E30 Zone

bought a z3 with the m52b28 in it last week and i must say im well impressed with it.

ive bought and sold a few e30's in various versions and enjoyed each one in different ways.

ive been on the hunt for a m52b28 version of a e30 for a few months and just couldnt find one i liked or within my budget.

I do a bit of motorsport like autosolos and going to york dragway and track days and stuff and i want a suitable car i could do all those things in as well as being a fun everyday car.

So because i love bmw's i went on the hunt for a different model ..decided to give the z3 a go as i managed to get a nice fsh low miler cheap with the 2.8 in it. Theres a surprising amount of room in these little roadsters so i fit my large frame into it no problem which was a nice surprise.

Cant tell you how nice this thing is to drive and how great it handles and steers. It donuts on a pin head with no effort or initial understeer.

hers a few pics

Hmm, never been a fan of these things, the ultimate hairdresser's/ageing tart's car, but I'm just going on looks, I've never been in one. Glad you like it!

Cloggy Saint wrote:Hmm, never been a fan of these things, the ultimate hairdresser's/ageing tart's car, but I'm just going on looks, I've never been in one. Glad you like it!

yeah..ive had a few hairdresser/peter perfect jokes and thats fine lol.

i felt a bit like that too ..but driving it is a very good experience and it really suits what i want to do in the car.

its happened a few times to me where ive prejudged a car eg Baur e30...then driven one...then just loved it. I like the look from the back but im not so keen on the nose of the car..looks wise i mean.

But since having it only for a week now..ive sort of forgiven it so to speak and loving the driving experience more and more.

They are not bad cars for the money, but I would have looked around for a Boxter instead. The Z3's have horrible scuttle shake and the chassis is way too soft for my liking, good cruiser though!

Coming from an E30 Baur, anything is bound to be impressive!

same boat, who cares what other people think as long as you're enjoying it.. Never liked the interior but the 2.8 has to be a bit of a laugh.. LSD?

I can forgive a man in a Z3, a bloke in a boxster is a true fairy.. Boxsters are crap, they break, and expensive to put right.

I don't mind the Z3 to be honest, but I do dislike the driving position where it seems you are sat up really high.

You're a tall chap Gary so your head must be above the line of the windscreen?

E30BeemerLad wrote:
You're a tall chap Gary so your head must be above the line of the windscreen?

Thats why its a cab, head poking over the top with a pair of these on.




If it has got a LSD it will be a torsion type.

I drove a 3 ltr one for a while, I too really liked it, in particular the handling and styling.

The super quick rack and very long bonnet took me a little while to get used too, but it wasn't long before I was lapping large roundabouts broad side first!

That looks nice, and good to hear you are enjoying it. I'm looking to replace my e30 for a 2.8 z3. Who cares if others think it's a hairdressers car. It's a good looking car, who can argue with that. And a boxter is in a different league to the z3. And that's the bottom rung of it's leauge.

I like the z3, I would have one myself, but Im worried I wont fit in one, Im 6ft 3, saying that I remember getting into my mate mgtf and was surprised with the amount of room in it and would imagine they are smaller than a z3.

im 6'5" and i fit fine...my head isnt above the windscreen and there is plenty of room. The seat is electrically adjustable hieght wise and with the seat right down and right back, there is as much room in it as a E30. With the roof up there is 2" gap between the top of my canister and the roof. This is a 97 version without the later fitted roof lining which may make a difference.

The only thing ive done to improve the room i have is ive put my removable momo wheel on and a boss. This is just to help me with access as i have a hip replacement.

Apart from that its great.

I paid less than £1000 for this car so it was a win win situ....immense fun for less than a grand. Granted ive put a clutch kit in it so the car stands me £1200. Still not bad as i couldnt find a m52b28 e30 for less than £3000...a one i liked anyway.

btw ..yes it has a lsd ...the same one that is in E30's according to oem sites....

You can buy Z3s for less than a grand???

i did lol ...

walrus1968 wrote:i did lol ...

How much did the poor sap owe you? or how many finger nails did you have to pull out etc

bab-91 wrote:

walrus1968 wrote:i did lol ...

