tips, suggestions, thoughts and what to look out for

[Tritholan]

Did not want to clutter the 'noobs post' with follow up replies.
Thanks to Asbjorn for his reply to my post earlier.
http://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthre...394310&page=12

[Tritholan]

http://e89.zpost.com/forums/showthre...394310&page=12

Here is the story in short...

I have an ooportunity to buy a pre owned Z4sDrive30i..

BMW Z4 sDrive30i - Luxury

Black Sapphire metallic
Exclusive leather Nappa Ivory White

First registration - March 2010
Production date - not known, will check at dealer next week
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.

[Tritholan]

Thanks Asbjorn.

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:

Whats more attractive than the price tag is that it is covered by 1yr/20K BMW waranty. I had a discussion with my boss who is a die hard Bimmer. As per him the only reason why the price is this low is because of the high mileage. I checked over 50 offeres from the same period on other pre owned car websites and surprisingly could only find one Z4 which was driven over 15K miles. It amazes me, why don't people drive their Z4's.

+ 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!

The 30i is limited in the modification area but i won't be doing much before the waranty expires. The dealers here in China are very fussy and notorious. They would not fix your audio if you have changed your alloys and will try to convince you that the audio issues are related to the wheels..

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

Thanks.. would be driving back with "one (carefully selected) passenger"

+ 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!

I was thinking of a complete change - engine oil, transmission oil, brake oil and coolant. That way I will be in complete control of the maintenance from this point onwards and will not have to rely on historic data. Are there any other fluids which I may have missed..

+ 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.

Thanks.. this would have never struck me.

+ 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.

Noted..

+ 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.

This period is by far the most fun that you can have driving in China. I remember driving to Anhui once on paper plates and oh boy..

+ 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.

It would be sorted out...

+ 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!

Don't talk about door marks.. How can people be so brutal..

Thanks again for taking time to reply.

[raven333]

Hi ! I have the same model and to be honest the engine is pretty bullet proof! So is the car generally, just make sure it has had the relevant servicing. Also check brake pad thickness especially the rears as these seem to wear more quickly and you need a BMW dealer to replace them which is not cheap. They have to code the release of the electronic parking brake. Check the roof operation is not a problem but listen for rattles and squeaks. Check for tyre wear especially on the inside of the rear wheels, check it is even !!! Just look for the normal stuff, try everything electrical !!, as for price cannot help there as every country is different.....

[Tritholan]

Thanks Raven333

Hi ! I have the same model and to be honest the engine is pretty bullet proof! So is the car generally, just make sure it has had the relevant servicing.

Being a BMW certified pre owned premium selection car would give me access to the servicing history.

Also check brake pad thickness especially the rears as these seem to wear more quickly and you need a BMW dealer to replace them which is not cheap. They have to code the release of the electronic parking brake.

This means that I have to go to BMW everytime for a brake pad change. It is now on the top of my list.

Check the roof operation is not a problem but listen for rattles and squeaks. Check for tyre wear especially on the inside of the rear wheels, check it is even !!! Just look for the normal stuff, try everything electrical !!

Is the roof operable while driving. I read somewhere that it can be operated for speeds of up to 10m/hr.

Thanks again!!