Which Z3 to buy?

[4to8m8]

Hey Gents. My 911 is for sale and am looking to buy a Z3. As of now I know nothing about these cars other than they look fun. I do want a convertable though. Budget is 18,000. Any advice?

[silvercar00]

I went through this recently. After doing my homework, I figured that I was in the market for a 1999-2001 6-cylinder car. The 4's are perceived as underpowered (at least in the market place) and 17K bought me a 2000 2.3 with 29K miles and warranty left in the SF bay area.
I suppose you could get more car if you wanted a project or were willing to put up with a car with hard miles on it, but after years of crappy old Porsches, I wanted a turnkey, nice driver. There are definitely faster, cheaper cars out there ( see Miata) but if you don't want to be buying tuner parts or spending your nice Saturdays under this thing, get a clean 6 cylinder car.