Z3 bulletin board? Z3 experiences?

Hi guys:

My mother wants me to find her a Z3. I've tried to talk her into, at worst, a Boxster. I even showed her a 968 Tiptronic Cabrio. No luck.

So, being that she is my mother, I'm going to help her out so she at least gets a nice example of what she wants-regardless of her logic. Personally, if I was going to buy a BMW, it would be a 73 2002tii, but that's another story...

So, I'm looking for a Z3 BBS to learn a little. She wants an automatic (can't drive a stick and, at 50 years old, has no desire to learn). That means the 2.8 as I will not support the purchase of a four banger automatic, and the M Roadster unfortunately doesn't come in a slushbox to my knowledge!

Any thoughts, advice?

I found a nice 97 2.8 on a lot. Clean with 36k miles.

They're asking 26,900.00. That seems a tad high, I was thinking it might be a deal at about $22,500.00 or so.

Anyway, if you have a minute or some advice, fire away. Always appreciated!

~ Dave

Try www.bimmer.org. It's a pretty active site, with a separate board for the Z3. Word of caution though- the level of maturity on that board varies considerably, but there are usually at least a few people that will give helpful information.

I CANNOT picture my mom driving around in a Z3...

Dave:

This is my personal experience, but I wouldn't touch a Z3 with a 10-foot pole.

I leased a new 1999 Z.3 2.3 Roadster in February of 1999. I owned it for about 14 months or so. That car was at the dealer eight times before its first scheduled maintenance, and it was all little annoying things: Fuel gauge read empty when full (replaced sender), airbag light came on (replaced seatbelt contact), seatbelt bracket came loose from driver's seat (requiring seat to be reupholstered), airbag light came on (replaced seatbelt contact), top became loose around rear window and had to be restitched in (and they did such a crappy job the zone rep ordered a new top), the top developed really noticeable fold marks ("They all do that."), fuel gauge read empty (replaced entire dash pod), CD player broke (put new one in), airbag light came on (replaced both driver and passenger sensors; when I picked up the car two days later, it was after hours, inserted key, started car, and the frigging light was on again!) ... getting the picture?

Service manager sez "These are all common Z3 problems, but I've never seen them all in one car before."

That made me feel much better.

Now, this was my fourth new BMW (83 320i, 86 325, 95 325i convertible). I had exactly no problems with my 325i convertible until I lost a waterpump at 88,000 miles. WIth the Z3, I was dismayed at how BMW USA treated me as a loyal customer. I had a problem with the initial transaction on the car, which was essentially fraud on the part of the dealer; BMW USA would not help me, I had to get the state attorney general and dealer licensing board involved before the dealer settled with me. And once the airbag light came on for the third (really fourth) time, I requested that BMW either take back the car and cancel the rest of the lease, or provide me with a new Z3 for the duration of the lease. BMW USA offered to buy the car back from me if I bought another new BMW. When I went to the dealership, they were offering me $2500 LESS than wholesale for the car, which was in perfect condition and have 7k miles.

It seems to me that the build quality of the Z3 is not up to the level of BMW's I've owned in the past (perhaps because it's built in South Carolina and not Munich?) and I was appalled at how I was treated by BMW USA, particularly as a four-time customer. I have heard similar sentiments from other longtime owners. And, BTW, the club (BMWCCA) wasn't worth a fart in a windstorm, despite its claim to act as an intermediary for its members.

That being said, the Z3 was a fun little car, it handled great and was pretty zippy. I would definitely consider a 2.3 over the 2.8, because the 2.3 is cheaper and there is not that much difference in power (the 2.3 is actually the same engine as the 325i, it's really a 2.5 liter). However, bring your own 10-foot pole.

Vic
88 Carrera

Perhaps you could take her for a ride in a 3 series convertable. I've heard the same thing over and over about the Z's. But the 3 series is the standard in the industry. She could also fit the grand kids in the back!
Mrdi