Is the Z3 Automatic Transmission Any Good

[mwpe]

I think your speedo is out Mike. I followed you across Europe.....twice

Z speedos are known to be inaccurate, yours must over read.

 

[Jasn]

There are 2 different autos in the Z, earlier ones have a simple old style auto but the facelift ones have the Selectronic. I wouldn’t consider the older one but like the Selectronic. The Z is the first auto I have owned.

This is a really important point. I have the old-style automatic in our Z3 and it's fine for cruising around, which is what that car is for, but the Selectronic would open up the possibility for a more enjoyable drive. The 'manual' mode on the old-style automatic doesn't really just allow you to move through gears as if it were a manual. It's more just for choosing 1 or 2 for hills and so on. That's my experience with it anyway.

 

[Dalek]

I use my selectronic in manual mode all the time and I find it very responsive and great fun to drive. Sounds good too!

 

[Chrisr1949]

I've got a facelift 2000 2L auto and it's fitted with the earlier GM 4L30e transmission. It was the 2001 - on models that were fitted with the steptronic autos. I may be stating the obvious but why buy an auto if you really want a manual? Although I'm perfectly happy with my earlier box I've had a few Beamers with the later auto box and I wish I'd gone for one of the last Z3s with this box. So there you have it. If you want a manual wait a couple of months for the market to get going and then you'll have a better choice, for an auto wait for a 2001 model. An X reg will be just before the March 2001 road tax changes to ones based upon manufacturer's emissions statistics which are slightly dearer to tax. Be careful though, my car is a 2000 X reg with the old auto box. It's the 2001up to March that are still on the old 2 tier road tax.