I've done without that must have hard top for over 21 years now and have managed just fine. My buddy recently sold his Mercedes 230 SL and the only time he put his pagoda hard top on is when he sold the car...
I bought a pristine, low mileage '01 Z3 3.0i last year(43K mi/ 70K km) and the seller agreed to sell me a hardtop off a different car he had(thankfully color matching). My mom had one of these brand new(with the top) and I had fond memories of it; I was trying to get it as close as possible to how she had it. Unfortunately, the seller neglected to tell me that the top had been stripped of its interior and the mounting bits were cobbled together from a hardware store; definitely nowhere near standard. I'm in the process of getting that fixed, but I do have some advice from someone who has been neck deep in these things for the past few months. First, if buying a hardtop you have to get the mounting brackets that bolt to the car. If you don't, they're over a grand(US) to purchase from BMW and may no longer be available. I went that route; I can't recommend it unless you score a hardtop for very little money. Yes, the brackets must be installed before you put the top on the car; no, don't buy the top, slap it on the car and drive around with it. It'll likely break pretty quickly without that support. The easiest thing to do is to get one with the brackets, drive your car to the seller and install it on site. I've heard of people shipping these things, but due to their rarity it's very risky. The interior bits are also not available from BMW(and were about $2000 US if they were); I had to buy another hardtop in order to get the headliner and interior plastics. Thankfully I somehow found one local to me that didn't have the mounting hardware; it was still pretty expensive. To reiterate the point about moving/installing the top if you live alone, it's about 65lb/30kg. It's not bad to remove and install if you have a helping hand; it's highly awkward if you're doing it yourself. Not only do you need to be in the physical shape to lift something the weight of a small car's transmission over your head, it's much larger so you need to have your arms out at awkward angles, and the posts that slot into the mounting hardware are in the perfect position to gouge your paint if you accidentally drop it. Again, not fun. Get a friend, or if you have a garage you might be able to purchase/build a hoist to make the job easier. Fitting the top is fiddly and there are special wrenches designed for this. Those seem to be available from BMW, but again, they are expensive for what they are. If not fitted correctly you will get air leaks, water leaks, and rattling from the top itself. I haven't gotten my donor top fitment bang on, but it is relatively close. The tops have a glass rear window with a defroster element. As Z3s didn't really have this functionality other than the coupe(or this hardtop), you'll have to get a switch to operate it. The cars are usually prewired for this, but the location and type of switch varies with the build date of the car. This was a novel, but hopefully this gives a bit more information to someone who is looking for one of these hardtops. They are a chore in some aspects, but it really adds to the car as a whole. It protects your softtop during the winter, the insulation really helps with noise, heat, and cold, this turns an already great looking car into something unique, and personally it allows me to enjoy my Z3 on clear winter days instead of keeping it stored year-round.
Hello Down Under from California. Great video. As earlier commentors mentioned, finding a Z3 hardtop is almost impossible, and they are very expensive. Then if you do find one, it may be located hundreds or thousands of miles away. I bought my 1997 Z3 1.9 5-speed in 2019, having 39K miles, in spectacular like new mint condition. But no hard top, which I wanted. I then spent about 6 months going through an agonizing process of looking for a hardtop, finding one from a private seller, having it shipped 3,000 miles from the U.S. East Coast to the West Coast, then having it painted to match my Atlanta Blue Metallic. Love the hardtop!!! Not having someone at home who can help me with putting the hardtop on and taking it off the car, recently I installed a manual lifting hoist system from the ceiling of my garage --- used a block & tackle set up and a beefy rebar A-frame coat-hanger style "game hoist" (used by big-game hunters) that I use 2 Harbor Freight lifting straps to lift the hardtop onto and off of the car very easily by myself. I know there are electric hoist systems for garage ceilings, but they WAY TOO EXPENSIVE and overkill for the task. So I do it manually. I hoist it off the car, drive the car out of my garage, lower the hardtop to the floor (on thick pads / blankets), and then use one of those rolling hardtop storage carts you mention to store the hardtop on its back edge, with a large canvas storage bag over the hardtop and storage cart. I modified the storage cart to make it work more easily when lifting the hardtop onto the cart. It works very well stored in the corner of my garage. I have a number of photos of the process if anyone is ever interested (if so, I will need a person's email address to send the photos). There is one aspect of the hardtop that can be a real awkward and frustrating challenge --- working to fit it properly on the car using the adjustable clamp-down screw-lever mounts on each side of the rear of the hardtop, sometimes requiring taking the hardtop off and putting it on again, several times, to make adjustments and test it out. It certainly is not the easiest task. Thanks again for your video. 😎
Well, that's funny. I guess you never drove in winter. The plastic rear window has heating wires which keep the windows mist-free and you can scratch ice away. Unfortunately you still don't have a winter car because the windshield tends to ice from the inside and if temperatures drop below -15 degrees Celsius, this happens even while driving.
