Bmw Z3

elexes

some of you may rember me asking about 2 months ago about skylines but now im wondering about a bmw z3's( z3 3.0 ) well ive been watching my driving saving my pennies (then realising that were in euros so that was no good ) and now that the insurence for one aint to bad for myself ( about the same as my focus which is werid )

so what sort of probloms do they get ? how hard are they on overall running costs ? etc.. any advice will help

prospect

Without trying to start off another 300 post argument,
I think you would be better off with an MX5 or an MR2, but that is just my personal opinion, I have never driven a Z3, I am going on articles i have read, etc, etc.

DukeDredd

Agreed prospect.

And i reckon Z3's have a terrible image these days. Even BMW acknowledged this by changing the next generation of them to Z4 to distance the new model from them!

jozi

Z3 ///M Roadster

Seth Brundle

the Z3 coupe with added AC Schnitzer help!
http://www.fantasycars.com/derek/cars/acschnitzerz3.html

ambro25

I'd stick with the Skyline
But if you *need* open-top, pretty much as prospect said above.
I don't much like the front look of Z3s, Z4s would have been a nice replacement but their ass is awful.
Saying that, office manager here has had a 1.8 for a good while and no mechanical bother. Plenty of problems with roof & leaks, though.

528i

The Z3 is a snazzy little number (if you're a girl)

Dades

528i wrote:

The Z3 is a snazzy little number (if you're a girl)

Uh oh here we go again... :rolleyes:

hawkmoon269

Going only on what I have read, the 2.8 is the interesting one. 1.9 underpowered and not very exciting to drive, allegedly. As a posemobile, I guess the 1.9 is ok. Of course, you pay through the nose for insurance/tax with a 2.8 convertible.

Personally, I've always liked the styling of these cars.

heggie

ffs! how did u go from considering a skyline to a Z3 ? shame on u!

py2006

So what exactly is so bad about these Z3's??? I have a mate looking to get one in a few months. He reckons its better than the MX5's.

prospect

py2006 wrote:

So what exactly is so bad about these Z3's??? I have a mate looking to get one in a few months. He reckons its better than the MX5's.

Not according to BMW, which is why they had to change it so radically to the Z4.

elexes

personally i like it more then the mx6 mr2 style wise ( i was looking at the 3.0l one not the 1.9 or 2.2)


as for why i changed from the skyline well im still reading up on a few different cars i always liked convertiables and skylines are oldish from the ones i can find and from website reports more then likly have parts that would need replacing

if only the mitsi spyder was available in ireland

Biker.ie

elexes wrote:

some of you may rember me asking about 2 months ago about skylines but now im wondering about a bmw z3's( z3 3.0 )

The 3.0l (newer model) is respectable enough with around 230bhp, but the newer shape MR2 is probably the best drive in that class.

ehh [manly biker talk] would you not buy a big v8 mustang convertible instead

Dan_B

I remember seeing a Z3 Coupe destroy an Evo and an STI on a topgear road test. I'd have to agree with the above opinions in relation to the roadster though.

Delta_ie

Have you considered the toyota supra aswell and as you like convertiables you could get a aerotop (think thats what there called, mid section of the roof is removable).
I know not a full convertiable but it nearly is.

I wouldn't like the z3 myself but if you like it and it is reliable go for it.

magpie

I'm saying nothing

py2006

magpie wrote:

I'm saying nothing

Keep it that way! :mad:


I am not really mad about the look of the Z3. The Z4's look a little better. Whats the interior like on them?

RicardoSmith

py2006 wrote:

So what exactly is so bad about these Z3's??? I have a mate looking to get one in a few months. He reckons its better than the MX5's.

Better in what way exactly? The MX5 is a sports car the Z3 isn't.

py2006

OK! Imanaged to auto-login as my mate... sorry man... will just add my ha'penny worth here for now!

OK - I was the one looking at the Z3.... to settle the argument, firstly - when the Z3 came out it was never in competition with the MX5 or MR2 because of the price range, it competes with the likes of Merc SLK & Audi TT. Dispite that uneducated post about the Z3 not being a sports car, I would have to disagree, it is a convertable roadster, not a family car - hence - a sports car....

