I know, I know...probably the least liked bmw of modern times, but I love the way they look. Circumstances mean I must buy a car this week..my wee smart car is sick and must be transported 60 miles away for a fix so it will be out of service for a week or so and I need transport. Now, I have seen a nice coupe local ish but the owner is away till 27 th and I can't wait that long. My left handed brain prevents me from buying a sensible shoes Astrafocusgolf and I have the chance of a low miles two owner 1.9 16 v z3. So, anyone have any experience of them? Running costs etc...I know they aren't the last thing in precision driving but I have looked at mx5 for the same money (around 1500 quid) and they all have had a fair bit of welding or need a fair bit of cosmetics. The BMW has full leather, virtuall no rot, 50 k miles with a full bmwsh. Can't be bad, surely. Anyhow, genuine opinions and buying advice appreciated...gbn

Bought the car tonight...not a car this forum wil appreciate I guess, but had to get transport quick and it was best car I could find for the cash...first impressions? Seems much tauter/stiffer than mx5...although that's roof up...decent turn of speed..feels, and looks, like an old school trad Brit sportier...either a good or bad thing i guess...hopefully mrs likes it as its going be hers predominantly..now to get pesky smart fixed...gbn

Many years ago a guy on here (Joe) had a z3m and I don't remember any stick on here for it, although that was a long time ago and the demographic of people using the forum has changed.

Glad you're enjoying it - which is the main thing

I'd be interested to hear how you get on. I do like the idea of one as a daily drive. And dare I say it, I think they're ageing quite well in terms of looks.

Agree. They've grown on me, would love an m! Even a 2.8 would be nice.

Actually its one of the few Germans I don't mind! Photos please!

The Ms are very affordable now too and damn fast, at least in a straight line.

Oh in and case you haven't found it yet....

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/index.php

Yeah, z3m roadster has always been one of my gotta have cars...my wee 1.9 has merely reinforced that wish..one day, one day...mrs loves the wee silver shark, and it's her car so that's major good news...I will fire up,a few pics at weekend...it does feel like a much better built car than mx5 etc that its on a price par with now...I suppose because it was from a much higher price range when new...how the mighty have fallen haha...cheap to buy, cheap to run...good fun...that's how I'd summarise it thus far..

2 seats doesn't suit me at the moment and 10k buys some nice cabs!

So does £1500!!

Not a bad price at all, enjoy!

The Z3M Coupé I had was an awesome car. I'm half tempted to sell the Cayenne Turbo and get another to keep alongside my old 911. The problem comes in it not being able to hold too much and I'd have no option for transporting more than two full sized people at a time...

Would have to be z3m roadster for me..we likes the wind n our hair up here...always a toss up between that and the boxster for me

A mate had the Z3 MCoupe and it was a nice solid car, not as fast as my (then) chipped Coupe though. And a MUCH smaller!!

I could not fit in it comfortably, otherwise I'd very much like a 2.8 Coupe or the later 3.0 Coupe.

Z4 Coupe was roomier! But not as cool.

If it was just GrahamL type chip then either your mate's car was borked or he didn't know how to drive it. You have to keep it up in the VANOS range to get the best from it. I can see a 270bhp FIAT Coupé being able to keep with one once moving, but not from a standing start. A 240bhp chipped car would not be able to stay with a Z3M, especially on the twisties.

Sorry just noticed this thread,,,I have recently bought a 2.0 z3 topaz blue ,,I wrote the Duke off and decided to change tact,,so,I sold the coop plus,,and decided to buy a soft top,,looked at a couple of mx5s,,then found out that z3s were just as cheap,,anyway 1750 later I bought the wee v reg with 120k on the clock,,spent money on 18inch hockenheim style wheels few hundred getting bonnet and bumper painted,,(stone chipped like no other!!)
And I'm loving it !!!!!
That's over two months now and nothing needed,,,not a bratwurst!!!
Mot no advisories at all..
As mentioned above,,where to go now??
Next year do I buy a z3m or a newer Boxter s?????
Don't like z4s as much as they aren't as quirky as the 3
Thoughts?

well ive just got a z4 coupe with the optional m sport extras, call me biased but i read alot into both before buying and most of the bmw forums said go for the 4 because bmw had ironed out alot of the issues (dont know how true this is there knowledge not mine) but i must say im enjoying it.

the review that swayed me in the end was this

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/bmw-z4-30i-road-test

i was aiming for the z3 coupe but i just was put off abit by the rear end just didnt do it for me but the Z4 coupe did.

its good your enjoying the z3 and would love to see both on track for some fun

Don't regret buying ours for one minute, it's that most unusual thing, a characterful German car! It will be staying with us for the foreseeable future that's for sure, and I am a nightmare for changing cars usually, but it ticks all the boxes for us...enjoy your cars guys, they wnt stay this cheap for long...