2 minutes into this video, I'm expecting mechanical issues and this dude is just complaining that he bought a small old car. if you didn't want an old small car then don't buy one or simply sell what you have. know what you are buying
You bring up a lot of fair points. I didn’t bring up the mechanical issues since, 1, I’ve brought it up in a lot of previous videos and I didn’t want to be repetitive with it, and 2, not every Z3 will have mechanical issues like mine. A 1-owner Z3 that’s been meticulously maintained at the dealer will do better than my 8-owner possibly haunted one. As for the small car thing, I actually really like having a smaller car than something like a bigger SUV. I’m always paranoid driving bigger cars and it’s easier to park the Z than a bigger car. I think in the video I might’ve come off more supporting SUVs and that wasn’t what I meant and I wish I could’ve reworded that. I was saying more of “there’s a lot of stupid drivers on the road and a lot of SUVs in America. So combine stupid drivers with big SUV with blind spots and it’s a recipe for disaster”.
As someone who has owned an '01 3.0 Roadster for the past two years(and riding in a parent's '99 2.8 when I was in high school), I have to disagree a bit. Point 1: I like the fact the car is older. It's more raw and analog; it's not bloated with the distracting technostuff that will eventually get outdated when the 'next big thing' comes out. I prefer driving the Z3 over my 2019 Lexus RC350 daily because of that. With proposed(and slated) regulations in brand new cars to include speed limiting devices, driver monitoring technologies and other 'nanny features' I simply refuse to own anything newer. Point 2: I don't feel the Z3 is inherently unsafe, but you DO have to practice defensive driving and be aware of what other people are doing around you. Use the car's strengths(such as its handling and smaller size) to your advantage. As far as cargo space goes it is limited, though you can work with it. I've done a 3-4 day trip with someone else and we had space for our essentials and some souvenirs to bring home. I could probably do extended solo road trips with the Z3 without any trouble, and I have used it for grocery shopping. The previous owner used it to go surfing; just put his board in the passenger seat with the top down and went out to the beach. Point 3: All cars are going to cost you money and time. Every car is going to break down in some fashion; whether it's a Z3 or a brand new Corolla. If you can't(or won't) fix it yourself you will have to pay a bunch of cash to have a shop fix it for you. If you can't try to find secondhand parts or come up with creative solutions to fix things, the dealership is going to rip you off each and every time. If you're going to own a car that is more than 10-15 years old and isn't super basic(again, Yaris, Corolla, Fit, Civic, or something like that) you're either going to have to learn to wrench to save costs or bust out the wallet if you need something fixed. You shouldn't be taking any car that is out of production to the dealership to be worked on; you should be going to a trusted independent mechanic with experience with these engines/platforms. Since you have friends who are helping you work on your car, that's a great thing and you've got a great way to learn how to work on it. Point 4: Older convertibles leak; that's an unfortunate fact of life. With the new roof you'll need to adjust your windows and seals; even with my hardtop it leaks a bit. Again, that's where creativeness and knowing how to turn a wrench is just about necessary when owning an older car. Perfection isn't even attainable with a new car; that first door ding or gravel chip is going to be disheartening. I have the same feeling about my Z3; it's a link to an arguably better past and I love taking it on my work commute as it's fun and NOT one of the featureless modern boxes that people tend to want these days. My RC350 is different because it's a coupe and not some soulless crossover/SUV, but when I want a more cerebral experience I take the Z3. :)
Couldnt agree with you more, i owned a 2.2 z3 for 2 years until i unfortunately crashed it, bought a bigger newer car that i thought it liked but ultimately missed the z3 and the way it drove so bought a 3.0 in march. Had to fix a few things on it unfortunately electrical wise so couldnt be done by myself so it did cost a fair bit of money, but still nowhere near the price of a dull newer car. Since march i think ive done around 10k miles in it including a 4000 mile roadtrip around europe and it never missed a beat. Brilliant little car
I’m gonna be honest, I do see where you’re coming from and I have to admit, it’s very true. I meant the video more as a “this car isn’t for the faint of heart, if you want that get a Miata or something” type of thing. There are definitely some who’re fine with this type of thing but, that being said, a lot of people aren’t and that’s what this type of video was made for. I’m not sure if I misinterpreted your point but that’s how I’m seeing at in an, admittedly, very tired state lol
@@Phoenixette : No worries, and I totally get it. These cars, especially as they get older, aren't for those who aren't able(or willing) to swing wrenches or take some of these factors into consideration. For me, my continued ownership is equal parts nostalgia(very strong as I have many fond memories of my mom owning one when I was in high school; we -really- bonded over that car and I managed to surprise her by buying my 3.0 right before we were about to do our annual road trip), the fact it's an incredibly fun and agile car to drive, and the fact I have an even older car(1988 Celica GT-Four) that is far, far more difficult to work on and source parts for. It really comes down to who is willing to take the cons with the pros. However, these cars are fairly easy to turn a wrench on... at least opposed to a transverse-mounted, AWD turbo I4 shoved in a chassis that was never really meant for one, haha.
