z3 m thats not an an m??

tes · Post by **tes** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:09

Hi,
Ive been looking at buying a second hand z3 for a while now and have little (compared to you guys) knowledge of the car. I have seen one I like a lot but am a little confused by its 'm' badges when it quite obviously isnt. They say it 'has the m badges because it is an Mtec 2.8 which means it is M equipped but not M engined...ie steering wheel, gearstick etc'. Is this true?
Thankyou for any help.

Tom

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:18

That is the case, especially on later models

Welcome to the Forum

100GRA · Post by **100GRA** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:31

Mine is an April 1999 (just pre-facelift) 2.8 and came new with the M logo on the steering wheel and gearknob, but I've never really considered it to be an 'M' as such.

Post by **Robert T** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 17:36

My '99 1.9 also has ///M badges on the steering wheel and gearknob - they just show that they are the same as the ones on the ///M - they are standard on the car.

The giveaway that it is not an ///M is that there are no ///M badges on the boot, gills and wheels, oh and a distinct lack of quad-exhausts.

Welcome to the forum, btw.

Cheers R.

shabsbmw · Post by **shabsbmw** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 18:17

Hi Tes/Tom,

Welcome to the forum.

Mine is a 2002 2.2i Sport model, it also has the M logo on the wheel, but also comes with M Sport Suspension, so, that may be the case on the one you are looking at.

Good luck with finding the right Zed.

Shabs....

Zed Carer · Post by **Zed Carer** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 19:47

Hi Tess and welcome to the forum.

I was looking for a 2.8 from around last November and kept coming across one on Autotrader that was, from memory, described as a 2.8 MTec, a "one off", "never seen one before" and other such phrases. I had a second look at it the first time I came across it but it was a 2.8 with the M steering wheel, suspension, gearstick, etc that had been fitted with a quad exhaust and a load of ///M badges so not to my taste. I found that there were lots of 2.8's around with the M pack and I finally bought one at the end of March and have not been disappointed!

If you haven't already found it already there is a good article on buying a Z3 in one of the forums.

Good luck with the hunting!

///M_aniac · Post by **///M_aniac** » Tue 29 Apr, 2008 21:53

Hi Tom,

Welcome to the forum. Good luck in finding the right Zed. When you do, you'll know. You gotta have it.

tes · Post by **tes** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 08:42

thankyou all very much for the replies. its a 99 model, white, 60,000 on the clock and looks in excellent nick. its just under 6 grand. what do you think about the price and having a white z3? its looks great but i cant help going back to the black/dark blue models!
thanks again.
tes

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 08:57

The price seems very reasonable, a white Zed is quite rare and looks very nice. I've had plenty of white cars so it wouldn't bother me

tes · Post by **tes** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 09:08

hi, cheers gary. im off to see it very soon and would love it if a few of you could have a discerning look at the car. thanks guys.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/460691.htm
tes

p.s. have a look at the badges - they're on the gills, boot etc aswell as inside.

///M_aniac · Post by **///M_aniac** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 10:27

Hi Tom

White is really nice on a Zed. Very rare as stated.

Too many ///M badges on the outside of the car. Should come off IMHO as this is not an ///M car. Nice boot rack fitted. Real OEM part. Handy if you are going on hols and need extra space for carrying. Wheels are E46 MV alloys from 2003 model year. Nice.

Looks really clean. Good luck with the viewing

C

Justin Time · Post by **Justin Time** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 11:05

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Lovely example there, and at such a low price!

Great find!

Problem is as stated above. I'd get rid of the external M badges, it's not an M . Instead, try badging it as a 1.9, and when someone in a mondeo has something to prove with his duratorq diesel, let 'er rip!

And yes, white looks great on the Z3. Rare and beautiful

benelvin · Post by **benelvin** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 12:44

Yeah, that boot badge has to come off. I'm not even convinced by the M badges on the steering wheel and gearstick (I have them on mine) - I've had slightly non-petrolheads who've thought it's an M and it's just embarrasing

Bally · Post by **Bally** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 15:35

Hi welcome to the forum only joined last week myself.

I have a 1999 2.0 and it has M badges on the gear leaver & wheel for no particular reason. Dont be fooled by them as they are easily picked up from e-bay!!

I prefer the darker colours but the white looks OK and i have not seen many around. Looks very nice on the picture and a keen price.

c_w · Post by **c_w** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 16:26

Those badges need to come off straightaway, judging by the positioning it looks like a blind person put them on!! but they don't suit them anyway. The badges on the wheel and gearknob should be proper emblembs not stuck on (just incase they've done that too!).

Not sure on those wheels, I quite like the factory option 17" staggered fivespokes.

estocks · Post by **estocks** » Wed 30 Apr, 2008 23:12

It's a late 2.8 so it may have the Daul VANOS M52TU engine.

Rubber-Ducky · Post by **Rubber-Ducky** » Thu 01 May, 2008 09:07

I don't like it white at all, but that's just my personal opinion. Bear in mind that's probably the reason it's fairly cheap and it's taken so long to sell (he's already chopped £1k off the price). You'll likely be faced with exactly the same problem when you come to sell it on. You say yourself that you "can't help going back to the black/dark blue models" and while you might pay several hundred pounds more for a black/dark blue car, you'll likely recoup most of that additional outlay come sale time, as well as finding it much easier to sell. Is the white car therefore such a bargain after all?

Bally · Post by **Bally** » Thu 01 May, 2008 10:48

Glad i bought topaz blue now

tes · Post by **tes** » Thu 01 May, 2008 11:56

thanks for all the replies. given me something to think about. i do like the white - on most cars it can look a little boring but on the z3....well i'll soon see for myself. nothing mentioned about service history and i was wondering how easy it would be to de-badge ( is this something i can do?).
cheers. tes

///M_aniac · Post by **///M_aniac** » Thu 01 May, 2008 12:26

Debadging is easy enough to do.

