'97 4 cylinder Z3....PROS and CONS?

A local car dealership has a fairly nice '97 Z3 on their lot, and I would like to hear from folks the good and and bad (yeah, yet again...sorry) of this sports car wanna-be. The car in question has automatic (boo) and "leatherette" upholstery. If it matters, mileage is 76K and color is cream with a camel/tan interior.

The thing I didn't like about the 4-cylinder Z3 that I drove was that the suspension was simply too competent and the tires too big and sticky to allow it to move around. It lacked the balance between power and grip, the tossability, that I've always appreciated in BMWs. An automatic is not going to help that at all.

Less capable than a Miata, but better equipped in terms of comfort. Not much different than a 91 E30 318is really, fun car IMHO.

What are your plans for the car? Nathan (Z3 2.8 is on my shortlist of cars to own someday)

IF, if I bought this car, a primary plan would be to get my loud-mouthed brother-in-law to shut up...for a minute or two, then when he wants to take it for a test drive, I can remind him that he has not even offered to let me sit in his current E class, or his wife's (my sister's) S class...that was traded so he could get that new E class....

I've read several of the threads on here about the similar 318Ti, and aside from fans of hatchbacks, no one says anything good about the E30 derivatives. Like many folks here...or maybe not? I plan a whole laundry list of mods when shopping for my next car...but usually never get around to more than tire/suspension upgrades, at least not on a car that will be somewhat of a DD.

I look at this car as a sort of oddball alternative to the ubitqutious (sp?) Miata....not that there is anything wrong with a Miata.

"Is he really going to be impressed.....?"

My brother-in-law THINKS he's a car enthusiast, but isn't what I'd call a car nut. If magazine X says car Z is THE car to drive this year...that's what he buys. He dumped an Infinti J30 about 10 years ago, after what he felt was crummy/overpriced service by the dealer. I would imagine a Z3 is way off his radar but the BMW badge could grab his attention...not to mention that it's a roadster.

I agree that buying a BMW badged car with both a 4 cylinder AND an automatic transmission is WRONG, bar the loss of a person's left leg. I'm kicking myself for having passed on several different 3 and 5 series sedans this dealer has had in the past. As usual, when I didn't have the money the selection was great, and now that I have some cash....the selection is crummy.

Pssst.. . . Getting a car for any other reason than you want it is a bad idea!. Who cares what your brother in law says does or drives. Sounds like a case of to much $$$.

Don't get sucked in to that race. It really is not about the car or cars that he has. You said it your self he is not a car guy. I would go out and get the biggest POS and make sure to drive it to his place on a weekly basis. I am thinking 80's GMC sierra in red oxide primer with hardware cloth grill, cherry bombs, and a LS6 and a 6 speed. Slammed to the ground.

Having the ability go get the car of the moment is a race I would not get into. It just proves you can go by something. Like sox or a toothbrush. Being impressed by this is a tad shallow at best. Being irritated by it is normal. Falling in to his trap is what he wants. (you can not win unless you have more $$$ a lot more $$$)

Why do you want to go there? Can you afford to go there? It is like having to get the latest video console and paying 3x the list price just to be the first on the block to have it. In a couple of weeks it will be just another video game console that cost 2x what the guy that got it yesterday.

Me thinks you are going places for all the WRONG reasons.

But then again I started with a cheap porsche so what do i know.

Now if you are thinking of converting the Z3 to a manual adding a supercharger or turbo now you are talking!!!!

That little car with 200+ hp (260-300 would be better) would be a hoot. Cost effective to build? Probably not but fun and being able to say you designed/built it is the intangible part of the equation that makes it all work.

I say get the car but not for the reasons you laid out.

If you want to impress the in laws get a 740 or a 750 (I would get the 740) They can be had for between 10-20K and with a little bit of preventive maintenance and understanding their particular quirks can be great reliable cars. It is like eating beluga caviar on a mackerel budget

I had a 318ti, very similar to the Z3

I liked it a lot and though the M44 had decent power, and its got great gas mileage. However mine was a 5spd, I would personally stay away from an auto...

So, you're looking at a car that only weighs a couple hundred pounds less than a C5 Corvette and has, what, a third of the horsepower and probably a much lower fraction of its torque?

