| Newbie - MGB to Z3 Convertion
A converted soul from a 1969 MGB for ten years to a 1998 Z3.
Wife and I take top down touring vacations. The last couple of years we hit some hot temperatures of 115 degrees with no cooling sources to cool down. That about did it for the MGB. No air conditioning.
So I set out to match the fun in the sun we had with our MGB all those years.
I selected the cars of Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4, Alfa Romeo, Honda 2000, Toyota MR2, and Mini Cooper. After reading 100's of owners reviews of all these cars I opted for the BMW Z3. These owners seem to have the most all around satisfaction with their cars. Especially when touring and comfort.
I like the traditional roadster look of the car.
After looking at many many candidates I found one about 3-hours away from our house. A 1998 Z3 2.8L. Only had 30,000 miles on it and well kept in a garage all its life. First owner average about 2,400 miles/year, and second owner put on about 760 miles per year.
I enjoyed the 3-hour drive home in the car, with the only down side was that it was wet slush and snow that day. That really hurt my sole. But it handle well. The car has been parked for about 4-weeks now in the garage because it continues to snow, snow and snow. Don't like taking on salty roads.
This next statement is for all that have this car. This was the only downside of the car I found after I bought it. My car is in good shape, but there is one thing you should all inspect your car for. It could lead to a very dangerous accident if you don't.
First look inside your trunk under the carpet above your back axle. There are a number of spot welds in the floor of your trunk that hold your axle differential assembly in place. If these spot welds are showing cracks in them or have come loose then you need to take your car in to have it fixed right away. The axle assembly could come loose and cause you to loose control of your car.
If the spot welds have loosened then, there may also be cracks in the support members under the trunk floor. If you search Z3 differential repair in youtube you will find some videos about this.
Generally they say there was mostly a problem with the stronger 3.2 engines, but this problem has also shown up in the very first model year small engines.
This has probably been mentioned before, but if you have not seen it you should know about the hazard.
Else enjoy your BMW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | 
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