@@Ross-vd9bd I've put about 6-7K on mine(bought with 42K, now at 49K); I haven't had any electrical issues on mine(save for the seat heaters and hardtop defogger not working), though I've had to do a lot of resealing on the engine. I farmed out the timing cover job to a local shop(who managed to screw it up so bad the head gasket blew, yay) and I'm dealing with a residual valve cover leak that I'm just going to DIY, but overall the car's been fantastic. Having the torque of the M54B30 is probably the best combination for this car, with probably cheaper running costs of the Z3M. It doesn't have the power(though comes close to the US-spec pre-'01 Z3M), but overall it's a great engine with good power delivery, awesome torque and good fuel economy. I love it to the point where I use my Lexus(with its nearly 100hp greater output) as my work commute car and the Z3 for practically everything else. :)
My BMW Z3 is the first car I fully invested in working on myself 100%. The cost to fix this car is actually quite low if you're not going to a mechanic. I replaced the soft top on the convertible by myself and spent maybe $800 total because my local convertible shop wanted $4K and that wasn't an option for me. This car is very easy to work on, especially if you're someone who doesn't know much about cars mechanically. It's a great car to learn how to fix cars with. I've learned so much in the 3 years I've had my Z3 just fixing issues on it by myself.
I completely agree with you; my 2001 Z3 3.0i is also the first DIY car I worked on, and it couldn't be any easier and more reliable . I've been owning my zed for 3 years now as my daily, and also I've been to a track day, and it holds up very nicely. The real downsides for me (if any) are the fact that you have to keep an eye on the rust and try to contain it as best as possible and the fact that squeaks are coming from new places in the interior every month 😳
Props to filming yourself and putting yourself out there, lack of cuts was good and fairly engaging but I gotta say, most of this stuff is just par-for-the-course 25+ year old shitbox problems. I Daily an EK1 Civic and it's kind of the same experience, OEM shit is expensive (if it's even available), paint is eh (actually got mine repainted because is was scuffed), safety is next to nothing and it's small which makes it hard to be seen (somehow, it's a sedan but shorter and smaller than a 2013 Civic hatch). Bird shit and bugs is just owning a car that sits outside, regardless of the age. I'm not a producer or anything but I am a marketing manager so would encourage you to stick to a solid script and then kind of question it from a "logical haters" point of view. For instance, pointing out issues that aren't BMW Z3 specific issues can come off like whining about owning an old car, shit is old, it breaks down. I'd look at reframing your script writing to look at more BMW-centric stuff that is a common issue with the Z3 like oil and PS steering fluid leak, audio system failures, engine problems and then the faultiest MY like the MY 2000 Z3 having 58 reported issues from owners (like the pinch welds for the trunk floor breaking loose) when the '03 Z3 only has 4 Related issues. Not trying to make you feel bad can just trying to help avoid the backlash you've gotten on this vid, because with this title, people expect a good argument. The "why" you've offered in this video is a "why VS a modern car" (I guess?) when people expect a "Why VS another 26-year-old sports car or convertible" - Also, B Roll is super underrated (most iPhone shoot in 60+ frames @ 4K or FHD, so you can slow that down for pans etc.), get a tripod if you don't have one already and colour grade your footage (or at least grade your B-Roll, you'll be able to hide any jump cuts when you're speaking with B-roll too). Best of luck dude 🤙
I appreciate this comment, thank you dude. I think you make a really good point with the non-z3 issues and I think it has come off this way looking back. I was trying to go for the “this isn’t for feint of heart” type of thing and I had talked about mechanical issues time and time again so I went in that angle which, looking back, wasn’t my best approach. I have done B-roll in some previous videos, I kinda do it once in a while but I should do it more often
Brotha you are daily driving a 26 year old automatic bimmer. I have a 2002 2.5i z3 I only use two or three times a week and it’s a dream! Also the later models have side curtain airbags so they’re much safer!
