this may ignite the fire but i need to know

[markbsac]

having been looking for the ideal z3 for almost 6 months now it appears i can never get everything on the one car that i desire...find the right car right colour right interior...then look and find out its only the 1.9 8v..i have test driven the 2.0 my mates and i loved it....so if i buy a 1.9 of which there seems to be lots available, what do i sacrifice by not going for the straight 6 ?

[geminimustang]

1.9,16v,138hp is the best value for money car on the planet.Ignore what the other forum members will tell you,just trust me!!

[johnjo]

You can never beat the sound and performance of the straight 6 one will turn up

[PCSAM]

I had a 1.9 m44 and loved it . jumped up to the 3.0i

[reddyzeddygo]

1.9,16v,138hp is the best value for money car on the planet.Ignore what the other forum members will tell you,just trust me!!

I agree. Loving my 1.9i, 4cyl, Z3. Best balanced Z3 IMHO!
(Just ask the Badmangee - he has a Z3M, but secretly wants the power and speed of the 1.9i !)

[Badman gee]

1.9,16v,138hp is the best value for money car on the planet.Ignore what the other forum members will tell you,just trust me!!

I agree. Loving my 1.9i, 4cyl, Z3. Best balanced Z3 IMHO!
(Just ask the Badmangee - he has a Z3M, but secretly wants the power and speed of the 1.9i !)

I dream of a 1.9 Shaun. They give me the horn.

[TitanTim]

Nowt wrong with the 8v 1.9. It's as Zed as they come.

Tim.

[geminimustang]

Not easy to get an affordable exhaust for the 8v.

[amancuso]

No such thing as an 8v 1.9 here in the USA. Over here the orig. Z3 was the 16v 1.9, a very nice motor indeed!

[Brian4]

Silver 2.0 in birmingham sports seats some of the description is wrong, no headlamp washers and it has both a cd and cassette player?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

Blue 2.0 needs the wing mirror bases sorting which is no prob and a good clean. looks as if the rear screen is split but can be replaced and a good bargaining point.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

give me a shout if you want to look at any.

[Eastsix]

The bigger engined cars are so cheap now, i dont know why anyone would buy anything else. Insurance and petrol cant be THAT much difference, surely? Thats not to criticise the smaller engines, but you just dont have to pay much to get quite a lot more.

[Eastsix]

Of course, i speak as a man with a 2.8 for sale, so i have an agenda.

[gookah]

dont forget it is easier to change a naff interior on a big engined car than a small engine on a nice interior'ed car..
there are lots of upgrades now available, and more fun to be had finding them and doing it...
the wrong spec is not the end of the world if you get the main thing that is important to you.

[Zed Carer]

Silver 2.0 in birmingham sports seats some of the description is wrong, no headlamp washers and it has both a cd and cassette player?

Not unusual for 99 and early 2000 models to have cd and cassette - my 99 2.8 has the cassette head unit with the CD changer in the boot.

[markbsac]

wow thanks people ...the 2 cars for sale i have seen on autotrader really dont want a silver z and the blue one looks very scruffy if i was trying to sell a car i would make it look as good as i could......the engine and the colour is the main factor i suppose straight 6 seems the better choice .....but thanks for the explanation of the 1.9s.....im not going to be tearing up the highway or doing thousands of miles ...but i did love the sound of the 6, but i cant compare that to the 1.9 as i have not driven one...the interior is not an issue this can be changed....my search goes on thanks once again for all of your help over the months i havebeen on here.

[Mike Fishwick]

Aftr thirteen years of owning my 2.8 nI am still wondering what people find so remarkable about its exhaust note - in standard form it was just a droning noise, with an Eisenmann it was just a lot noisier, and with its current custom made system is nice and quiet.

The only Z3s with a pleasant exhaust note - at some speeds - are the 3.0 and 2.2 litre models, as these use two seperate pipes from the manifolds backwards, and so have a pleasant six-cylinder burble at low engine speeds.

You only hear the exhaust when you have been overtaken anyway, so why get excited about it, unless you want it to be either noisey or quiet?

If you can find a really good 140 bhp 1.9 car, this will go at least as well as the 150-ish bhp of the 2.0 litre model, and is the best handling Z3 of all, thanks to the lack of another 50 lbs in front of the axle line. Otherwise buy the biggest engined model you can afford/insure, as they all have about the same fuel consumption. Look for a car with leather interior (in case you are parked with the roof down and it rains) a power hood (for convenience) and air conditioning (for instant demisting).

[TitanTim]

Regarding exhaust sounds, I was having a look at various youtube vids last night and have to say most are pretty laughable and I just don't see how people can put up with a noisy car like that. Looked at some Supersprint clips on a Zed and I felt they were dissapointing sound wise. Many after market exhausts to me just sound plain awful. My Z3s exhaust is nice and quiet, quite bassy when cold but quiet at speed which I prefer for everday use at the moment. The Z4s is quite loud when you start up as there is a flap in the exhaust which is open at startup and then quiets down once warm but gives a pleasant rumble at idle. Thankfully smooth and quiet with the top down. If the exhaust should ever go on the Z3 I might just stick with OEM again although they aren't cheap but I feel the best for the car.

Tim.

[Kornknarr]

I owned a 1.8, then a 2.8 and now an M. The 1.8 was disappointing. really felt it was underpowered. The 2.8 was the ideal cruiser and occasional andrenaline rusher. A very nice car indeed. But the lust drove me even further... I can't really tell why. I just love the idea of having a bit more under the hood then I need and I love the Estoril blue, the seats and...

But probably. If the 2.8 had been blue I wouldn't have traded it... It's very much about feelings and not always very rational so you have to follow them to be satisfied in some sense.

Per

[Jonttt]

Let's not beat around the bush here, go for a straight 6, it's what BMW is famous for for a reason and they won't make them forever the way things are going

[TitanTim]

Let's not beat around the bush here, go for a straight 6, it's what BMW is famous for for a reason and they won't make them forever the way things are going

You need to try the new 4 cyl twin scroll turbos with sound generator

Tim.

[Z3cade]

Let's not beat around the bush here, go for a straight 6, it's what BMW is famous for for a reason and they won't make them forever the way things are going

You need to try the new 4 cyl twin scroll turbos with sound generator

Tim.

http://youtu.be/826b4Cdbe9Q

[yalden]

What's your budget?

[markbsac]

3k

[Z3cade]

Member on her has a nice 2.8 with low milage at 2.6k!

2.8s are great.. I had one

[markbsac]

looks lovely but im after the 2.0 or 2.2 in blue....2.8 the insurance bumps up....but i must admit looks a fine example

[Z3cade]

It's a 97 so you would be able to go for a classic insurance policy around £250

[markbsac]

i also want the facelift with the different boot and rear wings ..so blue 2.0 or 2.2 with new style boot and wings...under 100k im sure that is a lovely car but not quite what i am looking for

[r100elp]

i also want the facelift with the different boot and rear wings ..so blue 2.0 or 2.2 with new style boot and wings...under 100k im sure that is a lovely car but not quite what i am looking for

Something like this?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

[GBz3]

Considered a 2.2?

Nice balance of power and economy I think