1998 BMW Z3 Roadster from North America - Comments

Nothing. It's not an American made car!!

The best car ever to go down Pond Road.

Whoa, a guy who comments "Want to race" and then makes fun of American cars. That's quite a combination, espicially when you've got that "mighty" 1.9 litre motor. A whopping 140 horsepower. I wish I could just leave this sort of embarassment alone, but carsurvey.org is the greatest place to expose overpriced cars for what they really are. They call the 30+ thousand dollar Z3 a "sports car", but a BMW nameplate won't hide the puny engine very long. When you've got 19,000 dollar Mustang GTs making nearly twice the power, and 20,000 dollar Camaro Z28s make over twice that much power, BMW *should* have a problem on its hands. This should be obvious to people who look into cars. They're simply overpriced. Our weakest American cars make more power than that. The Ford Focus and Chevy Cavalier have the Z3 completely overpowered, and both their handling aspects are quite superior. But these are the bottom of the line, economy car American cars. Everything about this car screams economy, with the exception of the price. The utter lack of luxury and performance, that is. This should be shameful to any company, to have this car in the production lines. Take a look at the Z3's performance. 0-60 in 8.1 seconds? It managed to tie with the Ford Aerostar minivan (much cheaper and more luxurious) for acceleration. Now, I would suspect that the car would be very top geared in traditional European fashion, and could make up for the pathetic 16.1 second quartermile, a close second to a 12 thousand dollar Chevy Cavalier, but in investigation we find the topspeed of 116 miles per hour. Again, the Chevy Cavalier has it beat in topspeed. I send this comment to note how ridiculous European\Japanese cars are. They are overpriced economy cars, and expect them to perform just the same. If they lowered their price to correspond with their economy car performance and then got half the reliability of a Ford or Chevy, I wouldn't dislike them as much. Of course, then they would need at least a couple of the standard features America's cheapest cars have come with for decades. But for the moment, it must be clearly understood that these cars are overpriced, not as an opinion, simply as a fact. Go compare cars in a performance database, sometimes found in the back of magazines like Motortrend and the truth becomes painfully clear.

Car buying is down to personal preference. We don't all like the American 70's porn star look when driving. Some of us prefer quality over tackiness and appreciate fantastic German engineering.

Are we feeling a wee bit foolish? German engineering yes, but all Zs for the US and European market are manufactured right in good ol' South Carolina.

LOL, I was just going to mention that the Z3 is assembled right here in America!

Are you trying to make the point that America is somehow technologically inferior because we send cheap cars overseas, which you folks continue to buy in huge numbers??!!!

Wow! The guy who started this thread makes a few points... a very few. First off, I'll take a BMW or Mercedes over a Ford or Chevy any day... they ride better, look better, and hold up better. I've got over 100,000 miles on my Z3 and it still kicks the crud out of a pathetic Focus of Cavalier... even as an automatic. And lets see one of them keep up on my winding mountain roads at 65 mph.

Also, you compare a BASELINE 1.9 Z3 to a TOP LINE V8 Ford? That's just silly. The TOP LINE Z3 M will not only keep up, but slaughter a Mustang out on the highway.

And to compare oranges to oranges, a 3.0 6 cylinder Z3 produces more power that the old 5.0 8 cylinder mustang... so go toot your horn about Ford engineering to someone who doesn't know anything about cars.

Can I get an amen?

I actually own a Focus and will be picking up a Z3 next year! Let me just say that the gentleman or woman who wrote that opinion needs to actually READ their Motor Trend! Sure performance numbers are one thing, but you also need to look at the driving experience! My experience in my focus is one that I am hoping to forget in my next car!

Let's just say it this way. He states that the Z3 1.9 has 140 HP, if this is true (only been looking at the I6) than it still beats the Ford's Zetec rated at 130. If he wants to talk about the SVT (with 170) he needs to compare that limited edition model to the M Roadster (300+ right?). Also, as a person who has driven both cars lets just say that the focus would get its doors blown off in a handling contest!

I am currently driving a rover mgf 1.8. it`s not bad, but overall i`m pretty disappointed.i`m thinking of investing in a z3.

Can anyone fill me in on how good they are, not so much performance wise, as i`m not to bothered about racing anyone. but more like comfort wise when driving on our crappy pot-holed british roads. ta.

I purchased a 2000 2.3, June of 2002 for $24,800.00 with 31,000mi. There is definitely a connection with the driver and the road which can only be understood when driving such a car. Acceleration is good with the 2.5l although it could be a bit faster off the line with the auto. I couldn't justify the 5-6k difference opting for the 3.0l for my budget, however I would not spend 30,000+ for a 138hp 1.9 liter. no way. the 2.3 has the right balance of power handling and cost/value.