I am the second owner of my low mileage '97 2.8. Owned now since 2001. Thankfully, the original owner did order the hardtop when he bought the car. It does indeed make all the differences you mention.
You can get a garage mounted hoist if you have the space. It serves kind of two purposes, it will hold it up as an elevated storage, and you can lift it up on your own. They arent cheap though usually, but if you have the space definitely worth it.
I would love a hardtop. Sadly they are very rare and overly expensive in the states. I see them for sale in the UK all the time for around $1800. Here in the states if you find one it will usually cost $3500+ to buy. Again that is IF and a very big IF you can find one here. The best deal is buying a Z3 that already comes with a hardtop.
Yea I agree. Finding the tops in Australia is very similar. Best bet,buy a z3 with it. People have started to realise tho and now sell for a quite a bit if the hardtop is included.
@LamannaGarage I was able to source a hardtop with paint match. I am running into a wall finding the rear mounting brackets. I am seeing another $1000USD for the two brackets. Any ideas on mounting the top without breaking the bank, again?
@@LamannaGarage and right after leaving the previous comment and day 2 of owning Z3 my convertible top has some leaks although appears to be in a decent shape. I’ve seen the A pillar fixes and new trim kits guess I will have to learn to figure it out. Lol 😂
@jordanjaneiro354 the joys if z3 ownership. There is a great channel that goes through fixes for these cars. Might be worth a suss. @MomentofZed youtube.com/@MomentofZed?si=xkMLbmZ-K38LOcZJ
Haha. I reckon there would be a few in this boat. Luckily scored it with hardtop when I purchased it. Feel like it is less of a kick in the gut if you buy it with the hardtop. In Australia. Hardtops on average are about 4 to 5k
@@LamannaGarage USA. I only noticed 2 on ebay, and couldn't find any close to me on FB market place. I feel like they're hard to find, does an aftermarket company make one?
@@Dominator775 Unfortunately not! 1 of the reasons as to why these things are quite rare - no one tends to give them up and there are no third party applications!
Hello from UK, I managed to find a hardtop when I purchased my Z3 over ten years ago, cost me £700 pounds second hand, but in good condition, and matching colour, but nowadays in the UK they are like finding hens teeth, very rare, and average around £2000 pounds, when found, do agree with you they change the car totally, I will admit I have never taken mine off since I purchased it. thanks for the video, safe driving. LEN.
Good to hear mate! Wow 2000 euro! Well I think overtime it will become even rarer and even more expensive. A real necessity for this car that everyone wants now.
Yes. Absolutely. The FIRST thing one should do with a convertible is make it not a convertible anymore. :-)
I've done without that must have hard top for over 21 years now and have managed just fine.
My buddy recently sold his Mercedes 230 SL and the only time he put his pagoda hard top on is when he sold the car...
I have the hardtop on here in Scotland because of the weather. Really useful and easily fitted.
I bought a pristine, low mileage '01 Z3 3.0i last year(43K mi/ 70K km) and the seller agreed to sell me a hardtop off a different car he had(thankfully color matching). My mom had one of these brand new(with the top) and I had fond memories of it; I was trying to get it as close as possible to how she had it. Unfortunately, the seller neglected to tell me that the top had been stripped of its interior and the mounting bits were cobbled together from a hardware store; definitely nowhere near standard. I'm in the process of getting that fixed, but I do have some advice from someone who has been neck deep in these things for the past few months.
