Used BMW Z4 Buying Guide
The BMW Z4 is the brand’s take on the classic front-engine, rear-drive roadster, and used examples offer a lot of sunshine per pound. UK buyers will mostly choose between the E89 (2009-2016), with its party-piece folding metal hardtop, and the current G29 (2019 on), which returned to a lighter fabric roof and shares its underpinnings with the Toyota Supra. Earlier E85/E86 cars (2003-2008) are now modern-classic territory. The Z4 suits couples wanting a stylish weekend car that can still handle daily duties, with a usable boot in both generations.
Engines and trims
E89 engines range from the sDrive20i and 28i four-cylinders (N20 engine) to the older-school naturally aspirated 23i and 30i sixes and the potent turbocharged 35i and 35is. The six-cylinder cars are the sweeter-sounding buys; the 35i twins pace with GT ability. The G29 offers the sDrive20i and 30i 2.0-litre four-cylinders and the excellent M40i with the 3.0-litre B58 straight-six - the latter being the enthusiast’s pick, and one of the best-value ways into that engine. Trims on the G29 run Sport and M Sport below the M40i. Look for adaptive dampers, heated seats (essential in a UK convertible) and upgraded audio. Manual G29s exist but are scarce; most cars carry the excellent eight-speed automatic, which suits the car’s GT-leaning character well.
What to check before buying
On the E89, the folding hardtop is the big-ticket item: operate it through several complete cycles, listen for straining motors, and check the boot seals and drains for water ingress. N20-engined 20i/28i cars can suffer timing chain and chain-guide wear - a rattle at cold start is your warning - so favour cars with documented preventative work or quiet, well-serviced engines. 35i models use the N54 twin-turbo, which is tunable but has known appetite for injectors and wastegate rattle, so history is everything.
G29s have been solid, but still test the roof fully, check underbody scrapes (it’s low), and confirm all electronics behave. On any roadster, look for signs of being stored outdoors: milky lights, mossy seals, damp carpets. Suspension clonks over bumps are common wear on older cars - budget accordingly or negotiate. Because many Z4s are second cars, mileages can be very low; that’s welcome, but insist on evidence of regular servicing anyway, as time degrades rubber, fluids and batteries just as surely as miles do.
Running costs
Four-cylinder cars are reasonably economical for sports cars and sit in moderate insurance groups; the sixes cost more to fuel and insure but repay you every time the road opens up. Servicing through a BMW specialist is sensible money, and roof maintenance (keeping drains clear, occasional mechanism lubrication) is cheap insurance against expensive failures. Run-flat tyres in staggered sizes are a real consumable cost on bigger-wheeled cars. Winter storage or at least a decent car cover pays dividends on any convertible, so ask how and where the car has lived - the answer often tells you more than the odometer does.
Verdict
The Z4 delivers proper roadster charm with everyday usability, and prices for the E89 in particular look tempting for what the car offers. Buy on roof condition and engine history rather than mileage alone, and a good six-cylinder car - E89 35i or G29 M40i - is the one you’ll keep.
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