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Hello, I'm new and am contemplating on getting a Z3

4K views 32 replies 16 participants last post by  Bucko521 
#1 ·
I have recently "discovered" this car by accident when I was looking for information on the Z4 (which I have seen in person a few months back). Reading on the Z3 and seeing some classified ads to kind of gauge the selling price for a few models, I am astonished by how relatively inexpensive this car is

I find this car to be incredibly beautiful and classy. Did some lurking on other non-BMW related boards and some folks bashed this car for being a "chick car". If by being beautiful means it's a "chick car", than I guess it is.


A few other cars of relatively similar selling prices have got my attention;

The Porsche Boxster from 1998-2003: Flat 6 sounds really good for even the non-S model, looks great with the top down...BUT looks kind of ugly from profile with the top up. The Z3 looks sexy with or without the top up. I think in general, the Z3 looks nicer IMO.

Pontiac Solstice: I love the look of this car, and for me, it's mostly between this and the Z3. Engine doesn't sound as sporty as the Z3 or Boxster, but I think this car looks the best out of all 3, with the BMW being almost as sexy. Boxster is a distant third.

Performance is not the most important thing for me-- looks, reliability and maintenance/repair costs are the most important. I will assume Porsche is very expensive to fix/maintain since it is a Porsche.

All 3 are similarly priced, and I am leaning towards the Solstice or the Z3. I think because this is the BMW we are talking about, it should be more reliable.

I solely want a car because I have no car at the moment and really hate taking the bus, and second, because I always wanted a sports car when I was a kid. The plus side is either of these 3 cars would make a good impression for dinner dates, parties, business meetings, and basically anywhere.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Hello Best,

I have not driven or ridden in either a Solstice or a Boxster, so I can't give direct seat of the pants comparisons. Both of those cars are newer generation designs with more modern suspensions, so arguably are better handlers at high driving limits. The Z3 has a relatively old fashioned semi-trailing arm rear suspension so it can be more of a handful at the limit. You mentioned that 10/10ths driving isn't your priority so the Z should be fine. The Z3 was one of the last generation BMW's that was designed the old school way without the benefit of a lot of supercomputer modeling. It is also a 'parts bin' car meaning it borrows many components from other BMW models. As such, parts are available and relatively inexpensive, and generally 'tried and true' and pretty reliable. The car is also unburdened by modern electronic gadgets and the driving experience is raw and visceral.

The Z does have some issues as the last one rolled off the line eleven years ago. Search 'Z3 buyer's guide' for unique things to look for when considering an actual example to purchase. Overall though I agree it is a pretty timeless design that still looks great after 17 years.
 
#4 ·
I have a friend with a Boxster. It's a very good car, but maintenance is not a strong point with the rear engine. The Z3 is generally easy to repair and if you buy parts on-line, they're not expensive. However, these cars are getting pretty old and nearly every one of them has worn-out parts. The engines and transmissions are really strong and last a long time, however other items need attention: cooling system, VANOS, suspension (including rear subframe bushings and rear shock mounts), etc. As long as you know this and plan to make those repairs, I think the cars are a bargain. However, if reliability is the most important thing in your decision, you should look for a much newer car.
 
#5 · (Edited)
'Timeless design' - yep, that about nails it.
I had a seriously long lover affair with an (older) Ducati, owned a couple of MGs and in all the equations, one of the prime things that stood out, just like buying a house, was that I had to fall a little in love with the way it looked (and that even included my Land Rovers).

I'm not normally a BMW man, but just like the MG, the E type Jag and quite a few other cars, BMW got it right with the look of the Z3.

An awful lot of cars made over the last few years are really going to look silly in a very short time, because of their design.
Now don't get me wrong, if someone gave me a Z4, I wouldn't complain, but when they first came out, their design looked like it was trying to capture the attention of the market, by sort of looking a bit like the 'then' batman car.
Since then, a lot of cars have tried to ape that style and just like the old fins on the 'yank tanks' from the 50/60s era, their 'look' will be something to remember, but not necessarily admired in the future.