Use some dental floss or thread. Put this behind the badge to remove it. Then clean off residue. Wash panel. Polish it and wax it.

You might also be able to remove it with a think flat piece of soft plastic. Insert behind and work the badge off.

I used surgical spirits to clean residue from Hamish when I replaced his rear ///M badge with a new one a couple of weeks back. That was more difficult than your job as his ///M badge was recessed. Had to use thread and move it side to side behind to free it.

Hope this helps

Conor

yalden · Post by **yalden** » Thu 01 May, 2008 16:25

If you're not fully clued up on Z3's, make sure you look into the facelifted model that occured later in '99, the rear end was revised to be more curvy with rear lights that slightly resemble those off the E46 3 series (they contain a step).

I didn't realise until I started looking into Z ownership that there was ever a change in shape... but I'm glad I did as I much prefer the facelift (although it's down to individual preference!).

Look in 'members gallery' and view my car for a comparison!

Gazza · Post by **Gazza** » Thu 01 May, 2008 16:42

White appears to be the latest fashion colour.

Most manufacturers are promoting white on their new cars.

Ian_C · Post by **Ian_C** » Thu 01 May, 2008 19:04

garythefish wrote:White appears to be the latest fashion colour.

Most manufacturers are promoting white on their new cars.

It's crying out for some matt black wheels and clear indicators though; looks a bit 'girlie' in its current guise

namatjira · Post by **namatjira** » Sun 04 May, 2008 21:57

As far as I know BMW only ever made one Z3M Roadster in RHD and White so anyone who is trying to trick it out is just plain nuts.

Certainly this one in White would have been a factory special as White was not even an optional paint colour till later and then was only done by order.

I am waiting on confirmation about there only being one White RHD Z3M Roadster from BMW who told me it would take a while to check the factory records. (It's mine BTW - that is why I asked BMW) as an official confirmation would be a nice addition to the car's history.

With this one it does look smart but all the ///M badges are over the top and I do agree with the suggestion of de-badging and even putting on a 1.9 badge. I read recently about a guy who did that with a genuine M5, de-badged and put in the 518i badges. It could make for an interesting sleeper.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Mon 05 May, 2008 07:58

I believe Alpine White 300 was a standard colour on Z3s
Check this out -----
http://www.zroadster.net/tim/colors/col-z3current.html

321bhp · Post by **321bhp** » Mon 05 May, 2008 08:13

heres a prper zm in white,looks classy

100GRA · Post by **100GRA** » Mon 05 May, 2008 08:39

yalden wrote:If you're not fully clued up on Z3's, make sure you look into the facelifted model that occured later in '99, the rear end was revised to be more curvy with rear lights that slightly resemble those off the E46 3 series (they contain a step).

I didn't realise until I started looking into Z ownership that there was ever a change in shape... but I'm glad I did as I much prefer the facelift (although it's down to individual preference!).

From the rear or rear threequarter view, the pre-facelift 2.8 looks the beez neez, far 'beefier' than the facelift version (which is perhaps why they never changed the Z3M when they made all the other Z3 variants the same). But then, I'm biased.

namatjira · Post by **namatjira** » Mon 05 May, 2008 18:29

Alpine white 300 was not offered as an optional colour on Z3 M's until either late 1999 or during 2000 according to BMW. Mine was an April 1998 manufacture and was a special order from the factory at a premium of about £8,000 with the full purchase price being payable in advance. This is according to both the first owner and the BMW paperwork I have seen.

Phil · Post by **Phil** » Mon 05 May, 2008 19:16

This comes from the Registry info.

Color and Upholstery Selections

Exterior Colors (S50 and S52):
Alpine White III* (300), Imola Red (405), Dakar Yellow II* (337), Evergreen (358), Arctic Silver metallic** (309), Titanium Silver metallic*** (354), Estoril Blue metallic (335), Boston Green metallic** (275), Oxford Green II metallic*** (430), Cosmos Black metallic (303)
*from 9/98
**thru 3/99
***from 4/99

Interior Colors (S50 and S52):
Black, Dark Grey/Black, Imola Red/Black, Estoril Blue/Black, Evergeen/Black, Kyalami Orange/Black (from 9/98, not available in Canada)

Exterior Colors (S54):
Alpine White III (300), Imola Red (405), Laguna Seca Blue (448), Titanium Silver metallic (354), Estoril Blue metallic (335), Steel Gray metallic (400), Phoenix Yellow metallic (445), Oxford Green II metallic (430), Black Sapphire metallic (475)

Interior Colors (S54):
Black, Dark Grey/Black, Imola Red/Black, Estoril Blue/Black, Laguna Seca Blue/Black, Dark Beige, Dark Kiwi/Black (not for North America)

Zed Carer · Post by **Zed Carer** » Thu 08 May, 2008 21:49

Tes you should have a PM

Alfie · Post by **Alfie** » Fri 09 May, 2008 06:29

namatjira wrote:I am waiting on confirmation about there only being one White RHD Z3M Roadster from BMW who told me it would take a while to check the factory records.

Interesting....

Several people from here tried to get such info from BMW about how many of each colour of the S54 ///MR had been produced.

The firm reply iirc was that the records had been archived and it was too much trouble to dig them out just for the interest of a few enthusiasts.
And so the trail ended....

Nam, please let us know if you have success in finding out, and maybe we could restart the S54 quest!

A.

whiteminks · Post by **whiteminks** » Fri 09 May, 2008 09:10

Alfie, perhaps we should form an S54 blockade outside a big dealership and not let them out until they have accessed the records.