1997 BMW Z3 Review - A Reliable German Classic? 

Now THAT'S impressive!

There's a 2.8L for sale at a dealers. It has 262k miles and is from 1997. Worth looking at or too high mileage really? It has service history (I will assume not full). It's £3250

@@UnseenSpirit I would look at it, but my car has been babied since birth, so just beware.

​@@AAzraelontop Maintenance makes all the difference

Thanks! I was really happy with the way that came out

I'm glad someone noticed!

Excellent! Love to hear it

Wow, thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you liked the video so much, and I know you're gonna love your Zed!

Thanks for the kind words! I might be biased, but if I were you, I'd get the z3 (6 cylinder preferred). Might not have the ginormous aftermarket of the BRZ, but there's still plenty of options for upgrades if you desire. Add to that the fact that any money you put into the car, you're more likely to get back, since their values are rising to some degree. I also think the design of the z3 is far beyond that of the BRZ. Really timeless and beautiful in my opinion. Just my 2 cents

A manual garaged z3 is still like 4-5k cheaper than the worst automatic BRZ you can find here in California. BRZ has a significantly more balanced and robust chassis but the z3 with the m52 has a better reputation for being reliable and makes 50ib-ft of torque more than the BRZ. There are obviously some needed reliability mods but there's no catastrophic common drivetrain issue like the frs valve springs.

Thanks! Get the nicest one you can afford and you'll have a great time

Sorry for that, but if it makes you feel any better, I can safely say you won't regret it! Just like any used car, you'll second guess yourself the more you dig into their dirty secrets...just go with your heart, you'll be fine!

Thanks! They really are fun. And yeah, the rear end was redesigned in 1999. Personally, I preferred the pre-facelift design. Also, a friend of mine is over 6' and was still able to drive it relatively comfortably, so they're quite spacious for a little car!

@@HighMileageReviews lol I was half asleep when I was making that comment and I didn't complete one of my sentences correctly. Lol that makes sense, you own the preface lift one therefore you'll be biased towards that. Are are pretty spacious but you gotta tweak with the recline settings a bit.

I've noticed that as well! Z3 values definitely seem like they've been appreciating somewhat over the past couple years

@@HighMileageReviews Man, local dealerships are overpricing them lol Thanks for the reply, happy holidays stay safe!

Nice! Some skilled driving at end ! Edit, Some Good driving at end, Edit again, Decent driving at end Sorry edit again, you drove the car at end of video.

@@spaceexplorer6636 Thanks!

Why thank you! I even made the song for the intro as well

I would be very interested to review all those cars, especially the Hilux! Send me an email or message on Facebook or Instagram to discuss further if you're interested

Good points. I have not encountered problems with those things yet

Top class comment!

Yes they are indeed!

I'm partial to tan over green myself.

You know it

A tan car with green interior? Oh dear

You're right. However considering the age of the car, and the fact that it's had many of the common issues that these cars can experience, I felt that it would still provide useful information for anyone in the market for this car. Also it's my car, so I wanted to make a video about it. I also made a "high mileage review" of my grand marquis with less than 100k and nobody seemed to care. It's really about the car's story in the end

True but 100,000 miles in a Japanese car is 100,000 miles. 100,000 miles in a German car is 200,000 miles 😂

@@KaiserVonKrieg my point exactly

Very low indeed considering age

​@@KaiserVonKrieg 100k to a BMW M52/M54 BMW is nothing at long as you have coolant and oil lmao

My stand up career ended after a few open mic attempts in college 🥸 this was filmed on AZ-88 northeast of Phoenix. My favorite driving road!

Awesome, keep it nice! They're slowly becoming quite collectible

It's like everything is made of egg shells

Awesome, if I ever get a new top, I'd definitely consider a tan one instead of black. I like that look

It's an awesome car! I love mine

No. I mostly guess where I'm going

Thanks! Excellent car you've got there!

Can't go wrong with it! And yes, the colorful M interiors are not for everyone

Did those too

@@HighMileageReviews my back hurts whenever I think how I did mine hahaha. Plastic fantastic!

I think you're mistaken, the video starts at 0:00

A strong contender. I do love the NA Miata in black on red

Very nice! Wish I could've gotten an M but unfortunately out of my price bracket

At no point during the drive were my thumbs in the path of the airbag. Watch videos of Jason Cammisa driving canyon roads and you'll see that his hand/thumb position is nearly identical, and he's somewhat of an expert in that field. Where else would you recommend I place my hands/thumbs instead?

There is no reason to complain about your thumb placement. In the event of an imminent collision, you can do what you've been trained to do. Remove your hands from the wheel. That will prevent any broken thumbs, etc. This is also why Jason Cammisa (whoever that is) is likely also not concerned. However, the risk of breaking your thumbs has nothing to do with airbags, airbag placement or activation. Your thumbs are resting up against the spokes of the wheel. In the even of a collision where one wheel/tire (or both) is forced to turn left or right violently because of hitting a curb or embankment or similar, the steering wheel will rotate fast enough to break your thumbs if they are inside the wheel rim and particularly if they are up against a spoke. If you're lucky the steering rod will snap instead, but that's not often the outcome. Where you should place your hands/thumbs instead? Well, the designers of that steering wheel clearly assumed a 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock placement, but that still places your thumb inside the wheel and against a spoke. No doubt the OP is expecting you to just keep your thumbs out of the inner rim of the wheel, regardless of hand placement. Personally I feel this is outdated advice, as you have to balance every-day control versus the risk of thumb damage in a rare collision. I think most of us prefer to teach drivers to remove their hands from the wheel entirely a split second before an imminent collision. This keeps normal driving comfortable and controlled, and saves your thumbs in those rare cases.

@@BenFenner that's good advice considering just about every car steering wheel has it's spokes at 9 and 3 where it is most comfortable for spirited driving and also allows for the best control. On a side note, Jason Cammisa is a relatively famous automotive journalist with exceptional driving skill who used to make video reviews with motortrend, but has since moved to the Hagerty channel. Many of his videos feature POV driving on canyon roads in the cars he reviews. Highly recommend his stuff. Very entertaining and informative!

And I had a good time making it! Thanks for watching

Lucky! The hot and dry Arizona weather certainly hasn't helped mine.

@@HighMileageReviews I’m Scotland bro, 4 month of sun and a kick up the arse is what we get. This summer is rust proofing summer for my z cos of the salt etc

Yes I mention that

Ahem... 0:47 (used in real world traffic, not needed on an empty canyon road)

@@HighMileageReviews ok I missed that one lol. Hey one is better than most I've seen! Love the videos btw.

@@sterlingarcher813 Thanks haha and I do my best to use signals as much as possible in the real world so as to avoid the stereotype, I promise!

BMW drivers need to throw everyone on the road a curve ball and use hand signals while changing lanes, turning or stopping...

Wow, what a rare beast! Which engine does yours have?

@@HighMileageReviews The engine got replaced with a 1.9l because it's very expensive to drive in Belgium and Holland. (the car came from Holland). But the 1.9 is a reliable engine so I'm happy with that. I only do like the small townroads so it's perfect for me. The car itself has 167.000km on it (103.000 miles). Going to upgrade the mechanical fan with a Mishimoto Electrical Race fan. upgrade most of the old parts so the car is perfect. put some nice wheels under it, lower it, redo the interior, All the leather in the doors... And in the summer it must be done so I can do some tuning meetings :)