Hello everyone,
I have had a few BMW's but finally got one worth joining BimmerForums.
When I was 16 my gf's sister gave me her 1986 - forget the series.
2008 - 3 series
2009 - 3 series
My name is Corey, from Philly. Purchased a 2004 ZHP Imola / Alcantara vert last spring with 43k on it. Since it has always been babied I dont bring her out that much. No mods, all stock. Plan to keep it that way for a few years as my wife and I are expecting a baby in April so wont be taking her out much other than the occassional trip to the store or date night in the city.
Also looking to possibly learn more here and buy an E46 Wagon as a DD.
I'll post some pics soon as I figure this all out.
Hi, any mods here? Messaged Kevlar twiced in the last 6 mos for username change but no reply. I heard he's a busy dude.
Hi my name is Bob and I'm a caraholic.
I just acquired a 1999 BMW Z3 Coupe with 44.5k miles on it that is in immaculate condition. First owner had it for less than a year. Second owner (retired military) kept it 15 years, always garage kept, drive about 1500 miles per year. Third owner had it for nearly 4 years and drive it about 4k miles per year, always garage kept.
Within the past year, the car has had new front rotors and pads, rear shocks, aftermarket radio, amp, and sub-woofer.
Given that this is my 42nd car (you read that correctly) but only my second BMW, I plan on doing a full service on it so that I know where it stands. I have parts on order to replace - spark plugs and coil on boots, air filter, oil filter and drain plug, upper and lower radiator hoses, both serpentine belts, thermostat, water pump, idler pulley, etc. There only a few updates that I plan - new carpeted floor mats, replacing side lights and front bumper turn signals with clear lens and amber bulbs. Then I plan to enjoy the car for a good long time,
I've been a member of a Forum for many of the cars that I've owned over the years - Porsche, Jeep, Cadillac, Mercedes, etc. I have always found them to be an invaluable source of information and look forward to being able to post my own helpful hints and responses to questions.
Thanks
Bob
Howdy, y'all. Previous lurker, finally a member. I've got a 2001 Z3 3.0 that's approaching 60,000 miles. I am an active forum member for my Toyota Tacoma and have benefited greatly from being a part of that group, so I thought I'd come over here to hang out with you guys.
Welcome.
Tacoma owner here as well. After my previous Tacoma, I went shopping. Looked at anything and everything in trucks and reinforced the fact that nothing else comes close for my wants and needs. My wife has a new Highlander which is the only choice for her as a daily driver. No competition whatsoever.
Our shared toy is the Z3 and my personal one is a BMW F700GS motorcycle.
Great forum with all the answers. Enjoy!
Last edited by Tigershark48; 02-11-2020 at 11:16 PM.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
2002 BMW Z3 Roadster 2.5L
Purchased from a guy on Craigslist and apparently he failed to mention that the top leaks badly...
Only realized this 2 days after during a rain storm. Supposed to rain for 2 weeks. Fun.
Overall, a fun car to drive. Engine is solid. Transmission has a clunk but the guibo seems fine from a visual inspection.
Hoping this isn't going to be a money dumpster fire of a car
That’s unfortunate. Sounds like a buyers checklist might have been worthwhile. Lots of posts here on leaky tops. Good luck with the fix.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
I’ve left our Z3 very close to stock? I pulled out the viscous clutch fan behind the radiator due to reports of catastrophic failure. Replaced the original rubber lower control arm bushings with poly bushings. Lastly, changed the dust producing brake pads to ceramic to keep the wheels clean. No plans for further mods. It’s easy to get the temptation for changes from reading owner forums. I went through plenty of that with a series of sportbikes. Internet parts distributers are also responsible. Cleaning and detailing have made me more than happy with the way it looks.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
Hello from Canada, i just picked up a 2000 roadster , only problem is it had a front end collision so now i need parts, so i am scouring the classifieds for now, but after its repaired i will be looking forward to doing a few mods to it.
Welcome Aidan. Good luck with the repairs.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
Scott from near Winston-Salem, NC. Recent retiree and 10 year Prius drive looking for something a bit more fun to drive! Got a 1997 Z3 1.9 auto (would have preferred a larger-engined manual trans, but the price was too good). Car needs some love on the interior, will have some tech questions for the group.
23 year old plastics definitely show the wear and have lots of broken tabs. Plastic welding and epoxy be my buds.
Welcome. The Z3 will definitely give you a boost in entertainment value.
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?
