E85 BMW Z4 Ultimate Buyer's Guide 

I hope you’re all well! Please let me know if you found this video useful/interesting! Lots more content coming soon!

The intro was bad ass. What many so called petrol heads fail to realize is that the E85 Z4 roadster is a severely underestimated car. Seriously underestimated. The presenter from Vehicle Virgins have emphasied this in his review of the Z4. Its always the miata, 350z, 370z, rx7, boxter and even the Audi TT that gets all the attention and hype. Talking about hype, no 2 seater roadster gets more hype than the S2000 which makes it the most talked about and hyped about car. Thanks Joel for putting up a decent channel for the E85 Z4. After driving the S2K numberous times, I will take the E85 on any day all day. I suggest you guys watch the Japanese race car channel called Best Motoring where the drift king of japan pitted this E85 Z4, RX7, Boxter, Corvette, Lotus Elise and miata etc against the S2K which was the benchmark car. The e85 beat them all and was placed neck to neck with the S2K. And this is coming from Kechi Tsuchiya, the celebrated drift king of Japan.

That intro sequence was sick!

Just bought a 2003 Z4 with 234,000 kms as a “winter project “. It’s a 6speed manual with the 3.0 six. I’ve already replaced theDISA valve and lower intake and love how it drives.

Just bought a 2008 Z4 this past week and I'm loving it.

I do believe that the E85 was made at Spartanburg with a note in the United States, was it not... When I was working over there they have an amazing selection of limited additions that were made at the planned during milestones. There is a BMW E85 M that is it the most amazing blue and interior is done with the camel brown and teak wood trim

Better way to check the disa valve. Just unplug the connector while the engine is running. You should hear the difference. No need to buy another one either if you're good with your hands. Buy a rebuild kit for 20 bucks then go from there. Check the oil level before assuming there's a problem with the vanos. My car had some ticking until I changed the oil. One other common issue with e85 z4 is the broken/worn rear springs. If the wheels look very chambered or the wheel gap is not the same on both sides, the springs needs replacing. 60-120 bucks for each spring (normal vs sport) and it's a 30 minute job. Third common problem is sticking steering. It's liveable, but can be fixed with little cost. You also seem to forget to mention the m sport package. Stiffer shorter springs and a sports button.

These videos about the Z4 has helped so much..instant thumbs up mate. Im close to doing a trade with my 2004 X5 to a 2004 Z4

I say it everday, this is the most coolest bmw roadster ever made

Hi pal, we’ve got one due in at work. It’s a 2008 3.0si - never had one before so I’m looking forward to driving it 😬

7:47 You don't have automatic levelling as you don't have the xenon lights package. You can see 2 scroll wheels at this point in the video the left one is the dashboard light brightness and the one on the right is the light angle. What you see when you turn on the car is the self check of the light motors that are lined to the scroll wheel on the right.

Very good video Joel. Electric power steering failure is common but near you in Hook is RBM who sorted mine out on my 2.2 (only the "M" has hydraulic power steering. Cam cover oil leaks easily fixed but common. Had mine for 3 years and its great and does 35+ mpg, which was a surprise.

About to pull the trigger on a 2004 Z4 in excellent condition! An impulse buy really! Have found your channel most inciteful and helpful to help stave off any buyer remorse! Do you still have yours or have you changed! Like and an subscribed!

Not having the GPS actually looks a lot better and the design ages better in my opinion. I just sticked a magnet just over the middle of the ventilation so I put the phone there with Android Auto and Grom bluetooth module installed behind the stock audio unit. I've the audio pack and have to say that the sound is just fantastic! For the "one touch window opening and closing" as "running light always on" you can configure it throw an OBD reader as I did (Carly for example) alongside the "full circle break light" which looks very cool. I jus would like to retrofit the cruise control, if your dad do it as mentioned on a previous video it would be great to make a video of it. Cheers!

I do believe that the E85 was made at Spartanburg with a note in the United States in the US was it not... When I was working over there they have an amazing selection of limited additions that were made at the planned during milestones. There is a BMW E85 M that is it the most amazing blue and interior is done with the camel brown and teak wood trim On the way to the production line

Hi Joel, very interesting and the presentation was excellent! I have got a Porsche Boxster 2.5/2005, yes it has a 6 cylinder version, but last week I have bought the Z4 2.2 2005, done over 120.000, compared to a comfortable and smoother version, I would give the plus on Z4...

Fantastic video Joel with great info on the various specifications you can look out for on the Z4 range and some of the common problems to look out for with the mechanical side of things.

Hi Joel, I have a 2.2i 170bhp model with the Getrag 5 speed manual gearbox and I have to say its not to noisy on the highway. On 70-80 mph its runs on 3000-3500 revs. :)

I’d like to point out one thing with high mileage BMWs of this era; be prepared to sink in larger amounts of money to get all sorts of minor issues fixed. Vanos, washer pumps, door locks, window regulators, abs sensors, engine sensors, etc. It can really keep you busy and because the basic drivetrain stays rock solid most of the time you decide to keep the car and it becomes a money pit. Story of my 2001 E46 325Ci with 200k miles. It’s not something to scare potential buyers but keep in mind it can pay off to get a fresher car with 100k miles or less. Over the course of three years I probably spend 1.5x times the acquisition price (which was 2500 euro) on parts and labour, and that was at a specialist not asking dealer rates.

