I keep coming back to look at that color 🙂 THE 4 cylinder cars are the best handling because of the balance. I have over 200k miles on mine, it still runs strong, and doesn’t use any oil.
I have the 2002 BMW Z3 M roadster I got back in 2003. It is a monster with a ton of performance mods. I had a coworker who had what we called a James Bond version the baby blue with that little 4 cylinder. It was super clean like yours but he did put a turbo on it running kinda low boost and it was rather quick not like a 330rwhp M roadster but really much quicker then most then the stock version of the M roadster with its 240hp starting point. Nice Z you have nicer then mine in many ways. My wife is not a fan of mine so it doesn’t get much love but coming up on 18 years with my car vs 10 with my beautiful wife lol.
,I have a 97 with a 1.9 too in Montreal Blue, same as yours. Absolutely love it ! Have had it for 12 years now with about 248,000' and the engine is bullet proof! Other than oil changes and basic maintenance ( very basic).
Got the same color scheme inside and out, same engine, year everything! Got it ten years ago with 64K, 91K now. All I did was put a K&N air filter, the cheapest horsepower you can buy! I suggest that! Peaks around 4K now instead of 3 1/2. I love this car, it's exactly what I wanted. Have you all had the same experience, a child of almost any age sees this car, grabs whichever adult they are with and says and I quote, "That's the kind of car I want". I'm a 61 year old child.
Be careful with the door pulls! I saw you pull on the driver's side and see it's getting a bit loose. If they break you're looking at around $200.00 ( U. S.) for a used one. I replaced both panels that included new door pulls for about $500.00 which was a better deal. You might find the driver's side seat has a 2" play which happens quite often. Glove box is quite heavy and too can be a bit loose. Lastly, fuel sensor always go. Even if replaced it will fail again. I push the mileage reset and it will then show your fuel level. Is this doesn't happen to yours, your fortunate. It's really the only complaint I have about the car but doesn't change my view of it, fantastic car and I had many sports cars.
Congrats Eli ! Great find. You'll have a lot of fun with it. The Z3's in that vintage with the manual are relatively reliable (in BMW speak), other than normal higher mileage part replacement you should be good (find a good independent German shop as they are much cheaper). As for the BMW roundel just get a new one and pop it in. Did the same on my 330ci. Looks great !! Are you still enjoying the 150 ?
Love the color!! Mines black. The nice thing about the 4 cylinder, they are easy and cheep to fix yourself. Also spending on how many miles you may want to replace the cooling system hoses and fixtures. That one is a pain if you're not mechanicly inclined.
I’m buying a 1998 z3 1.9 liter but the evaporator and compressor are bad. Is that a red flag that is expensive and something I should avoid? Or fix it myself. I’m pretty handy
4hockeyskate I’ve never had to mess with those things on mine. If it were me and I thought I could change them myself, I’d check on the price of parts, then decide. I worked as a mechanic for 30 years so I know the ins and outs. Remember, once you open the AC system it needs to be evacuated to get all of the oxygen out, if not it won’t cool. I hope this helps.
Terry Mair yes thank you! Let me run by the numbers by you, New engine installed with all paper and service documents by a certified mechanic. New engine has 90k miles. Car and interior are in great shape. He wants 2500 for it. So I figured even with having to fix certain things it’s a decent deal
4hockeyskate only you can decide if that’s a good deal. Mine has 202,000 miles on it and runs strong, I paid $5,000 for it then another $2,000 to have it painted. I’m wondering, how do you know it needs new AC components? Have they tried putting refrigerant in it? The compressor won’t spin if it’s empty.
Terry Mair just what I’m going off from what the seller told me. He said his mechanic diagnosed those as the issue. But if and when I do buy it I’ll get a second opinion before going and buying parts
Enjoy your new Z3. Dont spend any money on those seats. Take your time and search for a nice set of Sport or M seats. Theyre out there. And please, dont ever call it that name they call it in England or Canada. Its a Zee 3 made in the USA. Lol.
