Z3 .. what do you think ?

zod

younger brother looking at Z3 .. anyone any advice?

this one caught his eye :

http://www.carzone.com/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=494733

Santa Claus

Nice enough example but a LHD is gonna be very hard for him to shift if/when he decides to trade up !

colm_mcm

Wouldn't be overly keen on left hand drive.

bazz26

I would prefer a Mazda MX-5 myself.

The 1.9 litre in the Z3 is not supposed to be great. It is from the 316i/318i.

colm_mcm

I've only ever driven the 1.9, so can't compare with any other Z3, but I found it to be quick enough for what it is. My main gripe was the squeaks and rattles inside,

leeroybrown

I've never driven one but I'd also shy away from any kind of LHD sports car. I think it would be at odds with the probable usage.

ninty9er

Cousin's husband had one, fully loaded, 2.3 I think??? leather....elec seats ...... sweet car. Was only 14 when he had it so I never got a chance to drive it. Wouldn't think there's a shortage of RHD models out there

Has a 9-3 convertible now with matching no. plate

smash

not mad about the Z3 at all

Seth Brundle

Z3M is the one to get :cool:
http://unclean.org/z3m.shtml

prospect

I'd go for an MX5 aswell.

RobAMerc

I have an 1800 MX5 and was considering a change to a 2.2 Z3.
Let me first say I love the look, its a beemer, theres no doubt and a brilliant hark back to the beemers of old, one of the prettiest cars produced in years.

Unfortuneately thats as far as it goes.
The inside was awfull, almost felt down market from the MX5 !
They are US built and suffer for it.

The scuttle shake was so bad on a particular set of bumps the salesman had to shut up talking, I actually went back over these in the mx5 to see if it was as bad and it wasn't.
The only grace this car had was the straight six, nice torquey ?? engine, that begs you to drop the roof and your right foot!

Lastly, and this annoys me, is the image.
The salesman asked was it for my wife, and then told me it was too hairdressery for him. It kinda annoys me about the MX5 too but at least with that I know the people who say that know knob all about cars or else they'd know what thety are missing, couldn't say that about the Z3 I am afraid.

Tell him to try an MX5, S2000 or maybe an MR2 conv, all far better cars than the beemer.

unkel

Never been a big fan of the Z3 myself. That one's cheap @10k, but LHD defeats the purpose in a sporty car imho. Made in America TM is generally not a sign of good built quality either. The 6-pots, especially the M are probably out of budget?

The 1.9 engine is actually quite good. The Z3 is a lot heavier than the most common MX-5, the 1.6, but a lot more powerful, hence slightly quicker than the MX-5. The MX-5 1.8 is quicker again. The MX-5 is reliable, timeless and desirable, so should be easy to sell again. A Honda S2000 is the best in class, but I reckon way out of budget

Other cars in this class are the MG-TF and Toyota MR2 Roadster. A lot is to do with personal preference rather than competence of these cars. Drive them!

If you're stuck to bying a small engined convertible I'd go for a MX-5 1.8. If you really don't care about the hairdresser comments, you might save a little longer and go for an SLK230 :cool:

Fey!

kbannon wrote:

Z3M is the one to get :cool:
http://unclean.org/z3m.shtml

The Z3M is great (have heard it refered to by one owner as "The Breadvan"!), but if you're over 6'3" you may have problems (don't know if this is a problem in the coupe or the convertible) with getting your knees stuck on the steering wheel! I speak from experience - was invited to drive a friends one, but couldn't get into a driving position!!!

Doodee

father has a 2.0ltr z3 with all mod cons, and i must say is some car.
It turns heads and goes when you put your foot to the floor.
Not as stylish inside as most modern day cars but its a look that grows on you.