Hello All

[FRANKIE]

Hi,

Thank you all for allowing me into your community. I have to be open to you all and say I am desperately looking for some advice!

I don't currently own a 'Z' series car however am constantly searching for the right one (Z3). My plan is to use the car as a weekend car and take it to some incredible driving roads, giving me something to look forward to in the working week!

I am not the most mechanically able so need to be cautious in my selection as I will not be able to do major jobs on the car and will therefore have to take it to a garage. I would ideally like a 2.8 or 3.0 Msport Z3 however am open to suggestions.

Please can I have advice on where you'd recommend buying from/what to look for on these cars during inspection and test drive etc and if you think one of these cars would be suitable for the purposes described above. I have seen Japanese imports and wonder if these are something I should look further into?

Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you guys. I can't wait to get started!

Joe

Welcome to the forum from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Unlike yourself, I had bought a Z3 before I joined the forum. Like yourself, however, I looked around the internet to see where I could find good advice from other Z owners, and at that point found this forum. My Z was a 1.9 L 1996 Boston Green. I was impressed with the other cars on this forum and with the friendly members here. I soon became very involved here and decided to visit the UK to meet other members and see their cars. One of the members, @miller1098 who lives in Wales took me in for a few days and gave me a tour of Wales in his Z. He is an excellent driver who knows the roads around Wales like the back of his hand and gave me an idea of just how well the Z can perform on such roads. Since I didn't know the roads as well as he and no longer have the reflexes of a younger man, some of those rides were rather exciting to put it mildly. You had mentioned either getting a 2.8 or a 3.0 engine. @miller1098 had a 3.2 ///M and his wife's 2.8 Z. After we had driven around in the 2.8 for a while, he took me out in the 3.2 ///M so I could draw the distinction between the two of them. I'll show you a video of him asking me this question and my honest reply of that difference. Later, he treated me to some donuts.. Other members have seen a slightly longer version of this video, but I shortenet it to make my point here..................................Frankie

View: https://youtu.be/NqozFlJV-gc

 

[roadvoyager1]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
It sounds as if a Z3 will be perfect for what you have in mind; using it at the weekend and driving great roads. I have a 1999 2.8 and, whilst opinions may differ, would say one of these or a 3.0 are the most suited to conditions in the UK.
Bear in mind that these cars are all coming up to, or over, 20 years old. The 6 cylinder engines are pretty robust and whilst there are a few issues reported it is very rare for a major engine problem to come up on the forum (we do tend to look after our cars though!!).
Unless they have already been done, expect to find that shock absorbers, springs and top mounts all would benefit from replacing. Rubber suspension bushes are likely to very tired as well and would benefit from being changed. Have a look on the Zshed thread to get a feel for what is involved. The good news is parts are readily available and prices are generally not silly unless you go to a BMW dealer. These parts are fairly eady to work on so indy garage prices should be reasonable.
One weakness to look for is the "boot weld" failure problem, where the diff mounting bracket welds, which go through to the boot floor, start to fail. It can be fixed but may turn out to be a big job if it has progressed too far.
Body panels a re simply bolt on and corrossion is not a big problem unless you get a car that has lived near the coast.
Hopefully that has not put you off. Expect to pay around £5k to £8k for a really well sorted example or £2k to £3k for one that needs work and budget the same again to get the suspension etc. up to standard.
Happy hunting and keep asking questions.

 

[Mint]

Hi @Joe RH, to the forum from me too in Staffordshire. I have a 2.2 and a 3.0, loads of smiles per gallon in both. Good luck with your search. Be best if you can drive some different models but my first choice would by from an enthusiast

 

[Grumps]

Welcome to the forum from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Unlike yourself, I had bought a Z3 before I joined the forum. Like yourself, however, I looked around the internet to see where I could find good advice from other Z owners, and at that point found this forum. My Z was a 1.9 L 1996 Boston Green. I was impressed with the other cars on this forum and with the friendly members here. I soon became very involved here and decided to visit the UK to meet other members and see their cars. One of the members, @miller1098 who lives in Wales took me in for a few days and gave me a tour of Wales in his Z. He is an excellent driver who knows the roads around Wales like the back of his hand and gave me an idea of just how well the Z can perform on such roads. Since I didn't know the roads as well as he and no longer have the reflexes of a younger man, some of those rides were rather exciting to put it mildly. You had mentioned either getting a 2.8 or a 3.0 engine. @miller1098 had a 3.2 ///M and his wife's 2.8 Z. After we had driven around in the 2.8 for a while, he took me out in the 3.2 ///M so I could draw the distinction between the two of them. I'll show you a video of him asking me this question and my honest reply of that difference. Later, he treated me to some donuts.. Other members have seen a slightly longer version of this video, but I shortenet it to make my point here..................................Frankie

View: https://youtu.be/NqozFlJV-gc

I love @FRANKIE commentary lol!!!

 

[Mr C]

Welcome from Southampton