Z3

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

Thanks

On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 16:28:12 -0500, "s" > wrote:

>Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or bad.
>
There are very active Z3 forums available on the web. You could try
zroadster.net or the Z3 boards on www.bimmerfest.com and
www.bimmerforums.com.
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

s wrote:
> Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or bad.
>
> Thanks
>
>

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

--
-Fred W

E Brown wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Aug 2006 16:28:12 -0500, "s" > wrote:
>
>
>>Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or bad.
>>
>
> There are very active Z3 forums available on the web. You could try
> zroadster.net or the Z3 boards on www.bimmerfest.com and
> www.bimmerforums.com.
> 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.

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...

--
-Fred W

you're right I do know that, but i was trying to find out if there are any
common problems to watch out for?
"Fred W" > wrote in message
...
>s wrote:
>> Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or
>> bad.
>>
>> Thanks
>
> Z3 good. High miles bad. But you knew that...
>
> --
> -Fred W

s wrote:
> you're right I do know that, but i was trying to find out if there are any
> common problems to watch out for?
> "Fred W" > wrote in message
> ...
>> s wrote:
>>> Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or
>>> bad.
>>>
>>> Thanks
>> Z3 good. High miles bad. But you knew that...

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.

s wrote:
> you're right I do know that, but i was trying to find out if there are any
> common problems to watch out for?

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.


--
-Fred W

On Mon, 14 Aug 2006 09:09:05 -0400, Fred W
> wrote:

>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
>
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

Thanks Guys.
"s" > wrote in message
...
> Thinking of buy one 2001 high miles. Anybody have an opinion. Good or bad.
>
> Thanks
>

E Brown wrote:

> Surprised no one's mentioned the big caveat for the Z3 - the rear
> subframe issues.

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.
--
-Fred W