First, if buying a hardtop you have to get the mounting brackets that bolt to the car. If you don't, they're over a grand(US) to purchase from BMW and may no longer be available. I went that route; I can't recommend it unless you score a hardtop for very little money. Yes, the brackets must be installed before you put the top on the car; no, don't buy the top, slap it on the car and drive around with it. It'll likely break pretty quickly without that support. The easiest thing to do is to get one with the brackets, drive your car to the seller and install it on site. I've heard of people shipping these things, but due to their rarity it's very risky.
The interior bits are also not available from BMW(and were about $2000 US if they were); I had to buy another hardtop in order to get the headliner and interior plastics. Thankfully I somehow found one local to me that didn't have the mounting hardware; it was still pretty expensive.
To reiterate the point about moving/installing the top if you live alone, it's about 65lb/30kg. It's not bad to remove and install if you have a helping hand; it's highly awkward if you're doing it yourself. Not only do you need to be in the physical shape to lift something the weight of a small car's transmission over your head, it's much larger so you need to have your arms out at awkward angles, and the posts that slot into the mounting hardware are in the perfect position to gouge your paint if you accidentally drop it. Again, not fun. Get a friend, or if you have a garage you might be able to purchase/build a hoist to make the job easier.
Fitting the top is fiddly and there are special wrenches designed for this. Those seem to be available from BMW, but again, they are expensive for what they are. If not fitted correctly you will get air leaks, water leaks, and rattling from the top itself. I haven't gotten my donor top fitment bang on, but it is relatively close.
The tops have a glass rear window with a defroster element. As Z3s didn't really have this functionality other than the coupe(or this hardtop), you'll have to get a switch to operate it. The cars are usually prewired for this, but the location and type of switch varies with the build date of the car.
This was a novel, but hopefully this gives a bit more information to someone who is looking for one of these hardtops. They are a chore in some aspects, but it really adds to the car as a whole. It protects your softtop during the winter, the insulation really helps with noise, heat, and cold, this turns an already great looking car into something unique, and personally it allows me to enjoy my Z3 on clear winter days instead of keeping it stored year-round.
Hello Down Under from California. Great video. As earlier commentors mentioned, finding a Z3 hardtop is almost impossible, and they are very expensive. Then if you do find one, it may be located hundreds or thousands of miles away. I bought my 1997 Z3 1.9 5-speed in 2019, having 39K miles, in spectacular like new mint condition. But no hard top, which I wanted. I then spent about 6 months going through an agonizing process of looking for a hardtop, finding one from a private seller, having it shipped 3,000 miles from the U.S. East Coast to the West Coast, then having it painted to match my Atlanta Blue Metallic. Love the hardtop!!! Not having someone at home who can help me with putting the hardtop on and taking it off the car, recently I installed a manual lifting hoist system from the ceiling of my garage --- used a block & tackle set up and a beefy rebar A-frame coat-hanger style "game hoist" (used by big-game hunters) that I use 2 Harbor Freight lifting straps to lift the hardtop onto and off of the car very easily by myself. I know there are electric hoist systems for garage ceilings, but they WAY TOO EXPENSIVE and overkill for the task. So I do it manually. I hoist it off the car, drive the car out of my garage, lower the hardtop to the floor (on thick pads / blankets), and then use one of those rolling hardtop storage carts you mention to store the hardtop on its back edge, with a large canvas storage bag over the hardtop and storage cart. I modified the storage cart to make it work more easily when lifting the hardtop onto the cart. It works very well stored in the corner of my garage. I have a number of photos of the process if anyone is ever interested (if so, I will need a person's email address to send the photos). There is one aspect of the hardtop that can be a real awkward and frustrating challenge --- working to fit it properly on the car using the adjustable clamp-down screw-lever mounts on each side of the rear of the hardtop, sometimes requiring taking the hardtop off and putting it on again, several times, to make adjustments and test it out. It certainly is not the easiest task. Thanks again for your video. 😎
Thanks mate! Appreciate the comment. Good to see someone enjoyed it haha
Well, that's funny. I guess you never drove in winter. The plastic rear window has heating wires which keep the windows mist-free and you can scratch ice away. Unfortunately you still don't have a winter car because the windshield tends to ice from the inside and if temperatures drop below -15 degrees Celsius, this happens even while driving.
