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Long-Term BMW Z3
(Panache in the extreme, and power mostly in your
dreams. But, hey, it's still a Bimmer.)
Car and Driver
Author: Spence, Steve
"Hysteria" probably overstates the reaction, but parking a BMW Z3 roadster curbside one Saturday night back in March of 1996 along Miami's South Beach -- the car had yet to go on sale -- created an instantaneous envy and saliva festival.
It's 15 months later, and the Z3 still gets gawks, but now you don't have to pry yuppies off the hood with a spatula. That is now the predicament of Porsche Boxster owners and perhaps a few Mercedes-Benz SLK owners with rural addresses.
A major attraction of the Z3 is its $29,320 base price, and that includes power for the windows, door locks, side mirrors, and seats, plus air conditioning and cruise control. Our car totaled $31,827 after we opted for beige-leather upholstery ($1150), heated seats ($500), a metallic Montreal Blue paint job ($475), the on-board computer that reveals fuel economy, range, outside temperature, and so on ($300), and two floor mats at $41 apiece.
We were not thrilled by the promise of the powerplant, a 1.8-liter four from the 3-series bin that had been bored and stroked to 1.9 liters. In full-shout mode, it put out an unadventurous-sounding 138 horses and 133 pound-feet of torque. (More like it is the 2.8 six-cylinder that appeared within a year.)
BMW has never offered the sort of thunderous muffler music produced by some American cars to announce their macho, but that didn't stop the crew here from complaining about our Z3's lack of a "distinct exhaust note." Phillips pointed out the "amusing Lilliputian exhaust note. Nearly silent, unlike a Miata; then, at high revs, it sounds like, well, a Tercel.
Weird." Idzikowski spoke for many: "Way too wimpy." You couldn't stop the Miata comparisons, the enthusiast stereotypes here immediately siding with that Japanese throwback to English sports-car simplicity. A comparably equipped MX-5 Miata is $24,215, although the Z3 is roomier, quieter, more refined, and, folks, it's a Bimmer.
The radio wasn't up to Bimmer standards. Its speakers are tinny. Schroeder put it this way: "Radio blows. Blow it outta there. Someone call Alpine."
Some found the manual top easy to use, others complained when it took more than one arm to raise or lower it. The rear window, made of plastic and unzippable, seemed murky to look through from the start, and complaints would grow.
But soon it was summer, and our Z3 was busy, indeed. This car tells you when it wants its oil changed. On the instrument panel just below the odometer readout, five green LED lights in a row drop off one by one as the miles go by; when they're all gone, a yellow one appears, along with one of two announcements: "Oil Service" or "Inspection." Ignore it, and a red light appears. Our first call for fresh oil came on July 10, at 9552 miles. A Bloomfield Hills dealer added six quarts of oil and a filter for just $24, although we were hit with an hour's labor ($68) and a can of Krex oil treatment ($5) that we hadn't asked for. One oil change: $97. (Do-it-yourselfers will need a $50 tool to reset the computer's maintenance clock.) Maintenance alternates between a simple oil change and a lengthier full inspection at intervals that, for us, occurred roughly every 9500 miles.
That summer, the air conditioner could barely keep up. After four days in the shop, a new condenser was ordered, which was installed a month later at 18,328 miles during the car's first "Inspection I" service. That included a huge list of look-sees and cost $202, plus $15 for six quarts of fresh oil, $2.50 for washer solvent, and $9 for two wiper blades (these are tallied under normal wear). The bill was $247.
We began having a peculiar handling problem. "Hit a bump midway through a curve, and the Z3's all over the road," said Schroeder. Said another tester: "Cornering is fantastic, but if you encounter bumps in the middle of hard cornering or braking, hang on!" BMW had heard the same complaints on some early cars. It found that the rear ride height of our car, which was supposed to be 22.76 inches (measured from the top of the wheel-well arch to the bottom of the wheel's rim, with a full tank and 330 pounds' worth of passengers), was in fact 22.11 inches. Two springs were replaced without charge in early November.
As another dreadful Michigan winter closed in, the Z3's popularity waned. Two pea-sized fray spots appeared on the convertible top at the edge of one supporting rod. The door locks were sticky, fussy to open. There were rattles in the cockpit. On February 2, the fuel gauge went cuckoo; the tank would be full, but the gauge might show a quarter-tank, and when the driver tried to fill up, he'd find it already full. No fun in 18-degree weather. The dealer replaced the sending unit and fuel pump under warranty. By February 18, the driver's door lock wouldn't budge, so the dealer replaced both door handles and lock assemblies and worked on the rattles. We were back to the dealer on March 3 (at 25,676 miles) with the fuel gauge still lying to us. The dealer yanked the entire instrument cluster and replaced it. All fixes were under warranty.
Meanwhile, we improved the Z3's appeal on ice with four Yokohama AVS S4 snow tires ($636), which boosted grip substantially. Up here in the tundra, these tires are a necessity.
Shipped off to Bedard's hideout in Florida in March (27,500 miles), the "Check Engine" warning light began flashing on and off for no reason, then the tachometer freaked out, bouncing all over the place. This weirdness coincided with the yellow dash light ordering an oil service, but a dealer in Palm Harbor stiffed us by performing an "Inspection II" service, which was $203.
