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Question for you BMW freaks. How do the E36 convertibles handle? Say, compared to a Miata? I've been thinking of what my next convertible (toy) will be, and since I want to be able to take my wife and son on rides with me, a Miata isn't going to work obviously. So I've kind of narrowed it down to an E36 convertible, a Mustang GT 'vert or a Jeep Wrangler.  If I could get an E36 'vert to handle anywhere near miata territory it would be the front runner for sure. I'm assuming it might need suspension mods to get there, but if the aftermarket isn't too expensive I'd be all for it.
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Mar 28, 2008 14:48
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I've been thinking about getting into a 318ti because I love the idea of a RWD hatch and I love the looks of them. Even though they are a bit rare when they do pop up they are pretty drat cheap, I may pick one up with some issues and make a project out of it. My question is do the four cylinder motors have the same issues as the six in terms of the cooling systems and whatnot? Is there anything other than normal e36 issues with the Ti's? I'm assuming they are the same platform and there isn't much difference between them if any.
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Jan 8, 2011 21:36
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Sterndotstern posted:Unfortunately, you'll still have all the same problems with the cooling systems (crack-prone plastic endtanks and 60-80k service life on the waterpumps) and suspension (needs refreshing after 60-100k miles), making the cost of refreshing a 318ti almost identical to the cost of refreshing any other E36. But it seems like the ti's aren't as desirable and are selling for significantly less than a coupe or sedan. The only reason I'm considering it is I'd be able to get into one cheap, I've seen them for 2k and less. It's just a thought, I've been wanting to get another cheap hatchback, but 323's are getting too hard to find and all the Civics are riced out. I've driven a ti before too and the ride was great, I was pretty impressed with it actually.
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Jan 9, 2011 02:31
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Saga posted:The basic issue for me is that it weighs at least 100kg more than a comparable E30, as far as I can tell. Still much better than an E36 318is coupe, but nevertheless, as you don't get the Z axle, I'm not clear what the advantage is over the E30. Other than you can buy a low-mileage 98, and they're unfashionable and therefore cheap. Exactly. Cheap and three doors is what's appealing to me. I don't know what my thing is for hatchbacks but I love them. That being said, if I ran across a nice E30 for cheap I'd jump on it, it will depend what's out there whenever I'm ready to buy. It's all just pipe dreams for now, but I always think way ahead about the next car I'll own and BMW's would be a first for me. Also what is a Z axle?
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Jan 9, 2011 20:33
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Saga posted:Very informative, thank you for that. However I have another question..... Since the ti shares the same axle/suspension as the Z3, do the ti's have the same issues with welds breaking? I remember hearing and reading about Z3's having welds breaking in the rear of the car, subframe maybe?
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Jan 10, 2011 05:25
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Is this a bad idea.....http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/2543212363.html Yeah yeah I know it's not an M, but I've been looking for a cheap 318ti manual and was wondering how involved a head replacement would be. From the looks of the pics the guy has invested money in suspension, but he could have just cut the springs
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Aug 26, 2011 00:41
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Question, how are the E39 5 series? Wagons specifically, although it shouldn't make a difference I suppose. I've seen some now and then for very reasonable prices, although usually with higher mileage. here's an example: http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/ctd/3621778089.html How good are the automatics, and how much would I have to have aside for a car like this to replace worn parts? If I could get one ready for another 100k relatively cheap I might keep an eye out.
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Mar 19, 2013 04:00
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Crustashio posted:Make sure you test drive an e39 wagon before you get set on them. They are slow in automatic form (540 excluded). I found one with a great price and style 5s but I couldn't deal with the auto. Well I guess I'm not too worried about it being slow, just more concerned that the auto isn't a pile of poo poo that will cost me 3k to replace if and when it shits the bed. I've been looking at BMW/Volvo/Saab wagons to replace my Crown Vic but something tells me it would be huge mistake in terms of reliability and cost of maintenance/replacement parts. I've been spoiled by the Vic because it hasn't let me down for the past 100k and is absurdly cheap (and easy) to maintain and fix. I like the e39 5 series a lot, but I'm guessing the higher mileage ones are going to need quite a bit of wear parts replaced to get them where they should be. And I shudder at the thought of having to replace an auto trans because it hasn't been maintained properly or has just run it's course.
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Mar 19, 2013 16:40
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Drunken Lullabies posted:I've been off handedly searching for e34 and e39 wagons in manual during my half a year long hunt for an e30 and I've seen several pop up in that time. They aren't totally nonexistent. There is an AWD manual e34 wagon on craigslist in Oregon right now. Well it would be the wife's daily so it needs to be an automatic. Price range is around 6k. We have been looking at Mazda 6 wagons and they seem to be the most stout for the money. But I saw the Top Gear episode where Clarkson drives a e39 wagon across an African desert and all he talked about was how awesome it was. And they just look really good too, the e39 looks perfect to me. Maybe I'd even consider a sedan. Maybe a manual if I could talk the wife into it. So no one answered, how much am I gonna need to replace wear parts if I buy a higher mileage e39? Basically to get it up to par another 100k? I can do most of the work myself.