Datsun1500 wrote:

Canute wrote: So, you're looking at a car that only weighs a couple hundred pounds less than a C5 Corvette and has, what, a third of the horsepower and probably a much lower fraction of its torque?

He's not getting it to drive it, he wants it to impress someone..... I don't get it either.....

Doesn't make sense to me. There are less expensive ways to humiliate someone ;). Foosball, maybe, or kick his butt in an autocross?

Beat the brother-in-law in Guitar Hero or something else a little more reality oriented, this is just silly.

I happen to like the 1.9 Z3.. but in getting one you are going to lose out on a few key ingrediants. One of which is the wider fenders and bodywork of the later 6 cylinder models. the 1.9 tends to be the petite "little sister" to the rest of the line up.

Other than the auto trans, though. I think they make great cars. LIght enough that the 4 can move it along with some pep, the engine is lighter and set back further than the 6, which is great for handling. And as people have mentioned, they get great gas miliage.

I just happen to really like 4 cylinder cars and would never fall into the trap of saying that a sports car needs lots of power, that misses the point I think and does a lot to mask driver error out on the road or track. Momentium is where it is at.

Reasons for buying aside, can the 1.9 be supercharged a la GRM 318 Project of yore? That won't fix the auto tranny though....

Keep looking. The difference between the 1.9 with an auto and a manual is pretty noticeable - more than in other cars in BMWs repitouire. The little four-cylinder is a great engine, but the extra ratio really helps. Plus, the manual is so much more fun to drive (if that's your thing). But the auto certainly isn't bad! If you just want a little cruiser to blast around town in, go for it!

Keep in mind too that the 1.9 liter Z3 weighs several hundred pounds less than the six-cylinder counterparts. The M cars weigh over 3,000 pounds in fact. So, while it has 35 less hp than the base six cylinder, it also weighs a bit less, so the hp difference is less important.

If it means anything to you, I think I like my 250,000 mile Miata a bit more than my Z3. Everything on the Z3 seems to be of better quality, but when it comes to the stuff you don't see, the Miata really seems to shine.

fastEddie wrote: Reasons for buying aside, can the 1.9 be supercharged a la GRM 318 Project of yore? That won't fix the auto tranny though....

Yes, it can. Probably with similar results.

But it's easier to buy a six cylinder car. And cheaper too.

sounds like the wrong car, being considered for the wrong reasons.

sorry to be so negative.

If you HAVE to show up a moron, at least get something you'll like owning.

If you really want the guy to shut up, play to your strengths as a car enthusiast.

Get the biggest pile o crap you can find and invite him out to an autocross. he will be floored and humbled when your rusty pile o crap beats the tar out of his snot-thruster 3000 gt type R....

exactly.

most normal people wouldn't have paid $1000 for my e30.

I won street mod regularly.

Find a Turbo S New Beatle, take the turbo badge off, and put the daisy rims on it, then go and bet him at an autocross. Or even more humiliating would be a set of those Teddy Bear Rims...hahaha. I wouldn't be caught dead buying either set of thoses rims, but if you're trying to crush someone it might be worth it.

The 1.9 auto Z3 is pointless unless you just love the look of the Z3 and want to enjoy the wind in your long blond hair on your commute to your job as an administrative assistant. You'll be less likely to brake one of your french tipped nails with an auto, and the BMW is easier than a Miata to get in and out of with a short skirt.

At the risk of getting flamed by all of the Miati on the board, I'd say why not. Unless you're going to pound the *7!@ out of it on a track somewhere, you'll find it a very comfortable cruiser, It handles well and is, IMHO, much nicer to look at than a Miata. If the Z3 is a girly car, it's a bull dyke, compared to the ballerina that is Mazda. Even with an automatic....

I've actaully been thinking about getting one for my wife (trading her Miata), but it will be a manual. She won't track it, just purely a cruiser. So, what are the thoughts for just that purpose?

(don't worry, I still will have 6 Miata's.......)

With a manual, I'd say "sure". That would make a good cruiser.

With a 6-cyl, I'd say "sure". That would make a good cruiser.

But an auto 4cyl is just not worth it, when you could have something more fun.