Teach me what I need to know and help me find one.
Teach me what I need to know and help me find one.
Convertible, Coupe and/or what motor are you looking at? If M, be familiar with this--
I'd love a coupe but I probably won't find one within budget. Same with the M.
Why not get an E36 convertible for the upgraded suspension? If you're intent on a Z3, try using autotempest to find yours. It's like Google, but for used cars.
The only real thing to watch out for with these is the trunk floor/rear subframe mounting points. These arguably were the worst of the subframe-tearing BMW era, and unlike the E46s, there was never a class action suit that saw BMW admitting fault; as a result Randy Forbes has built a substantial business on fixing these. The four-cylinder cars are virtually unaffected, the smaller sixes have about a 30% chance of it happening, the M-cars are more like 80%.
Otherwise, they're pretty much the same as any other BMW. Essentially a 318ti under the bodywork. It's a crapshoot on the "upgraded" suspension of the E36; the Z3 has you sitting a lot farther back and is much more tail-happy due to the E30 rear suspension, but the E36 is objectively speaking a better handler, although heavier and more complicated.
Lot's of babied convertibles in Michigan. There are several low mileage ones in the area. Just depends on how much you want to spend.
Wife had 4-cyl one for a few years. Nothing major. Did the plastic thermostat housing change. Just normal wear and tear over about 30k miles. The one time we had ice here in Austin, with traction control on, the back end would just squat and not move. Had to turn it off. I.E. it didn't seem very smart.
Oh, and I guess one thing is that you CAN replace the top by yourself. When her rear window peeled away, I started looking at replacements. This was around 2003. All the BMW forums swore up and down that it could ONLY be done at a dealer or a certified convertible top specialist. I was poor. So, I bought a vinyl top (in white, on a black car, it didn't look TOO bad) and did it myself. I was pretty careful about taking it apart and using all the screws and clips. Took me a weekend to do, taking TONS of pictures. Only thing that wasn't quite right is I didn't stretch the sides down enough. $149 plus shipping and I had a new top.
Her's wouldn't win any drag races, but for a good all around convertible with a little bit of a sporty feel, it fit perfect.
-Rob
Depending on what you want/ need, don't discount the 4cyl cars. They are very much like a grown-up Miata. They are also cheap as chips, and still very pleasant to drive. They aren't fast, but they are quick enough to have fun with.
If you are planning on more vigorous driving--- the 2.8 or M cars are what you want. The last of the M cars came with the 333hp engine from the E46 M3----rare, but wicked! Of course the "regular" M cars are pretty quick in their own right.
If looking at non-M Z3 Roadsters, you have the following options:
Z3 1.9 (138 HP) 1996-1998 *Roll hoops became std in 1998, can be retrofitted to earlier models
Z3 2.8 (189 HP) 1997-2000 *Roll hoops became std in 1998, can be retrofitted to earlier models
Z3 2.3 (170 HP) 1999-2000
Z3 2.5 (184 HP) 2001-2002
Z3 3.0 (225 HP) 2001-2002
My first Z3 was a 1996 1.9 which, was woefully under-powered and had an open differential. I believe all of the non 1.9 cars came with LSD. Manuals are all 5 speed unless the owner swapped in a 6 speed. The 2001-2002 3.0 gets you very close to the performance of the S52 (1998-2000) M cars without the M tax. The 1997-2000 2.8's are the value leader in terms of performance per dollar but, you really can't go wrong with any of the inline 6 engine choices. My cars have been fairly reliable so long as you stay on top of the typical BMW preventative maintenance particularly the cooling system. The subframe issues are well documented with several repair options available (Randy Forbes' being most popular) and are not limited to M cars. I had my M Roadster subframe proactively reinforced by Don Fields at Mr. M Car in NJ and have heard of local shops here in CT having successfully installed the Randy Forbes kit. Bimmerforums is a pretty good resource for these cars.
In reply to killeen_john:
As far as I understand, the '99-2000 "Z3 2.3" is actually a 2.5 six. Is that correct?
Yes, the 2.3 was the model name but, the engine is in fact 2.5-liter displacement.
killeen_john wrote: Yes, the 2.3 was the model name but, the engine is in fact 2.5-liter displacement.
And it's a six, right?
In reply to killeen_john:
You have mail.
This is interesting - insofar as when I started out on my convertible sports car quest, I wanted a Z3.
The two things that kept me from getting one are that turn in for the one I drove was about like my Focus - i.e. not that great (but stock, and easily "fixable"). The second was the subframe issue, and I already have one old BMW that I haven't put back on the road (but boy, do I need to - I miss driving that little bugger).
The answer is all around "livelier" but man, I love my inline six config (which, IIRC, all Z3's sans 1.9s are sixes).
What's got you looking?
That looks like something an aspiring coke dealer would drive.
guy who autocrosses in my area listed this one a bit ago
http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/5140188322.html
1996 Z3 BMW ready to drive or race - $4500
There's a lot of right in that thing (not a big fan of the wheels, but...).
Please only get one in that blue silver color and with a tan top. (I would almost call it Healey blue, almost) That is by far the best combo on those.
I have zero useful information to add.
octavious wrote: Please only get one in that blue silver color and with a tan top. (I would almost call it Healey blue, almost) That is by far the best combo on those. I have zero useful information to add.
That's probably the only color that I refuse to buy. I really don't like it.
johndej wrote: guy who autocrosses in my area listed this one a bit ago http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/5140188322.html 1996 Z3 BMW ready to drive or race - $4500
That's a nice looking car, but I have an aversion to repaints and there are so many of these things that have lived three quarters of their life in the garage that it just doesn't make sense to get a car that was repainted.
I bought this book:
Everything that I've read indicates that the four cylinder is a pretty sweet car and would probably be perfect for my intended purpose (winter autocross), but I've never owned a BMW and if I'm going to, it's going to be a six.
I've got my eye on a 2.3, but I really need to sell the Miata first. I need to make a little room in the driveway. At this point, there's not a huge difference in price between a four and a six.
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