Trade in Value?

[TitanTim]

Hi all,

Anyone know roughly what my Zed (Z3) might be worth as a trade in? I've been looking on e-bay and Autotrader for comparables but most are near to 100K on the clock or interstella lol. Mine has 24K

The car I'm looking to trade in against has a 6K forecourt price.

Cheers,

Tim.

[pingu]

It depends who you are dealing with. A BMW dealer will just send it to auction, so £3k would be what I would expect. If you are dealing with someone who will sell it on themselves they should give you more.

It is Price-To-Change that matters. The trade-in value of your old car is irrelevant.

I just noticed the £6k bit. You can't expect much more than £3-4k against a £6k car unless the dealer judges that your car will be easier to sell than the one you are buying.

[gookah]

I'll give you £30 but only if you throw in the Schnitzer mats.

Seriously though Tim. You are better hanging on for a private sale. A garage won't give you the money a car like yours deserves, but they will sell it for much much more. It would be better sold to a forumite.

I will be seriously tempted myself, if it was just 2 months down the line......
My 'M' will be up for sale very soon, as I need to gather a deposit for a house.

[TitanTim]

Thanks guys, I haven't looked at Z3 prices of late but I cried when I see what theyre going for now almost getting towards banger status

This is the time when I wished I had a hum drum boring car that I never washed to trade in.

Just have to decide what its worth selling privately or I might stick it on e-bay and let the auction commence.

Tim.

[pingu]

This is the time when I wished I had a hum drum boring car that I never washed to trade in.

Exactly, CAP / Glass' Guide is all car dealers go by. A mingin' 15k is worth more than an 80k minter of the same age. Go figure.

[OldskoolRS]

Exactly, CAP / Glass' Guide is all car dealers go by. A mingin' 15k is worth more than an 80k minter of the same age. Go figure.

Shame as really these cars are getting to an age where condition should be more important than mileage (didn't stop me paying too much for a lowish mileage Z3 myself though ).

I'd take all the extras off the car, put it back to standard and sell the bits separately. Then debate if selling the car privately is worth the hassle and dealing with some of the idiots that seem to come out of the woodwork (at least when I'm selling a car ) or whether the trade in offer is close enough just to take the easy route.

I missed what car you were planing on replacing it with: Always an interesting subject as I've often wondered what I would replace my Z3 3.0 with if I sold it. I only came up with a TVR 4.5 litre as an option, but that means selling my RS2000 as well, so not likely to happen anytime soon.

[geminimustang]

The problem when you purchase any car is the hidden costs that come with it.Often there's a few niggly things and BMW parts aren't cheap and the Indies carry a premium compared to Fred-in-a-Shed who can fix everything runabout.The Z3 is the most beautiful car but the costs of ownership can give you sleepness nights and this impacts on the selling price.Fuel economy now comes into play,my Golf TDi does 60mpg all day long.Locally,someone is selling a 2001,1.9 Z3,One owner,21k for £4.5K.I think,£3,300 is closer to the mark.At £3K,i'd be very tempted.This owner is selling privately due to poor part-ex pricing,hope of a better price privately and,in turn,hoping to gain a little leverage to negotiate a better deal at the Stealer with cash.

[OldskoolRS]

Sorry for the OT, but why do buyers still labour under the misapprehension that having cash makes them a better buyer in a dealer's eyes? They often make more money on the finance than the car itself, so a cash buyer isn't what they want. Fair enough not having a PX would help, but not cash.

I think there is an unhealthy obsession with mpg anyway these days, often the cost of depreciation is the major cost of running a car yet gets conveniently overlooked by many. Surely a 1.9 Z3 would get well into mid thirties mpg anyway given that I get 27 out of my 3.0 and I never drive it with regard to mpg as it's a fun car not my daily. Unfortunately our cars are getting old and to the stage where many buyers wouldn't even consider something of that age, regardless of low mileage or condition. There are plenty of newer run of the mill cars that are already 'bangers' so why would they sell a banger then buy something older for example? It's a niche market so we either have to wait our time and hope for a buyer that appreciates the good condition, history, etc of a better example, or just sell it cheap to a buyer more interested in price...

[pingu]

I think Z3s are going to be an awkward car to sell for what we think they are worth for a long time. Most have been pampered and are in excellent condition for their age. Compare an average 1999 Z3's condition to an average E36 of the same age.

There are still circa 20,000 Z3s registered in the UK, but most of them are well looked after 2nd cars. I suspect that less than half of them are daily drivers, hence why they are relatively uncommon on the road. An equivalent, low mileage, E36 is rarer and given the same mileage/condition could be worth more, as nearly all of them were daily drivers and only the good ones have survived.

