I LOVE the handle trims that fall off the moment you forget how flimsy they are!

This is an absolute pearler of a video!  I love the comedic content followed by some genuinely useful information.   My cat didn't when I nearly spat my drink out over her, but she's quite forgiving.

They say everyday is a school day, well today, thanks to you, I learnt what the insurance write-off categories actually meant.  In the past, i've scrolled past loads of Cat N's when looking for cheap cars, and probably missed out on some bargains purely down to my own ignorance.

Thank you, and keep videos like this coming!

P.S.  Please put that Maserati up for a raffle.  I know I've no chance of winning, but it's nice to dream, and I'll happily spank a few quid trying...

I love my Zed. Cost me £1850 for a 2.5 N52. Manifold swap and some software shenanigans and I have SI power now. Well spec'd with xenons, heated seats and power fold mirrors.

Struggling to think of another automotive bargain like this.

Just some thoughts on the whole write off categories and so on (yes I work closely in this area for an insurer, no you aren't allowed to know which, else the FCA will tear me a new one and there's certain bits I can't reveal as well as part of confidentiality for my work), the point where its decided its uneconomical depends on a lot of factors and there are entire vast data models that basically try and guess where the threshold should be, I can already tell you its likely higher than the 40% of the PAV (pre accident value) you mentioned, even if I can't tell you the actual thresholds for various technical and confidentiality reasons, and it also depends if the insurer is footing the bill or the other party's insurer is, through various case law and the like (a case commonly reffered to as "Coles" in particular), in the UK, it is legal for an insurer to have different ways to recover money depending on who is footing the bill, and I can't spell it out directly, but you can put two and two together and guess as to where the threshold lies if your insurer is not the one paying.

Cat S's have their V5 destroyed to force you to do an MOT before you can get a new V5 and have the car inspected after its been repaired, Cat N's don't, so you can have a "lucky" find if you don't mind a dent, or you can find other hidden damage if someone has been unscrupulous, done a cheap fix and tried to pass it off as a write off, so a HPI check or the like (other services are available, since they all just read from one database all the insurer's record various key things into like write offs and the like) is certainly useful. One last detail is that the insurers have got wise and if you have a written off car written off again, they will of course look at values for previously written off cars vs a totally clean example (you can connect the dots on that as well)

For the price you paid for it I really wouldn't be worrying about the Cat N marker whatsoever.  It's a cheap bit of fun and if you get more than two summers out of it you're doing well.  People will think it's worth more than what you paid for it so enjoy the posing and 6 cylinder soundtrack.  Is the Z3/4 combo the new MX5 for budget-conscious top-down motoring?  I think so (that would make you an ahead-of-the-curve influencer though...).

Have to agree great looking car and value for the money. I'm also really surprised at how frugal my E46 is for a straight 6.

I paid just £750 for my Z4, 68k miles, and 9 months' MOT. 3 years later, I'm still driving it daily. I love it!

A minor aside - don't trust the O2 sensor codes to be the O2 sensors. Give the intake boots a smoke test - at this age, they looooove to crack on the M54, to the extent that you can consider it a "they all do that, sir" type problem..

I don't need to tell you this, but for the benefit of others - and very broadly as a layman, not a pro - the O2 value and faults are based on what the car sees coming into the engine through the MAF, and what it sees going out of it via the O2 sensors. If there's air leaking in past the MAF, then the engine management will see exhaust values that don't match with what it expects to see based on what the MAF read, what fuel it put in and when it made it go bang - and that's all it knows; it can't account for unmetered air, which would affect the exhaust gas contents.

Don't do what my brother did and replace all four sensors as the codes kept coming back, then check the intake boots last. Still, at least he knows the o2 sensors should be good for at least another decade, and that his knuckles scab quickly...

Edit: Yes, the heater code does suggest something up with the sensor itself, but I'd still check the intakes anyway, it's that common an issue and it's not much work to pull aside some plastic and give them a good squeeze and twist and look for cracks, even if you don't have a smoke tester handy (which is the ideal way of testing it).

Great delivery, very informative, thanks.

Biggest factor in insurance claims is the cost of the hire car which can be weeks if parts are hard to come by.

You seem to have mastered it but, computers in cars? I never was a fan.
Definitely a fan of your channel though,and that video with Ian the other night was brilliant.

Love your funny video's Kitch. Have a great weekend m8. ✌️✌️✌️

deal of the century

I enjoyed the spitfire 🎉

These were built in the US - could explain the shonkiness.

Z4 are cool cars, although I think I prefer the styling of the Z3. Don't see too many of either out and about these days though.

Bet the car has no waft

Great video - loved the starvis 2 detail - great Sony technology for low light images (I play with cameras for a living - honestly you've made my day!)
Hope your numbers pick up ... Just a short idea, Maybe fixing the handle covers with cable ties before getting upset with the looks and fitting covers with non-broken clips?
Hope you can seal the nearside headlamp soon, were coming into damp months and it's harder to fix once it starts going green!

I bought the same wheels for my coupe z4 and the ride improved from the 17s too! I did ditch run flats in the process though.

Richard, the threshold is generally 50-55%.