I first bought the BMW Z3 2.8 car beacause I was seduced by the sexy and aggressive looks and the sheer grunt and performance of the engine. It has taken me a while to get used to it and through that time I have gone through the emotions of being dissapointed and back to being delighted. If you approach the car understanding that this is a drivers car, in the mould od perhaps a '70's sports car then from day 0ne you will understand what its about. Perhaps that a cop out from BMW. After all, we are in the 21st century and my 4 years old 406 shows a much better level of sophistication than a supposedly upmarket make like BMW. Im 6ft and fit in quite well with the hardtop fitted. When ever the headroom with the soft top up is any worse I shall find out in the summer. As for internal space; I'm a big chap and it took me a while to find a comfortable setting for the seat. But now I have, I have no grumbles about it. I fit it well. I have had problems getting the nearside window to seal against the hard top. Maybe it's the way it's fitted and wont be a prob with the softop. The car is fitted with AC Schnitzer suspension which makes the car slightly lower than stock ( have to be careful with curbs ) but I have no grumbles about the handling. The engine is a gem and is really at the heart of what this car is about. Sound is lovely. And it pulls from almost nowhere and feels unburstable. Silky smoth and at the high end sreams like a motorcycle. The clutch is dragging slighty ( told it's a common fault ) but I can live with that for now. 193 bhp is very usable but i'm now finding I want more!! Z3 M would have been a better option I think!! I agree with comments elswhere regarding styling. The rear hasnt been as well designed as the front. The rear wheel arches viewed from behind are lovely, but the eye is drawn to the boot lid and the left right linear lip. The boot space is pityfull. But I do have a rack to bolt on and try. The spare wheel is under the back end. This is not an option I wish to experience on a cold, dark and rainy winters night. I would suggest that you practice a wheel change on your drive when you get the car. Halfords sell an electric tyre pump for <£15 and I have invested in one of these hoping that, on most ocassions, that this will get me home/ down to the local garage. This car could have had so much more sex appeal if the rear had been given more thought. When clean, it draws so many approving glancers from on the road users and pedestrians.

I owned a Range rover that had some pull and i guess body roll. moved from that to the BMW Z3 2.8 and could not believe how easy it was to move on the streets again, the acceleration was good, turning circle very flat smooth ride.

i drove it from london to scotland and back doing about 1800 miles, most with roof down, it was small to do camping in, but great fun point to point, and got a lot of comments from the scots,

A major let down. The BMW Z3 2.8's handling is worrying, especially on bendy roads. The car understeers severely. There are numerous rattles and the boot fills with water when it rains causing the car to steam up badly. It is uncomfortable and causes your legs to bang in to the centre console due to the strange offset pedals that BMW use.
I am most disappointed with this car.

The BMW Z3 2.8 is a good looking car with a distinguished bonnet and good lines. The back end isn't as strong in terms of design as the front, not even the updated rear end (2000 models onwards) manage to make it match the rest of the car. The engines below 2.5 don't do the car justice, but the 2.8 and 3.0 make this a great sports car. Okay, it's not as potent as some other cars, but for the money it gives more bhp. Since you can only buy Z3s second hand now it's fair to assume that most buyers will be upgrading from lesser models so if you've never driven a sports car with a 2.8 engine you're in for a surprise! It has a lovely deep tone and never fails to give you extra power when you need it, even at motorway speeds I can accelerate and overtake rapidly. It has more power and speed than you need in practical terms, and on warm days with the electric roof down it's even more good looking.

Forget what the magazine reviews say about body roll. Unless you're a professional sports car driver or car journalist you won't notice and you'll need to be driving dangerously to feel it. I haven't, even on speedy tight bends. I love this car and couldn't bring myself to sell it as I intended to after year 1. Mine is now over 4 years old and is as thrilling to drive as it was on day 1.