The 4 cylinder model has the best handling because of the lighter weight of the engine compared to the 6s. Please join the ZSCCA.. The best car club around!
Thanks man! The Euro plate is one of the first things that came to mind when I got the car home. I found one on eBay for only $14.99. Not sure how the quality will be, but I'll probably share a video when it shows up in the mail. Here is the link to the plate and also the seller's name on eBay: www.ebay.com/itm/124202514539 www_usplates_com
Is it normal to hear some metal engaging noise? When shifting? I took to bmw for inspection and they said normal, being it's a small car I am not use to hearing this noise
i've got a 1997 1.9 manual shiftet z3 with 180.000km on it. I'm from germany and i find it funny you guys seeking for german number plates. The only issue with this car is: the rubber hoses at the engine are getting old and should be replaced, since the car runs with vacuum. when they're broken the engine runs on lean gas composition which means too much heat in the cylinders.
Good luck with your Z3, its a beautiful car. Very expensive to maintain though. I owned a first year Z4 roadster with the 3.0 six. It would really get up and go! However, the water pump went bad and it cost me an arm and a leg to replace it. Parts are very expensive, as you will find out, and if you have work done on it buy a BMW mechanic, he will charge a lot more than a regular mechanic. I kept mine for almost 3 years and then sold it. It was fun to own and drive, but the Miata is a whole lot cheaper to own!
I keep coming back to look at that color 🙂 THE 4 cylinder cars are the best handling because of the balance. I have over 200k miles on mine, it still runs strong, and doesn’t use any oil.
It sure is a pretty color! Haha thanks for the views! That is great to hear! The 1.9L seems like a solid motor!
I have the 2002 BMW Z3 M roadster I got back in 2003. It is a monster with a ton of performance mods. I had a coworker who had what we called a James Bond version the baby blue with that little 4 cylinder. It was super clean like yours but he did put a turbo on it running kinda low boost and it was rather quick not like a 330rwhp M roadster but really much quicker then most then the stock version of the M roadster with its 240hp starting point. Nice Z you have nicer then mine in many ways. My wife is not a fan of mine so it doesn’t get much love but coming up on 18 years with my car vs 10 with my beautiful wife lol.
,I have a 97 with a 1.9 too in Montreal Blue, same as yours. Absolutely love it ! Have had it for 12 years now with about 248,000' and the engine is bullet proof! Other than oil changes and basic maintenance ( very basic).
Yupyup. 238,000 on my 97 and yes indeed, the engine is bullet proof!
Man, thats a clean car! You got lucky with that purchase! Welcome to the Zee3 owners World!
Got the same color scheme inside and out, same engine, year everything! Got it ten years ago with 64K, 91K now. All I did was put a K&N air filter, the cheapest horsepower you can buy! I suggest that! Peaks around 4K now instead of 3 1/2. I love this car, it's exactly what I wanted.
Have you all had the same experience, a child of almost any age sees this car, grabs whichever adult they are with and says and I quote, "That's the kind of car I want". I'm a 61 year old child.
Be careful with the door pulls! I saw you pull on the driver's side and see it's getting a bit loose. If they break you're looking at around $200.00 ( U. S.) for a used one. I replaced both panels that included new door pulls for about $500.00 which was a better deal. You might find the driver's side seat has a 2" play which happens quite often. Glove box is quite heavy and too can be a bit loose. Lastly, fuel sensor always go. Even if replaced it will fail again. I push the mileage reset and it will then show your fuel level. Is this doesn't happen to yours, your fortunate. It's really the only complaint I have about the car but doesn't change my view of it, fantastic car and I had many sports cars.
Just got mine. One prior owner🙂
Congrats Eli ! Great find. You'll have a lot of fun with it. The Z3's in that vintage with the manual are relatively reliable (in BMW speak), other than normal higher mileage part replacement you should be good (find a good independent German shop as they are much cheaper). As for the BMW roundel just get a new one and pop it in. Did the same on my 330ci. Looks great !! Are you still enjoying the 150 ?