Greg from Lakeland Florida. Just bought a 2001 Z3 Roadster 3.0 M. 71k miles. I LOVE this car. My first Bimmer!!! So far, no issues i can see.
Back in the fold. Have had a profile here since then and just somehow knew I would return. Ran a 96 1.9L from 2007 to 2012. My new (old) Z3 is on a truck this very moment headed from Denver to Texas. Even have a pic right before she went on the truck. She should arrive by Wednesday!
About To Be Loaded.jpg
I didn't but found one for a great price locally that is the same color as the car! Feel really fortunate to have found and the old owner was great! It does feel good to be back. There are just cars that speak to people and this model does for me!
Hi Friends,
I have a new to me 1999 2.3.
I've changed all the fluids added a current BT radio, changed shocks and springs fore and aft.
I was surprised how soft the stock springs were... There was a ton of squat and dive... M springs (Ebay) and Koni's fixed that...
I installed a new rear window, ( the old one cracked on a cold morning)
I have a new water pump on it's way... That will be next...
I have to admit, I've been a lurker in the past...
Thanks for having me...
Here's a pic...IMG_20200416_165826008.jpg
good evening, waiting on delivery of my 01 2.5i. Loaded on the truck for delivery. Thrilled to finally say hello and thanks for all the info already.
On the trailer closeup front.jpg
hopefully, fingers crossed, knock on wood, I'll have more info and pics to share this weekend.
Last edited by kbollox; 05-06-2020 at 07:21 PM.
Sweet! Identical year, model and color as mine. Good Luck! This is a great forum and you will learn a a lot
Z3 rear three quarter.jpg
Love this rear end!
Hi all, didn't realize this thread was still active until I got to the end. Back in the 70's, I was weaned on British sports cars, Spitfires, Midgets, etc. I was luck to pump gas in a garage where the mechanics tutored me. I grew up in NY, but have lived in every region here in the US and Germany when in the army.
Now I'm semi-retired, I still do some software development work which started out as a hobby. But my degree is in Mechanical Engineering, with some grad work in particle technology (aerosols). My first job was at Fleetguard, Cummins Engine Company's filter division. Then I moved to Fram, where I came up with the SureGrip filter. I was motivated by memories of driving a screwdriver through the oil filters on my Midget since they were buried underneath and impossible to get a wrench on. You haven't lived until you finally get the hole punched and are rewarded with a face full of warm oil. That gets you, hopefully, enough a turn angle to break it loose.
But all my life, my bucket list included a mid-60's Jag XKE project car in the garage. Unfortunately, they spiked out of my price range now. So, I looked around and found a car that I think is just as pretty and affordable. So, a couple of months ago, I traded a car and some money for a 96 Z3 with 90k miles on it. The engine and tranny seem solid and the body rust free. But, oh boy, do I have a lot of work to do and probably going to $2k poorer when I'm done. But it will be fun and that's why I bought it.
Obviously, it was driven by owners who just wanted to have fun, but didn't do much maintenance unless they had to. So, here we go:
Entire coolant system: The hoses look newer, but the manufacturing date on the radiator is late 1995. I figure maybe $500 or so in parts for that.
Suspension: It rides okay, but the rear wheels are splayed out a bit which says "tired springs". Shocks, rubber seats, front struts and springs, etc. I figure another $500.
Obvious stuff: Belts, plugs, wires, coils, filters, all fluids, sensors, maybe another $500.
PITA: The seat bushing, rebuild the door panels (clips unglued) (and replace tweeters but not mids). Maybe another $100
That leaves about $400 for the sound: It has a functioning business head unit, but the antenna base broke at the nipple. I tried splicing in a generic antenna (couldn't find an adapter), but radio reception is poor and the factory speakers are poor. So, I'll pull the dealer-installed CD changer, the factory amp, and head unit and all the speakers, and maybe give them away to someone here. There never where any rear speakers, and the rear storage compartment lid is hopelessly cracked. I'm told that year's factory amp had no provisions for rear speakers anyway. But, it resides on a little shelf in the trunk, perfect for a new amp. But back to the storage compartment; I'll make a new deck lid for it to mount a pair of 6-1/2" component speakers (yes, no stereo separation, but should be a good position to actually hear something at speed). Thus, that storage compartment will be transformed into a ported speaker box. I remember cutting speaker holes in the MG Midget's back panel that separated the passenger compartment from the trunk and it worked well.
