Buklemaschu 32 Report post Posted March 5, 2018 Hi All, I've finally managed to get started on my midlife crisis... with the purchase of a 2002 Z3 3.0i Roadster in Cosmos Schwarz. Never really had a decent car in the past, always driven practical family wagons, or petrol savers, so really looking forward to enjoying a little bit of silliness on the weekends. The car is a definitely not new, it has some pretty heavy stone chipping on the bonnet, and rear wheel arches. Its also got some strong swirl marks and scratches in the paintwork from rough cleaning. The Softtop could do with a refurbish and the back windows cloudy, and I've got some work to do to bring the interior up to a high standard... but it'll give me something to do, and practice on, without being scared of breaking the bank. I intend doing an upgrade to the exhaust. Its stock exhaust is just a little to gentrified for me, Id like it to let people know its not its smaller brother (the 2.2 version) without shaking the house to bits every time i start it up I am probably also going to put some new 18'' wheels on when the rubber next needs replacing, and maybe a few other little upgrades. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3341 Report post Posted March 6, 2018 (edited) Welcome, Paul. Suggest you subscribe to the Wellington region room, that way you'll get info on all the meetups that are held pretty frequently in the wellington region, from the BMW Car Club NZ - Wellington's regular monthly pub meet up night, to coffee meets, roadies, and overnighters. Looking forward to seeing your Z3 at a future meetup. If you're looking for ways and product to address the swirls and marks, it'd be worth talking to one of our bretheren here @Barryn he's the local Auto Glym distributor, and can hook you up with the right product - or service - to get your new ride looking great again. cheers Olaf PS: Pics, or it didn't happen! PPS: nothing wrong with a midlife crisis, conducted with good taste, of course! Edited March 6, 2018 by Olaf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TermiPeteNZ 1319 Report post Posted March 6, 2018 Welcome Paul! Look forward to meeting you and the Z at a meet soon! Also consider joining the BMW Car Club Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buklemaschu 32 Report post Posted March 6, 2018 (edited) Cheers, Ill definitely be along to one of the next meets. Tackled my first non-"basic car wash" job last night. Removed some glue residue on the boot lid left over from some Japanese TV aerials... TV in a Car, (got it in the mazda too) cant be a good idea, Shirley! Edited March 6, 2018 by Buklemaschu 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 189 Report post Posted March 6, 2018 Hi Paul Welcome aboard. The 3.0 L Z3 is a real blast to drive. I love my one. Regards Murray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1286 Report post Posted March 8, 2018 welcome , and yes these are great little cars , got plenty of bits from these if you need anything just got this one recently too. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Autoglym 255 Report post Posted March 18, 2018 Welcome, we just recently purchased a convertible E36 325, for my wife As Olaf said, if you need any advice on cleaning products, get hold of me Barry 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TermiPeteNZ 1319 Report post Posted April 29, 2018 Good to see you again today Paul! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buklemaschu 32 Report post Posted April 29, 2018 Photo thanks to @adro at the WLG BMW Car Club Coffee meet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
far4ngn 14 Report post Posted April 30, 2018 How do these drive? I've often thought of buying one, but internet articles aren't too kind and most don't think its very sporty... Would love to hear what you think? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 189 Report post Posted April 30, 2018 20 minutes ago, far4ngn said: How do these drive? I've often thought of buying one, but internet articles aren't too kind and most don't think its very sporty... Would love to hear what you think? Surprisingly well once you sort out a few minor items - Shocks don't last more than 140,000 km's, new ones are great. - Fit E36 M3 or poly LCAB's, fixes any tramlining issues you may have read about - Fit poly rear sub-frame bushes to really plant the ass of the car. You will get more diff whine. - Fit a front strut brace As for driving - 1.9L's are really chuckable around the corners, lighter engine than the 6's, lots of fun. Adequate power for around town and open road driving - 6 cylinder cars are really good fun too, Good choice of engine sizes. from 2.0L to 3.0L - Have a lead foot? Like lots of horse power? Get a 3.0L Z3, great power to weight ratio and spec 5.9 seconds 0-60 miles. Then there are the Z3M's (Roadsters and Coupes) in S50 or S54 flavour. Suggest you get out there and take one for a test drive, topless of course, and discover the fun of the Z3. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
far4ngn 14 Report post Posted April 30, 2018 Thanks for that appreciated... I have a project MX5 NA, so if its a similar driving experience...but with more power I'd be happy lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buklemaschu 32 Report post Posted April 30, 2018 I don't have any Motorsport history, and as i mentioned above I've pretty much only ever driven family wagons and such. So take this for what its worth. My Z3 is the best handling car I have ever driven. The way i look at it is, when under normal or even "safe but spirited" driving on NZ roads will i ever even get to within 80% of the limit of this cars handling. Yes i know if things ever do go really pear shaped id be glad for every sliver of extra performance, but as is its already significantly better than anything else I've driven, so I'm already significantly ahead of the game compared to other cars in my driving history. A lot of the Z3 "naysayers" tend to focus on the rear's trailing arm suspension. which was apparently a bit dated when the Z3 came out. But its the same rear suspension as the E30 which gets a lot of love. So go figure. I do intend to make all of the changes that Murray mentions above. They are recommended consistently across a lot of Forums. Another "Serious Issue" is the rigidity, or lack thereof. its a roadster, so yes its never going to be as rigid as the coupe. There are stiffening kits you can get (including butt and body braces), but unless you looking at a serious track car, I'm not sure if they are necessary, Some even dispute their effectiveness, and it seems a lot of the benefit can be achieved by replacing some of the bushes in the rear. I tend to think that the perception of poor handling was affected by a sense of disappointment in some of the press / reviewers etc at the time of release, I think some people had really high expectations, and what they got initially was a good car (if slightly under powered with those initial 1.9's) but not the amazing car that they were hoping for. So yes it might not be first choice as a race car, but is it a great little roadster that will make you smile? At the end of the day, the Z3 is now a 20 year old car, I don't expect it to perform like a modern sports car, Its perfectly fine too me if it performs like a good car of its time period. Its still one hell of a fun car to drive, and IMHO the retro styling is aging really really well. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3341 Report post Posted May 2, 2018 very well reasoned, Paul! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
