Tire question re: prepping Black / Black 2001 for sale

[BigGar]

I figured I would put this out to the collective.

I'm getting a 2001 ready to sell for a client. The tires are 2012 date coded, so we're going to put a fresh set on before advertising the car or putting it up on BaT.

Would you find brand new run flat tires more or less attractive than brand new summer performance tires?

The price isn't much different either way and not a big factor anyway.

We just want the best and most attractive (to buyers) tires on the car.

It's getting a few things fixed up at BMW dealer right now so it will be 100% in every way.

I'm taking the hard top in to get headliner replaced by a shop that did another Z8 hard top for me about a year ago.

I'll do a super detail on it of course.

It's a 9,600 mile one-owner car that I've taken care of since new so it doesn't need much in regards to detailing

100% factory paint. No damage ever.

Performance Package and two brand new headlights installed in 2013.

Oil and brake fluid last year and probably fresh oil again while it's at dealer because why not.

Dealer is just giving it a very thorough looking over. New rear ball joints / rubber bushings for sure as they're torn.

Is there anything the collective would recommend having addressed proactively?

Coolant hoses? Other known issues easier fixed now than waiting until they inevitably fail due to age?

I'm looking to present the best, zero excuses car possible when I finally put it on the market.

The paint is failing on the hard top trolley! I think the upholstery shop is connected to a body shop, so I may have those guys re-paint it while everything is there.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Musta10000]

Sounds like a great car! I would think that a set of high performance summer tires would be better, but most likely it really does not make much difference as long as they are new. I am an avid BaT Z8 follower, and my only suggestion is to list all “The Goodies” (you have; hopefully all) in an initial post if you can’t have that included in the description portion. The other suggestion is to stay on top of all the questions from the initial moments as it really seems to help the perception and build credibility. GLWA - let us know when it goes on the block!

[BigGar]

I'll for sure post it up here, or a link. I may private sale it if the price is right. It does have pretty much everything. Owner is desperately searching for 2nd button key and valet key. At the moment we only have one key and plastic key. I'm pretty sure the Motorola phone has been lost to the ages too. Coffee table book, owner's manual and leather cover, tools, charger, 1st aid kit, leather key fob are all here. Boot, roll hoop windblocker, bags for each, BMW flannel rear window protector accounted for as well.

[macfly]

That all sounds good, make sure to lay out all those ancillaries in a nice well organized photo. The fact you've taken care of the car is a big plus, tell it's whole story from day one, also show the service records. The cleaner and better presented the better, and as black is quite hard to photograph, make sure the pictures are glowing.

[BigGar]

Any thoughts on tires? I'm leaning toward run-flats. I do have an interested buyer as I sold him a client's Aventador a few months ago and he enjoyed working with me and made a point that I should let him know if I ever have anything interesting for sale. I sent him a quick note last night and he's apparently very interested so we'll see on that. I was kind of looking forward to BaT or at least putting it out there on the market, but he's a buyer at a strong number I think it will go quietly and privately. I offered the tire question to him as well so he's looking into it.

[macfly]

That's great news, super easy transactions are always sweet. I'd do whatever he asks for on the tires.

[BigGar]

I went with the GoodYear run flats. I've only driven it back from BMW of Vista but they feel fine. Went ahead and freshened up the calipers and inner part of the rotors with some fresh paint as they were a little rusty looking. Just normal wear after twenty years but the wheels show off so much caliper and rotor that I want them to look excellent. Hopefully get most of the rest of the detailing finished up tomorrow and then pictures. Hard top should be done on Monday and I'm going to just drive the car to the upholstery shop and have them put it on right there. Moving the perfect hard top around off of the car is nerve wracking. Either that, or I'm going to leave the car with them to freshen up the soft top headliner if that's possible. It's just a bit wrinkly. Not putting a new soft top on this car in any event, but I would like the headliner to look better. Just more twenty year old car stuff, no matter how well it's been cared for!

[macfly]

Excited to see the pix!

[BigGar]

I'm peeling an onion here and getting silly. It was garaged at a house on the beach, so salt air attacked some of the undercarriage fasteners. They're available and not very expensive, so easier to just replace with new than to acid bath and paint them silver, which would be hokey anyway, and probably more expensive considering I'm being paid for my time. It's just surface rust, but it's ugly. The undercarriage isn't perfect as it's a near 10K mile car that's twenty years old, and I don't intend to make it so, but taking care of easy, obvious things like this is worth doing. Hard top headliner should be done any day. I've been busy with holidays and other clients but back on this one tomorrow. Trunk struts, new gas cap (tether failed so it's gotta go), one new main (button) key incoming. It's really going to present well, as it should.

[MauiMike]

Part number for the gas cap with tether? My tether failed and I tried a replacement tether which isn't the correct size.

[Bend]

It sounds like you're in southern California. I'm in San Juan Capistrano. I was thinking of getting my headliners repaired or replaced on my soft and hard tops. I can't recall whether you bought both new headliners. If you're happy with the job your upholstery shop did, would you mind sharing their contact information?
Thanks.
Ted

[tonchum]

Gas cap part #16111184531

[BigGar]

Ted, I used a shop called SOS Customz in Oceanside. This is the second hard top headliner they've done for me. The first one was done while the the Z8 was down the street at a body shop to get the hard top repainted and they subcontracted the headliner replacement. Chris Amatos Body Werks is a fantastic shop that "gets it". I look after a number of ultra high end automobiles and my clients invariably run into things on occasion. Chris has never disappointed be it a Bentley, C8 Corvette, Mercedes, Rolls Phantom, whatever. I'm insanely particular and he and his staff are always on point. In regards to SOS Customz, if they hadn't done such a perfect job on the first top I probably never would have found them as they're kind of a car customization shop that does paint, body, body kits, upholstery, etc. . . Just walking in you would think it might be a bit dodgy (and it might be!). That said, two perfect hard top headliners later, I'm sold. They had a Z4 in there getting a whole new top done and that looked great. I did ask them about possibly smoothing out and re-gluing the soft top headliner to make it better than it is currently and they declined. Oscar, the owner, had his upholstery guy look it over and he wasn't comfortable trying to improve things. It's not super bad so I'm going to sell the car as is in regards to the soft top headliner. They said if I wanted to get the kit from CK in Germany they would be happy to install that though. Hope this helps.

[Bend]

That's super, Gregg.I just rigged up an electric hoist for the hard top using a cradle from EasyHoists, so timing is perfect for the hard top headliner. From where did you get the hardtop headliner or did SOS get it for you?
Thanks for sharing your experience.

[BigGar]

SOS sourced the fabric and that was $400. Total labor, including the rear shelf, was $1,000 so $1,400 total + tax on the fabric. I transported the top, on the trolley, in the back of my truck. It was secured and wrapped in moving blankets and such but still absolutely terrifying. I just drove the car over there when it was completed and we secured the hard top to the car and I drove back to my house. I wouldn't want to transport the top off of the car again. I'd set up appointment with them, drive the car down with trolley in trunk, and have them help you remove it right at the shop. They may not even need the trolley if they're ready for you as they set the top on thickly padded table and work from there.

SOS Customz
2954 San Luis Rey Rd.
Oceanside, CA 92058

760.967.1592

Let them know Gregg the big bald guy sent you

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