bmw z3, go/no go?

[eightnsand]

great info so far. i do all my own service so really no prob. wore my hip out shifting for years so t has to be an automatic. im done driving beaters. ill be able to pack that gold .45 in that ride. always thought a bmw was opposite of a porcupine with more pricks on the inside than out. proly test drive this week. thanks

 

[galvatron]

It's a toy. Buy it, drive the **** out of it and fix what breaks.

 

[nitrousfedlx]

The other thing that's very concerning is that 2001 is in the years of bmw having a faulty transmission. They lose there reverse gear. The best I can remember is something letting go in the clutch basket I believe. U may want to research this and verify.

 

[AKguy]

It should be ok for a while. BMW's get a bad rep for being high maintenance, but it's more so with the new ones. I wouldn't touch an 08+ BMW if you gave it to me for free. The older ones are not much more to maintain than any other vehicle.

The 1.8 and 2.8 are good motors, but the 1.8 is REALLY sluggish. Be prepared to drop some money (if it hasn't already been done) to replace the water pump (crappy plastic impellers), radiator, and t-stat between now and 100k or 125k. Transmission could be hit or miss - BMW contracted GM to produce the trannys for them, and as usual, GM ****ed it up. Lifespan on the autos seems to be 100k-200k for most people.

 

[BamaFan]

Do you drive like a douche? If not you'll have to learn.

 

[eightnsand]

yeah reverse porcupine. pricks on the inside. looks like a no go. the more I looked at it I saw more and more issues. I'm getting tired of being a maintenance mechanic. thanks for the support and guidance. enjoy this climate change! I'm heading outside.

 

[SpeedyR]

not sure where you are but a good independent mechanic is across from the BMW dealer in Roswell- Alex Auto. He worked on my wifes E46 M3 and ended up buying it when we sold it. He's also worked on my VW TDI and is a good all around mechanic. Just moved to that location from Buford but he will do a thorough PPI and will tell you the good, the bad and the ugly about the condition of the car.

http://www.alexautoinc.com/

friend has a Z3 for a long time and drove the piss out of it. fun little cars. I agree the Z4 is better but for the price it might be fun. a good independent shop is worth it's weight in gold if you have a BMW.