Anybody with first hand experience on them, what to look out for?
98 with 90k on it for 9k 99 with 50k on it for 13k Both manual's. just popped up local to me.
I'm looking for a summer car top down style that is a little more than the traditional answer around this website. The non-m's are cheaper but just seem to plan for me. Plus I figure with it being an m most of the depreciation is over. This would a 3rd car, my appliances do the day to day duties.
just remember these cars are widowmakers. Lots of power, short chassis, semi-trailing arm rear suspension can makes them -very- jumpy at the rear. Don't even think of lifting during a corner, or you will be re-enacting what every Porsche 930 driver went through when those cars first came out.
Check the rear suspension, though as a semi-trailing arm style, it is more robust than the multi-link in the regular M3.. also as these cars like to back into things at a high rate of speed, look for rear end body damage
mad_machine wrote: just remember these cars are widowmakers. Lots of power, short chassis, semi-trailing arm rear suspension can makes them -very- jumpy at the rear. Don't even think of lifting during a corner, or you will be re-enacting what every Porsche 930 driver went through when those cars first came out. Check the rear suspension, though as a semi-trailing arm style, it is more robust than the multi-link in the regular M3.. also as these cars like to back into things at a high rate of speed, look for rear end body damage
Thanks, sounds exciting if not paying attention at speed.
Typical z3 issues apply. Look for rear subframe separation. Pull the carpet up in the trunk and inspect the rivets. If the rivets (look on google) are popped you are looking at a few grand. It happens on more vigorously driven z cars
mad_machine wrote: just remember these cars are widowmakers. Lots of power, short chassis, semi-trailing arm rear suspension can makes them -very- jumpy at the rear. Don't even think of lifting during a corner, or you will be re-enacting what every Porsche 930 driver went through when those cars first came out. Check the rear suspension, though as a semi-trailing arm style, it is more robust than the multi-link in the regular M3.. also as these cars like to back into things at a high rate of speed, look for rear end body damage
Can definitely confirm this. We have a guy that autocross a Z3 M Roadster in our SCCA Chapter and it looks like an absolute handful.
Why are these a handful, but no one bats an eye when someone bolts the same engine into an e30 which shares the same suspension?
E30 has a much longer wheel base and is more narrow than the Z3m. The E30 has a 101.2in wheel base while the Z3m has a 96.8 with a much wider track.
You also sit further back in the chassis, so by the time you realize things are going pear shaped, you are in up to your elbows. Having much wider wheels on that wider wheelbase tends to also allow the Z3m to achieve higher levels of grip and velocity, until you lose that grip.. then you get to deal with all the excess speed while trying to avoid the scenery
You'll need to log in to post.