I am the second owner of my low mileage '97 2.8. Owned now since 2001. Thankfully, the original owner did order the hardtop when he bought the car. It does indeed make all the differences you mention.
Lucky!
Bro the hardtop is the same price of the car itself
Legit hey! What country are you in
You can get a garage mounted hoist if you have the space. It serves kind of two purposes, it will hold it up as an elevated storage, and you can lift it up on your own. They arent cheap though usually, but if you have the space definitely worth it.
I would love one of those! Don't have the head room clearance unfortunately :(
I would love a hardtop. Sadly they are very rare and overly expensive in the states. I see them for sale in the UK all the time for around $1800. Here in the states if you find one it will usually cost $3500+ to buy. Again that is IF and a very big IF you can find one here. The best deal is buying a Z3 that already comes with a hardtop.
Yea I agree. Finding the tops in Australia is very similar. Best bet,buy a z3 with it. People have started to realise tho and now sell for a quite a bit if the hardtop is included.
Can you please tell me what rims and size you have on your z3? That fitment and size on your Zed is sublime.
Next time the wheels are off or on a hoist I will suss for ya
@LamannaGarage I was able to source a hardtop with paint match. I am running into a wall finding the rear mounting brackets. I am seeing another $1000USD for the two brackets. Any ideas on mounting the top without breaking the bank, again?
Ahhh man. If you don't get the mounting with the hardtop.. it can work out more expensive my man. 🙏 🪦 Least you got the first part haha
Thanks from Adelaide hills, looking at a Z3 in a couple of days.
Good luck man!
Looks cool but I’m not trying to spend what I spent on the car just for a top 😂
That's fair. Good news is. Chances are the roof won't depreciate and will always get your money back
@@LamannaGarage and right after leaving the previous comment and day 2 of owning Z3 my convertible top has some leaks although appears to be in a decent shape. I’ve seen the A pillar fixes and new trim kits guess I will have to learn to figure it out. Lol 😂
@jordanjaneiro354 the joys if z3 ownership. There is a great channel that goes through fixes for these cars. Might be worth a suss.
@MomentofZed
youtube.com/@MomentofZed?si=xkMLbmZ-K38LOcZJ
It’s weird bro i get as excited to put mine on in October as i am to take it off in march
Lol my 4’10 ex helped me a few times install / remove
So true. I enjoy both!
Where do you buy these hard tops?
Unfortunately you can no longer purchase the hardtop new 🚗. So 2nd hand is the only option :(
I literally purchased a Z3 for less than what the price of the hardtop is. I wish the hardtops weren’t SO pricy
Haha. I reckon there would be a few in this boat. Luckily scored it with hardtop when I purchased it. Feel like it is less of a kick in the gut if you buy it with the hardtop. In Australia. Hardtops on average are about 4 to 5k
Hello, great video! Can you please tell me as I am not sure if you leave the soft top on the car when installing hard top or do you have to remove it?
Hey Mate you retract the soft top :) don't go putting the hardtop over it 😉
Have u got a body kit on this?
No body kit mate.
was that paulie falzone from housos trying to steal your car
5:18 best moment, had a good laugh. Nice work buddy 👍
Thanks mate!
Do you have a reccomendation of where to buy a hardtop?
Where are you located
@@LamannaGarage USA. I only noticed 2 on ebay, and couldn't find any close to me on FB market place. I feel like they're hard to find, does an aftermarket company make one?
@@Dominator775 Unfortunately not! 1 of the reasons as to why these things are quite rare - no one tends to give them up and there are no third party applications!
Can anyone tell me what style wheels those are?
BBS reps
Wrong video. Im not into hardtops for my Z3.
How come?
Ruin the car with that top
Oh sheesh you prefer the convertible.
Hello from UK, I managed to find a hardtop when I purchased my Z3 over ten years ago, cost me £700 pounds second hand, but in good condition, and matching colour, but nowadays in the UK they are like finding hens teeth, very rare, and average around £2000 pounds, when found, do agree with you they change the car totally, I will admit I have never taken mine off since I purchased it. thanks for the video, safe driving. LEN.
Good to hear mate! Wow 2000 euro! Well I think overtime it will become even rarer and even more expensive. A real necessity for this car that everyone wants now.