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Mar 19, 2013 21:44
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Crustashio posted:E39 wagons are also notorious for rear subframe bushings. If those haven't been done you'll have to look at them. It's possible to do them without removing the subframe, just lowering it. That doesn't sound too bad. I guess the thing I'm worried most about is electrical and motor/trans issues that I can't diagnose or fix myself. Suspension and cooling stuff I can handle. I've been surprised at the prices they are going for, being in FL there's no rust to worry about, so all these cars look new. I imagine the mpg's aren't great but it's gotta be better than a Crown Vic.
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Mar 20, 2013 16:28
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BrokenKnucklez posted:The only auto transmission and engine combo I could honestly suggest is the 540i - M62/ZF 5HP24 - Its a fairly stout combo, and the ZF will last longer. Thanks. If I go the BMW route I think I'm gonna go with 540 wagon or sedan, I like V8's and a better trans is icing on the cake. Oh God, a '99 but drat it's clean. http://orlando.craigslist.org/ctd/3630521528.html
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Mar 20, 2013 22:03
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BrokenKnucklez posted:FWIW, the E39 has been declared one of the best cars on the road by several auto reviewers. (I am a 5'er fan, so I am very biased) Well if Clarkson gushes over them they must be good because he's a picky fucker I just need to get my wife to drive one, and it will probably be a done deal after that.
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Mar 21, 2013 01:53
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Just curious, but what's the AI consensus of Z4s? Since S2000 prices are getting ridiculous, I looked into Z4s and the pricing is actually pretty reasonable and it looks like a Z4 would be a decent upgrade from a Miata. Unless of course they're piles of steaming poo poo and handle like rear end....
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Jul 28, 2014 02:29
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ColdPie posted:I've got an 07 3.0si coupe that I use mostly for track days and road trips. There's a couple guys with Z4Ms as well. Anything you'd like to know in particular? Honestly I find the si trim suspension a little stiff for comfort, though that could be due to the run flats that I have yet to replace. Any common issues, like with the earlier models or anything? What's the differences between the 2.5 and 3.0 also i and si? Looks like at the moment the 3.0 would probably be out of my price range, but I'll have to keep watching. [edit] And Jesus, why are the coupes so much more expensive holy poo poo. I really want a coupe 
Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jul 28, 2014 |
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Jul 28, 2014 16:50
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HotCanadianChick posted:Most 2.5 will likely be stripper models, as BMW tends to sell the base models with very few options and adding them in quickly balloons the price up into 3.0 territory, which comes with a lot more things as standard. Also a Z3 will more or less be a sidegrade from a Miata, they have more power, but are also heavier and don't really handle that great; Z4s are better, but again, the smaller engined ones won't be much faster than a Miata due to weight; none of this applies to the M coupe and M roadsters, as those are pretty nice hardcore track cars, but if a 3.0 Z4 is out of your price range, chances are an M is waaaaaay out of your price range. I'd never consider a Z3. But yeah a Z4 M is not in the cards, besides I wouldn't want the added costs of an M to creep up on me later. Looks like a 3.0 is the way to go, I'll just have to keep my eye on them and when they get in my price range I'll jump on one.
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Jul 28, 2014 22:09
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What's the difference in HP between the 2.5 and 3.0? I should probably just drive a few and see. I could get a 2.8 and just put 3.0 wheels on it to make it look better. If the HP difference isn't that big I wouldn't care. VVVVV Cool thanks Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Jul 29, 2014 |
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Jul 29, 2014 00:15
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Need some advice on used BMW's. My wife is going to be in the market for a car soon, currently driving a '96 Camry with 200k miles on it. We have been going back and forth with what to focus on, but after general research and discovering that I could get a drat '07 3 series for the price of an '07 Maxima and the like, we keep coming back to BMW's more specifically the E91 wagon and the X3. Possibly an E90 sedan. She loves the wagon but likes small SUVs as well, and honestly I'd rather get an X3 over a Toyota Highlander for the same amount of money if it comes down to it. The problem with the wagon is they are pretty rare, but there are tons of X3's around and they're cheaper too. I already know about the GDCS but is there anything else I need to keep in mind when looking at these cars? The cars in our price range go from '06 to '08 with around 100k miles on them. We're not quite ready to buy yet, but here's a few examples of what our market looks like: http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/cto/5420815836.html http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/ctd/5448625295.html http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/5455300126.html http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/5421535228.html
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Feb 21, 2016 17:58
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How is the reliability of E90's overall? For the record I don't want AWD or the turbo.
