Which Z3 to buy?
Discussion
Looking for some advice
Want to add a Z3 to the garage, will be used most for 20 min B road blasts to/from work for my commute, few fun things here and there or taking the girlfriend to the pub.
To be clear - won't be track days, road trips or long drives just because I have other things for that.
The wide body look I like best, and manual of course. But otherwise the 4cl vs 6cl and then which engine of them to pick?! Marketplace is a sea of choice... don't want something gutless but also not exactly chasing headline figures. More about the drive experience / reward from pushing it along a twisty road.
Thanks all!
(Ps. Prices seem to start from £2k, don't want to spend more than £4k but could go £5k for the perfect car...)
- anything major to look out for
-
Want to add a Z3 to the garage, will be used most for 20 min B road blasts to/from work for my commute, few fun things here and there or taking the girlfriend to the pub.
To be clear - won't be track days, road trips or long drives just because I have other things for that.
The wide body look I like best, and manual of course. But otherwise the 4cl vs 6cl and then which engine of them to pick?! Marketplace is a sea of choice... don't want something gutless but also not exactly chasing headline figures. More about the drive experience / reward from pushing it along a twisty road.
Thanks all!
(Ps. Prices seem to start from £2k, don't want to spend more than £4k but could go £5k for the perfect car...)
- anything major to look out for
-
I used to sell many Z3's.
Nowadays you'll be looking out for rust.
The outer sills are bolt on, so easy enough to sort (if you can still buy them?) but the underbody can be rotted out behind them.
Came across a few with noisy diffs, road test to 70mph, and go on, and off, the throttle.
The 3.0cc had a different diff to the 2.2cc, and I don't think you can get parts to repair a 3.0cc one. (happy to be corrected, my experience from 15 years ago)
The 3.0cc's command good money.
I found the 2.2cc's plenty brisk enough.
The 2.0cc 6 pot isn't very quick, and I felt disappointing for a 6 pot.
The 1.9cc four pot is lively, and eager, but obviously slower than the 2.2cc. Same for the few 1.8cc's out there.
So which one to buy??
One that's got the least amount of corrosion.
I used to seek out the lightly used, garage queens, and pay good money for them.
But There won't be so many of those about nowadays.
They are sensitive to tyres.
If one doesn't feel right on the road, don't go changing lot's of suspension bits, it could be the tyres.
Keep us updated on your buying journey..
Good luck.
Nowadays you'll be looking out for rust.
The outer sills are bolt on, so easy enough to sort (if you can still buy them?) but the underbody can be rotted out behind them.
Came across a few with noisy diffs, road test to 70mph, and go on, and off, the throttle.
The 3.0cc had a different diff to the 2.2cc, and I don't think you can get parts to repair a 3.0cc one. (happy to be corrected, my experience from 15 years ago)
The 3.0cc's command good money.
I found the 2.2cc's plenty brisk enough.
The 2.0cc 6 pot isn't very quick, and I felt disappointing for a 6 pot.
The 1.9cc four pot is lively, and eager, but obviously slower than the 2.2cc. Same for the few 1.8cc's out there.
So which one to buy??
One that's got the least amount of corrosion.
I used to seek out the lightly used, garage queens, and pay good money for them.
But There won't be so many of those about nowadays.
They are sensitive to tyres.
If one doesn't feel right on the road, don't go changing lot's of suspension bits, it could be the tyres.
Keep us updated on your buying journey..
Good luck.
I did exactly this last April - I have a readers rides post for the car showing my ownership so far.
Ideally I wanted the 3.0 from the off, however - as they are more sought after the prices were a little more than I wanted to pay at the time.
Knowing that the 2.2 engine is the same as the 3.0 (M54), I figured that a swap a little further down the line wouldn't be too taxing - and that's exactly what I did. Hands down the easiest conversion I've ever done, quite literally plug and play - had the map changed on the ECU accordingly and I was away.
The only difference between mine and the proper 3.0 is the gearbox, the 2.2 had the Getrag box and the 3.0 had the ZF which is a little beefier - the Getrag is holding up nicely at the moment though.
If you go for the sport model you will get the LSD, making the car a little more driver focused. The diff is the same on the 2.2 as it is on the 3.0 (medium case) if you go for the sport.
Personally I would stay away from the 4cyl models.
I also fitted coilovers which really sharpened up the car.
I'm classing it as one of my best worst ideas - initially just wanted to try one out, but it quickly turned into one of my favorite cars to the point I almost think they are hidden gems at current prices.
Ideally I wanted the 3.0 from the off, however - as they are more sought after the prices were a little more than I wanted to pay at the time.
Knowing that the 2.2 engine is the same as the 3.0 (M54), I figured that a swap a little further down the line wouldn't be too taxing - and that's exactly what I did. Hands down the easiest conversion I've ever done, quite literally plug and play - had the map changed on the ECU accordingly and I was away.
The only difference between mine and the proper 3.0 is the gearbox, the 2.2 had the Getrag box and the 3.0 had the ZF which is a little beefier - the Getrag is holding up nicely at the moment though.
If you go for the sport model you will get the LSD, making the car a little more driver focused. The diff is the same on the 2.2 as it is on the 3.0 (medium case) if you go for the sport.
Personally I would stay away from the 4cyl models.
I also fitted coilovers which really sharpened up the car.
I'm classing it as one of my best worst ideas - initially just wanted to try one out, but it quickly turned into one of my favorite cars to the point I almost think they are hidden gems at current prices.
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