Hello everyone,
About a year ago, I became the proud owner of my first car: a 1998 BMW Z3 in Arctic Silver, featuring the brilliant M44 engine and a manual transmission. It had 167,000 km (103,000 miles) on the clock, and from the moment I saw it, I knew it was the one.
My love for the Z3 started a few months earlier when my uncle lent me his 1996 1.9 automatic for a road trip to France. That week behind the wheel was all it took, I was hooked. I had to get one of my own. Ideally with the M44 engine, not just because Belgian taxes on six-cylinder cars are steep and insurance for someone my age isn’t exactly cheap, but also because the M44 has a lively, lovable character that suits the car perfectly.
After three months of searching for the right spec with a solid history, I found this gem. The silver paint is beautifully complemented by the red-and-black sport seats, which were a must-have for me. The M-sport steering wheel was another welcome bonus. Heated seats are wonderful in spring and autumn. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with a limited-slip differential, but you can’t have everything in life I guess.
Thankfully, the previous owner had already done extensive engine work, including:
I went to see the car together with my father and took it out for a test drive. It felt right straight away, and I was sold. The owner agreed to have it inspected (similar to an MOT) and to take care of the issues that came up. One of them was the X-brace, which had corroded badly and even had a hole in it. He replaced it before handing the car over, which gave me extra confidence in the purchase.
A few weeks later, I traveled across the country to pick te car up, several train rides and a drive with the seller later, I was finally face-to-face with my Z. I drove it home without a hitch.
Here a picture of the first week at home:
And the lovely sport interior:
But a few weeks later, trouble struck: coolant started leaking at an alarming rate. Turned out the expansion tank needed replacing, in the end a whole new radiator went in. They also fixed a small leak in the rubber power steering fluid lines by replacing them and tackled the surface rust on the brake lines.
After that, the car went into winter storage. When spring came, it fired right up, and I was able to truly enjoy it over the past year.
Next on the list were the tires. It came with 11-year-old 205-width winter tires, not ideal in terms of performance or looks. After some searching, I found a set of Style 18 wheels with newer Dunlop summer tires. They offer much better grip and look far more fitting (the arches are much better filled). The ride is a bit firmer now, but the benefits outweigh the trade-off.
Looking great on the style 18's.
( Yeah, the number plate holder isn’t aligned properly, and it annoys me as well… )
I also did my first bit of maintenance myself: oil change, oil filter, air filter, and spark plugs. After driving over 5,000 km (3,000 miles), I’m still absolutely thrilled with the car. It’s now back in winter storage, waiting for the next season.
Cleaned and ready for winter (I also put it under a cover):
Coming up: new brake discs and pads (the steering wheel shakes slightly under hard braking and pulls to one side), replacement of the worn-out handbrake shoes, and a full suspension refresh (bushings and dampers, maybe lowering it so the arch gaps close in even more...). The headlights also need polishing, as they’ve become a bit dull over time.
I hope to continue documenting more of my journey on this forum.
Kind regards, Gauthier.
About a year ago, I became the proud owner of my first car: a 1998 BMW Z3 in Arctic Silver, featuring the brilliant M44 engine and a manual transmission. It had 167,000 km (103,000 miles) on the clock, and from the moment I saw it, I knew it was the one.
My love for the Z3 started a few months earlier when my uncle lent me his 1996 1.9 automatic for a road trip to France. That week behind the wheel was all it took, I was hooked. I had to get one of my own. Ideally with the M44 engine, not just because Belgian taxes on six-cylinder cars are steep and insurance for someone my age isn’t exactly cheap, but also because the M44 has a lively, lovable character that suits the car perfectly.
After three months of searching for the right spec with a solid history, I found this gem. The silver paint is beautifully complemented by the red-and-black sport seats, which were a must-have for me. The M-sport steering wheel was another welcome bonus. Heated seats are wonderful in spring and autumn. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with a limited-slip differential, but you can’t have everything in life I guess.
Thankfully, the previous owner had already done extensive engine work, including:
- Replacing the head gasket
- Servicing the intake and exhaust valves
- Replacing the timing chain
- Installing new piston rings
- Replacing the connecting rods
- Installing a new crankshaft
- Replacing the crankshaft bearings
- Resurfacing the cylinder head
- Replacing the valve seals
I went to see the car together with my father and took it out for a test drive. It felt right straight away, and I was sold. The owner agreed to have it inspected (similar to an MOT) and to take care of the issues that came up. One of them was the X-brace, which had corroded badly and even had a hole in it. He replaced it before handing the car over, which gave me extra confidence in the purchase.
A few weeks later, I traveled across the country to pick te car up, several train rides and a drive with the seller later, I was finally face-to-face with my Z. I drove it home without a hitch.
Here a picture of the first week at home:
And the lovely sport interior:
But a few weeks later, trouble struck: coolant started leaking at an alarming rate. Turned out the expansion tank needed replacing, in the end a whole new radiator went in. They also fixed a small leak in the rubber power steering fluid lines by replacing them and tackled the surface rust on the brake lines.
After that, the car went into winter storage. When spring came, it fired right up, and I was able to truly enjoy it over the past year.
Next on the list were the tires. It came with 11-year-old 205-width winter tires, not ideal in terms of performance or looks. After some searching, I found a set of Style 18 wheels with newer Dunlop summer tires. They offer much better grip and look far more fitting (the arches are much better filled). The ride is a bit firmer now, but the benefits outweigh the trade-off.
Looking great on the style 18's.
( Yeah, the number plate holder isn’t aligned properly, and it annoys me as well… )
I also did my first bit of maintenance myself: oil change, oil filter, air filter, and spark plugs. After driving over 5,000 km (3,000 miles), I’m still absolutely thrilled with the car. It’s now back in winter storage, waiting for the next season.
Cleaned and ready for winter (I also put it under a cover):
Coming up: new brake discs and pads (the steering wheel shakes slightly under hard braking and pulls to one side), replacement of the worn-out handbrake shoes, and a full suspension refresh (bushings and dampers, maybe lowering it so the arch gaps close in even more...). The headlights also need polishing, as they’ve become a bit dull over time.
I hope to continue documenting more of my journey on this forum.
Kind regards, Gauthier.