I don’t take any disrespect from that, don’t worry. Actually, that’s exactly what I did right after filming and was it a blast when the rpms didn’t fall to almost nothing lol
So...its the german miata which is a auto. The inline 4 is attually the better engine of the few motors it has gotten. The inline 6 has issues due to cylinder wall issues. The srs light is common due to the part being non replaceable. So its rare to find them without it. Its also a auto so its not fun. Theres also its a soft top. They do have hard tops but soft tops will have more issues then your regular hardtop car. When you dont drive it, car cover or garage or a overhang parking spot whrre its covered. Door handle issue is common on them like e36. Not to much of a issue imo but you give a fair point to a perfectionist. The traffic? Is just terrible in the US. They give anyone a license. Even though im apart of the young and stupid and get into car accidents (thank you women for being oblivous on your phone while driving) but its being a "defensive" driver. No matter what car im in, i always watch what im doing and what people are doing around me. That guy likes to ride the white line? Speed past or slow down and merge into another lane. This dude wants to ride me like a prositute? Move over or speed off. The z3 was competition for a miata and it kinda worked. What killed it was the inline 6 having nickle seal cylinder walls. The inline 4 in these are slow yes, but are reliable asf. And with bmw its gonna be a slightly higher maintence cost. Mainly cooling system and oil leaks. And this motor specifically, vaccum leaks under the intake mainfold. But old car things so its kinda fair. Just gotta know what your getting into when buying a said car. Ive owned a 83 bmw ( terrible mistake but learning experience) a e46 wagon (loved that thing as i could drift at a track and drive it home without issue) and now a crappy e36 compact thats been tossed and abused more then the girl around a football locker room. And hopefully soon into a 96 z3 i4 manual. Ive dailyed a miata for a while and it was so much fun. Somewhat anxiety inducing yes but very fun.
‘97 2.8 manual for 4500 but I overpayed by 1000 imo. It’s currently in my garage rebuilding the head. That’s not cheap either. I do all my own work and it’s still expensive.