Just my quick two bits worth, so yes, when you say... 'I find this car to be incredibly beautiful and classy', you've actually got good taste!

Oh, and as for being a chick car, well yep, I think BMW did themselves some PR damage bringing out the first Z3 with a 1.9 engine, because as ok as the motor may be, it couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding, but after that... well let's just say, having done some fairly serious scratching around on bikes, the faster bike did not make the best or winning combination. It usually came down to how good was the rider and with the Z3 finally moving their engines into the 2+ liters and 3 liter capacity, I think you will more than stretch yourself (if you decide to buy the bigger motor version) on winding road in this car and have a hell of a lot of fun to boot.

Good luck finding a nice Z3 that ticks all your boxes and make sure you use the forum for help and advice.
 
#8 ·
I am biased (obviously) as I have the Z3 Coupe and I think you could not make a better choice of car. As mentioned, so long as you are aware of the possible maintenance issues that may or may not affect you (personally I have had none so far) then you would be very happy with the Z3. You also have an option to go "top down" or "Coupe" depending on your tastes. The car has given me miles of enjoyment and has been great value for money.

All I can say is that when I park next to other more modern sports cars, the crowds are always around my Z3 Coupe.
 
#10 ·
Cold and snow is right... This morning it was 13 degrees... Silvia-Z ran like she was a brand new car this morning. She made me proud today... Tonight she goes into the garage and she may not come back out for 5-6 days... Our snow most likely will start at some point tomorrow and not end until Friday...then 3-4 days for the roads to get cleared and dry.
 
#12 ·
The Z3 hands down. I have had the Porsche Boxster I found it to be fun to drive with plenty of power for its engine size but working on the engine is horrible, they also have many electrical problems. The Pontiac Solstice is nice but has bad rearward viability blind spots and it feels like your sitting in it way to low. With the top up its even harder to drive and its not very powerful. If you get the Z3 with a 2.8 or bigger you will be more than pleased and they still get fairly good fuel mileage. If your looking for exhuast sound you can upgrade the muffler as they are very quiet stock. Parts don't seem to be to expensive doing repairs and as for how many miles on the car i wound not be afraid of getting one with over 100k as long as its been maintained. Good luck on your search I love my car and it always gets looks were ever we go even being and old gal.
 

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#13 · (Edited)
I have no experience with the Boxter, but plenty of experience with the Solstice and the Z 3. Being a gearhead, the Z 3 is most appealing. I have done a lot of driver training in a Solstice, and while they handle pretty decent, they are much more cramped inside as well as luggage space...Handling is pretty danged good and the GXP model adds decent power, but the car is indeed heavy, and it feels heavy. I bought a new Mazdaspeed Miata in 04, which handled great, and had decent power, but also cramped interior space. Sold it two years later and bought a new Corvette in 06...wonderful car, but big, and felt big...more torque than most street sports cars, and fun to drive with ample luggage space...but still cramped behind the steering wheel. I kept the car because I liked it, but wanted to build a new detached garage in my back yard and sold it last spring for seed money to begin that project. However, I did not want to be without a sports car and found my Z 3 on Craigslist for a decent price, and it even came with a hard top. While luggage space is limited, the interior space exceeds all the previously mentioned sports cars...and it drives like a sports car...it is difficult to beat the precise steering and control of a BMW... If I were going to spend upwards of 10K on a used sports car, given my experience the Z 3 wins hands down...My car is an 02 model with 2.5 and 5 speed, and had 94K miles on it...at 98K miles, I am currently repairing an oil leak myself by replacing the valve cover gasket and spark plug seals...I love this car, and I thought I couldn't like any sports car as much as I like my C 6 Corvette....
 
#14 ·
myway and OzCop,

I didn't mention this earlier, but this will be my daily driver (likely not during the winter; due to the roads being dangerous/icy/snowy here in Edmonton). I can't drive stick so I am looking for an automatic for either the Boxster or the BMW Z3. I have ruled out the Solstice a few days ago, for the reason that the Z3 now looks nicer in my eyes as does some tastefully modded Boxsters.

