You've Only Got A Few Hours To Buy My Perfectly Okay 2007 BMW Z4 Manual

It's the end of the road for my 2007 BMW Z4 3.0si and me. We've had a (mostly) wonderful five years together, but the truth is, I just don't drive it enough to justify keeping it around. Between living in New York City and a nearly constant stream of press cars to review, it mostly sits in my parents' driveway in New Jersey, and a car as fun as a manual Z4 convertible deserves a better life than that. Since purchasing it in August of 2020, I've put less than 15,000 miles on the clock.

That's why it's time to say goodbye, and that's why I'm listing it on Cars & Bids at no reserve. That's right — whatever the action ends at on October 6 is what it'll sell for. I'm not nervous at all. Hopefully, things will go well, but I'm a realist here. I know my 18-year-old BMW isn't perfect (even though it's perfect to me), but it does have a lot of things going for it! Hopefully, the bidders — and perhaps even you — will see that.

First of all, I've spent an ill-advised amount of money keeping this thing going. Like all people who buy old German cars, I thought my experience would be different, but it wasn't. Let my loss be your gain. During my ownership of this Z4 I replaced the water pump, thermostat, clutch, pressure plate, slave cylinder, valve cover, spark plugs, an ignition coil, the goddamn washer fluid pump, got an alignment, gave it new front tires and replaced the struts. It also got its regular oil changes and services. I've spent too much time and money on this thing, but I'm fairly confident that this is the best running Z4 3.0si in the world right now.

With everything I've done, that BMW N52 motor with 255 horsepower and 220 pound-feet of torque runs like a dream. There's no ticking, and it's as smooth as the day it rolled off the factory line in South Carolina. Equally smooth is the six-speed manual transmission that taught me how to row my own gears.

Like any 18-year-old car with 97,500-ish miles, the Z4 isn't perfect. It was in a couple of minor fender benders well before I bought the car, in 2013 and 2018. It has some chips, scratches and dings and the headlights are a bit foggy. It's really nothing, some touch-up paint and a weekend of work couldn't sort you. I'm just a lazy guy. The wheels came from the previous owner with curb rash, which can be looked at as a negative and positive, because now you don't have to worry about doing it yourself, and it probably could use a new set of rear tires.

On the inside, the seats are in really good condition, but there are a few creases in the leather — no cracks, though. There are some dead pixels on the pop-up infotainment screen, but that thing is pretty much useless in 2025 anyway. Be an adult, use your phone's interface.

The AC isn't blowing totally cold at the moment. I think it's a thermostat issue, but you've got a convertible. Drop the top. You'll be fine. On the subject of the top — it's manual now. The hydraulic motor gave out long ago, but it's about as much effort as putting a Miata's roof up and down, which means it's pretty damn easy.

I am, of course, deeply sad to see my Z4 go, but I know it's time. This is the first car I've ever truly loved. Sure, I've had cars before, but this was my first driver's car, and it'll always hold a special place in my heart. I know it's not the perfect car, but if you're looking for something fun to tool around in while not worrying too much about a little door ding, it's hard to think of something better.

Check out my Z4 on Cars & Bids right here.