My son just acquired an '00 Z3 2.5 5 speed roadster with 27k miles. Absolutely pristine. Topaz blue with blue and black leather. Long, low and sleek. Sitting in the drivers seat it seems the hood just goes forever. Very comfortable. Just ordered the Whalen seat bushings. However, his biggest complaint is NO CUPHOLDERS. But still.......wow, what a car. Still like my MINI best.
Lucky guy; that's a beautiful car. I have to admit I prefer the looks of the coupe to the roadster.....that's no slight to your son's 'vert though, it's just that the coupe (the Z3 M version ) sits near the top my all time favorite cars list. At least I'm consistent.....I even prefer the Daytona (coupe) version of the Shelby Cobra. Post some pics of the roadster if you get a chance.
Slightly off topic, but check out Solstice coupe. Saw one on the freeway today. Thought it looked damn good. Looked even better in person. On first impression I was impressed.
First, on topic, that's a beautiful Z3! If I was going to have one it would probably need to be that color too, it's perfect for it (IMHO). And now off topic to the Solstice. Quite a coincidence. Just yesterday (and probably with thoughts of this thread in my subconscious) I saw the Saturn roadster version on the road and thought I'd probably love the look if they made a coupe form. I was right:
Aye, the Soltice/Saturn coupe is a sharp car. I liked the Crossfire as well. Particularly when they priced them new at around 17k.
Oh, yes, kudos on the Bimmer. I prefer the Crossfire's front end. But the Solstice really surprised me today. I caught it out of the corner of my eye and had to catch up to see what it was. Did not know they were making a coupe. It looked really good. Sort of a slimmed down Jaguar coupe with a Corvette triangular shaped rear window.
The Solstice/Sky coupe is pretty darn nifty. To bad the headroom for me was an issue. I really gave one considerable thought when I was looking for a new car recently. Sure is a lot you can do to them to make them quicker. Haven't seen one on track yet though. The Z3 is one of my all time faves, the long snout with the greenhouse placed far to the rear has always been a style I like. Think E Type Jag...Datsun 240 and of course the Ferrari Daytona.
I saw a pair [of 'verts] at an autocross a year ago, but nothing on the track yet. One was supposedly heavily modded, but even the stock one looked fast. Z3 is a great car, and I really like that blue. Reminds me of Avus Blue. =)
Oh man....that reminds of when my SCCA mentor was the Chief Scrutineer at Mid-Ohio and also at Nelson Ledges. He would recruit me and my pals (we were all of 17 mid to late '60s) to be "scrutineers". All cars came first to the paddock for inspection before being allowed on the track. Vettes, Cobras, McClarens, Jags, Bugeyed Sprites, Minis, MGs, Triumphs, Formula V's......we inspected everything. I remember when a McClaren was in line we would start jockeying for position, Formula V's.....eh....not so sexy......
Leave it to me to fall for a car that's impossible to get near. Didn't they make only like 5 or 6 of them? I think I heard one sold at auction a few months ago for over $7M. I'm jealous of your experience. I haven't even had my hands near half of the cars you mention, very cool.
Z3 coupe - probably the only BMW I ever really wanted... And there is no Saturn version of the Solstice coupe. The Saturn Sky only comes in the original roadster version.
The only thing "wrong" with the Z3 was what we have discovered to be a common problem. The seats get loose on their rails. Seems the rubber bushings in the carrier disintegrate which then allows the seat to rock back and forth. However, a little Googling and guess what??!! Our own Doug Whalen, of Whalen Shift Machine fame, manufactures replacement bushings. Who'd a thunk??!! I had one one of his knobs in my old '02 MCS. Now need to get one for the '06. Anyways, back on topic. So my son ordered the bushings. They arrived promptly and we removed the seats. But here's the drivers seat out. We removed the adjusting rod and carrier found inside the seat rails. We had already finished the passenger seat. Those bushings weren't too bad as seen here... However, the drivers seat bushings were a different story...... About an hour and a half for the first seat, about 30-40 minutes for the second seat. Found 36 cents and a phone charger. But the seat rails are better than new thanks to Doug Whalen's bushings. Superior product, just as his knobs are!
Whalen Z3 Seat Bushings BMW Z3 Seat Rail Bushing [BMWZ3SeatRailBushing] - $20.00 : Whalen Shift Machine