That may not be a fair title, comparing this 1997 BMW Z3 Roadster to a Mazda Miata, either for Miata fans or BMW fans. Mazda regenerated interest in small two-seat roadsters with its Miata, the best-selling convertible two-seat sports car of all time, almost a decade before this car was made, but there are enough differences to set them apart. This Z3 can be found here on craigslist in the Gilbert, Arizona area and the seller is asking $10,000 or offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for the tip!
Believe it or not, this is the first BMW Z3 shown here on Barn Finds! It’s over 25 years old now so it’s within the grace period when it’s at least somewhat acceptable to show here, and we’ve shown newer vehicles than this in the past. And who doesn’t love a fun-to-drive, relatively cheap, two-seat roadster? The Z3 was built in South Carolina, a fun fact for trivia night.
I can’t tell if it’s light and shadow or if the trunk lid is a shade darker than the surrounding paint. The seller says that the paint shines like new and this car is original and has just 57,000 miles. BMW made the Z3 for seven model years, 1996 through 2002, and they came in roadster form as seen here or in a rarer hardtop mini-wagon or shooting brake version. There would be a range of engines from a four-cylinder and a six-cylinder, and they offered M versions with much more power in both roadster and coupe form. A telltale sign of a six-cylinder would be dual tailpipes as seen in this car.
Thankfully, this Z3 has a five-speed transmission rather than an automatic. The leather seats look great and as with the Miata, these small cars have a generous amount of legroom, at least the convertibles do. I looked at a Z3 Coupe about 20 years ago and I couldn’t get the seat back far enough to get in it, unfortunately. I ended up with an Audi TT that I still have but I really wanted that unusual-looking coupe. The convertible top appears to be in good condition as does what we see of the trunk area.
The unusually dusty engine (five minutes of cleaning would have done wonders) should be BMW’s M52, a silky-smooth 2.0-liter DOHC inline-six with 148 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. Various versions of this engine had well over double this power towards the end of the run in 2002. The seller says that it runs great, and it has no leaks, engine lights, or any other issues. This could be a good buy, have any of you owned a Z3?
I have had my Zed for five or six years now Scotty and still love it. You do not see many here in rural Wisconsin, I have had people ask if it is a new model. I had to tell them she is old enough to drink. No leaks or any issues with that smooth inline six. If you had bought the Clown shoe twenty years ago you probably would have made money. They trade for good money especially the M model. For 10 K this is a good deal. Take care, Mike.
That’s a beauty, Mike! I hope all is well. If my legs would have been 6″ shorter I would have gotten that crazy coupe for sure, although I was looking for a year-round car and figured that with AWD the TT would be better. I have never driven it in the winter, so much for that idea.
Hey Scotty I gotta to laugh, we both have leg problems. Yours are too long and mine do not work that well after the broken neck thing 3 years ago. I am blessed I can work the third pedal. I can not get my walker in the trunk so I can not stop for a greasy gut bomb and a pint of beer at one of the many dive bars we have in Wisconsin. Any way it is about the ride, happy I can still do that. Enjoy that TT. Never driven one but from what I have read they are exciting. Take care, Mike!
Hey Mike, awesome car and pictured with the last phone booth in Wisconsin! Diggin the license plate too!
Good to hear from you Gregg! Say hi to Sweetie Pie for me! Oh, there was no change in the coin return, LOL.
This is a beautiful car. I had 10k in my pocket five years ago, searched up and down the east coast for one of these. Spent weeks, just couldn’t find one that wasn’t beat. Ended up with a ‘99 Boxster instead, but always look over when I see a Z3 pass by.
Nice Zed, my 2000 with the 2.5 and five speed is running great at 144K, Is a solid and fun car to drive. Let’s see more Z3’s on Barn Finds
Sister in law had one. The six makes it a fun car to drive. Unfortunately it spent as much time in the shop as it did in her garage.
Currently own a triple black roadster, 1996, and it’s a boatload of fun to drive even with the 4-banger.
ALSO… “Top also is in great shape with no rips or tears.”
The photos beg to differ…
Nice write up covering a sweet little car. I like these better than Miatas, but the Mazda would be a lot cheaper to maintain. Please note, this would not be a 2 litre engine: it should be a 2.5 or 2.8. This seems like a fair price for a Z3 in this condition.
Thanks, RedFox – my mistake. I believe you’re right about it being a 2.8-liter with 189 hp.
You hit post before me Scotty. I searched over a year for the right one and found it a couple of states over. ’99 2.3 giving s&g here since 2006. Like anything else, reliable if one looks after it.
Should be the 2.8. The 2.5 (labeled as 2.3) was introduced in ’99.
I’ve always liked the style of the Z3. I owned a triple black 98 Z3 M Convertible for a while and sold it when their value shot up. Mine had the earlier 260hp motor and my plan was to replace mine with the later 314hp version. I got side tracked with a SRT6 Convertible and never bought the later Z3 M. Now I’m spoiled with a CLS63 AMG. I hope to but a 2018-19 E63S Wagon if I van find one at a decent price.
Eligible for an antique plate! If I had to choose, I still would get a Miata; they’re cheaper to maintain and have a much better track record for reliability.
$10 k is a great price if everything checks out. Not expensive to maintain, compared to what’s been built in the last 10 years,we have a dozen or so we take care of ,pre valvetronic, and are great cars with minimal problems.
I have owned a z3 and a boxter
Z3=2000
And
Boxster=2003
The boxster is far superior in every aspect , loved them both but needed more room to enjoy with the grandkids
With only 57K mi and if it has a complete detailed service history, $10k would be an OK deal. About 9 or 10 years ago I was looking for one of these to add to the fleet… looked at a bunch, but most were abused and/or had much differed maintenance. Then stumbled upon a Mercedes SLK320, with the retracting hard top and the somewhat rare (for the model) 6 speed manual. Not as good looking as the Z3, but a great ride none the less… still have it.
Nothing handles like a BMW…even with worn out suspension. …but when it comes time to fix them…you “B”etter bring “M”oney “W”ith you. $10k is decent, but you’ll need another $10k at least in parts and repairs …I know…worked for BMW for 20years. I owned..briefly a 2001 Z3 E36 coupe (clown shoe) beautiful Jet black with Saddle tan interior auto, no sun roof. BMW built those in certain combination numbers .Mine was 1 of 2 built in 2001 with its combinations . Bought it relatively inexpensive with only 6k miles in 2017. Did a few things to repair it and sold it 8 months later. For a profit before more things needed repairs.
Listing update: this must have been a good deal, the seller has taken down the listing. Which one of you grabbed this little gem?
Not a daily driver but an excellent weekend sunny day cruiser with 57k miles for 10k that looks great. Many years of smiles. What a nice bimmer roadster WOW.
My first new car was a 97 z3 with the 2.8 liter. Put down 2k on it a year earlier when the 6 was just a rumor. Had it for 24 years. Replaced the convertible top twice, and the fuel injectors. Otherwise just normal maintenance. REAL normal maintenance not what you end up having to do with many German car$. I have nothing but praise for it. Sold it for a fwd convertible so I could drive in snow.