Misc: All that will probably use up the $2k budget and maybe a year of work. I have an insulated detached garage and natural gas to the house, so I'll get a cheap Mr. Heater for the wall and get a tech to hook up the gas. That will give me something to do over the long Iowa winter, warm and cozy in the shop. Breaking the budget: I lust for a plexiglass wind deflector to attach to the chrome idiotic style bars that someone thought would look cool. The makers, XS-Power, said they had them for $140 but now won't reply to emails to actually conclude the transaction, maybe COVID problems. A few cans of black plasti-dip should cover that chrome abomination.
So that, my friends, is the plan. I probably forgot a few things or will find more things to do and more cash will be needed.
Here's my main Access Development website: https://www.accessrightdevelopment.com/
Here's a product I still sell occasionally, but it's a dying niche and just a cash cow now. With a quarter of a million lines of code, it's pretty cool: https://imanageinformed.com/
Public Service: An HVAC firm here locked my furnace and told me it was bad during extremely cold weather. The cited some code and some industry standards (obsolete) and I ended up forcing them to give me a new furnace free along with a discounted AC unit. They really screwed with the wrong guy that time. So, for information on the scam, which widespread in the US, I did a very detailed website: https://hvac-scams.com/ I spent a lot of time, particularly, on the consultant who sells expensive cameras to the local HVAC firms and he has a whole page just to his special self.
Finally, I was periodically going to Texas to work for the State on Access databases when, last winter, I was falsely accused of sexual harassment. And, despite having a polygraph test (on the site), I was let go which is easy to do when you're a contractor. The whole thing stunk to high heaven, so I named names and pulled no punches here: https://www.fucmetoo.org/
If you've read this far, more power to you.
Thanks to everyone how answers questions and has answered questions over the years. So far, I've found the answers to all my many questions here. Maybe some day I'll be qualified to contribute answers too. But this is my first BMW with the exception of a 2001 back in the early 80's when I was stationed in Germany and all I ever did with that is drive it back and forth to the base. We had a new car for trips and my wife's use so I didn't put many miles on it.
Last edited by MauiM3Mania; 05-12-2020 at 01:45 PM.
Good day/night all!
I'm Rory and this is my first Z3. I've been in love with the coupe since they came out in the late 90s. About 4-5wks ago I realized that I was no longer in love with my e90 335xi and that I actually no longer needed it as my daily (typical love triangle). It had served me well with daily driving and mountain excursions, but I've since ceased contract work and have a regularly scheduled local job while going to grad school. I still drive a lot, but not enough to need four doors, or AWD. So I decided I didn't want to put anymore time or money into the e90 build and to instead sell it for something smaller, manual, and with less electronics. I was looking as 350zs, Datsun Z cars, and some corvettes. I hadn't even considered a coupe might be in my price range, especially in southern Colorado.
I found a few coupes throughout the US that looked decent and fit my price range and put them on my radar. After about two weeks of stalking and obsessing with the coupes, I finally pulled the trigger on this '99 Z3 coupe (no, it's not an M).
IMG_20200501_161208.jpg
It's got a story longer than most, but I was drawn to the color and the price. I flew to Tampa, bought the car for a great deal, then drove it straight back to Colorado Springs. 2000mi is a great way to learn a new car, and it didn't give us a single issue on the drive back. I'd never even sat in a Z prior to this purchase, but I knew of praise from folks like Jeremy Clarkson et al summarizing the z3 as a fantastic road car and I had no doubt in my mind that I'd love it...and I was right.
Now, this car has some issues and there's some things I'll be changing immediately, but for the most part this coupe holds some great value. It's apparent that multiple people cared for this car throughout it's life and I'm excited to be in possession of it. I'll be taking the knowledge and experience of all my previous builds (89 CRX, 06 R6, 90 240sx, 07 GSXR, 90 Foxbody 5.0, 03 A4, 84 & 85 Viragos, 13 JKU, 08 335xi, plus other cars I didn't own) and committing it to making this coupe something that's truly unique and respectable.
Pictures are gold on forums, so here are my three most recent builds (I do all of the work myself). The Audi had a 2.7 swap and was OEM+ with basically the shell as the only remaining factory piece. The JKU is my current daily and serves me well in all forms of driving. I tastefully modded the 335xi and will truly miss it (currently for sale, let me know if you want more info).
20170630_182247.jpg
IMG_20200425_175359.jpg
I look forward to all of the help I'll receive from all of you on the forums. Now, hold my beer and watch this.
1999 Z3 Coupe MT (just purchased)
2008 335xi AT (for sale)
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