Description
This is a really smart example of an early Z3, offered for sale with an advisory-free MOT valid until April 2026.
I bought the car a year ago and have used it in good weather, which wasn’t a tremendous amount last year as we barely had any – it has been an occasional use car and I’ve covered maybe 1, 000 miles in total. It’s great and a lot of fun to drive, but I’ve fallen in love with an Alfa Romeo Spider and have just spent a small fortune having the engine rebuilt, so the BMW has to go. I’d struggle to use both of them, anyway.
It’s in great overall condition for an unrestored 27yr old car, with none of the rot in the sills and wings that you often see in Z3s. I’ve also had the underside wax-treated to protect it.
There are few minor imperfections as you’d expect from a car of this age, including some minor trolley-type dents on the driver’s door, a tiny patch of paint fade on one rear quarter and some delaminating on one of the BMW wing badges. There are a few other minor chips and scuffs but there’s no rust on any of the panels and it looks great overall, especially after a good polish. The wheels are all lovely, and it has a recent set of tyres all round.
Inside, the charcoal seats are in excellent order as are the carpets and rare green factory floor mats. The interior door handle has come loose, though, and needs a repair, and there’s a panel missing from the headlight switch. It has a CD radio which works, but isn’t the best.
The roof is fine insofar as it fits snugly and doesn’t leak, but there’s some lose stitching around the rear window and a couple of minor snags.
Mechanically, it drives superbly. The engine is smooth and responsive (and livelier than you might expect the 1. 9 to be) and the gearbox and steering as rewarding as you’d expect from a BMW of its era – like my old E36, but with a low driving position and a fabulous view out over that vast bonnet.
The car has a V5 in my name and sailed through its MOT last month without a single advisory. However, there is no real history with the car – the previous long-term owner was an engineer at RAF Marham and did all of the maintenance itself. It was last serviced in May 2024, and has covered less than 1, 000 miles since. It’s also soon to be magazine featured, if you like little quirks like that.
Overall, it’s a great example of a pure, early Z3 and I expect I’ll regret selling it, but you can’t keep everything… Or so I’m told by Domestic Management.