Z3 trade-in prices will continue to be much lower than we expect for as long as so many survive.

[Mike Fishwick]

'The costs of ownership can give you sleepness nights' and 'BMW parts are not cheap?'

If you are an avid collector of BMW service stamps, this is so, but there are plenty alternatives around. Spare parts, whether from Dealers or GSF, are sensible, and in many cases a lot cheaper than VW. If you use DIY servicing an Oil Service, Inspection 1, or Inspection 2 costs an average of about about £35 for oil, a filter, and plugs. Add tothat the odd brake fluid, pads, transmission oils, air filter, fuel filter, power steering oil change, and it still will not break the bank.

In its 120,000 miles my car has only really demanded a clutch switch, a washer pump, a thermostat, and a brake caliper. OK, I have spent money on other things, such as a new hood, a really quiet exhaust system, but these were a present to the car rather than a necessity. When you add in a fuel consumption of mid-to-high thirties and £350 for a set of tyres it is a lot cheaper to run that most 'sensible' cars.

In ten years time a lot of people will be very sorry that they sold their Z3 - as with many ex-MGB etc owners today - if you can, just keep your Z3 for old age.

A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!

[pingu]

'The costs of ownership can give you sleepness nights' and 'BMW parts are not cheap?'

If you are an avid collector of BMW service stamps, this is so, but there are plenty alternatives around. Spare parts, whether from Dealers or GSF, are sensible, and in many cases a lot cheaper than VW. If you use DIY servicing an Oil Service, Inspection 1, or Inspection 2 costs an average of about about £35 for oil, a filter, and plugs. Add tothat the odd brake fluid, pads, transmission oils, air filter, fuel filter, power steering oil change, and it still will not break the bank.

In its 120,000 miles my car has only really demanded a clutch switch, a washer pump, a thermostat, and a brake caliper. OK, I have spent money on other things, such as a new hood, a really quiet exhaust system, but these were a present to the car rather than a necessity. When you add in a fuel consumption of mid-to-high thirties and £350 for a set of tyres it is a lot cheaper to run that most 'sensible' cars.

In ten years time a lot of people will be very sorry that they sold their Z3 - as with many ex-MGB etc owners today - if you can, just keep your Z3 for old age.

A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!

Just a wee bit O/T there Mike F! To bring it back to the thread, what trade-in value do you think yours has compared to what you think it is worth?

[Mike Fishwick]

Over the top? Never - it was true, but I guess I would have had to buy new dampers by now anyway, although the hood would have lasted another year or so. Call it another £1000 of pre-emptive replacements over the years. Oh - and one battery after twelve years at £70. Call it another £1000, which after 120,000 miles, on a cost per mile basis, is hardly worth counting.

The real expense for me in running a Z3 is insurance, but in the UK it is not too bad - out here in rural France AXA charge me 1200 Euros a year - probably to subsidise their low UK premiums! Still, that is why the UK gives me £541 per month to enjoy my many old age vices with!

For my Z3, an October 1998 model (ie 1999 model year) in excellent condition, one owner for the last twelve years and rust-free, never having seen a salty road, and with 120,000 over-maintained miles behind it, I would guess at about £3000 or a bit less in today's market - if I wanted to sell it! For that kind of value, if I wanted another car, I would simply keep it on one side, as a museum piece.

I'm afraid that our cars are pursuing the usual path of all cars, going from new to nearly new, then to good used cars, and so to plain old, and are now classed by non-owners as old bangers. This means that many will fall into unsympathetic hands, and be driven hard with no maintenance or thought - not to mention being driven into immovable objects! Those which survive this will doubtless become classics in about another ten years. As the supply of good cars dwindles prices go up - an old Fiat 500 in good condition can now fetch £10000.

This means that the Z3 will probably never be worth less than now, so with current values, and the good conditon of almost every Z3, they make wonderful used car buys - perhaps I should buy a couple for spares!

[Julie Z3]

A dealer in bristol had a near mint 2001 3.0 Z3 on his forecourt for many weeks, seem to remember it having approx 60k, stainless exhaust etc.......................sold last weekend after being lowered to £3195, just about as cheap as it gets really!

[Greg01]

Hi ,
Just traded mine in bought it last year and
After looking in a 200 mile radius for a real
Nice z3 came across a z4 and fell in love .
Took a hit of £1000 .
The price of the z,s are taking a little bit of a pounding .
Greg .

[pingu]

Over the top?

O/T = off thread. I didn't think you were OTT at all.

Anyway, TTFN

[amancuso]

The lowest prices here in the USA are about 5900-7000 USD for 1996 1.9 Z3s in fair condition with mileage anywhere between 120K-225K. Over here, thats still considered "not cheap." A hooptie non BMW (really cheap beater car) can be had for 500-2000 USD.