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Feb 21, 2016 18:19
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BrokenKnucklez posted:FWIW - I bought my ex wife an X3. It wasn't a bad car by any means, but it wasn't very good. If I was in the market for an SUV that sized, I would go for the Highlander, the X3 felt cheap. If its an SUV you are after, you are MUCH better off buying an X5. The interior is light years ahead of the X3 being its mostly based off the 5 series of the same generation, and a bonus, its not terribly much bigger than the X3, plus The MPGs aren't that far off from the X3. I know they rate the X3 at 26/19, but when I owned mine, it was returning 21 mixed 50/50 driving. I was considering the Highlander until after some research found out they have way too many issues overall, between oil consumption problems and transmission issues no thanks I'll pass. Toyota is a shell of it's former self, personally I would not buy one past the 90's after reading all the problems with the newer cars. How is the reliability of the X5? How are the transmissions in them? blk posted:I've often heard the E91 328xi can have a rough/lurchy AT. I have not driven one myself. Xi's are out of the question, I don't need the extra complexity of AWD.
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Feb 21, 2016 19:00
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Ok thanks. It's all gonna come down to the budget so I'll be back to ask more questions once that's set for sure and I've got a few cars lined up.
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Feb 21, 2016 20:54
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Sounds good. We both really like the E91, the X5 is kinda cool but I think it's overkill. Of course the wife loves the looks of it I'm willing to spend a bit more on parts as long as the car lives up to the expectations, never owned a BMW before so I'm kinda looking forward to it if everything works out!
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Feb 22, 2016 02:03
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 Holy crap. You would think it would be a good idea to do that with Miatas, but there's just too many of them. Doing it with a limited production niche car and inflating the market is the way to go. Sucks for the people (like myself) that can barely afford KBB price to begin with though 
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Feb 22, 2016 17:45
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BrokenKnucklez posted:If your not opposed to one, take a look at the E60 (E61?) wagon. I had a 535xi loaner while my E60 was in for service a while back, and holy poo poo, if I wasn't loving impressed. I think the lift gate is the only major flaw on them besides the other typical BMW poo poo that explodes. It is a larger car, but god drat, it was fun as hell to drive. Don't all the E60 wagons come with AWD? Every one I've ever seen for sale has been an xi.
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Feb 23, 2016 01:16
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Ok, I'll have to look more into those. It's not that I have a personal problem with AWD, it's just in FL I don't really need it so why bother with the hit in mpg and possible mechanical issues. But as long as it has a good track record and the car is awesome I wouldn't have a problem with it.
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Feb 23, 2016 01:28
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blindjoe posted:I like mine (its a 530, non-turbo), it is AWD, but gets good gas milage. Actually the 530 sedans look pretty good as well. How is the iDrive holding up in the older cars though? Is it a huge expense if it takes a poo poo?
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Feb 24, 2016 01:31
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Don't feel bad, COPs are just not cheap in general. Crown Vic COPs are just as much.
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Mar 1, 2016 07:07
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How bad of an idea is an automatic '08 Z4 coupe with 85k miles? Ben trying to find a used car and wasn't really considering a BMW but I've always loved the Z4 coupes. Would prefer a manual but as long as the AT isn't horrible i wouldn't mind. Add says it's an "Si motor" and sport package whatever that means, and he's asking $11k. Looks to be in pretty good shape.
Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 13:51 on Jul 31, 2019 |
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Jul 31, 2019 13:31
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Are 128's generally reliable, have any issues? Found a 2013 128i, one owner MT with good miles at a good price.
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Aug 4, 2019 15:18
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Alarbus posted:Pretty much. I never had issues with engine or transmission, I sold my last N52 car due to the ac, I liked the linear power band quite a bit. Yeah that's what I like about it. This one is original owner too which is pretty rare, and a clean title which is getting harder to find too, so many rebuilt title out there it's ridiculous. What was up with the ac on yours? Is it a common problem?
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Aug 4, 2019 16:15
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Ran the VIN and it's a NY car....I'm in FL. This should be interesting.
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Aug 4, 2019 18:40
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Well that's all good besides the fact that apparently Carmax just now offered him what he was asking for it, and now wants to charge me $1500 more for it. What the gently caress is wrong with people. [e] Going to look at the Z4C later (apparently) so i'll see how that goes
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Aug 4, 2019 19:34
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Went to look at the Z4C yesterday and it was easy to pass on it, clearly wasn't taken care of very well, and when the guy drove it up to the place we were meeting he pulled the front end of the car right over a parking block with a loud SCRAAAAAAAAAAPE and got out of the car like it was a normal occurrence. Looking underneath the front end it was clear he did it often. Drove the car anyway tho because I have never driven one and was curious, in sport mode the AT shifts loving HARD it was kind of bizarre, if I was to get one of these cars it would definitely have to be an MT, the AT just didn't feel right in that car. And the seats weren't very comfortable or supportive either. Other than that it was pretty fast and handled really well.....Don't know if i could live with it as a daily tho.
