Z3

Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or bad.

Thanks

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s
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There are very active Z3 forums available on the web. You could try zroadster.net or the Z3 boards on

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In my own experience, I was actually shopping for a low mileage late-model Z3 when I discovered that they were going for similar prices to the earliest Z4s. The Z4 may have controversial looks, but it is orders of magnitude ahead of the Z3 in terms of chassis strength and handling prowess. Another plus is that they are still under both the factory and maintenance warranties. If you're looking to spend more than 20 grand, I'd go ahead and get a Z4, unless you want the Z3M. epbrown

-- "Everybody wants a normal life and a cool car; most people will settle for the car." Chris Titus

2003 BMW 325i Black/Black, 2003 BMW Z4 Black/Black
Reply to
E Brown

Z3 good. High miles bad. But you knew that...

Reply to
Fred W

Low mileage Z3's can be had for $10-12k if you want a 4 cyl or $13-15k w/ a nice 6 cyl. I know. I sold one last year. '97 2.8 5 speed 22k miles went for $14.5k

Also, some folks don't like buying the first few model years.

And you are right, the Z4 styling is, ahem, controversial...

Reply to
Fred W

Well, I bought '98 Z3 1.9 a few months back with 97K miles on it. It cost me $8200 before TTL From research before and after purchase it seems these cars are generally good for 200K without major issues.

The chassis is a bit flexible, like many convertibles. There are aftermarket fixes that address this. Some cars have problems with cracked chassis mounts where the shocks attach in the rear. This requires major body shop repairs and gusseting, but apparently BMW has repaired some. Far as I can tell, this is mostly confined to cars that have seen regular autocross or track day activity. The standard-issue seats are awful - hard, slippery, and little side bolstering. It's the first thing people complain about a week after buying one.

Reply to
Rex B

Ah... well. Just the same ones as all E36 3 series cars. Cooling systems have plastic parts that fail. Waterpump impellers. Nothing serious. Try looking through some of the online forums dedicated to the Z3 or E36 and you'll get a good feel for it.

Reply to
Fred W

The original poster specified a 2001 or newer model - those are pricier. And in the US, BMW dropped the 4-cylinder before 2000, iirc. Surprised no one's mentioned the big caveat for the Z3 - the rear subframe issues. As for early year versions, I considered that but all the tech in the Z4 line had already been vetted in the 3-series. The similarity to my 325i is a lot of why I went for the Z4. epbrown

-- "Everybody wants a normal life and a cool car; most people will settle for the car." Chris Titus

2003 BMW 325i Black/Black, 2003 BMW Z4 Black/Black
Reply to
E Brown

That is really only an issue if you track the car or modify the suspension. I've never heard of anyone having failures of the rear sub frame with stock suspension and only normal road use.

Reply to
Fred W

I believe you may find a non-tracked, non-modified vehicle or two here.

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spammers_lie

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