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Thread: So, my '97 2.8 Roadster has become my daily driver.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Suburbadelphia, PA
    Posts
    458
    My Cars
    1997 Z3 2.8 Roadster

    So, my '97 2.8 Roadster has become my daily driver.

    I have a couple other cars--a '74 Benz 450Sl and an '09 Audi A4 Avant.
    The former is for sale and the latter being rested/prepared for trade-in, so I've been driving the Z3 exclusively for a month or two.
    It's been an interesting ride.

    I live near Philly and work 3 days/week near DC, so a lot of the Z3 use is on the highway. I've gotten a lot of seat time under the hardtop also, which is far preferable to the soft top on long high-speed runs. I've kept it shod with 16"/all-weather instead of using up my 17" summer rubber, and have gotten 26mpg since mid-June, which includes some fun time as well. Since purchasing the car in March of '17 I've been averaging over 25mpg (see icon below), and I've had very little to complain about in either the economy or performance departments. It's a great all-around car--the only limitations being the obvious or stowage and passenger capacity.

    The last time I routinely used a 2-seater for all my driving was about 1988, when I was driving a '78 Scirocco from which I had removed the back seats. It afforded me enough space to haul everything I needed for a semester at university, and meant that when my pals and I were going out for a drink off-campus, I had the convenient excuse of only being able to carry one potential drunkard--thus I was rarely the designated driver.

    Slippery weather looms near on the horizon (today's run from PA to MD was wet, windy and strewn with leaves) and I'll not be driving the Zed in snow or ice, so this experiment is likely to end shortly. Plus, I hope to obtain a new DD (a rare event in my household--the wife and I have bought 2 NEW cars in our 26.5 years together), so its unlikely I'll rack up unreasonable miles for much longer. The Zed turned 115,500 today--a long way to go!
    Cheers,
    Brad

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Ambler, PA
    Posts
    260
    My Cars
    2000 BMW Z3 Coupe
    Philly area too here. I throw 15' E36 Bottlecaps with blizzaks on my Clownshoe and just keep going through the winter lol. The Benz is sweet btw. My mechanic friend lent me his 560SL for a month a summer ago while he was doing work on my clownshoe and that thing was a total blast. A lot of people hate the big steering wheel but I think it works great for that car, and its a blast to get the back end out in it, although I'm sure not many R107 owners do such shenanigans

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Lawrenceville, GA
    Posts
    11,860
    My Cars
    4 BMWs.
    That was my experience a few years ago. I picked up a CPO 128i as a daily. Loved it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    2001 Z3 3.0i -Oxford Green/Sandbeige
    2016 428xi -Estoril Blue II/Black
    2018 430iC- Estoril Blue II/Black
    2018 330it - Melbourne Red/Venetian Beige/Black

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Suburbadelphia, PA
    Posts
    458
    My Cars
    1997 Z3 2.8 Roadster

    Something else to drive every day...

    The new DD is here.
    No longer is the Z3 the quickest, most powerful and tightest handling car I own...


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Philadelphia
    Posts
    119
    My Cars
    2001 BMW M Roadster
    @watch carefully: Funny seeing this thread when I haven't been on here in quite some time. Just picked up a new daily myself. Except we're flip flopped. I have the S54 M Roadie, and just got a 2018 VW GTI from Virginia for a steal! Love the R, but wanted the S for the value. Still a great car. Got it in Pure White. These VW's are the perfect fun daily driver I ever owned. I'm 10 min from the KOP mall.
    2001 BMW M Roadster - Steel Gray over Imola Red/Black (1 of 8), Eisenmann sport exhaust, KW V3 coilovers, Strong Strut engine brace, Randy Forbes subframe reinforcement, GSR Technik tune, 3.64 Torsen LSD...Weekend toy!
    ">

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
    Location
    Emmett, Idaho USA
    Posts
    40
    My Cars
    2002 Z3 3.0L roadster
    I enjoy driving both my Z3, and Porsche 914 in spring and summer. Then late fall and winter I need to drag out the big guns, with a choice of either a Jeep Wrangler or F-150 4x4. Needless to say I keep my auto insurance co. very happy with the vehicles just to get around, and not including working vehicles. Some day, I will have to down size, and at my age, it won't be long.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Suburbadelphia, PA
    Posts
    458
    My Cars
    1997 Z3 2.8 Roadster
    Quote Originally Posted by spikeisgr8 View Post
    @watch carefully: Funny seeing this thread when I haven't been on here in quite some time. Just picked up a new daily myself. Except we're flip flopped. I have the S54 M Roadie, and just got a 2018 VW GTI from Virginia for a steal! Love the R, but wanted the S for the value. Still a great car. Got it in Pure White. These VW's are the perfect fun daily driver I ever owned. I'm 10 min from the KOP mall.
    Thanks for the post, spikeisgr8.
    I'm in Media, DelCo. I checked out a GTI Autobahn and a couple Rs and finally decided to reward myself with the top of the line.
    I love my Z3 and have had a blast using it everyday for a while, but with a long commute (weekly trips to MD) I need something quieter, better insulated and with more amenities (for my sanity). The Z will get ample use when warm, dry weather returns.

    My Z3 is the first BMW I've owned. However, I've been buying/driving VW/Audi cars since 1987. This R represents the first Golf I have had since a Mk II GTI (Tornado Red) I owned from 1990 to 1994. What a great car that was...I am hoping this blue beast is half as rewarding.

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