'05 BMW Z4
 

I'm going to be checking one out later today and was just wondering what sort of things I should be looking for. I'm familiar with the Z3 and its quirks, but know virtually nothing about the Z4. :lol Are there any common rust spots? Mechanical issues? Common failure points?

Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated.

The Z4 is a great car. I'm guessing you're looking at the 3.0i and not the 2.5i? I drove both and even the 2.5i was still fun. Whats the mileage on the one you are looking at? In terms of rust spots, bmw's are generally pretty good at not rusting. I would suggest looking at door jams, and bottom of fenders. The M54 engine is a great engine, although it makes less power than the new N52/N54 engines I really miss the bass rumble, and the roar it makes while taking the revs up. Its got a massive engine bay so working on it should be pretty simple, and easy to access things. I remember changing a waterpump and thought it was pretty stupid because there is a crossbeam right in front of it and you need to unbolt the crossbeam and push it forward and squeeze the waterpump out. I remember also trying to figure out a coolant loss issue in a Z4 and apparently theres a coolant line under the intake manifold that is hard to see, but only access is to take out the intake manifold. Like any other BMW, depending on mileage it will probably need suspension bushings at some point. If its an automatic transmission, depending on the mileage i would suggest replacing the so called "lifetime" fluid if you want the car to last. Stan's Transmission in Vancouver can do a great job for that. Let me know if you have any other questions, definitely some more info on a particular car would help.

Good Luck.

I'm familiar with awkwardly placed waterpumps... The KLZE in my old MX6 required the entire engine to come out, especially once it was running solid motor mounts. :lol

It's a 3.0i I'm looking at, and the mileage is just a smidgen over 100k's. It's a 6spd. Slush box? Pft! They're only suitable for minivans and old Cadillacs! I'm going to find out when (or if) the timing belt was replaced, along with any other repair work. The price seems slightly lower than the rest out there, so I'm just concerned it's been in an accident. I usually pretty good at spotting non-manufacturer welds, so hopefully I wont have to look too hard if that's the case.

sounds pretty good. The M54 is chain driven, all BMW's other than the M20 engine are timing chain driven. I would suggest getting a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) done if you are seriously interested in the car. At 100k for a 2005 i dont see too much failures happening, but things like spark plugs, valve cover gaskets, waterpumps, etc need to be replaced after 100ks. Make sure the front headlights are OE Bosch/Hella. Make sure they also dont fog up when water/moisture is around them. Also make sure what the maintenance history is. BMW does their oil change service every 24k which seems like an awful lot, i would be suspecious of sludge, but it all matters to do with compression and how it drives. If it all checks out, replace the oil and drive the shit out of her to clean her out.

the crankcase vent valve and hoses are commonly replaced on the m54 engine with decent mileage. as with all other cars of similar mileage, check for leaks when you get the car up on a hoist. water pump/thermostat/rad hoses/expansion tank/fan clutch are commonly replaced. power steering pressure hose should be inspected for leaks. depending on how the car was maintained, repairs can get very costly.