Mid engine vs front engine. Not sure which car would suit me best since I can only drive in automatic and am not very skilled--well, not yet anyways.

Storage really isn't an issue since I would only be buying groceries and the occasional shopping for clothes.

For the muffler, is the Magnaflow exhaust upgrade worth it for the BMW Z3? The Boxster has the advantage of sounding pretty darn amazing in stock form.

This last thing that is of somewhat importance to me, and that is the prestige/road presence of the Z3 and the Boxster. I know, I know, this is pretty vain of me but I am being honest and IS in consideration now. I would love to own both but obviously I can only afford one. I would be going to fancy dinners, bars/clubs, and basically making an impression for my dates (no, I'm not Batman or a "player"), and having on complete strangers either envious or jealous :p

It is kind of hard to make an impression nowadays, since all I have done recently is either pay for the date's ride home, plus a gratuity to ensure she will be driven home safely, OR take the bus/train home while the date does the same.
 
#15 ·
Auto trans

Bestintheworld

The Z with an auto trans will be fine as long as you get the 6 cylinder. Not as much fun to drive but better if your going to use it as a daily driver. I drove mine almost every day until i did the major body mods and now Gretchen sits in the garage with her top down waiting for Sunday drives with no destination because i don't want to park her in a parking lot. Now my daily driver is a 4 door wrangler that gets a whopping 15 miles to the gallon. A far as prestige go with the Z. There really isn't many of them on the road. The Boxster is very abundant and still kind of a glorified Volkswagen, well at least down here were everyone is judged by the car they drive and Lamborghini and Ferrari are the norm. Exhaust mods will be the cheapest change with out changing anything but sound. I'm not sure what gains if any you would get with out working on the other end also ( intake) I changed mine to real duals from the headers back to the tail pipe. even the M roadster has fake duals its a single pipe back with dual mufflers.
 

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#17 ·
Bestintheworld

The Z with an auto trans will be fine as long as you get the 6 cylinder. Not as much fun to drive but better if your going to use it as a daily driver. I drove mine almost every day until i did the major body mods and now Gretchen sits in the garage with her top down waiting for Sunday drives with no destination because i don't want to park her in a parking lot. Now my daily driver is a 4 door wrangler that gets a whopping 15 miles to the gallon. A far as prestige go with the Z. There really isn't many of them on the road. The Boxster is very abundant and still kind of a glorified Volkswagen, well at least down here were everyone is judged by the car they drive and Lamborghini and Ferrari are the norm. Exhaust mods will be the cheapest change with out changing anything but sound. I'm not sure what gains if any you would get with out working on the other end also ( intake) I changed mine to real duals from the headers back to the tail pipe. even the M roadster has fake duals its a single pipe back with dual mufflers.
myway,

Will the auto still be relatively fun to drive, compared to a Tiptronic Boxster?

Here in Edmonton, I see a huge variety of vehicles. Ferraris and Lamborghinis are basically unicorns here, meaning very rarely spotted-- well, for me and where I tend to be lol

I think Porsche Boxsters are still a head turner here, only because it is easily identifiable as a "nice" or "expensive" car by folks who likely don't know how much these REALLY cost.

I think a BMW Z3 would be a head turner here as well, since I have never seen one and only maybe a few Z4s in the last 3 years.

As for maintenance and repair costs for a Z3 and an early Boxster, doing Google searches, and reading a few forum threads and a few user created "guides", opinions vary, and some say either is very inexpensive, or that either is not more or less to fix than their daily driver vehicles.

Both cars were massed produced, and on any given day, either can be found on eBay or on a Classified Ads site, and I know BMW Z3 has many parts used by other BMW cars so I have to assume this will be relatively inexpensive in general. And compared to Porsche, am I correct in assuming it WILL be cheaper to maintain & fix than a 97-2002 Boxster?
 
#18 ·
If you want a head turner, find a Z3 coupe (can be found with an automatic). People are always coming up and asking about my Coupe. Most people have never seen one and think the car is an expensive exotic. You just have to ready for the attention. And, yes, some of those people were attractive females - that always makes my day.
 