@@Phoenixette very! Also there are very convincing scammers claiming to have z3 parts - I almost fell for one because I was having trouble finding a color match hard top and he claimed to have it. -_-
You could be right. I’ve seen some of my friends have much more catastrophic issues with their 6 cylinder ones but some with no issues at all. I think with these engines, it really relies on what the last guy did to keep it going. I don’t think it’s that the 4 bangers are unreliable but more of how they’re maintained. That being said, I can’t agree with you more on the transmission part. The only good thing about it is the sport mode but besides that, it’s a crappy 4 speed auto from GM
Hey, uhm thank you for sharing the experiences you had with your z3. I get why you complain so much on the car since well it’s a 25 something year old car you just can’t expect it to be perfect. Even nowadays cars aren’t. I am looking to get my z3 personally just because how they look they are cool looking cars but anyway I stumbled upon your videos and it found then really entertaining. I am still getting the car but I like to think I learned a few things from your experience. I drive a 2025 Suzuki swift absolutely no problem on a new car but a late 90s car is just something else, despite the safety features, the top speed compared to newer models and even the smell of the car takes you to simpler times. I think of this car of a whim car more than an actual normal duty car Thank you again for sharing! Greetings from Mexico City
lol first lets start off that you purchased an automatic.... you failed right there... then to say its outdated, no crap its 26 years old what did you expect... then you had to really top it off by buying a 4 cyclinder let alone in an automatic. the only person that failed here is you lol NOTE TO VIEWERS... DONT BE THIS GUY. do your research before buying. these cars are great when properly spec'd
None of these reasons are legit. Every car has its quirks. Anybody with an old car needs to know how or be willing to turn wrenches. Paying someone every time a light goes out or comes on will nickel and dime you to death. It’s not a difficult car to work on. A new top is not 8k either. Top of the line canvas top on Amazon is $450 and you can replace it yourself for free. I’ve done 2 of them. Local professional instal in Chicago is about 1k. Birds poop on new Teslas too. This kid’s car has seat covers. His seat light on the dash is on because whoever installled the seat covers didn’t disconnect the battery before unplugging the seat sensors. Do a hard reset on the battery and the light will go off.
Only buy a z3 if you don’t mind looking after it yourself. I got mine 4 years ago, wasn’t a car guy and could still manage to google how to do a head gasket replacement myself. I’ve done everything so far now and prob saved around 8k 😂. Get some black sealant for those windows pillars for god sake. Also spray some lithium grease down the interior slots too to get rid of squeaks and rattles- this hack is mint
That’s fair. The repairs from when the car was broken into saved me about 10k doing it in my buddy’s driveway. I didn’t know about black sealant tho or lithium grease. Thanks for suggesting it
My Beemer-nut buddy even said their maintenance costs are preventative. Glad I watched your vid but I already told myself that it has to be a stick and I assumed they all had a six cylinder.( No 4 cylinders for this cowboy ). Plus I would've thought that being of German heritage that a leaking drop-top would not be a concern? Thats LAME
I got a good laugh from this. These are standard maintenance. The top and glovebox he got cheap and then complained. Lol then he talked about bird poop. Oh my!
The reason he cannot determine as to why he loves the car is...he has fallen for the "false charm" that BMW in general, wants folks to fall for!. Good styling, supposedly great German heritage, and the "pride" of owning a BMW....None of those reasons should ever be considered serious, when purchasing a BMW.
So you want all the latest safety features and a bigger car to feel safe. You also want to go to the dealership for any problem that you have with a 26 year old car and buy OEM parts. You need a garage to store it to keep the bugs and bird poop off of it. Those are some pretty solid reasons to dislike your car (sic). You also say that "we" have owned much more reliable cars but this is your first car (?). After all that you want to go cruising in your convertible. Yeah well I think I will not be subscribing to this guy's page (and it looks like several are doing the same, LOL).
2 minutes into this video, I'm expecting mechanical issues and this dude is just complaining that he bought a small old car. if you didn't want an old small car then don't buy one or simply sell what you have. know what you are buying
You bring up a lot of fair points. I didn’t bring up the mechanical issues since, 1, I’ve brought it up in a lot of previous videos and I didn’t want to be repetitive with it, and 2, not every Z3 will have mechanical issues like mine. A 1-owner Z3 that’s been meticulously maintained at the dealer will do better than my 8-owner possibly haunted one. As for the small car thing, I actually really like having a smaller car than something like a bigger SUV. I’m always paranoid driving bigger cars and it’s easier to park the Z than a bigger car. I think in the video I might’ve come off more supporting SUVs and that wasn’t what I meant and I wish I could’ve reworded that. I was saying more of “there’s a lot of stupid drivers on the road and a lot of SUVs in America. So combine stupid drivers with big SUV with blind spots and it’s a recipe for disaster”.
It's not the car's fault that you're broke. You didn't describe many bmw z3 problems. You talked mostly about 26yo shitbox problems.
