1999 BMW Z3 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

This was my 2nd BMW (after a '94 325i Cabriolet) and I was somewhat disappointed by its fit & finish and overall sophistications. BMW did not spend much in R&D to come up with this chassis as they are not sure about the future of 2 seater roadsters. The semi-trailer arm rear suspension was derived from an older generation of 3 series cars, and had caused some serious white knuckle moments (ie. unintended spin outs, etc.). The interior was well executed, despite having employed, again, parts from older 3 series. The chassis, even with the open top configuration was taken into consideration, was lacking in rigidity when harnesing the 240 hp from the 3.2L S series engine. Rear wheel hop was common occurance when attempts were made to produce power slides. This was also not the car of choice when navigating on gravel roads where unacceptable chassis vibration would result. Having said that, this was still a fun car to have - hand washing it was bordering erotic. Taken to the track, this car can really excel with neutral handling, wind-in-the-hair (finally adeqate ventilation in the helmet) experience, and true appreciation of the exhaust note. Driven daily, the sporty interior fitted like (leathery soft) gloves with chrome ringed guages a plenty, a true classic sport car tradition. Feb 11, 2009

I love this car. I've had people yell, "That's the ugliest car I've ever seen!" and "Your car looks like a shoe!", when I drive by. It's like constantly giving the finger to snobs and other idiots. Performance - It shifts, stops, and turns (and over-steers) as well as any car I've ever had the chance to drive hard. It's very predictable and controllable. With good pads and tires I can run down all sorts of more expensive stock stuff on the track (911's, Corvettes, NSX's, M5's), although I do get crushed by the Z06, 911Turbo, e46 M3, Viper crowd. I would like more power (240hp/238tq, 3100lbs.), but it does pretty well with it's lowish gearing (1:1 final drive). It's not a drag racer, but you can kick the back end out at will with street tires on. Quality - without counting normal wear and tear and maintenance items, the only parts I've had to replace are the front brake calipers. Probably from pushing them a little too hard on hot track days. The right side one started to stick, or seize. I'm at 100k miles now, and I've started to notice some interior electrical wear; the window motors, door locks, and stereo controls are all getting fussy. I think the motor is a little down on power now too. I'm going to have to look into that. Appearance - Would I have ever designed it? No. That's probably why I like it so much. People do seem to like the way it looks a lot better in person. Mine is slightly lowered and has bigger tires which might help too. The interior is typical pre-Bangle BMW, functional not too flashy. It does have a two-tone interior option. I have yet to see one of those I liked. Cost of ownership - Anything at the dealer seems overpriced, but I think it's that way at most dealers these days. Parts aren't particularly cheap, like a 5.0 mustang or something, but it has the same engine, and many other parts, as the ubiquitous e36 M3, so they are not hard to find. It gets about 23 mpg highway / 17 in town / 9 at a track day. Fun Factor - It is fun to drive unless you are a pansy. It's loud (especially with Magnaflo mufflers) and can be too stiff. It really is comfortable if you're not hitting potholes all the time. The seats are great and have heaters. People stare at it a lot, I don't know if that counts as fun.Sep 10, 2008

This was my favorite car due to the fun driving it and how fast it was. This was power packed with a 2.3 liter engine and a 5-speed manual gearbox. Convertible top worked great and was very easy to put up and down. Not much room inside, but it was a Roadster! Too bad this car just got too old for me. I traded this one in just over 80,000 miles.Mar 25, 2008