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My car is a 2001 Toyota Celica GT, 290,000 miles, automatic.
The car I am trying to get is: BMW Z4, 140,000 miles, automatic, convertible (softtop), silver color, transmission is said to be about 10,000 miles only. So it had some work done.
I’m buying this from an auto repair shop owner that I know and trust. He is selling it for $8,500. Is this a good deal? Also, he said he could give me a better deal if I trade in my 2001 Toyota Celica GT for the BMW. My Celica still runs well since I had some work done on it, but it’s about 290,000 miles already. What kind of deal could I expect? Is trading in my car along with maybe $4-$5 grand in cash payment a good offer? I have no knowledge of BMWs so not sure about it yet. It looks smaller than the Celica. I don’t even know how well it does with gas. I know the Celica is really good with gas.
Should I go for this offer?
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Your post states you “know and trust” so if that is a long-term relationship and you REALLY know the shop can be trusted, that goes a long way. You have not stated the model year of the Z4 so that impacts value. If Z4 is recent year model, not sure why transmission had to be replaced if car only has 140,000 miles but stuff does happen (all Z4 cars are “relatively” new since it replaced Z3). Also, $8,500 is relatively cheap if car is in good shape and a recent year model. Your Celica will (should easily) beat the Z4 on gas mileage. You will also pay more (in some cases a lot more) for repairs with the Z4 since it’s a BMW. Since Celica has 290,000 miles it could be pretty worn out in a number of areas. I like the Z4 (I actually like the Z3 better) but I own an 02 Celica with 145K and I have no plans to sell it, if that tells you anything.
Ok, it’s a 2004 BMW Z4, so it’s about 10 years old. I think the BMW is also 3.0 liter, 225 hp, version.
I would not sell my Celica either if it had your milegae. LOL. Mine’s close to 300,000 miles and feel it’s time to let it go before it becomes a money pit.
[quote=”mustangroddick” post=101888]Your post states you “know and trust” so if that is a long-term relationship and you REALLY know the shop can be trusted, that goes a long way. You have not stated the model year of the Z4 so that impacts value. If Z4 is recent year model, not sure why transmission had to be replaced if car only has 140,000 miles but stuff does happen (all Z4 cars are “relatively” new since it replaced Z3). Also, $8,500 is relatively cheap if car is in good shape and a recent year model. Your Celica will (should easily) beat the Z4 on gas mileage. You will also pay more (in some cases a lot more) for repairs with the Z4 since it’s a BMW. Since Celica has 290,000 miles it could be pretty worn out in a number of areas. I like the Z4 (I actually like the Z3 better) but I own an 02 Celica with 145K and I have no plans to sell it, if that tells you anything.[/quote]
You state that you want to get rid of the celica before it becomes a money pit and you are looking at a used high mileage BMW. BMW parts aint cheap. Even if the tranny has been rebuilt how long will it be before something else goes? You need to think about the long term costs of owning a German luxury vehicle. Alot of parts need to be imported for BMWs not to mention they are usually marked up due to the nature of the type of vehicle it is. This opinion is from my experience in the field and the fact a friend of mine got burned pretty bad on a used BMW as well. It had 103,600 miles on it an became a money pit really fast to put it briefly.
The car report states this BMW Z4 is made in the U.S. so I’m assuming the parts would be easily available domestically.
I think I’m backing out of the BMW. So I got the VIN for it and it turns out it is a 2003, not a 2004. When I test drove it, it runs great, but it actually had 158,000, not 140,000 as originally mentioned to me. I see inside the car’s glove compartments several court date notices as if the original owner lived a fast life. Not sure how the person who runs the shop and who is also selling me the car got a hold of this car. Must be from an auction or either it was sent there for repair but the original owner is either locked up that the car ended up in the auto shop owner’s hands.
The guy wanted to trade it for my Celica plus $7500, which means he’s only giving me a $1000 offer for my Celica, since he was originally selling the BMW for $8500. LOL. He was actually surprised that my Celica is close to 300,000 miles and still pretty. I just had its brake booster changed.
Another car for sale at his shop was a 2000 Jaguar XJ8 convertible, which has 80,000 and listed for $11,000. It’s a V8 so it eats gas. I’m sure they probably got the year and model wrong again, maybe even the mileage. It looks good though.
Maybe buying the 2015 Ford Mustang 4 cylinder might be worth it?
I would stay away from the BMW if I were in your shoes. I hope you have deep pockets for the Jaguar because not only will it eat gas but parts for Jags are expensive for the same reason parts for BMWs are expensive… it is a luxury vehicle. Jaguar electrical issues are all I ever hear about from owners. Other than those two points they are great cars.
Getting the 2015 Mustang with 4-cylinder Eco-boost engine is fine. I have 3 Mustangs now and would love a 2015. But I’d probably opt for the 6 cylinder (which is cheaper than the 4 cylinder and still 300 horsepower) or the V8. If you were the type to buy a new car and sell it in a few years the Eco-boost 4 may be the answer. I’m just concerned about the long-term reliability of the Eco-boost and when I say long-term I mean 150,000 miles and up. If you want to put 300,000 miles on the Mustang, well, keep it basic and take care of it. The Z4 is made in Greenville South Carolina. They made the Z3 there, now the Z4 plus they make some of the BMW SUVs there.
I still don’t get why the 4 cylinder eco boost would cost more than the V6. It is said to be faster than the V6 which is weird. The 2014 V6 would be cheaper than the 2015, I think $2000 cheaper. I’m not positive on this one yet. Only plus with the 2015 is the weight is said to be less, plus it’s a 2015!