As someone who has owned an '01 3.0 Roadster for the past two years(and riding in a parent's '99 2.8 when I was in high school), I have to disagree a bit.
Point 1: I like the fact the car is older. It's more raw and analog; it's not bloated with the distracting technostuff that will eventually get outdated when the 'next big thing' comes out. I prefer driving the Z3 over my 2019 Lexus RC350 daily because of that. With proposed(and slated) regulations in brand new cars to include speed limiting devices, driver monitoring technologies and other 'nanny features' I simply refuse to own anything newer.
Point 2: I don't feel the Z3 is inherently unsafe, but you DO have to practice defensive driving and be aware of what other people are doing around you. Use the car's strengths(such as its handling and smaller size) to your advantage. As far as cargo space goes it is limited, though you can work with it. I've done a 3-4 day trip with someone else and we had space for our essentials and some souvenirs to bring home. I could probably do extended solo road trips with the Z3 without any trouble, and I have used it for grocery shopping. The previous owner used it to go surfing; just put his board in the passenger seat with the top down and went out to the beach.
Point 3: All cars are going to cost you money and time. Every car is going to break down in some fashion; whether it's a Z3 or a brand new Corolla. If you can't(or won't) fix it yourself you will have to pay a bunch of cash to have a shop fix it for you. If you can't try to find secondhand parts or come up with creative solutions to fix things, the dealership is going to rip you off each and every time. If you're going to own a car that is more than 10-15 years old and isn't super basic(again, Yaris, Corolla, Fit, Civic, or something like that) you're either going to have to learn to wrench to save costs or bust out the wallet if you need something fixed. You shouldn't be taking any car that is out of production to the dealership to be worked on; you should be going to a trusted independent mechanic with experience with these engines/platforms. Since you have friends who are helping you work on your car, that's a great thing and you've got a great way to learn how to work on it.
Point 4: Older convertibles leak; that's an unfortunate fact of life. With the new roof you'll need to adjust your windows and seals; even with my hardtop it leaks a bit. Again, that's where creativeness and knowing how to turn a wrench is just about necessary when owning an older car. Perfection isn't even attainable with a new car; that first door ding or gravel chip is going to be disheartening.
I have the same feeling about my Z3; it's a link to an arguably better past and I love taking it on my work commute as it's fun and NOT one of the featureless modern boxes that people tend to want these days. My RC350 is different because it's a coupe and not some soulless crossover/SUV, but when I want a more cerebral experience I take the Z3. :)
Couldnt agree with you more, i owned a 2.2 z3 for 2 years until i unfortunately crashed it, bought a bigger newer car that i thought it liked but ultimately missed the z3 and the way it drove so bought a 3.0 in march. Had to fix a few things on it unfortunately electrical wise so couldnt be done by myself so it did cost a fair bit of money, but still nowhere near the price of a dull newer car. Since march i think ive done around 10k miles in it including a 4000 mile roadtrip around europe and it never missed a beat. Brilliant little car
I’m gonna be honest, I do see where you’re coming from and I have to admit, it’s very true. I meant the video more as a “this car isn’t for the faint of heart, if you want that get a Miata or something” type of thing. There are definitely some who’re fine with this type of thing but, that being said, a lot of people aren’t and that’s what this type of video was made for. I’m not sure if I misinterpreted your point but that’s how I’m seeing at in an, admittedly, very tired state lol
@@Phoenixette : No worries, and I totally get it. These cars, especially as they get older, aren't for those who aren't able(or willing) to swing wrenches or take some of these factors into consideration. For me, my continued ownership is equal parts nostalgia(very strong as I have many fond memories of my mom owning one when I was in high school; we -really- bonded over that car and I managed to surprise her by buying my 3.0 right before we were about to do our annual road trip), the fact it's an incredibly fun and agile car to drive, and the fact I have an even older car(1988 Celica GT-Four) that is far, far more difficult to work on and source parts for.
