Easter road trip to pick up a Z3

t-tony

Zorg Expert (II)
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British Zeds
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Dec 31, 2013
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226
Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
Model of Z
E89 Z4 23i Auto
I once had to tow a trailer with my Mk2 Granada with another Granada on the trailer loaded backwards. It wad a very entertaining run into Lincoln :thumbsup:

Tony.
 

mrscalex

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Traffic was predictably diabolical up the M5 last night. Glad we booked in at a hotel between Birmingham and Manchester rather than try to make it all the way to Blackpool. The wagon drove nicely enough although the clutch was a bit lumpy in traffic.

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We’ll be setting off again shortly.

I’m in disguise as a real transporter driver.

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t-tony

Zorg Expert (II)
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British Zeds
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Location
Torksey Lock,Lincoln, England
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E89 Z4 23i Auto
Have fun Rob.

Tony.
 

lightning

Zorg Legend
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Points
80
Looking forward to seeing what the car is like. I have bought a couple of cars “blind” and it’s always a risk.
Although l guess you only paid a holding deposit? I put a deposit on a Lotus Elise once from a dealer and when l got there it was a shed, l eventually got the deposit back but l’d rather have lost it than bought the car.
 

mrscalex

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Looking forward to seeing what the car is like. I have bought a couple of cars “blind” and it’s always a risk.
Although l guess you only paid a holding deposit? I put a deposit on a Lotus Elise once from a dealer and when l got there it was a shed, l eventually got the deposit back but l’d rather have lost it than bought the car.
I could in theory pull out. But I’ve bought a couple of Z3s blind before and they were actually better than expected. They were bought as breakers though and this isn’t.

I only ever buy distressed cars though. So the main thing is to have a backup plan to make sure the money is in it to break it instead

I’ll be honest, it’s marginal I could break this and get my money back. But it’s not a Cat, just an abandoned project. I’m buying it at the right money for both of us. And it would have to be a disaster that I couldn’t make it work.

I’ve also got a good rapport going with the seller and trust him. And the photos/history tell me most of what I need to know.

But it will be nice to see it to confirm it :)
 

Sp02zbr

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Feb 1, 2018
Points
54
I’ve bought 2 unseen. The £500 one was amazing. Shame it was a 1.9 or i’ld of kept it and not took bits off and send it to the scrap man

The other is a massive pile of rust and problems but is a more desirable car. So had to stick with it
 

lightning

Zorg Legend
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Points
80
I bought a few cars sight unseen

1932 Standard Little Nine (as good as described)
1939 Morris 8 Series E (not quite as good as l had hoped)
Ferrari Mondial t (as described, from a major Ferrari dealer)
Defender 110 TD5 (as described, it was driven up from London by the dealer sale or return so in the dealers interest to describe it accurately!)
My Z3 3.0 (as described except he’d disconnected the roof motor to fit the HT and never told me)
Lotus Elise S2 (not as described, rejected on viewing)
Honda CB250RS (as described)
Triumph Vitesse MK1 convertible (not as described, rejected on collection)
Porsche 928 S4 (better than described, in fact it was flawless, sold it for £7900 and look at the values now)
1946 Morris 8 Series E (better than described)

I think that’s about all of them
 

mrscalex

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We had a nice time in Blackpool and are currently stopped for lunch at Services in the Lake District.

The historical tram fleet in Blackpool has taken another kick in the wot-nots and the Ballons have now been insulted by having to carry the Bombardier Flexity 2 tram livery since we were last there. It really doesn’t look right!

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And we managed to spot a Z3 not long after getting back onto the M6 earlier :)

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mrscalex

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Here she is being loaded up.

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And here she is in all her glory. She’s a 3.0 Sport :)

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With my favourite interior. Chameleon leather in Dream Red :)

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Full service history which is just as well as mileage is a bit toppy at 103k. But I think we all know low mileage examples of 3.0 Sports are silly money. I obviously paid accordingly but I think seller and buyer both got a good deal.

She has a bit of a sad story as her owner died in the middle of a refresh project 3 years ago. The respray was largely completed but will need quite a bit of refinishing. The original colour was Sapphire Metallic and it may still look like that’s what is on there now but in fact it’s a very close Alfa paint with red not silver flakes. I couldn’t see it. But I’m assured it will be obvious on a sunny day.

Currently stopped at the services where she appears to have acquired a new friend :)

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Sean d

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Sep 29, 2015
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Lincolnshire
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Z3 2.8
I bet that was a bargain pal, love the interior and I may well have a home for those wheels if your interested in moving them on :whistle:
 

andyglym

Shiny Dust Caps Make Your Zed Go Faster.
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Moresby, West Cumbria, England
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Great job mate, hope the drive back has gone well.
 

Jjim

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Mansfield
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Looks like a great project :thumbsup:
 

DavidM

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Hope your new purchase turns out to be an interesting and rewarding project!
 

Tfp

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Cambs
Keep an eye on it at the services, straps and ramps can get stolen.
 

lightning

Zorg Legend
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Jul 2, 2014
Points
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You are right about values. But the reason low mileage Z3 3.0 Sport are silly money is that most other older cars and “modern classics” are even sillier money.
I attended an auction last week and saw prices reach over £20,000 for a MK1 Escort, £25,000 on a Capri 2.8, £25,000 for a Mini, even £6,000 for a Cortina MK5.
Older BMW’s such as the 3 Series and 2002 were going past £10,000 as punters climbed over each other to bid.
People were calling it a “party” but it was more like the silly season.
Is a Morris Minor worth over £10,000? Apparently it is. And what would you rather have, a Porsche 924 or a similar condition Z3 3.0 M Sport plus £8,000 in your pocket? 924’s were not that good but have gone up on the back of the 944.
Buy your Z3 now before the Classic Car Crowd wake up to them
 
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