To argue that point, I never saw James Bond drive an MR2 or MX5, Jane Bond perhaps... but seriously I don't think Mr JB would swap his Aston Martin for the Z3 without just cause.

BMW brought out the Z4 as a replacement for the Z3, not because it looked bad or was worse then the MX5 (again, see above, they were never in direct competition on the market!), but to keep it in line with Mercedes and Audi.

At the end of the day though... all convertables are for pozers and completely unpractical, but hey, it's a matter of opinion on looks. I don't like the look of the MR2.

Z3 rules! It looks more agresive than either of those 'competitors' mentioned.

Again, sorry man... I got into your section by mistake!!

RicardoSmith

py2006 wrote:

.... Dispite that uneducated post about the Z3 not being a sports car, I would have to disagree, it is a convertable roadster, not a family car - hence - a sports car.... .

At the end of the day though... all convertables are for pozers and completely unpractical, but hey, it's a matter of opinion on looks. I don't like the look of the MR2.

Z3 rules! It looks more agresive than either of those 'competitors' mentioned.

another "uneducated" post...

The fact that a car isn't a family car doesn't make it a sports car. What kind of definition is that? That would mean a bus is a sports car because its not a family car either???

The MX5 and MR2 are sports cars in that they are sporty to drive. The Z3 is disappointing to drive, mainly because they used the rear suspension from the old 3 series saloon. IE a family car. The Z3 is superior in only one way. As a status symbol and only if you know nothing about cars.

unkel

py2006 wrote:

I never saw James Bond drive an MR2 or MX5

And I don't think he ever will

RicardoSmith

unkel wrote:

And I don't think he ever will

Yes well if an english secret agent, can sell out and drive a german car, only for product placement and advertising? Why not? He drove a 7 series aswell. Definately the car for a secret agent :rolleyes:

kdevitt

RicardoSmith wrote:

The Z3 is disappointing to drive, mainly because they used the rear suspension from the old 3 series saloon. IE a family car. The Z3 is superior in only one way. As a status symbol and only if you know nothing about cars.

Ah the old E30 suspension chestnut - tell me, what makes you think the E30 suspension is so bad in the first place? The E30 M3 is renowned for being one of the best handling cars in the world?? The main issue with the E30 was that the wheel base was quite narrow, leading to some hairy moments, but was widened for the pre-facelift 2.8 and all the facelift models.

The first Z3 released , the 1.8, was a major disappointment as it only had 110BHP or so, there are no such issues with the 6 pot or facelifted models. Prefer the Coupe myself, but found the 2.8 Z3 very enjoyable to drive.

Some info here - http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/z3.html

RicardoSmith

I've only driven the 1.9 Z3. I wouldn't rate the Z3 I drove. Maybe like you say the later ones are better. But most reviews write it off as stodgy. That would be my impression of it aswell. IMO the MX5 and MR2 are as good as Boxster S in terms of handling and dynamics. Never driven a coupe.

Horses for courses.

magpie

Keep it that way!

No need for a hissy fit Wendy. You run along in your MX5.

prospect

magpie wrote:

I'm saying nothing

LOL

py2006 (or whoever is using that name) wrote:

BMW brought out the Z4 as a replacement for the Z3, not because it looked bad or was worse then the MX5

Sorry, cant agree here. The roadster market was a dead one all throughout the 80's. Mazda re-wrote it with the MX-5, producing an affordable performance car that handled like nothing before it. Also they managed to design a rag top that didn't leak. It was a roaring sucess, fast becoming the highest sellig sports car ever! BMW wanted a slice of the action, as roadsters were becoming an increasingly popular market right into the mid 90's. So they produced the Z3, to take a slice of the roadster market, i.e. in direct competition with mazdas MX5. But they only managed a very small percentage of the overall roadser sales. So in retaliation they completley redesigned their car from every aspect, thus admitting that their first attempt was a failed one.

magpie

I must say the RX8 is pretty nice, having been in one. Albeit slightly girly

Dagon

Get a Supra. Simple!

Keyzer

Z3 is, as Jeremy Clarkson said it himself, a hairdressers car...

Ernie Ball

Keyzer wrote:

Z3 is, as Jeremy Clarkson said it himself, a hairdressers car...

Oh, well, if Jeremy Clarkson said it...