#19 ·
I tend to agree with Doug re. couple Z3...I wanted one but couldn't find one in my price range...now 2 have popped up recently in DFW area..

Also, why not learn to drive a stick? If you are looking for fun and sporty driving, a stick has it ovever the auto anyway you look at it. It's really not that difficult if you have access to a stick shift car to practice on...find a huge parking lot and just do it... I have taught countless people to drive stick and they usually get it within a couple of hours. Of course, practice makes perfect. If you learned stick shift driving you most likely would never go back to automatic, particularly in a sports car. That said, the BMW auto/manual is a pretty good piece...I drove my wifes's 325i Sport quite a bit and it was fun to make spirited runs...but nothing compares to stick until you get int the dual clutch automatics...
 
#20 ·
... why not learn to drive a stick? If you are looking for fun and sporty driving, a stick has it ovever the auto anyway you look at it. It's really not that difficult if you have access to a stick shift car to practice on...find a huge parking lot and just do it... I have taught countless people to drive stick and they usually get it within a couple of hours...
By our age, most guys who don't use manual transmissions have tried one earlier in life and didn't like it, or maybe even had a problem "learning". If I was such a person, and was contemplating buying a manual Z3, I would try to rent or borrow a manual car for a few days before buying the Z3. The finest manual car will not be fun and sporty if you don't like the transmission, or can't use it well.
My brother in law drove manual Jeep Cherokees for decades. He was very jerky and hard on the clutch and syncros, and every shift up or down made me cringe.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Stick Shift/Manual Gearbox

I drove manual gear change cars all my life until a nasty accident a few years back on my Ducati left me with the use of only one arm, therefore an auto is now my only option. I must confess to missing the fun of changing gears manually, however in heavy traffic (which seems now more the norm these days) an automatic transmission is a life saver when it comes to the poor old left leg muscles and tendons!

I used to have a Golf GTI Mk5 with the flappy paddle gear change and DSG automatic transmission. Bloody great fun, and I never once used the flappy paddles, always in "D" and it went like stink (had it chipped to 250 BHP :) )
The Z3 has a Tiptronic type box so you can use it like a manual if you wish. Just knock it over into +/- there is no gate just push forward and pull backwards to manually change gear. It also drops into a more sporty mode when used.

So I agree to the fun of a manual but enjoy the practicality of an auto.

It wouldn't be the first time I have pulled away from the lights in anger and left the guy with the manual clutch fluffing his gears in the rear view mirror :)

At the end of the day it is all horses for courses, so you make your choice and enjoy.
 
#22 ·
I've got a friend with an absolutely pristine Topaz Blue auto 3.0. He bought with auto so his now ex wife could drive it as well, only to find she never wanted to ride in or drive car once the novelty wore off. When I bought my car (the last new Z sold in the US), he noted he thought about buying mine when he ordered his but opted for the auto. To this day, he babies his car more than any Z owner I've met and it looks showroom new, that he'll never sell it but he concedes he made a big mistake not getting a stick.
 
#23 ·
If you opt for an "M Power"version then you have the choice made for you as they only come in manual flavor. They had one here for sale but it was no use to me as it was manual much to my disappointment. Not because I was missing out on a manual vs auto, no no no it was all those lovely extra horses I would not get to ride :(

Mmmmmh now where did I see a thread on superchargers :)
 
#24 ·
The first Z3 that I looked at was on a used car lot because the owner's wife could not cope with the manual. She could drive manual, but the Z3 was too much for her. And after test driving it for a day, I saw her point. The clutch was hard to depress, the gears were hard to get into, and the 6-cylinder engine was a handful of lurching torque after upshifts in city driving.
 
#25 ·
My mother had a Solstice GXP (turbo). When it came out, it was nicknamed the mini vette. It handles great and beautiful power. I have a Z3 and I love it! Iove the classic lines and no-frills pure roadster aspect. I wouldn't trade her (in fact, she offered and I declined).

