At $9,500, Does This Hardtopped 2000 BMW Z3 2.8 Drive A Hard Bargain?

Consider all the things that could potentially go wrong on today’s Nice Price or No Dice Z3, and then read the ad and realize most of those issues have already been addressed. Let’s see if this purportedly well-maintained roadster is equally well-priced.

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Have you ever noticed the different ways people pronounce Celica? In the U.S., we tend to say it “sell-ick-a,” while over in England, the Brits like to say “sell-EEK-a.” That bugs the shit out of me. I mean, come on, people, let’s all get on the same page on this. Fortunately, no such issue arose with yesterday’s 1997 Toyota Paseo since that smaller model takes its name from the Spanish word for a leisurely stroll or boulevard. That felt appropriate considering the car’s meager 93 horsepower and automatic transmission, but even that lackadaisical drivetrain couldn’t dampen the attraction of the car’s convertible roof, overall condition, and $8,500 asking. Combined, those garnered a narrow but respectable 53 percent Nice Price win.

Toyota has long cultivated a robust reputation for its products’ build quality and durability. This has come at the cost of a sense of personality in the majority of those products. Acknowledging that gap, Toyota sought to imbue its recently reimagined Supra with a sense of individuality, rawness, and purpose. In doing so, the company decided to think outside the box but inside the roundel — the BMW Roundel.

BMW has never had as entrenched a reputation for durability in its products as has Toyota, but it’s inarguable that the company’s products do exude gobs of personality and shine ever so brightly, if only for so long.

This 2000 BMW Z3 2.8 certainly offers a great deal of personality in its looks. It’s not quite as adorkable as its clownshoe coupe brother, but the hardtop does lend a bit of goofiness along with its practicality. This is also a “BMW of a certain age,” which means it could be rife with mechanical issues that are the result of twenty-plus years of use and its natural BMW-ness. According to the ad, though, and borne out by the ad’s pictures, that does not appear to be the case.

The seller boasts this to be a “reliable Z3” and provides the receipts, so to speak, in backing up that claim by listing the extensive maintenance and repair work that has gone into the car.

With its 2.8-liter M52 straight six, Getrag five-speed stick, and limited slip rear end, this is one of the better-performing Z3s and, hence, a solid foundation for that ongoing conservation work. At 189 horsepower, the car may not be as powerful as its three-liter big brothers, but it should prove spritely enough.

It looks good too. The gray paint holds a shine and lends the car a suitably refined appearance, also supported by the handsome Style 42 wheels the car wears. The cabin appears to be in workable shape, too, although the ad doesn’t provide a picture of the glovebox to indicate whether or not it suffers the typical Z3 sag.

Updated snoods for the shifter and E-brake bring a little color to the cabin, something that some may enjoy while others might consider garishly out of place. Above all that is a color-matched hardtop with a new headliner and a newish soft top that the seller claims is weathertight and decent-looking.

It’s underneath the car where things really get interesting, though. The ad offers multiple CHUD-view chassis shots showing the mechanicals to be remarkably dry and clean. Major work has been done to the car, updating the clutch, shift action, and lots of under-car rubber, including the Guibo. New Sachs struts and shocks have also been added, and the engine has a new cooling system, including the radiator.

All this work — and more — has been completed within the last 3,000 miles, and the seller will include the actual receipts in the sale. Overall, the car has 168,000 miles on the clock and comes with a clean title. The reason given for the sale is the recent purchase of an M Roadster upgrade, which makes this lesser (but hardly dismissible) car redundant. The asking price to de-wondertwin the present owner is $9,500.

What’s your take on this seemingly well-sorted Z3 and that $9,500 asking? Does that seem like a fair deal, considering all the updates and the car’s clean presentation? Or does that price tag mean all that work was for naught?

You decide!

Allentown, Pennsylvania, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to whatsupdohc for the hookup!

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