[orange]

I still love my Zed. I paid a fair price for her in February. I don't want to sell her....and I'm still paying out to get her where i'd like.
If you want to know what a trade in price is for yours, go to the 'we buy any car' mob. They won't be far off the mark I guess. Might come as a shock about your pride and joy.
But to the trade they're lumps of metal that move

I don't want to sell mine....why do you?

dave...

[Phil]

I still love my Zed. I paid a fair price for her in February. I don't want to sell her....and I'm still paying out to get her where i'd like.
If you want to know what a trade in price is for yours, go to the 'we buy any car' mob. They won't be far off the mark I guess. Might come as a shock about your pride and joy.
But to the trade they're lumps of metal that move

I don't want to sell mine....why do you?

dave...

I think you'll find the trade in IS way off the mark.
I put my wifes new car in and the price was stupid - a bit like missing the nought off the end.

[geminimustang]

A friend recently took his Mazda RX8,One owner,FSH,30K miles,now approx 5 years old,for which he paid £18K +,and was offered £1500 vs a brand new car costing £20K+.Rediculous ? yes,but no one offered him more.The market dictates pricing and a lot of Z3's i see for sale are over priced in the current economic climate? Great cars? Yes.Beautiful? Absolutely.Over-priced,without a shadow,an awful lot are.As for "we-rob-any-car.com",they're at the other extreme.

[gookah]

We Buy Any Car offered me more for my last unmarked low mileage Z4 than the BMW dealers did, and I still sold it privately for £2800 more than their offer...... The private buyers words were ""the car is so nice I won't insult you by trying to negotiate, I'll take it.."
Thing is there is so much rubbish around as soon as a buyer sees a good one they don't' mind paying a premium.

[XVar]

A friend recently took his Mazda RX8,One owner,FSH,30K miles,now approx 5 years old,for which he paid £18K +,and was offered £1500 vs a brand new car costing £20K+.Rediculous ? yes,but no one offered him more.

RX8's are a bit of an anomaly, they're particularly prone to compression loss as they get older which has had a drastic effect on second hand prices of them. Something to do with unburnt petrol deteriorating the rotor seals if you start the car and turn it off without running it up to temperature I believe. Even with private sales the vast majority of them are going for around the £2K mark.

Back on topic, £2500-3500 seems to be the ball park for 2001 1.9s being sold privately right now.

[TitanTim]

Thanks for the replies all, have decided to keep the Zed, after giving it some thought, I couldn't part with it and have spend a fair bit getting it to how I wanted it I would never get that back, I would feel if I sold it I would be giving it away If I sold it to a fellow member it would pain me to still see it knocking around and I would always be thinking damn wished I'd kept it.

Options now are to either to invest in some winter wheels for the Z4 or get a cheap old 4x4 which might be a bit of fun for the winter and sell it again in the spring.

Tim.

[OldskoolRS]

Why not just buy a 'shed' car for winter? Something that you won't have to worry about getting the odd mark or dent on in a car park, but chose something reliable enough too (not sure I'm qualified to recommend a particular car though). Doesn't have to be 4x4 unless you live right out in the sticks, probably FWD and maybe just a set of winter tyres on it.

I used to like having a 'shed' as we could do rubbish tip runs and not worry too much about getting it dirty (though it did sweep it out afterwards if it got really bad), plus the odd mark and stone chip wasn't a worry. It was only an old Rover 214 but it was fine for local stuff. These days my 'shed' is a 61 plate 320d Touring, but it belongs to the firm I work for so I have to be very careful about keeping it clean if I do a tip run (plus I have to take all my tools and spares out of the boot first)...not quite the same as the old Rover in terms of not caring about where I park it, etc.

Glad you're keeping the car. It looks a really nice example in your signature and I love the wheels...I think they'd look even better on my Topaz Blue 3.0.

[BladeRunner919]

If you want a good, cheap winter car you could look at Subarus. I have a Subaru Legacy as a dd - really reliable, incredibly good in snow, and stupidly cheap.

I've got a 2.5 auto, with leather, traction control, climate control, twin sunroof, etc, etc - I paid just over 2 grand a few years ago, but I could probably buy a similar one today for about half that today.

[Mike Fishwick]

Another good buy for winter is a BMW E36 Compact 318ti - with the same 140 bhp engine, gearbox, suspension and other equipment as the smaller Z3. IF BMW GB had had any idea at all it would have been marketed as a descendant of the 2002 Touring of old. Lots of people do not even realise that it is a hatchback, which will take two bicycles and two people with ease.

