The unexpected E89 Z4
Discussion
So first a bit of background:
I was looking half heartedly for a summer toy and kept coming back to Z4s as a good candidate for not too much money. The budget I had put me squarely in LCI E85 range. I saw a few but because I was a bit half hearted, I didn't pull the trigger.
In South Africa, even the tattiest E89s started at around 35% more than my budget, and those ones were often from dodgy dealers that sell accident damaged cars that are poorly fixed up (we don't have very sophisticated record keeping of Categorized cars like in the UK).
Enter a cheap, but not quite cheap enough E89 - was being sold in Jeffries Bay, approx 700km away from where I stay in Cape Town. Once again I enquired and the gent seemed legitimate and had a Dekra report (equivalent of a MOT) with only shocks needing replacing which he duly did, along with a fresh battery and put it through the roadworthy. In South Africa, there is no "MOT" requirement other that when ownership changes. The onus of getting the car roadworthy sits with the buyer, not the seller. So the fact that this seller got it roadworthied was a bonus.
I still walked away as it was approx 20% above budget. About a week later, he said he could do a price that was 6% more than budget, and he would give me a tank of fuel and fetch me from Port Elizabeth Airport, which is approx 90km away.
Over some wine that night, I decided to go for it, life is short and all that:
5am Airport lounge picture
Compulsory filling station pic
Part 2 in the next post
I was looking half heartedly for a summer toy and kept coming back to Z4s as a good candidate for not too much money. The budget I had put me squarely in LCI E85 range. I saw a few but because I was a bit half hearted, I didn't pull the trigger.
In South Africa, even the tattiest E89s started at around 35% more than my budget, and those ones were often from dodgy dealers that sell accident damaged cars that are poorly fixed up (we don't have very sophisticated record keeping of Categorized cars like in the UK).
Enter a cheap, but not quite cheap enough E89 - was being sold in Jeffries Bay, approx 700km away from where I stay in Cape Town. Once again I enquired and the gent seemed legitimate and had a Dekra report (equivalent of a MOT) with only shocks needing replacing which he duly did, along with a fresh battery and put it through the roadworthy. In South Africa, there is no "MOT" requirement other that when ownership changes. The onus of getting the car roadworthy sits with the buyer, not the seller. So the fact that this seller got it roadworthied was a bonus.
I still walked away as it was approx 20% above budget. About a week later, he said he could do a price that was 6% more than budget, and he would give me a tank of fuel and fetch me from Port Elizabeth Airport, which is approx 90km away.
Over some wine that night, I decided to go for it, life is short and all that:
5am Airport lounge picture
Compulsory filling station pic
Part 2 in the next post
So with payment made, I had a 750km drive home along the beautiful Garden Route along the coast - this gave me time to ponder the good and the bad:
The Good:
- The Engine: its the baby 23i so the N52 inline 6 with 150kw - it's both tuneful and muscular and knowing these engines are a dying breed makes it extra special.
- The exterior colour and Rim combination: Space Grey Metallic with the 293 style alloys look amazing and make for a surprizingly compliant ride on the 18s
- Mileage: Relatively low at 105,000km
- Massive Spec: Including IDrive with Nav, heated electric memory seats, adaptive headlights
- General condition: I would say the general condition was above average which doesn't mean perfect as it is a 14 year old car, but good
- Ex Joburg car: No rust
The Bad:
- No service history: I will be able to get the first 7 years service history from BMW but then the next 7 years, even though I believe it was serviced (The OBC says it has been), it may be hard for me to get this information
- Trim issues: Missing front right intake gill, some bubbling on dash leather due to sun, clip on the centre console broken, etc
- Interior colour: Not the biggest fan of the black, but its inoffensive.
Undecided:
- Auto Box: I specifically wanted a manual as my daily is an auto but the auto does work well with the engine, has paddle shifters and will probably have better resale value.
Interesting:
I looked up the VIN and saw my car is a Feb 2009 manufacture date which is the first month of manufacture. It also has a date of first registration on the 22nd of May 2009 which was 3 days before the official launch of the vehicle in South Africa (2 days after the Europe launch). As a result, this is a super super early model. Could anyone help with looking up the VIN and seeing what number this Z4 was on the production line? I'd imagine in the first couple hundred. WBALM32020E154659
Thats it for now - questions welcome!
The Good:
- The Engine: its the baby 23i so the N52 inline 6 with 150kw - it's both tuneful and muscular and knowing these engines are a dying breed makes it extra special.
- The exterior colour and Rim combination: Space Grey Metallic with the 293 style alloys look amazing and make for a surprizingly compliant ride on the 18s
- Mileage: Relatively low at 105,000km
- Massive Spec: Including IDrive with Nav, heated electric memory seats, adaptive headlights
- General condition: I would say the general condition was above average which doesn't mean perfect as it is a 14 year old car, but good
- Ex Joburg car: No rust
The Bad:
- No service history: I will be able to get the first 7 years service history from BMW but then the next 7 years, even though I believe it was serviced (The OBC says it has been), it may be hard for me to get this information
- Trim issues: Missing front right intake gill, some bubbling on dash leather due to sun, clip on the centre console broken, etc
- Interior colour: Not the biggest fan of the black, but its inoffensive.
