Faults:

Air bag light - 1st week of ownership.

Windscreen cracked down the middle - 2nd week.

Air bag light - 2 months.

Fuel sender broke - 26,000.

Seat belt wiring - 28,000.

2 new back tyres - 28,500.

ABS relay - 32,000.

Dashboard lights out - 31,000.

Steering wheel alignment - 31,500.

Radio display out - 39,000.

Back lights out - 39,000.

Siren on the alarm were faulty - 39,000.

General Comments:

This was my dream car when I bought it, however as you can see from the above - nearly every month I have spent some time in the BMW showroom. It has got beyond a joke. I bought the car 2nd hand FSH 1 owner etc. The car is great and I wish I could paint a different picture but I can't, the car is the worst for reliability ever - every time I turn the car on I dread what will happen next. From what I know of other Z3 drivers, they never have this problem.

Buy one for the sake of saying you've owned it. Otherwise stay well away.

Faults:

When I first picked up the car it was raining, by the time I got the damned thing back home the inside was soaking wet, this was due to a faulty hood clip, not pulling down the hood tight enough.

1 week later the main gasket on the underside of the engine holding the oil in went, (keep in mind the car is only 3 years old), BMW fixed this quickly without any fuss.

My main worry was the exhaust splitting under the heat of the engine, the main part of the front section overheated and split, a common problem on the 2.8, the engine gives off too much heat and the exhaust cannot cope with the pressure and heat and so gives way.

General Comments:

The car was supposed to me for my wife as it is more suited to a lady, it is definitely a ladies car looks wise.

Standard wheels look positively awful, power is really nothing special, 0-60 in around 7 seconds. Handles quite well with traction control on, and believe me it needs it, take the Z3 anywhere with it off and the first corner you take at more than 10mph, you will know about it!.

The engine note is very quiet which was yet another disappointment, my car is a 2.8 litre with the exhaust note of a 1.1 Nova, hardly the aggressive pitch you would expect from a "performance car".

I was very disappointed with the problems I have had so far and will probably sell it in a year or so and get a Saab Turbo convertible.

If I can give anyone out there any advice at all it is this.............

DO NOT BUY THIS CAR, BUY A MONDEO OR A CAVALIER!!

This car is a SHEEP in WOLF's clothing.

Looks = Yes

Performance = No