It needed the oil and filter swap, but it was way early for new plugs, tranny oil, an air cleaner, and other parts. We ate a $381 bill. (To keep the accounting straight, we ordered a normal oil change at the next service interval.)
The Florida dealer decided the car's schizophrenic warning lights were caused by a failed oxygen sensor. By the time the ordered parts came in we were back in Michigan, where the Z3 spent four days away from home in April while the dealer replaced the hazard switch and the oxygen sensor. The only way to cure the crazy tach was to&emdash;gulp!&emdash;replace the entire instrument cluster again. All work was covered by the warranty.
On Cinco de Mayo, at 38,954 miles, our Z3 got a final $83 oil change. Some cad here had also crunched the front air dam and bumper cover, and replacing them cost us $865. Service costs over almost 40,000 miles cost $799, about four times what our $17,168 long-term Miata cost in 1991 over 30,000 miles. Our blue Z3 got 27 miles to the gallon. The Boxster and the SLK will be pricey to service, too, although neither is a throwback to rough-hewn sports cars the way the Z3 is.
Our test car was quicker a year later. Where it had once turned 0 to 60 in 8.0 seconds and 0 to 100 in 26.4 seconds, it now did them in 7.8 and 24.5, and the quarter-mile time dropped from 16.2 to 16.0. The Z3 also stopped nine feet earlier from 70 to 0 mph (169 feet new, 160 feet at 40,000 miles).
The Z3 was a popular ride here. It's sleek, an attention getter, a civilizing treatment of the roughhouse sports-car ideal. We prefer the 2.8-liter six model, but it sends the price heavenward by more than $7000, to $36,508. Still, that's about five grand cheaper than the Boxster and the SLK.
Rants and Raves
The car's nose is a work of art. I was surprised and delighted at the arc that stretches from the wheelhouse, around the nose, and back to the wheelhouse. Simply gorgeous&emdash;not a vertical or horizontal surface anywhere. &emdash;Schroeder
What a hot car! On the way to Canada, we got more stares than the Pope in a Speedo. &emdash;Mosher
Lack of torque is annoying. Really have to punch it just to spin the tires, even on wet surfaces. And how about a tilting steering wheel? &emdash;Davidek
This Z3 shares one trait with the 3-series. Hinge friction (doors and trunk) is extreme, making slamming necessary to ensure closure. &emdash;Bedard
I drove the Z3 for 2170 miles, and with the top up, it doesn't have the feel of a sports car -- much more comfort than one would expect. My co-pilot was six foot six, and the car had enough room for him. &emdash;Vaughn
Tach and temp gauge finally back in operation&emdash;this really is a traditional sports car, complete with imitation Lucas electrics. &emdash;Bedard
Baubles and Bolt-Ons
Maybe you'd better hear this sitting down.
The tony steering wheel you see here, sold by BMW and installed on our test car, cost $650. The matching wood shifter is $98. Smelling salts, anyone? About half the wheel, which is fatter in diameter than the stock version and finger-grooved underneath, is burled walnut, the other half covered by grippy leather at the "nine" and "three" hand positions.
Worth it? Head techy Markus says yes, swearing he'd "happily skip the power seat and seat heaters to pay for them." But Jon Davis, who drove the Z3 some 5500 miles through the One Lap of America course, said the spokes are set in the wrong positions and dismissed the steering wheel as "ugly."
The rowdies around here complained fervently about the "wimpy" exhaust note. We did our gosh darnedest to get B & B Fabrication of Glendale, Arizona, to send us one of its Z3 muffler and tailpipe units but discovered they're available only for the 2.8-liter model.
(For info, call 888-228-7435. The system is less than the wheel -- about $600, we're told.)
BMW Z3
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger,
2-door convertible
Price as tested: $31,827 (base price: $29,320)
Engine type: DOHC 16-valve 4-in-line, iron block and aluminum head,
Bosch HFM Motronic M5.2 engine-control system with port
fuel injection
Displacement...................................116 cu in, 1895cc
Power (SAE net)...............................138 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque (SAE net)............................133 lb-ft @ 4300 rpm
Transmission......................................5-speed manual
Wheelbase................................................96.3 in
Length..................................................158.5 in
Curb weight..............................................2760 lb
Performance: new 40,000
Zero to 60 mph........................... 8.0 sec 7.8 sec
Zero to 100 mph.......................... 26.4 sec 24.5 sec
Street start, 5-60mph.................... 9.6 sec 9.0 sec
Standing 1/4-mile........................ 16.2 sec 16.0 sec
@ 83 mph @ 84 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph........................ 169 ft 160 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad.......... 0.86 g 0.87 g
Top speed (governor limited)............. 116 mph 116 mph
EPA fuel economy, city driving............................23 mpg
C/D observed fuel economy.................................27 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions..................................0 qt
Service and repair stops:
Scheduled.....................................................4
Unscheduled...................................................6
Operating costs (for 40,000 miles):
Service....................................................$799
Normal wear..................................................$9
Repair.....................................................$865
Gasoline (@ $1.17 per gallon).............................$1738
Life expectancies (extrapolated from 40,000-mile test):
Tires..............................................42,000 miles
Front brake pads....................... ..........100,000 miles
Rear brake pads.........................more than 100,000 miles