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#26 ·
So I have recently been enamored by the looks of the first gen Z4 Coupes, and I must say, they look even better than any Z3 I have seen. I do like the side profile of the Z3's more if we are going roadster vs roadster, on looks-wise. Larger wheel arches and the side looks more classic.

Z4 Coupe looks damned amazing from the side, and from any angles, really. I am not a fan of the revised looks starting in 2009-present, so I am now adding Z4 into my list of cars I am thinking of buying in a few months (once winter is over and snow is gone). Which car would be most cost effective in terms of maintenance and repairs. Both are BMWs, and one is older than the other with more cars made and more parts being available and is very reliable from what I gather. The other, being the Z4, is newer, is also reliable from what I have read, but seems to have less cars on the road, less cars made, and less parts available in general.

Again, I plan on driving this on only during non-winter conditions, meaning dry roads or rained on pavement. Too dangerous to risk driving a car and my own life and others on snowy/icy conditions.
 
#33 ·
So I have recently been enamored by the looks of the first gen Z4 Coupes, and I must say, they look even better than any Z3 I have seen.
As a guy who owns both a Z3 (2001) and a Z4 (2006), I can may be able help a fellow Canuck.

Each car has a personality that either you learn to love or learn to hate. The clean and refined Z4 has provide me with a smooth care free drive from Regina to Calgary without hesitation or discomfort. The fact that it is newer and more refined has never stopped the roadster appeal on long drives versus short spirited city drives. :rofl:

But that being said...the Z3 has more of a road car feel to it. Rough and tumble...she only gives what you allow her to take...but you know it can do more. Driving is not as comfortable as the Z4...not even close. But you feel the road, you feel a bit more connected.

Now on exterior styling...you either love them or hate them both. I kind of had to learn to love my Z4, buy after owning it, I can say I love the design now. The Z3 on the other hand has those body shapes that are timeless from the start. More road car than luxury car as some might say the Z4 styling is. The fact is, both will stand the test of time...if they have not already.

The Z3 on the other hand is not near as desirable in the interior, this is where I find the Z4 takes the lead. The layout is much better, the seating position and required items are more accessible. just overall a better layout.

So the questions is "why do you own both?" Well first off all 'because I can"...but mostly cause each provides me with the experience of owning/driving a BMW Roadster, or as the ad says 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' and more recent 'Sheer Driving Pleasure'. Both fit and I don't have to decide between which is better...I just grab the keys to the one that fits that slogan for the day!
 
#27 ·
BestInTheWorld....

Let me get this right.... you are asking a Z3 forum which car you shoukld pick between a Z3 or a Z4...... you have to be kidding.

While the Z4 has more room (I'm 6'1", solid 265lbs.) The Z3M has way more going for it than the Z4. (IMHO)

Crappy : )

(Just outside of Nashville)
 
#28 ·
I was driving my Z3 by a used dealership that had a Z4 on the lot so I decided to stop for a test drive. In all fairness, I don't know if it's because it was an A/T vs. my 5-speed, but didn't feel right. I liked the the responsiveness and the raw feeling of the 3. The 4 felt too bloated and refined. BMW lost the appeal in the the Z4, imo

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#29 ·
If I was rich, I'd get a Z3 Roadster and the 2009 or later BMW Z4 Coupe.

And crappyattitude1, I WAS seriously asking between a Z4 and a Z3 on this board. I am sure some Z3 owners would like other cars too, and maybe they didn't want to stretch their budgets to include other cars they could barely afford, and so they decided on "settling" for a Z3, which is a great car from what I gathered.
 
#30 ·
boxster is an easy car to drive fast, costs more than a z3 and more expensive maintenance, feels more like sitting in a bathtub than the more open z3. my ole racing buddy owns a porsche shop so the boxster was a logical choice for me but the z3 felt like the old british roadsters should have. maybe it was the nostalgia.

one thing i've learned is, unless you're racing, the perception of speed is more important than actually going fast. going fast means traffic tickets and we know where that leads.
 
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