Some Qs on the 1997 Z3 Roadster

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D Ramapriya - 22 Jan 2007 17:37 GMT

Hi all,

Went and saw a red 1997 Z3 1.9 liter roadster which has clocked about
50 k miles that's selling for US$ 5.4 k (final price). Having known
nobody that owns a Z3, would appreciate some inputs from you guys on
the following Qs:

a. Is this a good deal? The car is mechanically and structurally sound
but the door handles have broken off and the seat has a tear, etc. Save
for these cosmetic repairs, the mechanicals appear very sound.

b. I'll be using this as a second car to my C240. Will its feel a lot
less sporty? I'm asking this because I couldn't test out the car in any
major open stretches but merely for a couple of spins around a block of
apartments.

c. If you know of any major known issues with this model, I'll be happy
to know of it.

Thanks in advance,

Ramapriya

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Rex - 30 Jan 2007 21:00 GMT

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> but the door handles have broken off and the seat has a tear, etc. Save
> for these cosmetic repairs, the mechanicals appear very sound.

Sounds like a bargain to me. I gave $8K for a '98 1.9 with 100K on the
odometer, and some minor dings. I thought I got a bargain till I saw
your post. This is in DFW TX. That car would bring $9 - $10K easily here.

> b. I'll be using this as a second car to my C240. Will its feel a lot
> less sporty? I'm asking this because I couldn't test out the car in any
> major open stretches but merely for a couple of spins around a block of
> apartments.

Never driven a C240, but I expect the acceleration will be similar. That
1.9 only has about 128 horses, so it's no racer. But on a windy road in
the Spring with the top down, or a summer night, it's just great. Not
much fun in the winter, or in the rain. But it's a ragtop.

> c. If you know of any major known issues with this model, I'll be happy
> to know of it.

No notable gotchas. The seats may have a little bit of fore-aft slack
due to some nylon bushings that wear out, but if you are going to have
the seats fixed, have them do that also.

Buy it, or tell me where it is :)

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