It really comes down to who is willing to take the cons with the pros. However, these cars are fairly easy to turn a wrench on... at least opposed to a transverse-mounted, AWD turbo I4 shoved in a chassis that was never really meant for one, haha.
@@Ross-vd9bd I've put about 6-7K on mine(bought with 42K, now at 49K); I haven't had any electrical issues on mine(save for the seat heaters and hardtop defogger not working), though I've had to do a lot of resealing on the engine. I farmed out the timing cover job to a local shop(who managed to screw it up so bad the head gasket blew, yay) and I'm dealing with a residual valve cover leak that I'm just going to DIY, but overall the car's been fantastic.
Having the torque of the M54B30 is probably the best combination for this car, with probably cheaper running costs of the Z3M. It doesn't have the power(though comes close to the US-spec pre-'01 Z3M), but overall it's a great engine with good power delivery, awesome torque and good fuel economy. I love it to the point where I use my Lexus(with its nearly 100hp greater output) as my work commute car and the Z3 for practically everything else. :)
My BMW Z3 is the first car I fully invested in working on myself 100%. The cost to fix this car is actually quite low if you're not going to a mechanic. I replaced the soft top on the convertible by myself and spent maybe $800 total because my local convertible shop wanted $4K and that wasn't an option for me. This car is very easy to work on, especially if you're someone who doesn't know much about cars mechanically. It's a great car to learn how to fix cars with. I've learned so much in the 3 years I've had my Z3 just fixing issues on it by myself.
I completely agree with you; my 2001 Z3 3.0i is also the first DIY car I worked on, and it couldn't be any easier and more reliable . I've been owning my zed for 3 years now as my daily, and also I've been to a track day, and it holds up very nicely. The real downsides for me (if any) are the fact that you have to keep an eye on the rust and try to contain it as best as possible and the fact that squeaks are coming from new places in the interior every month 😳
1/10 ragebait,
Bro brings one of the easiest beamers to work on on your own to a shop for its maintenance. Learn it and dont complain about not knowing
Props to filming yourself and putting yourself out there, lack of cuts was good and fairly engaging but I gotta say, most of this stuff is just par-for-the-course 25+ year old shitbox problems. I Daily an EK1 Civic and it's kind of the same experience, OEM shit is expensive (if it's even available), paint is eh (actually got mine repainted because is was scuffed), safety is next to nothing and it's small which makes it hard to be seen (somehow, it's a sedan but shorter and smaller than a 2013 Civic hatch). Bird shit and bugs is just owning a car that sits outside, regardless of the age. I'm not a producer or anything but I am a marketing manager so would encourage you to stick to a solid script and then kind of question it from a "logical haters" point of view. For instance, pointing out issues that aren't BMW Z3 specific issues can come off like whining about owning an old car, shit is old, it breaks down. I'd look at reframing your script writing to look at more BMW-centric stuff that is a common issue with the Z3 like oil and PS steering fluid leak, audio system failures, engine problems and then the faultiest MY like the MY 2000 Z3 having 58 reported issues from owners (like the pinch welds for the trunk floor breaking loose) when the '03 Z3 only has 4 Related issues.
Not trying to make you feel bad can just trying to help avoid the backlash you've gotten on this vid, because with this title, people expect a good argument. The "why" you've offered in this video is a "why VS a modern car" (I guess?) when people expect a "Why VS another 26-year-old sports car or convertible" - Also, B Roll is super underrated (most iPhone shoot in 60+ frames @ 4K or FHD, so you can slow that down for pans etc.), get a tripod if you don't have one already and colour grade your footage (or at least grade your B-Roll, you'll be able to hide any jump cuts when you're speaking with B-roll too). Best of luck dude 🤙
I appreciate this comment, thank you dude. I think you make a really good point with the non-z3 issues and I think it has come off this way looking back. I was trying to go for the “this isn’t for feint of heart” type of thing and I had talked about mechanical issues time and time again so I went in that angle which, looking back, wasn’t my best approach. I have done B-roll in some previous videos, I kinda do it once in a while but I should do it more often
Brotha you are daily driving a 26 year old automatic bimmer. I have a 2002 2.5i z3 I only use two or three times a week and it’s a dream! Also the later models have side curtain airbags so they’re much safer!
