Bmw Z3 1.9

L-M

A friend of mine is looking to buy a 01 1.9 Z3 and I'm literally clueless about them, is there anything he should be looking out for? The car has around 60,000 miles and it's mint condition inside and out and the roof works perfectly.

muckeyw

I'm a BMW mechanic and there not a band car but look out for advanced corrosion on the metal brake pipes.common prob on all BMW the engine is there week point but everything is easily fixable also make sure there's no water in the boot under the carpets as there known to leak there

Wolverine_1999

I would highly recommend getting the 2L 6 cylinder over the 1.9. The difference in Tax/Insurance is only minimal but the difference in feel to the car and noise from the rear is huge.

Problems I've had:

Central Locking (Ongoing..)
Rear Window Cracked (Be very careful in cold weather)
Boot Wiring (Check the boot lid in the top left corner where the wiring enters the car for any rips/tears)

No Mechanical/Engine problems. Just keep the car well maintained.

VolvoMan

That engine is supposed to be pretty underpowered. I'd definitely recommend steering him towards the 2.2 at least.

These Z3's were the exact same as an E36 3 Series Compact underneath. That means E30 rear suspension, which I think was a torsion beam rather than the usual Z axle.

dharn

dont know much about the car but would say it would be all show and no go with 1.9 if you got it very cheap perhaps you could live with the poor performance

marzic

if its the same engine as the e46 318i, then i'd agree that its a bit underpowered until you are up to speed and up around or past 3500 revs.

Joe 90

LIGHTNING wrote: »

I thought even the base ones had 138bhp which in a small 2 seater shouldnt be that bad. My 924 only had 125bhp when it was made 30 years ago and its spritely enough.

I could be wrong, but I would expect that the 924 was a lot lighter than the Z3. Even if they were designed in the same era I would expect the Z3 to suffer a significant weight penelty because it's a convertible.

colm_mcm

Drove one way back. Twas about 5 years old at the time. One abiding a!memory was how creaky the interior is.

These yokes aren't about speed anyway, but I think theres something more honest about an mx5.

L-M

It was for his wife so a 2.2 (tax) and speed were of little concern. It is fairly slow, but he was happy enough to buy it! Thanks for the help

Anan1

I drove a 2.8 years ago, and didn't like anything apart from the engine. I remember it as being stodgy, and suffering from fairly bad scuttle shake.

L-M

I reiterate, it's the wife that wanted it! If he had his way she'd be driving a TT or a Smart roadster