How much did the poor sap owe you? or how many finger nails did you have to pull out etc

lmao...the car had stood since it was tested last december...it hadnt been started..the battery was flat and like i said the clutch was fooked. I took a chance as i tend to do lol and travelled 4 and a half hours to view.

I bid him on the car...haggled then agreed a price and drove it 230 miles back from Ely with no clutch..was a mission but well worth the £900 i paid.

Happy days

I've been in this and was impresssed - certainly look at Z3s differently now - particularly 2.8s.

Couldn't find any red circles though

baur320 wrote:I've been in this and was impresssed - certainly look at Z3s differently now - particularly 2.8s.

Couldn't find any red circles though

lol...yeah mick..i felt like a proper turd when i missed a gear when i was caning it round that roundabout. nearly a trashed gearbox...never done it before or since ..really

I think z3's ar under rated, liek an e30 but with a better front end feel. I really like my z'd

Top buying ! I reckon you will have more than a fifty out of this turd, even if it keeps raining !

While the roadster styling is a bit unresolved, there is no denying they are a great little car for no money. As for scuttle shake, an E30 convertible owner dreams of the structural rigidity that these have.

Demlotcrew wrote:I would have looked around for a Boxter instead.

You'd be spending your whole life fixing it. The engines in these things are like Chocolate.
Z3's aren't bad turds. The yanks build them quite well, simple mechanically and they don't seem to rot.

...could it be insurance holding the values of Z3s back? Whenever I've tried in the past the numbers have been astronomical (£2K+) (I'm currently paying £200 for an E12)

I read somewhere that the Fiat Barchetta suffered from a similar insurance rating problem

If i had the space I'd be buying up a cheap early one in good condition to store till it gets to 20 years old. By then you can stick it on classic insurance and with any luck it'll be worth a little more as well.

Cloggy Saint wrote:Hmm, never been a fan of these things, the ultimate hairdresser's/ageing tart's car, but I'm just going on looks, I've never been in one. Glad you like it!

Tbf Ive seen about 6 of these recently and only 1 had a woman at the wheel.

I owned a 2.8 Z3, as my name suggests, from new in 1998 to 2003. I imported it from Australia, it was 1 of only 12 in Dakar Yellow special only to Australia for the motor show in Sydney that year. I reckon it was the most satifying drive Ive ever owned long term, and still think I might have another. Here it is :



I replaced it with this, and it stands as the car I've lost most money on. To cap it, as soon as it got wet, it was almost impossible to keep in a straight line. I spun it twice with no prompting, and in just over a year, sold it. Z3 all day long for me...

jaymos wrote:

Cloggy Saint wrote:Hmm, never been a fan of these things, the ultimate hairdresser's/ageing tart's car, but I'm just going on looks, I've never been in one. Glad you like it!

Tbf Ive seen about 6 of these recently and only 1 had a woman at the wheel.

the other 5 had gay men.

Nothing beats a homophobe I guess.

Cloggy Saint wrote:

jaymos wrote:

Cloggy Saint wrote:Hmm, never been a fan of these things, the ultimate hairdresser's/ageing tart's car, but I'm just going on looks, I've never been in one. Glad you like it!

Tbf Ive seen about 6 of these recently and only 1 had a woman at the wheel.

the other 5 had gay men.

lmao...nice one mate ...made me laugh

Cloggy Saint wrote:

jaymos wrote:

Cloggy Saint wrote:Hmm, never been a fan of these things, the ultimate hairdresser's/ageing tart's car, but I'm just going on looks, I've never been in one. Glad you like it!

Tbf Ive seen about 6 of these recently and only 1 had a woman at the wheel.

the other 5 had camp Dutch geezers.

Were they shmoking, drinking beersh or wearing tight veshts?

wish i had never sold mine, but i had the male version with the M54B30..proper job!

Lovely motor Walrus.!
Bodywork looks good too.! Now enough about cars, can you fit me in at 2:30pm for a cut and blow dry?

Cheers

Lovely motor Walrus.!
Bodywork looks good too.! Now enough about cars, can you fit me in at 2:30pm for a cut and blow dry?

Cheers