Like our cars, it is no good whatever according to the media hacks and those who have never owned one, but it makes a great second car for any Z3 owner. With a set of old Z3 17 inch wheels, decent springs and dampers etc it is outstanding - which is why people are starting to race them now.

[OldskoolRS]

Added bonus with Mike's suggestion is that you have a backup source of parts if either car plays up: Handy if you think a sensor or similar has failed. I've noticed quite a few of the 'Compacts' since I got my Z3. I hadn't even realised they did a 6 cylinder version either as I've seen 325i (badged anyway) versions.

[markrnorton]

^^^^^^^
Have to agree with Mike there, we had one of these last year (3 years in total), great small car. Some are at bargain price too

[pingu]

I don't agree with getting any RWD as a winter car. I agree about it being a good source of spares, though.

[Mike Fishwick]

The six-cylinder E36 Compact was a 323, but not imported into the UK, as BMW GB did not want it to complete with the 'real' 323i 3 Series. The E46 Compact was available in the UK with the 2.3 litre engine, but it only lasted for a short time before being chopped in favour of the 1 Series.

If you use a modicum of cowardice, and fit suitable tyres, a Compact should be fine even in snow - not that the UK gets much anyway. My daughter never had any problems in the five years she owned a 318ti, and that inlcuded more than a few snowy days of commuting betwen Barnstaple and Ilfracombe. Let's face it - BMW-mounted reps cannot stay at home in winter!

[BladeRunner919]

I don't agree with getting any RWD as a winter car. I agree about it being a good source of spares, though.

+1

I do enjoy driving around the stranded BMWs, Jags, Mercs etc in my Subaru in the snow.

[pingu]

snow - not that the UK gets much anyway.

That's the problem - when it does come, no-one knows what to do. The RWD cars struggle and those with grip don't slow down enough to allow them to get going.

FWD or AWD for winter.

[Mike Fishwick]

I think technique is more important than where the drive comes from - and the type of tyres. Most modern cars are fitted with tyres which are optimised for low noise and water clearing at motorway speeds, rather than providing grip in snow or mud conditions. A RWD car with proper winter tyres will outperform a FWD on modern tyres - for example Godyear Eagle FI Assymetric, which is useless in snow. Anyway - you can be driving a jeep, and stil be held up by other people being all over the place!

The Germans get enough snow, and a lot of them drive RWD . . .

[pingu]

The Germans get enough snow, and a lot of them drive RWD . . .

and they know how to drive on it. The problem tends to be the other drivers not allowing constant movement of ALL the traffic. The problem comes when you have to start. Even a BMW can pull out of a sideroad if it hasn't had to stop. A standing start into moving traffic = danger. It has to be 10ft into the main road BEFORE it has any traction.

Anyway, what's this got to do with TitanTim's trade-in value?

[TitanTim]

My favourite 2 videos of BMWs in the snow, the first shows just how good a rear wheel drive car can be with a good set of winter tyres,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahMDAr0 ... re=related

The second shows how frightening some people are on the roads,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAr6cHSNQaQ

All I can say on a BMW anyways shod with anything over 16" wheels with runflats you will be completely stuffed in anything over 2 inches of snow, been there and tried it. No amount of driving experience will get you on the move. The problem with runflats especially is once the tread fills with snow and the tyre being so hard made worse by the cold you have zero grip once you stop and try to move off again. I can't comment with non runflat tyres have never tried the Z3 in snow but with the Z4 this winter I will either have to invest in some winter wheels and tyres or leave it off the road.

As some have mentioned there is alot of sense in getting something cheep and cheerful and running it over winter as much as anything I would rather have the thick persons like in Video 2 running into my cheep n cheeful motor thatn my 32K BMW

I reckon 2K will pick up a nice little Suzuki Jimny (don't laugh) theyre not the first thing in on road refinement but they will show a 60K Range Rover a thing or two when the going gets tough. I would say I would probably get most of my money back when I come to sell again in the spring

Tim.

[pingu]

I reckon 2K will pick up a nice little Suzuki Jimny (don't laugh) theyre not the first thing in on road refinement but they will show a 60K Range Rover a thing or two when the going gets tough. I would say I would probably get most of my money back when I come to sell again in the spring

Tim.

Why not do some trials with it in the spring? You can get external rollbars which are easy to fit (like the Jimny, they are free [all your money back when sold]). They are the vehicle of choice - short wheelbase, high ground clearance (especially when the springs are mounted above the axle). It's probably the cheapest form of motorsport and quite possibly the most fun. Just turn up, pass the safety check, drive around a muddy wood, get dirty, laugh at others getting dirty, go home. Unlike "let's go fast" motorsport, I don't think there has ever been a serious injury.