 100,000 km/3.0 Looking at buying a used one. Love the hardtop styling. I believe this engine is solid? I know all the service has been done on the vehicle, any other things to look out for at this stage? Any advice appreciated in advance.
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05-29-2018, 10:11 AM	#2
Coercion Shaman Private First Class 48 Rep 140 Posts Drives: 2019 Audi A5 Prestige S/B Join Date: May 2018 Location: Georgia iTrader: (0)	We have owned three. Obviously let that top up and down several times with someone else controlling it and watch for any pauses and sticking/rubbing. I have seen a couple where the wiring has rubbed a fair amount. I still think that the 3.0 was my favorite. Wife loves the current 35is, though. You already know it is a complex system and not cheap to fix. __________________ Also own: 2012 Z4 35is M Sport Adaptive (Atacama Yellow)
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05-29-2018, 11:42 AM	#3
sjeupie Private 8 Rep 66 Posts Drives: Tiefseeblau E89 Sdrive 23i wit Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Switzerland iTrader: (0)	I recently had water in the battery compartment. Probably because I took it through a car wash for the first time. The hardtop motor is located in that compartment as well. It sits underneath the floor of the trunk (where you'd expect the spare). Check for rust and excessive corosion there on the hardtop motor and its connectors. Also, if you stop the hardtop halfway in opening/closing, you can see the wiring and hydraulics. Check for wear/rubbing/leaks as this is an expensive soab to replace . My 2010 looks pristine (50k kms) fyi. Do your check good but quick btw as leaving the top half open is not ideal. Uneven alignment and thus uneven wear of tires can be spotted especially on the rear tires. This, afaik, is fairly common and nothing to be too concerned about. My windscreen gets dirty on the inside. Like a super thin layer of blue-ish vapor. It easily wipes of but gets back quickly; cleaning the aircon filter helped a lot. You won't notice this on your testdrive but you might in the week after you bought it. So now you know. Check if it has cruise control. That was my biggest mistake; I simply assumed a car of this level had CC fitted as standard. I really mis it on long stretches and it is not possible to retrofit. That's all from me. I've got the 23i so can't comment on the engine. Oh, one last thing and the only issue I face on regular basis: I get a lot of hate. People pushing me no matter the speed, cutting me of, using their wiper spray while cutting me of if I drive topdown, vandalism, people walking on top of my car, etc. Excessive and it never happens when I drive my Land Rover. I really hope I'm just an exception in this but it kills a lot of the fun in owning this car for me. Have to get her completely polished next week because of all of the scratched made over winter, sigh. Still a blast to drive though
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