Undecided:
- Auto Box: I specifically wanted a manual as my daily is an auto but the auto does work well with the engine, has paddle shifters and will probably have better resale value.
Interesting:
I looked up the VIN and saw my car is a Feb 2009 manufacture date which is the first month of manufacture. It also has a date of first registration on the 22nd of May 2009 which was 3 days before the official launch of the vehicle in South Africa (2 days after the Europe launch). As a result, this is a super super early model. Could anyone help with looking up the VIN and seeing what number this Z4 was on the production line? I'd imagine in the first couple hundred. WBALM32020E154659
Thats it for now - questions welcome!
Thanks for the kind comments so far.
Re the gear selector, I think they were phased out later in 2009 so I believe they were only in this old shape for about 3/4 months in the E89. I may also be mistaken but I think the 35i had the new "static" gear lever from the start as it was the DCT gearbox whereas the 23i and 30i still had the normal 6 speed auto.
I will update the thread as I slowly fix some of the cosmetic issues - I am cognizant not to overcapitalize to keep myself in the money when i come to sell it one day, so will be looking for cheap fixes. I will not compromise on mechanical maintenance however, but luckily the OBC says nothing is required until late 2024.
It's amazing how much positive attention this vehicle still gets, I think it looks far more modern and expensive than they are. And my opinion is that they are a bit more masculine that the similar generation SLK/Audi TT.
Re the gear selector, I think they were phased out later in 2009 so I believe they were only in this old shape for about 3/4 months in the E89. I may also be mistaken but I think the 35i had the new "static" gear lever from the start as it was the DCT gearbox whereas the 23i and 30i still had the normal 6 speed auto.
I will update the thread as I slowly fix some of the cosmetic issues - I am cognizant not to overcapitalize to keep myself in the money when i come to sell it one day, so will be looking for cheap fixes. I will not compromise on mechanical maintenance however, but luckily the OBC says nothing is required until late 2024.
It's amazing how much positive attention this vehicle still gets, I think it looks far more modern and expensive than they are. And my opinion is that they are a bit more masculine that the similar generation SLK/Audi TT.
So a couple months later and life is still good in Cape Town in the Z4, affectionately named Zinhle the Z4, which is Xhosa for "Beautiful".
As a weekend vehicle, I've only added approx 3000km in the last 8 months but those have all been spectacular, from trips to weddings in the winelands of Stellenbosch, a trip around the peninsula via Betties bay to Hermanus and random days out when the weather is good.
When I purchased the vehicle, it was sold with no service history, but I was very happy to piece together a full BMW service history including a R21k service around 3000km ago (before I bought it). This was, however, in December 2021. The onboard computer only said the vehicle required a service in Feb 2025, but for my piece of mind I took it for a full service at BMW and was happy to have them give it a clean bill of health.
I have fixed a couple of trim pieces inside and also the front left grill surround and finishing rod. I have left the worn out buttons for the roof and the broken clip on the centre console for now as they are expensive to fix and don't affect the enjoyment of the vehicle.
I have also joined a Z club event and went for a cruise around cape Town and neighboring towns. A lovely group of people and a lovely group of vehicles - A lot of Z3s which is nice to see!
The reason for the timing of the post is that the official launch of this E89 generation was the 24th of May 2009, and my Z4 was registered 2 days before that on the 22nd of May as a dealer order car (used for the launch). I know I may be biased, but for a 15 year old car, I think they have aged superbly.
Some photos for your perusal
As a weekend vehicle, I've only added approx 3000km in the last 8 months but those have all been spectacular, from trips to weddings in the winelands of Stellenbosch, a trip around the peninsula via Betties bay to Hermanus and random days out when the weather is good.
When I purchased the vehicle, it was sold with no service history, but I was very happy to piece together a full BMW service history including a R21k service around 3000km ago (before I bought it). This was, however, in December 2021. The onboard computer only said the vehicle required a service in Feb 2025, but for my piece of mind I took it for a full service at BMW and was happy to have them give it a clean bill of health.
I have fixed a couple of trim pieces inside and also the front left grill surround and finishing rod. I have left the worn out buttons for the roof and the broken clip on the centre console for now as they are expensive to fix and don't affect the enjoyment of the vehicle.
I have also joined a Z club event and went for a cruise around cape Town and neighboring towns. A lovely group of people and a lovely group of vehicles - A lot of Z3s which is nice to see!
The reason for the timing of the post is that the official launch of this E89 generation was the 24th of May 2009, and my Z4 was registered 2 days before that on the 22nd of May as a dealer order car (used for the launch). I know I may be biased, but for a 15 year old car, I think they have aged superbly.
Some photos for your perusal
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