I bought a 1998 Z3 with the 2.8 engine a few months ago. I have a 2003 325XI, so I already knew how solid these cars are. The Z3 did not disappoint. It is VERY fast, handles so much better than the 1996 Mustang GT I just sold, and is much more eye catching. The Z3 has 53k miles, but you'd think it just came off the showroom floor based on how it rides. My wife and I agree... nothing drives like a Bimmer.

This page blows me away! Just a couple of things:

- A Z3 2.8 does not have 140 but 193 horsepower

- An MZ3 will bury the Mustang GT both in acceleration and handling

- And please let's not even start on reliability?!

- Moreover horsepower doesn't say eveything; an '99 MZ3 with 240 hp is faster than a 2005 Nissan 350Z with 300 hp.

- And let's not talk about the S54, which delivers 315 hp and rips to 60 under 5 seconds.

Anyway, to each his own, but American sportscars are mainly focused on straightline acceleration. Handling and reliability are usually not their priorities...

A Mustang GT is a lot of bang for the buck, but can't be compared to German precision engineering...

Well this page blows me away and makes me laugh. The guy who posted how bad the Z3 was and how much better American cars are is very uninformed. The link I will post at the bottom of the page gives pretty accurate 0-60 times and 1/4 mile times. Having driven many cars, including a Cavalier, I can say that most have no comparison to the feel of a BMW Z3. Mustang is an amazing car for the price. I had my friend (who owns a mustang) drive my car and tell me which one drove better, even he said that the Z3 felt better overall. I am not saying Z3 is the best, it's not, nor is it close, but it is a very nice car that turns heads any day. It has by far enough power to hold it's ground. I like all cars...American, Japanese, German, they all have ups and downs. Please have your information correct if you are going to try to put down a car... American or European.

Link for track times.

http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html.

I love the look and feel of my previously owned 1998 BMW Z 3 2.8 roadster It's Alpine White with tan interior, heated seats and a new automatic black convertible top. It gets up and moves while catching everyone's eyes in the process. It's one of the few classic roadsters that looks fast while sitting still. Remember, James Bond drove the little roadster too.

I bought a 1998 1.9 (140hp) bright red Z3 with a colour-coded hard top a year ago and I love it. As a sports bike rider (R1) I know about power and the fact that my Z3 doesn't have much, but when it's clean and shining with the top down in the sunshine, it looks great and I feel great driving it! What I especially like is the "classic" sports car look of it, just a tad reminiscent of the lovely old original E-type Jag, complete with (totally unnecessary) bonnet power bulge. I had the ECU re-mapped, which did help a bit. It's no rocket, but with the chassis as it is I wouldn't want it to be anyway. I've surprised myself by liking it so well! Problems: The seal on the hardtop leaked water enough for the seats to grow fungus every time it rained, but a few new seals sorted that out. The car still has its original soft top and it doesn't leak a drop (yet!). The catalytic converter failed, but that is only to be expected sometime and the car has done 54,000 miles. I guess I've just got a good one, but as things stand I'd be happy to keep it for years to come.

By the way - apropos USA/German make cars. I have driven often in the USA in various car models and I'm afraid in my purely personal opinion, they aren't generally up to much either build-wise or in terms of refinement. They go in straight lines OK (with heaps of play in the steering) but if you want to go around a corner quickly you learn why, in the movies, they always crash spectacularly if they have to manoeuvre. I expect that's why Americans with real money very often buy Mercedes or BMW's - they can afford quality!

I'd like to weigh in on the Z-3 discussion. I have a 2000 2.3, bought it in 02 with 35k on it. My first sports car, which does not make me an expert. I bought it for several reasons: It's gorgeous! I smile each morning and after work when I see it. It handles beautifully. Came with highest end Michelins. I could never, ever make it screech on country roads I drive each day. Has more than enough power to do what I want, when I want it. Also, I've been constantly amazed by what I can fit in the truck. Not huge, but so workable. Now it's getting up there, 115k, things are breaking down: roof seals leak (rainy season), got a weird electrical short no one can find, little rattles have begun in the dash. My only complaint is the height and vulnerability of the front fairing. Mine is banged up from non conforming parking stops, deep driveway/street transitions and the like. The bottom line is I love this car, and hope to keep it as long as possible.

I was just passing through, and I would like to add my comment on the z3..

I'm from San Antonio TX, 23, female, business owner, and I finally got to buy my dream car.. after having a 2002 Eclipse GT, and a 2002 Toyota Celica TRD... they are in no wayyyy close or compared to my very own 2000 BMW Z3M ROADSTER!!

I love it, it's bright blue, with black/blue leather interior, standard drive of course.. and it sits on the road very stable, drives amazing.. and just to show off my M Roadster's potential I like to step on the foot every once in a while, when I get cars next to me that want to see such potential... And of course I've never lost :)

It's AN AMAZING VEHICLE, AND I RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE THAT CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON IT!