Possibly a little controversy ?

Jon Jeffryes

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British Zeds
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Jul 3, 2015
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62
Location
Crawley, West Sussex
Model of Z
Z3 2.2i Sport
After much hard work (and many new parts) aided by the sages on this site, my 2.2 Z3 is actually running as BMW originally intended. I am now enjoying the full benefits of running a charismatic and polished sports car and getting to know the car properly.

Last night we took advantage of the clear skies in the SE and had an evening top down moonlit run through the A and B roads of Sussex and Surrey....I love top down motoring, my personal view is the roof only goes up when the snow has filled the cockpit!

It was one of those fantastic drives that combined clear, interesting B roads around the Surrey Hills with a car completely 'on song' ....and it was at that point that I had my 'deja vu' moment....this car reminds me of my old Porsche 911 Sc Targa! Yes, shock , horror...it really does.....and in a really good way, not just because that was also yellow ;-)

It is the pace of the car and the power & torque delivery characteristics that feel so similar. Also the ride and style of the steering feedback - which is the bit that really surprises me given that the Beemer is front engined and the Porsche has the lump hung out the back - which delivered the realisation of what a fantastic package BMW have created with the Z3.

If I; a serial Porsche owner with hundreds of thousands of road miles in that brand; can get the same driving sensations from a sub £5k roadster that my £20k thoroughbred Porsche 911 delivered, how long will it be before the motoring critics wake up to how good a well set up Z3 is....I predict official classic status is just around the corner...but I'm really glad that I found the car now before prices follow other classics and become financially stretching...

Oh I should add that the above only applies to DakarGelb cars :)

Jon
 

GazHyde

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Shhhhhhhh, don't tell too many people or we'll be flooded with ex-Porsche owners :whistle:

Seriously though, it's an incredibly underrated car for sure, and the prices are pretty ludicrous at the moment for the driving experience you get from one!
 

Brian H

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which delivered the realisation of what a fantastic package BMW have created with the Z3.
I have been beating this drum for a while, the keyboard warriors that dismiss these cars are missing out on a treat.

Seriously though, it's an incredibly underrated car for sure
+1
 

Grumps

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Totally agree but classic status I feel may be a way off yet purely down to the amount that are still on the road. I think your at least 10 years off being anywhere close but fingers crossed!
 

Jon Jeffryes

Zorg Addict
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Points
62
Location
Crawley, West Sussex
Model of Z
Z3 2.2i Sport
Shhhhhhhh, don't tell too many people or we'll be flooded with ex-Porsche owners :whistle:

Seriously though, it's an incredibly underrated car for sure, and the prices are pretty ludicrous at the moment for the driving experience you get from one!
Well, having served a long and expensive Porsche career, it's refreshing to have
Bet the gearbox is not as notchy as an old 911 SC :p
Not now I've changed the gearbox and diff oil ...before that it was pretty close :)
 

Jon Jeffryes

Zorg Addict
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Points
62
Location
Crawley, West Sussex
Model of Z
Z3 2.2i Sport
Totally agree but classic status I feel may be a way off yet purely down to the amount that are still on the road. I think your at least 10 years off being anywhere close but fingers crossed!
Well, I think I'll be happy with the high survival rate rather than a slightly increased value for now.....
 

Jon Jeffryes

Zorg Addict
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 3, 2015
Points
62
Location
Crawley, West Sussex
Model of Z
Z3 2.2i Sport
I can say, that after a long time wanting a Z3, I have never looked back since the first day I got behind the wheel.
I came across Z3 ownership by accident having viewed quite a few Boxsters....my original target....which left me frankly underwhelmed! On the way home from viewing the last Porsche, my wife redirected me to the Z3 being sold by a local trader...because it was yellow!....and the rest is history as documented on this forum.
 
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