Also you really have to be willing to do a lot of the work yourself on them or you will just go broke
Very true. That’s why there’s a lot of videos of me and my friends, but in reality they’re doing all the work, working on the Z
With all my respect, why don t you go with this beauty for a ride down the sun, with the top down and enjoy!!!..... that s what it was created for.
I don’t take any disrespect from that, don’t worry. Actually, that’s exactly what I did right after filming and was it a blast when the rpms didn’t fall to almost nothing lol
So...its the german miata which is a auto. The inline 4 is attually the better engine of the few motors it has gotten. The inline 6 has issues due to cylinder wall issues. The srs light is common due to the part being non replaceable. So its rare to find them without it. Its also a auto so its not fun.
Theres also its a soft top. They do have hard tops but soft tops will have more issues then your regular hardtop car. When you dont drive it, car cover or garage or a overhang parking spot whrre its covered.
Door handle issue is common on them like e36. Not to much of a issue imo but you give a fair point to a perfectionist.
The traffic? Is just terrible in the US. They give anyone a license. Even though im apart of the young and stupid and get into car accidents (thank you women for being oblivous on your phone while driving) but its being a "defensive" driver. No matter what car im in, i always watch what im doing and what people are doing around me. That guy likes to ride the white line? Speed past or slow down and merge into another lane. This dude wants to ride me like a prositute? Move over or speed off. The z3 was competition for a miata and it kinda worked. What killed it was the inline 6 having nickle seal cylinder walls. The inline 4 in these are slow yes, but are reliable asf. And with bmw its gonna be a slightly higher maintence cost. Mainly cooling system and oil leaks. And this motor specifically, vaccum leaks under the intake mainfold. But old car things so its kinda fair. Just gotta know what your getting into when buying a said car. Ive owned a 83 bmw ( terrible mistake but learning experience) a e46 wagon (loved that thing as i could drift at a track and drive it home without issue) and now a crappy e36 compact thats been tossed and abused more then the girl around a football locker room. And hopefully soon into a 96 z3 i4 manual. Ive dailyed a miata for a while and it was so much fun. Somewhat anxiety inducing yes but very fun.
I didnt realise the prices of them in the us, in the uk a 1.9 can be bought for around £1500 depending on mileage and condition of course
Oh yeah. Mine had about 114k miles when I bought it (or about 183k km) for the $6200
@@Phoenixette gheez, i bought my 3.0 manual in march wwith 105k miles for £6k so around $8000
‘97 2.8 manual for 4500 but I overpayed by 1000 imo. It’s currently in my garage rebuilding the head. That’s not cheap either. I do all my own work and it’s still expensive.
Parts on these cars have insane costs. That’s why I went aftermarket with the roof.
@@Phoenixette very! Also there are very convincing scammers claiming to have z3 parts - I almost fell for one because I was having trouble finding a color match hard top and he claimed to have it. -_-
Basically because this is just an unreliable automatic miata :-) you should buy the Z3 with a six cylinder and a manual.