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Aug 5, 2019 14:32
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So I test drove the 135i, it was a nice car and it drove really good, but unfortunately it's a NY car and i just don't want to deal with the rust. Calipers were completely rusted and the rotors were toast, all rusted and pitted so at the very least it needed pads and rotors, possibly calipers if the bleeder screws were rusted shut. Underneath lots of suspension nuts and bolts rusted, and even under the hood there was rust. The owner mentioned he had to replace the loving oil pan because it had rusted through and was leaking. I know some of you think that's normal poo poo but not down here, the way I look at it is I live in Florida and should not have to deal with any rust at all, period. Too bad because if it was a FL car I would have bought it. And MAYBE possibly if he kept the original price he had at just under 7k I might have considered it, but then he raised the price on me to 8.4k so gently caress that. I made the mistake of buying a Miata from Ohio once and vowed never again.
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Aug 6, 2019 03:31
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glyph posted:Wait, 135 or 128? 128, my bad.....Too many BMW numbers to remember lol
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Aug 6, 2019 14:33
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rscott posted:lol I was gonna say, 7k for a 135i is really cheap even if it's a little rusty, makes sense for a 128 though Yeah, and another thing was in the pics it looked like the car had leather but it turned out to be vinyl, I didn't even know BMW used vinyl on any of their cars and thought it was kind of cheesy. It was basically a base model 128 with a sunroof. From NY. With rust.
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Aug 6, 2019 20:28
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Alarbus posted:That sounds like he parked it in the Hudson or something. Well BMW must rustproof the poo poo out of the body or something because that was perfect, not a spot of rust anywhere on the body, but as soon as you look at the rotors and calipers it's pretty clear the car lived in the rust belt. Like in the cooling vents of the rotors I could pull off chunks with the edge of my little LED flashlight....The owner did not seem to think that was odd, but most people from up north think it's normal because it is up there. And when he told me about the oil pan I was like lol not gonna happen, he probably almost ran it out of oil for all i know. And yes it was a dick move, especially since i told him that a NY car in Florida is worth a good bit less than a Florida car with no rust at all. Just like a Florida car up north is worth more, it's the opposite down here but he didn't seem to get it. His mentality was if carmax offered him this much, it's worth way more on the private market! Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Aug 6, 2019 |
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Aug 6, 2019 21:48
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Bolts and rotors are frequently not galvanized whereas most of the subframe and body steel is, which is why it don’t rust. I would be pissed about the price increase but the rest of it sounds pretty standard. The calipers are almost certainly surface rust and the rotors need to be replaced, which isn’t very surprising for a car of that age regardless of location. I get that, but like I said down here I'm not used to seeing that, so it's going to turn me off when I do because 99% of the cars here have no rust whatsoever. None. BlackMK4 posted:An older BMW may not be the car for you. I don't say it because of the post I'm quoting, I'm just saying you might want to be prepared for what you're getting into if you haven't owned one before. Six years old is older in BMW years? Lol if that's the case with BMW you're probably right then. Tbh I've just been looking for a car to drive until I get paid from my accident, and then I plan on getting a new GTI or Civic. Not really interested in getting a car that's going to need poo poo replaced right away. The Z4C was clearly not in that category, but the 128 could have been ok I think at the original price ($6900), I would have just had a shop replace the brakes, but after he raised the price to 8500 gently caress that. And the weird oil pan story made me a bit leery as well. So anyway, yesterday I put a deposit down on another xB a few hours away, at a Mercedes dealership lol. At 40k miles it's not going to need anything but gas and I know what I'm getting. Thanks guys for all the help when I was looking at these cars, it was a learning experience for sure.
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Aug 7, 2019 13:59
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Test drove a Z4 MT today and....I liked it. Noticed it has the "sticky steering" issue tho. It's fixable tho so I could use that as a bargaining chip if i wanna buy it I guess. It's Maldives Blue Metallic and mint. Gorgeous car.
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Mar 3, 2020 04:23
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So I called a trusted BMW specialist in the area and he is well aware of the Z4's "sticky steering" problem, said it was BMW's first crack at electric steering and they hosed it up basically. He said it would need a new updated steering column to the tune of $3k and said I should probably get a different car But online I have seen DIY fixes for this and people seem to be happy with the results https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWIuYpXCLjI So I'm gonna see if the owner will drop the price a few grand and maybe I'll do it......Or just get a Miata
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Mar 3, 2020 19:09
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Yeah you're right probably not going to even bother....But drat it was a gorgeous car, too bad.
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Mar 3, 2020 19:30
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