Faults:

Water pump went out. Easy to change, it's not powered by the timing belt like my Volvo and Audi are.

Heated mirrors were on all the time, even at 50 degrees Celsius. Does not have a off switch, it has a temperature sensor. I tried pulling the fuse; it was linked with climate control system, just one of those idiosyncrasies you have with a car.

General Comments:

Very nice power curve with a 2.3 inline six.

Handles very well, only on dry roads.

Nice passing gear for passing trucks on mountain roads, with a five speed manual transmission, only a very sensitive clutch; valet parking people would kill the engine all the time when they tried to park it.

Large trunk for a roadster convertible.

Not much ground clearance. Bottoms out on rough roads, especially at high speeds.

Faults:

DSC warning light for no reason.

Engine warning light when changed to super unleaded.

Oil warning light for no reason.

Spring tensioner on hood broke.

Various knocks and squeaks from interior.

Exhaust heat shield rattling.

Squeaky clutch pedal.

Perished plastic rear screen.

General Comments:

This is the 3.0 litre 231bhp model. Compared to an MR2 Turbo with less power and acceleration, the BMW still feels "boring". Exhaust note is nice if thrashed, but lacks the sporty sound I would have expected.

Handling is amazing and can track corners like a race car. When the back end tries to go, DSC helps well and is controllable if turned off.

Steering is a little on the light side and could do with being more weighted. Feedback is good, but not as good as an MR2 Turbo.

Interior is very nice, so much nicer than the Toyota. It does not feel plastic at all. The leather heated sports seats look very nice and work well. The seats however do not recline far enough and I feel like I am bolt upright.

When driving hard, I am getting 20mpg, cruising up to 35mpg. On average about 28mpg which is marginally better than the lower powered MR2, which got 26mpg average.

Dealers are VERY expensive, a quote for a new plastic rear screen was £1500. I have changed myself for £200 with a whole day spent bent over the car.

Faults:

So far nothing major, just the steering has a mind of its own.

The ride is rough, and unstable. I get the tires rotated and balanced constantly, the ride never really changes.

It's impossible to use the CD player, the radio's sound is less than average.

General Comments:

It's a great driving car on smooth open roads and highways.

Faults:

Digital heating (ON/OFF) due to defective thermostat.

Some rattling (seats) and squeaking noise.

High oil consumption.

General Comments:

It took me nearly two weeks to familiarize with the handling, especially on driven-out autobahns.

Sometimes the steering wheel has its own ideas of where to go following wrinkles on the lane.

Brakes are said to be excellent, but during the 10000 km I own the car I just didn't need them. Road holding is that superior that at legal speeds you can drive most curves without braking.

To be honest, I bought the Z3 3.0 as a cheap alternative to a Boxster S. All in all it does the job very well. Engine is just marvelous. Much torque at low revs, much power at high revs, it turns nearly vibration-free up to the revs limiter. AND: It's not a gas guzzler.

Remarkable are the speeding capabilities. 200 km in one hour? No problem - if you choose Sunday morning and a German autobahn. At full throttle (240 kph, which may be regarded as too slow) the car handles like it's on rails. Bad luck that due to faulty design:

- The convertible top doesn't sustain that speed. The locking device may loosen and has to be re-torqued. There are reasons to buy a Porsche.

- The gear transmission ratio is very short. High speed means high revs. A way to pile the car.

- Aerodynamics are very poor. Be cautious at fast autobahn curves. There are still reasons to buy a Porsche.

All in all it's not perfect, but for sure a bargain compared to a Boxster S. And much more fun than hoped.