You could be right. I’ve seen some of my friends have much more catastrophic issues with their 6 cylinder ones but some with no issues at all. I think with these engines, it really relies on what the last guy did to keep it going. I don’t think it’s that the 4 bangers are unreliable but more of how they’re maintained. That being said, I can’t agree with you more on the transmission part. The only good thing about it is the sport mode but besides that, it’s a crappy 4 speed auto from GM
Hey, uhm thank you for sharing the experiences you had with your z3. I get why you complain so much on the car since well it’s a 25 something year old car you just can’t expect it to be perfect. Even nowadays cars aren’t. I am looking to get my z3 personally just because how they look they are cool looking cars but anyway I stumbled upon your videos and it found then really entertaining. I am still getting the car but I like to think I learned a few things from your experience. I drive a 2025 Suzuki swift absolutely no problem on a new car but a late 90s car is just something else, despite the safety features, the top speed compared to newer models and even the smell of the car takes you to simpler times. I think of this car of a whim car more than an actual normal duty car
Thank you again for sharing! Greetings from Mexico City
lol first lets start off that you purchased an automatic.... you failed right there... then to say its outdated, no crap its 26 years old what did you expect... then you had to really top it off by buying a 4 cyclinder let alone in an automatic. the only person that failed here is you lol NOTE TO VIEWERS... DONT BE THIS GUY. do your research before buying. these cars are great when properly spec'd
None of these reasons are legit. Every car has its quirks. Anybody with an old car needs to know how or be willing to turn wrenches. Paying someone every time a light goes out or comes on will nickel and dime you to death. It’s not a difficult car to work on. A new top is not 8k either. Top of the line canvas top on Amazon is $450 and you can replace it yourself for free. I’ve done 2 of them. Local professional instal in Chicago is about 1k. Birds poop on new Teslas too. This kid’s car has seat covers. His seat light on the dash is on because whoever installled the seat covers didn’t disconnect the battery before unplugging the seat sensors. Do a hard reset on the battery and the light will go off.
Didn't do your due diligence, did you? It's your own fault!
Only buy a z3 if you don’t mind looking after it yourself. I got mine 4 years ago, wasn’t a car guy and could still manage to google how to do a head gasket replacement myself. I’ve done everything so far now and prob saved around 8k 😂. Get some black sealant for those windows pillars for god sake. Also spray some lithium grease down the interior slots too to get rid of squeaks and rattles- this hack is mint
That’s fair. The repairs from when the car was broken into saved me about 10k doing it in my buddy’s driveway. I didn’t know about black sealant tho or lithium grease. Thanks for suggesting it
I own a Z3, unsubbed.
I think you should just get a bus pass. I have a 98 MRoadster bought new and love it.
I got a good laugh from this. These are standard maintenance
Unsafe 😂 . It’s built like a tank your just a chi chi with an auto. 40-50 track days in mine and I love it.
At least your hair likes a Z3, suits it very well.
Yoooooo!!! You don’t know how much it makes my day to hear that. Thank you
I was interested in what you had to say. Until you shifted into P
My Beemer-nut buddy even said their maintenance costs are preventative. Glad I watched your vid but I already told myself that it has to be a stick and I assumed they all had a six cylinder.( No 4 cylinders for this cowboy ). Plus I would've thought that being of German heritage that a leaking drop-top would not be a concern? Thats LAME
REALLY lame
Just go ahead and buy a Honda Element
This dude is not a “car guy”? He bought an automatic?
You aren't the driver the car was made for 😂
Everyone go check out my M Coupe E36
Bro sounds like Lance Stroll.
Sell it to someone worthy.
The Z3 failed to be larger, taller, have tech from years *after* it was created. Yep. Totally the car's fault.
I got a good laugh from this. These are standard maintenance. The top and glovebox he got cheap and then complained. Lol then he talked about bird poop. Oh my!
The reason he cannot determine as to why he loves the car is...he has fallen for the "false charm" that BMW in general, wants folks to fall for!. Good styling, supposedly great German heritage, and the "pride" of owning a BMW....None of those reasons should ever be considered serious, when purchasing a BMW.
So you want all the latest safety features and a bigger car to feel safe. You also want to go to the dealership for any problem that you have with a 26 year old car and buy OEM parts. You need a garage to store it to keep the bugs and bird poop off of it. Those are some pretty solid reasons to dislike your car (sic). You also say that "we" have owned much more reliable cars but this is your first car (?). After all that you want to go cruising in your convertible. Yeah well I think I will not be subscribing to this guy's page (and it looks like several are doing the same, LOL).
Sell it and buy a Tesla 😂😂
Worried about people being idiots. Look in the mirror dude.
dont worry nobody wants a z3 anyways