Hi All.
As a new member, I thought I'd take a bit of time to introduce myself. My name is Alan, I'm 68 years old, and was fortunate enough to be able to retire from the rat race 12 years ago. I live in Didcot, Oxfordshire with my wife and two dogs. Now for a bit of history.
After several years of owning various 900cc Kawasaki spotsbikes, a front tyre blowout on a German Autobahn persuaded me to make the move from two to four wheels for my weekend fun and annual European tours.
The closest affordable four-wheeled equivalent I could find was an AC/Shelby 427 Cobra replica - so in 2006 I had one professionally built to my spec, powered by a mighty 6.3l 400BHP Chevy V8. After placing the order, the next day I went on a tour of local car dealerships seeking inspiration for a body colour to specify. When I entered the BMW showroom, there was a 2006 Z4 as the centrepiece. It was the same price as the Cobra I'd just ordered, and I very nearly "wobbled" - but I held my nerve!
The Cobra started off as a weekend toy, but then I got into European touring again, there being an annual European Cobra Meeting hosted in a different country each year. After attending my first one in Germany in 2013 I was hooked, and have made a 2500/3000 mile trip every year since.
After 13 years of Cobra fun, I recently decided to look for something almost as exciting to drive, but more practical and affordable (at 18-20mpg the fuel costs for those long trips were getting quite high!) Another thing I originally intended using the Cobra for was track days - but I soon discovered that with straight-through side pipes it was way in excess of the noise limits for the UK circuits. So something exciting, reliable, more practical and economical, and suitable for long distance touring and the occasional track day with my car-mad son - but what?
So I started looking at various cars on AutoTrader, and cane across a 2003 3.0 E85 Z4 with a stated 4200 miles on the clock - and spookily it was the same colour as the one I saw back in 2006! I got in contact with the dealer, and went down for a test drive. The car was absolutely stunning - it's in "as new" concours condition, and the mileage is backed up by BMW servicing receipts and MOT certificates. It was only driven occasionally, and never in the wet. At one time it spent six years in a garage under cover. The price was way in excess of the the book price for a 2003 model, but this car was truly a one-off, so I bought it, and it arrived on my drive yesterday.
Here it is, in all its shining glory!
The only sign of any corrosion is to the round plastic BMW wheel centre covers - but an new aftermarket set (£8 well spent!) is on its way, and the originals will be put away. After taxing and insuring it, I took it for a 40 mile drive this afternoon - silky smooth ride and transmission, no rattles, squeaks or knocks, and a beautiful sound from the engine. Chalk and cheese in terms of the Cobra, which is basically a big engine on four wheels! And to cap it all, having reset the average fuel consumption before I set off, it averaged 40mpg.
It still has the original tyres on it which, although there are no cracks visible at all, I'll be replacing straight away - I have always replaced tyres after six years at the latest, as I know they dry out internally and I've seen whats happens when a tyre disintegrates on a hot motorway at speed...
So, I'm well impressed with it. The one thing it hasn't got which would be a definite "nice to have" is cruise control for the European tours. But as it's a 2003 model, I'll be ordering a cruise control switch and, with some careful modification to the lower steering column shroud, that should be that one sorted! I may well also remove the airbox end foam plug from the "sound generator" pipe as I used to love the sound of induction roar from my sportsbikes.
Anyway, that was a rather long introduction and, if you're still with me (!), I have a question. Despite the ridiculously low mileage, are there things I should be checking for that (like tyres) age even without use - for example suspension rubbers/bushes? My Cobra touring buddy (also a BMW owner) reckons that suspension bushes, regardless of mileage, tend to be shot after ten years.
Thanks for bearing with me, and I look forward to making just as active a contribution to this forum as I have to my previous biking and Cobra forums!
Stay safe!
Alan
As a new member, I thought I'd take a bit of time to introduce myself. My name is Alan, I'm 68 years old, and was fortunate enough to be able to retire from the rat race 12 years ago. I live in Didcot, Oxfordshire with my wife and two dogs. Now for a bit of history.
After several years of owning various 900cc Kawasaki spotsbikes, a front tyre blowout on a German Autobahn persuaded me to make the move from two to four wheels for my weekend fun and annual European tours.
The closest affordable four-wheeled equivalent I could find was an AC/Shelby 427 Cobra replica - so in 2006 I had one professionally built to my spec, powered by a mighty 6.3l 400BHP Chevy V8. After placing the order, the next day I went on a tour of local car dealerships seeking inspiration for a body colour to specify. When I entered the BMW showroom, there was a 2006 Z4 as the centrepiece. It was the same price as the Cobra I'd just ordered, and I very nearly "wobbled" - but I held my nerve!
The Cobra started off as a weekend toy, but then I got into European touring again, there being an annual European Cobra Meeting hosted in a different country each year. After attending my first one in Germany in 2013 I was hooked, and have made a 2500/3000 mile trip every year since.
After 13 years of Cobra fun, I recently decided to look for something almost as exciting to drive, but more practical and affordable (at 18-20mpg the fuel costs for those long trips were getting quite high!) Another thing I originally intended using the Cobra for was track days - but I soon discovered that with straight-through side pipes it was way in excess of the noise limits for the UK circuits. So something exciting, reliable, more practical and economical, and suitable for long distance touring and the occasional track day with my car-mad son - but what?
So I started looking at various cars on AutoTrader, and cane across a 2003 3.0 E85 Z4 with a stated 4200 miles on the clock - and spookily it was the same colour as the one I saw back in 2006! I got in contact with the dealer, and went down for a test drive. The car was absolutely stunning - it's in "as new" concours condition, and the mileage is backed up by BMW servicing receipts and MOT certificates. It was only driven occasionally, and never in the wet. At one time it spent six years in a garage under cover. The price was way in excess of the the book price for a 2003 model, but this car was truly a one-off, so I bought it, and it arrived on my drive yesterday.
Here it is, in all its shining glory!
The only sign of any corrosion is to the round plastic BMW wheel centre covers - but an new aftermarket set (£8 well spent!) is on its way, and the originals will be put away. After taxing and insuring it, I took it for a 40 mile drive this afternoon - silky smooth ride and transmission, no rattles, squeaks or knocks, and a beautiful sound from the engine. Chalk and cheese in terms of the Cobra, which is basically a big engine on four wheels! And to cap it all, having reset the average fuel consumption before I set off, it averaged 40mpg.
It still has the original tyres on it which, although there are no cracks visible at all, I'll be replacing straight away - I have always replaced tyres after six years at the latest, as I know they dry out internally and I've seen whats happens when a tyre disintegrates on a hot motorway at speed...
So, I'm well impressed with it. The one thing it hasn't got which would be a definite "nice to have" is cruise control for the European tours. But as it's a 2003 model, I'll be ordering a cruise control switch and, with some careful modification to the lower steering column shroud, that should be that one sorted! I may well also remove the airbox end foam plug from the "sound generator" pipe as I used to love the sound of induction roar from my sportsbikes.
Anyway, that was a rather long introduction and, if you're still with me (!), I have a question. Despite the ridiculously low mileage, are there things I should be checking for that (like tyres) age even without use - for example suspension rubbers/bushes? My Cobra touring buddy (also a BMW owner) reckons that suspension bushes, regardless of mileage, tend to be shot after ten years.
Thanks for bearing with me, and I look forward to making just as active a contribution to this forum as I have to my previous biking and Cobra forums!
Stay safe!
Alan
to the forum from West Cumbria to. Great spot and buy 