Would the 2015 4 cylinder eat more gas than the V6 then since it is faster than the V6 by just a few horse power, if I’m not mistaken. I’d probably get the 2014 V6 since it is cheaper and if it is better with gas compared to the 4 cylinder 2015. Plus I don’t have to wait for it. I’d need something by next month. LOL.
[quote=”mustangroddick” post=102131]Getting the 2015 Mustang with 4-cylinder Eco-boost engine is fine. I have 3 Mustangs now and would love a 2015. But I’d probably opt for the 6 cylinder (which is cheaper than the 4 cylinder and still 300 horsepower) or the V8. If you were the type to buy a new car and sell it in a few years the Eco-boost 4 may be the answer. I’m just concerned about the long-term reliability of the Eco-boost and when I say long-term I mean 150,000 miles and up. If you want to put 300,000 miles on the Mustang, well, keep it basic and take care of it. The Z4 is made in Greenville South Carolina. They made the Z3 there, now the Z4 plus they make some of the BMW SUVs there.[/quote]
I cross compared how much the parts I spent on my Celica compared to BMW parts, I think the prices aren’t too far off maybe just by a couple dollars. I usually buy my parts online and go to a trusted person who knows how to work on cars. I’m not sure why someone here said BMW parts and repairs are costly. Wouldn’t repairing a BMW same as working on any other car (for example replacing a catalytic converter means going under the car and removing the screws, etc). The parts I ever spent on my Celica such as struts, catalytic converters, brake pads, brake booster, ignition coils, cabin/engine filters, etc. are about the same price as a 2003 BMW Z4. The ignition coil for my Celica cost about $40 a piece, the BMW is about $25 a piece. Some parts are about $20-$30 more, since it’s a BMW. When I test drove the car it was smooth. I’m still thinking about it. If I could get it for less than the asking price then that’s great.
Curious if what makes BMW’s parts and repairs “cost more” is because it requires frequent replacing of it or does it simply break down often or what? I find this hard to believe for a German car. When I test drove it, it felt stronger than a Japanese car, maybe because it has “real” wheels on it?
[quote=”Chevyman21″ post=102086]I would stay away from the BMW if I were in your shoes. I hope you have deep pockets for the Jaguar because not only will it eat gas but parts for Jags are expensive for the same reason parts for BMWs are expensive… it is a luxury vehicle. Jaguar electrical issues are all I ever hear about from owners. Other than those two points they are great cars.[/quote]
On paper the 4 cylinder gets better gas mileage and has more horsepower (although final numbers are not in). That’s done by getting gas mileage based on NOT kicking in the boost (or at least very little use of the boost) and getting horse power using the boost. When you kick in boost (accelerate fast) your gas mileage will drop way down. The 4 with boost is said to more expensive due to the technical qualities of the engine (I guess the 6 is a little more basic). 2014 is probably going to be cheaper then 2015 when comparing 6 to 6 but then again the 2015 is basically a new car (that can be argued but it’s definitely a new generation). The rear suspension is the really cool part of the new 2015 car. It should mean that the car can not only go fast in a straight line (as the 2005-2014 models can) but it can also take corners fast – it really could be a time when the Mustang competes well all over the world.
I don’t know how a booster or turbo works. Does it automatically kick in at certain speed or do I need to press a button to turn it on?
A turbo is a turbine that extracts thermal energy (heat) from the exhaust that is normally wasted to compress the intake charge. This allows an engine to generate more power (more air + more fuel = more power) than a normally aspirated engine. The efficiency increases because a smaller engine has less mass under normal driving conditions – the fuel efficiency will drop accordingly when you hammer it though.
The wastegate is a bypass valve between the turbo and exhaust system that activates the turbo to generate boost. The wastegate is controlled by the engine management system.
Yep – and it’s going to kick in more if you try to accelerate faster (it will automatically kick in). It could also kick in just trying to pull s steep hill while trying to maintain speed. The computer in the car will know when to add boost (turbo) to make both of the above possible.
I’m looking to see if carfax is the best source to get a vehicle history report.
I found this info. from consumers report and have tried the “free” ones. It was not thorough, it just states whether the car is a salvage or not, etc. but no owner(s) info. and other relevant info.
“Many reports returned “clean” results, sometimes from all five services: Carfax (www.carfax.com), AutoCheck (www.autocheck.com), the free VINCheck from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (www.nicb.org), and two services providing information from the federal government’s National Motor Vehicle Title Information Systems database (www.nmvtis.gov).”
Interesting how carfax has 26 reports on the car yet autocheck only has 13. I might opt to buying the “unlimited” subscription so I can use the service again when I buy another car in the future. But “unlimited” with autocheck only means you can check as many vehicles BUT only for 30 days. I haven’t looked into carfax’s terms yet.
I actually work for a non-profit that help credit-challenged parents get low interest car loans. We have a dealership arrangement with Carfax (because we have a dealership license (long story). Any of the reports are not perfect, but we find that Carfax helps us learn about issues used car dealers know about that they are not telling us or our clients (like Salvage title!). “Ask for the Carfax” is a great slogan for them since dealers can get them cheaper ($15 or less in most cases) than individuals (about $34 if ordering just one). We get them for slightly less than $15 for our clients. We pick up the cost of that since it protects us also since we are the lender. I usually buy a Carfax report when I’m getting another car.
Make sure if you do get a used car instead of the mustang you get a title with it and make sure it is signed over to you(no title no deal in my book). Also the VIN check is a good idea(most states require it if the car is under a certain age), you don’t want to buy a car that may or may have not been stolen because if the car was stolen, the car will be taken from you and your money will not be returned. Do your research. A wise US Marine once told me “fools rush in”.
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