Love the color!! Mines black. The nice thing about the 4 cylinder, they are easy and cheep to fix yourself. Also spending on how many miles you may want to replace the cooling system hoses and fixtures. That one is a pain if you're not mechanicly inclined.
I’m buying a 1998 z3 1.9 liter but the evaporator and compressor are bad. Is that a red flag that is expensive and something I should avoid? Or fix it myself. I’m pretty handy
4hockeyskate I’ve never had to mess with those things on mine. If it were me and I thought I could change them myself, I’d check on the price of parts, then decide. I worked as a mechanic for 30 years so I know the ins and outs. Remember, once you open the AC system it needs to be evacuated to get all of the oxygen out, if not it won’t cool. I hope this helps.
Terry Mair yes thank you! Let me run by the numbers by you, New engine installed with all paper and service documents by a certified mechanic. New engine has 90k miles. Car and interior are in great shape. He wants 2500 for it. So I figured even with having to fix certain things it’s a decent deal
4hockeyskate only you can decide if that’s a good deal. Mine has 202,000 miles on it and runs strong, I paid $5,000 for it then another $2,000 to have it painted. I’m wondering, how do you know it needs new AC components? Have they tried putting refrigerant in it? The compressor won’t spin if it’s empty.
Terry Mair just what I’m going off from what the seller told me. He said his mechanic diagnosed those as the issue. But if and when I do buy it I’ll get a second opinion before going and buying parts
Enjoy your new Z3. Dont spend any money on those seats. Take your time and search for a nice set of Sport or M seats. Theyre out there. And please, dont ever call it that name they call it in England or Canada. Its a Zee 3 made in the USA. Lol.
I do not use premium fuel. You can bring that down a level. It runs great!
The 4 cylinder model has the best handling because of the lighter weight of the engine compared to the 6s. Please join the ZSCCA.. The best car club around!
Great find! Been thinking about getting a euro front plate also, where'd you order from?
Thanks man! The Euro plate is one of the first things that came to mind when I got the car home. I found one on eBay for only $14.99. Not sure how the quality will be, but I'll probably share a video when it shows up in the mail.
Here is the link to the plate and also the seller's name on eBay:
www.ebay.com/itm/124202514539
www_usplates_com
Is it normal to hear some metal engaging noise? When shifting? I took to bmw for inspection and they said normal, being it's a small car I am not use to hearing this noise
awesome man! hoping to pick one up just like this tmw.
Z3 is built in USA.
i've got a 1997 1.9 manual shiftet z3 with 180.000km on it. I'm from germany and i find it funny you guys seeking for german number plates.
The only issue with this car is: the rubber hoses at the engine are getting old and should be replaced, since the car runs with vacuum. when they're broken the engine runs on lean gas composition which means too much heat in the cylinders.
Cool little car, how many miles on it? and how much did you pay for it? (I bought one this summer 2.3 love it so far)
Congratulations!
Thanks Dave!
How’s the car doing? Any issues with it?
Looks like the one from GoldenEye, except this Z3 is three years later than the one on the film, which was from 1995.
I have the 2.8 flat 6 and I love it. They really do handle magnificently
I noticed for a while you and your family love blue cars in your fleet is all blue Lol
I'm a minute ten in and I want to smack that damn hand every time it pops up
i guessed Bmw, i'm not familiar with Bmw but i knew it was a Bmw 'lol'
The E46 gauges are very distinct!
Look brandnew
Montreal Blue
Good luck with your Z3, its a beautiful car. Very expensive to maintain though. I owned a first year Z4 roadster with the 3.0 six. It would really get up and go! However, the water pump went bad and it cost me an arm and a leg to replace it. Parts are very expensive, as you will find out, and if you have work done on it buy a BMW mechanic, he will charge a lot more than a regular mechanic. I kept mine for almost 3 years and then sold it. It was fun to own and drive, but the Miata is a whole lot cheaper to own!
PL K not true with this car, I have the same year and engine, parts are inexpensive and easy to replace!
Yeah the parts are pretty cheap to replace especially if you do it yourself 👍🏼
the standard leather is fake. your door rubbers need replacement too.
I was close