BMZ Z3 2.8 Drive and Review // Should you consider this cheap roadster
2021 ж. 31 Жел.
25 610 Рет қаралды
Proper road test and review of the BMW Z3 Roadster from an owner's perspective. What's good about it. What's not so good. What goes wrong. Is it a genuine contender when compared with similar cars from Mercedes, Porsche or the ubiquitous Mazda MX5?
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#bmw #bmwz3 #bmwz4 #Z3M #BMWbreadvan
I never liked them when they first come out , but I was lucky enough to be given a 2.8 12 years ago , I still have it and I love it now
Great review guys, thanks!
Nice one guys, I enjoyed your video, thanks. I have a similar looking Z3 in topaz blue metallic, it is a BMW colour to me. Mine has the 2.0 M52 straight 6. I sometimes lust after the 2.8 or 3 litre Z3 variants, but I have a feeling if I had either of these I would just lust after the ZM instead. I guess we all suffer from the "f only I had a little bit more power" syndrome. Twenty years & 250k saw some maintenance required on my exhaust, so I had some work done rather than just replace. This certainly lets my 2.0 litres speak with considerably more menace than ever before. I love the growl of the M52 at the business end of the tacho and the linear nature of the engine often has me describe it as the "sewing machine". What can i say... Guilty as charged, I love it & and would part with my Z3 for all the MX-5s on Gumtree. It's not a Porsche or a Merc, though the classic retro lines of a long bonnet that conceals a refined & very willing straight six could to a manual is still pretty cool. It's my Z3 therapy and it is the only car I have had that I never take for granted. It's not unusual for me to peek into the garage before bed for a one more look at "my car". At the same time planning the next time we head out for a coffee and maybe some spirited driving along the way. It's not about perfection in motoring, it's about how a car makes your feel. And at the end of the day, this is where cars like the Z3, for me, reveal their super power. I think I'll go for a drive...
great video. Thanks
Awesome, honest video. Enjoyed the ride and talk.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very nice review, the next week I'm going to see one like this on sale. Hope to be lucky :) Greetings from Italy
nice review, I had the same choices you mention and I avoided early boxters because I was concerned about the engine in the boxster and I like to do some of my own work and the mid- engine layout wasn't conducive. Instead I bought the 1998 BMW M roadster which, having driven all the z3s first, I can assure you is a whole other level of car than a z3. I've read that there are over 300 differences between a z3 and an M roadster and I can believe it, the brakes are tremendous, the stance is lower the power train is sublime, the sound is enormous. That's why they bring more money, they really are that good.
yeah the M Roadster that we got in the UK with the S50B32 engine from the M3 is incredibly fast and the car is just completely different to a Z3. M roadsters are so misunderstood and underestimated
I really enjoyed your Video .
Thank you Tashrick
I had the 1.9.and slk.but in the end i settled for 2.8 z3.doesnt matter how much other roadsters are.i wanted to sit way in the backseat and have fun crusing my z3
I love my 2000 face lift z3 2.8. 58k miles and it drives like new and has manual transmission. Should be good for another 20 years
All that on old tires, the most important feature on any car, along with brakes.
THANK YOU MATES FOR THE INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE VIDEO. I'VE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A 1997 2.8 Z3 WITH 114K MILES FOR $9K. I HAD A 1964 MGB IN 1971 AND IT REMINDS ME OF IT OF MY "B". IT'S A LOT OF TEMPTATION ESPECIALLY WITH THE 5speed manual.😉😁👍. What do you BLOKES think 😁👍
I had a 1991 MR2 turbo targa and absolutely loved it (though I did suffer understeer at times). I don't tend to notice the roof off in the driver's seat, for me, targa type cars could add to the list. I was fortunate enough to hire a couple convertibles on island family holidays, hot days and an experience for the kids in the back. I found them surprisingly slack on handling (4 seaters...2020 4 series beamer, 2020 3 series Audi)... so I've been thinking only the Porsche boxster or Cayman might be stiff enough to enjoy the spirited drive. I've been considering exactly what you cover in this vid, reminiscing the old girl, but I'd save a little more to open up what I think might be more exciting opportunities? Honda S2000? Thought it might be a contender, but probably higher price range. Engine swap an MX-5 to something with more grunt? Boosted Elise? Caterham of any engine size As you suggest, maybe an older Carrera if at the right price?
Yes, it wasn't an exhaustive list of all possible cars. Video would have gone way too long. We didn't mention the Honda S2000 because it's in a higher price bracket. That magic word "VTec" seems to add another $10k. I'd suggest you drive both a MX5 and a Boxster. Both are great chassis with very little flex. The MX5 is still great fun even without a lot of grunt but maybe a turbo kit rather than an engine swap. People have tried putting big engines into the MX5 and in doing so many ruined the sweet handling and balance. Boxster S or Cayman S are delightful cars. SG
@@inCARnationAustralia thank you for the advice. As a car lover and driving enthusiast, really appreciate the content and thought that goes into your videos! 👍
I’m looking at renting one on Turo for my birthday in a few weeks. At $41 a day (yes it’s a manual) it’s hard to ignore. There’s a GR86 for $100 a day, I’m trying to figure out which I’d prefer. I’m def leaning towns Z3
Was looking at BMW's including the z3/z4. Ended up with a 335i convertible instead. If you'd like to review that, Mark knows where to find me.