Easy fix for the softtop/waterdamage issue: pull out the rubber plugs, (and leave them out) from the water drain and clean the water drain.

other options i think is the automatic climate control and electric seats with memory:)... great video mate

Also the E85/6 was made in Spartanburg, SC

Thanks for the info Tim, much appreciated. 👍

Great vid Joel, at least the light washers match now!!

Another great video Joel! Keep up the great work/content!

Hi Joel. I am not aware of any BMW Z4 that does not have the electric hydraulic pump top opening function. That being said it is entirely possible that a person with a BMW Z4 has experienced a failure with the top motor and decided to just open the top manually. Here in Canada, it will cost well over $2,000 dollars to replace the motor. ( I just did that)

When you consider it’s a 2004 car, it’s very well built with no real problems

Most important tipp: buy an E85

Oil filter housing gasket failure. Rear springs Disa valve Plastic coolant expansion tank failure (all BMW’s!)

Forgot to mention xenon lights again bud :) also one touch window closing is easily coded on or off.

Enjoy your Videos! Great work!

Headlight is an aquarium

Very good Joel great advice

There were 2 speaker options behind the seats. Standard and Hi-Fi which were 8 Ohm 6.5" Subs. Have HiFi in my Z4M Coupe. Not as good as Harmon Kardon tho but does put another amp in the trunk. Z4M have options for the Carbon Black print leather which comes with extended leather and changes the door cards elbow area. They M also has options for wood trim levels with the silver and piano i think, mine has the wood as seen in my "1 year ownership" Video. 3 levels of seats depending on package or M as well and u can get manual or auto for all of them.

Steering is one of the big problems. The electronic power steering and Angle sensor

I almost got a mention about commenting about the silver grills only being on the 3.0 🤩

the light washers go on the cars with xenon lights. by european law. so if your car doesen’t ha xenon the the headlights were swaped 👍🏻

Here are also some additional options you did not cover: extended leather, 3 audio options, different kinds of floor mats, M steering wheel, roof rack (very rare!), xenon lights, 6 cd changer etc.

Great vid mate very informative bmw should use you in there adds 😂😂😂👍

Forgot to mention the sports option and electronic dipstick

hello Joel very nice video of you and the bmw z4 , one question I am 1.92m and I was wandering if its ok my height to fit to this car

White socks 🤣

Great vids joel. Autotrader dosent have that many for sale. Any other places you know of to find one. Im buying one in time for summer 😀

Parking Sensors in the roadster fair enough, I can tell you now the coupe needs the rear sensors, the blind spots are massive and the visibility is awful

I took my roof motor out of the hole and mounted it inside the trunk. Problem solved.

I bet the M model of this car is scary on a wet roadway..

All pre 2005 cars have cruise control, it's not rare. All the wiring and functionality is there, the only thing missing is the steering wheel control that takes 15 minutes to install.

You forgot to mention the sport button the business audio with multi changer CD that lives in the compartment between the seats and the different engines including the 2.0 four cylinder. Have you ever had the first aid kit out from under the passenger seat might be a good idea for a video.

Thanks for the tips. I want one. Debating between a Solstice gxp or Sky redline(Opel GT) , Mr2 Spyder, SLK350 or this all in manual. I will probably get the cheapest one out of all of these in the best condition I can find.

Whats your name, Sir? My Name is Emanual Roof!

hay man I'm planning to buy the z4 which version the best to buy?

E85 was made in USA Joel

I looked everywhere online but i can’t find any information about manual roofs, i would love if that guy could show me how it looks and how it works

Is it a myth that the z4 is cheaper to buy in winter rather than summer?🤔

Where do you go to get the roof motor relocated?

I’m considering getting a muffler delete for my 3.0 as well.. do you find it annoyingly loud at times? I’ve deleted the muffler on previous cars, but never a bmw. Alternatively, I’m thinking of getting exhaust cutouts with an electronic servo that controls a valve and effectively straight pipes it when you want, and keeps it quiet when closed.

What about reliability and maintenance costs?

Thats not true... every Engine comes with the silver grills.. i had a 2.5si and it has the silver grills...

what do you use to get those bumper shots of your exhaust while driving?

Exhaust moods????

still no slk r171 compression brooo

What bhp are you getting from it Mpg ??

z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31658 Great video! Here is a link to a forum I looked at before buying my Z4. It’s all the factory alloy wheels. I’ve got the electric folding mirrors which I use when parking outside where I work. I’ve got 106 style alloys on mine, 17”, black leather seats (sadly not heated or electric), still got the original First Aid kit under the passengers seat. Only had it a couple of months but I absolutely love it!

Get rid of the run flats....you will thank me.

Porsche flat 6 not 4 pots

someone most likely stole u washer covers

Hi Joel, great presenting skills ...very natural ..iam a z4 owner to ..the late 3005 model in 2litre.... dtop me a line simanagement.co.uk

Over 2 minutes of BS before you got down to business. Helpful video but you could have got the job done in 5 minutes!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmole

and please clean your car before filming. we like to see cars not random stuff in cars. 👍🏻