Faults:

Let's just say EVERYTHING.

General Comments:

Piece of crap. I'm trying to get rid of this money pit so I can have more money in my bank account and so I can finally work on my Cordia. The only reason I still have it is because my sister wants it, and she is still trying to convince me to give it to her for free.

When the car was still good, my dad bought it when he was 45. He trashed it and gave it to me; what he did was cut the springs and add ugly 23 inch wheels, and scraped the underside too much, so it leaks a lot. Destroyed the interior, broke the old radio and jammed the CD player in the boot by putting chewing gum in it, and removed passenger feet space by adding a big but cheap subwoofer, added water instead of coolant, and damaged the front bumper, headlight, and finally damaged the old chromies.

The car was nice to drive when we first bought it. It was quite slow and it was a crap Steptronic. It's a nice car to drive, but after a while everything about it has a problem.

Faults:

Heater fan does not work currently.

Back window is hazy.

General Comments:

I have owned and/or driven a number of terrific automobiles, including Porsche 911's, Corvettes and most recently a BMW M3. I love my Z3. It handles better than the other three cars mentioned, and looks like a future classic.

I looked for a manual drive close by, but settled for the tiptronic, wish I had the manual.

I keep mine in my garage, and just look and smile at it daily. Other than my Harley, it's the best ride going for the money.

I would highly recommend anyone taking a drive, and deciding for themselves the merits of the BMW Z3.

Faults:

When I bought the car, the driver's window wouldn't go up and the passenger window wouldn't go down. Apparently it's not a common problem, but it is a known problem with the Z3's. I spent $1000 having the window regulators welded back to the door and the window motors replaced. The doors had to be completely disassembled to do this, which is why it was so expensive.

The HVAC controls on most BMWs are made from biodegradable plastics, which have a half life of about 7 years according to my mechanic. I had a wreck that I believe broke the controls, but insurance denied the claim so that was another $600 to repair the knobs.

The CD player worked, but would skip when I hit a bump. I bought an aftermarket unit that works well, and added bluetooth and ipod control.

The driver's seat is starting to show signs of wear, but that's really to be expected from a ten year old car with 90000 miles. There are still no tears in the leather though.

I've had two major wrecks in this car, both of which should have totaled it, but it keeps getting fixed, and I'm fine with that because I love this car. It has kept me safe both times.

General Comments:

People think I'm a rich Plano brat when I drive this car, when in reality, I probably spent less on my BMW then they did on their Honda... I have driven BMW's since I was 17 except a brief hiatus where I drove an Infiniti. I won't stray again. These truly are the "Ultimate Driving Machine."

For a car that was rushed into production and had outdated parts from the beginning, it handles very well and is incredibly fast.

I plan on driving 'Lil Squeaky into the ground, but I wouldn't recommend driving in one for more than about two hours. They're not comfortable for that long. Also, the highway gas mileage isn't that much better than the city mileage; probably because it is only a 5 speed, and at highway speeds, it is revving to about 3500 RPMs.