Z3 Swap or Restore

[riggers]

ok folks I'm new here and need some advice 

I Have a 2.0L   Z3    yr 2000    K100,000    its just failed MOT mainly on brake lines and pads Etc bodywork quite good except for both front wings and both sills , wife loves the car , big question is do i swap it for a Z4 or do i throw 3-4 grand into it and fully restore it to mint condition. 

does anyone know where to get body panels and part if i go down the restore route 

thanks 

[Bimmer Owners Club]

Hi Mark....welcome to the Forum

Bizarrely enough, I also have the same car (2000, 2.0ltr with 100k miles) in Silver.
It is off the road at the moment as was written off as a CAT C but have since replaced the damaged parts and you would not know the difference.

However, I also have the same dilemma as you....do I spend money on a new roof and some paintwork or do I jump to a Z4?
Have thought long and hard and have decided to keep the Z3 as it owes me nothing now and it is an iconic modern classic.

In summary, mine will never be worth a huge amount in the future because of the mileage and also being CAT C....but as I already own it and I really enjoy it then I will stick with it and spend some money on sorting out the issues.

Hope this will convince you to keep it and also maybe worth test driving a Z4 for a period to see if you really think it is any better than the Z3 and make a decision then.
Let us know how it goes

Cheers,   Trevor

[Karen]

Hi, I have a p reg z3 with suspected brocken piston ring, there is little or no compression on the 4th cylinder, is this worth repairing I should I just scrap, it does still run and only has 74000 on clock, if anyone could give a rough estimate of what this would cost to repair it would be appreciated. 

[Greydog]

I would talk to a couple of garages to get some comparison costs between rebuild or replace with a used/refurb unit. Once you have the costs you are in a stronger position to make a decision

Cars tend to have 2 values the hard nosed market value and the emotional attachment value, only you can answer that question.

Dave

[Karen]

Thanks Dave, I do love the little car and I know if I look at something the same age there still around 2, 500, thanks for your response. 

Karen. 

[Greydog]

Morning Karen

I would talk to some of the BMW specialist breakers (oop's think we have to call them re-cyclers now) The M52 engine was used in many other models so there will be a low miles M52 engine out there, they came in 2.0 2.5 and 2.8 any of which will fit and with your sensors and ecu connected have you back on the road  Remember you should tell your insurers if you put a bigger lump in. The only thing to be aware of is early engines are single Vanos latter engines were twin Vanos if you go twin Vanos you will need the engine loom and ECU/DME

Just had a quick google and there are several M52 engines from £300 up if you added around £1000 for labour (another oop's I am assuming you're not going to do it yourself my daughter will nag me if she see's this) and items like oil, antifreeze gaskets etc and your back on the road for about £1500. If you go with a 2.8 your back with significant power hike and if I read correctly a possible improvement in economy.

Hope this helps

Dave

 

[Bimmer Owners Club]

Hi Karen

I would definitely consider repairing the Z3....after all, they are going up in value.

Not sure which engine size it is and also how many cylinders?

If it has the four cylinder engine then these are cheap and plentiful and very easy to fit a new one....all in imagine you would be looking to fit a secondhand engine for around £650 to £750.
The alternative is to replace the piston or rings which again is an easy job on these engines but I would have a garage Leak Test the cylinder to determine whether it is a defective piston or valve (simple job to carry out with compressed air and see where it leaks from).

However, if it is the 6 cylinder engine as Dave has already talked about then costs would be considerably higher (much more complex engine).

I'm hanging onto my Z3 for both sentimental and also financial reasons and cannot imagine a day where I will part with it

Let us know how you get on with it

Cheers .   Trevor