Thanks Ross,. You made a good call with the 335i. We appreciate the offer, it would be a great car to review.
@@markwilliamson8662 I'd love to set that up with you. Need to get the valvetronic system to relearn first so that it's running properly. Waiting on a obdii cable. Pitfalls of Euro cars.
Nice review. I have a 1999 pre-facelift wide body. Tremendous fun. I like the Style 42 RIMs - what size are they. 17” or 18”?
8.5" x 17"
This is an M54 with the 3.0L - 2.8 was in the pre-Lci M52 :)
It’s not better. Just 1000 times cooler
Let me know if you want to sale it Manual, 2.8l and blue ticks all the boxes for me
Sorry but the Z3 handling was a disappointment. The 6 cyl almost overpowered for that ancient chassis.
Put a battery and motor in a 90's bmw? Can't believe i've heard that.
Is this equipped with stinger missiles behind the headlights like the James Bond model 😉
If it was, I couldn't find the button. Must have been hidden.
@Chris Young. Shh: I didn’t show that bit to Stu!
In the World we live in today it's a must have option!!!
Shame about the narrow roads. My 97 2.8 widebody can fly free down the open highways of Saskatchewan.
Highway driving is boring.
Yes, of course ! I prefer the Porsche Boxter S second generation with V6 engine. Electric Cars have not futur.
Presume you mean flat six engine. Boxster never came with V6. Nearly 10 million BEV cars sold worldwide in 2023, about 13% of total car sales and number still increasing each year. Whether you like them or not EVs are here to stay.
no idea why you're listing combustion engine stats in kilawatts
There's something romantic about talking horsepower isn't there? Answer : Because we're in Australia and we went metric quite some decades ago. Kilograms, Kilometres, Kilowatts, Newton Metres, Kilometres/hour. Actually, little known fact - US President Ford declared in an Act of Congress (1975) it was going metric - almost 50 years ago. Just the American public are pretty stubborn, or slow learners, or they just said stuff that - you're not taking away my 15/32" or my 33/64" socket wrench (we call them "spanners"). Saying you weigh 250 pounds is much more impressive than saying you weigh 113kg isn't it? Even the Poms managed to give up their Imperial measures eventually to fall in line with world standards. But no - American public just said no - we don't care about the rest of the world - we're keeping out miles and pounds. Just the USA is one of the few countries left worldwide still desperately hanging on to their MPH, horsepower and stone/pounds, and their 7/8" wrench.
@@inCARnationAustralia US, Liberia and Myanmar. That's it. Everyone else stopped using archaic measurements decades ago. Lucky we didn't ever have Imperial years though or a "decade" would probably be 12/132 of a century and a century would be 124 years lol.
I usually enjoy your videos except for the too many dad jokes and cheesy graphics but Stu, you got it wrong this time. I own the both ends of the Z3 spectrum, the 1.9 and the MCoupe. The 1.9 is better balanced than the 6’s and can be a delight to drive. The MCoupe’s appeal other than it’s power and raw handling (what’s wrong with a tail happy e30 anyway ?) is it’s extreme rarity and uniqueness (let’s see if you can manage to get an MCoupe to review, drive and then have the right to comment)
Would love to drive a Z3M. Not doubt it is a lively firecracker. I was just surprised about the huge prices, I guess in part because of their rarity. So lucky you for having one. And yes, I was a bit rude about the ungainly styling (IMHO). No apology though for the occasional dad joke or cheesy special effect, they are my self-indulgent raison d'être and without which my soul is unfulfilled. (Some people are a bit weird aren't they?)
@@grumpystu just so you know there were 300,000 z3s made and around 10,000 of them were M roadsters. Clown shoes around 3000 total
Stu, did your girlfriend really make you sell that MG ?
Could've been worse..... could've made him sell his bass.... ;)
A little poetic license. It was a hypothetical question. She was a darling. Would never have done that... overtly.
@@abijag100 Damn straight!
Stu, very diplomatically spoken. What you really wanted to say is that the Z3 was a heap of crap new and much worse 20 yrs later. About as fun to drive as being water boarded
Seems a little harsh. But made me laugh!
6 cylinder equals automatic gearbox 4 popper prefers manual
I enjoyed this video i have to say but... This just confirmed to me that a Z4 at least, or ultimately a Z4M is much much better choice than a 3 and the prices are very similar. That engine sounds and looks DEAD from this video. There's no fun in it. Suspension was upgraded in the 4. My impression driving both is unless you have a museum quality one.
Thanks Matty. You're probably right about the Z4, now the prices are closer than they used to be. The 2.8 Z3 engine was silky smooth but yes, didn't have any real bite to it. No doubt the 3.2 M motor would sound and perform much better. Mind you, even the flat 6 in a 2.5 or 2.7 Boxster with a standard exhaust sounds a bit like a vacuum cleaner, so maybe a simple exhaust change would release some character in all these cars.
@@inCARnationAustralia did they ever release the Z3 with the N54 or N55?
@@rosswonderley4794 no