Greetings to all,
I’m new to the forum but a long time owner of 2 Z-3’s. The first was a brand new1998 Atlanta blue purchased in 1999 as a 50th birthday present. It was a 1.9L, 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual stick shift. The best car man has ever made! I took great care of it and drove it for 303,000 miles. In March of 2025 (26 years later) I messed up! On a Monday my long time mechanic changed the oil and checked every thing out. He didn’t have antifreeze handy so the next day, in my garage, I topped off the radiator, shut the hood and drove off without putting the cap back on. By the time I realized the temperature gauge was buried it was too late. Yep, a cracked cylinder head. Yep, quite the dumb ass! But wait. It turned out to be a stroke of genius. Instead of slashing my wrists I started checking out all possible replacements. After a month goes by I call an old friend and humbly told him what happened. Out of the blue he asked me if I remember his son Justin. I answered vaguely, since it’s been twenty years or so. My friend said he had just talked to him one week prior. He now lives in Greenville, SC going thru a divorce and in between jobs. He has a 1998 Z-3 he used for autocross and regretfully needed to sell it. Tell me more I said and what is his phone number? Low and behold I bought his red 1998 BMW Z-3, 2.8L, 6 cylinder 5 speed stick shift with only 65,000 miles. It had a SC salvage title as a result of a front end collision prior to Justin buying it in 2021 from a friend of his. Everything up front is new. The hood, the lights, the radiator and the entire cooling system is new. The car looks absolutely gorgeous. I liked my blue one allot but I’m in love with my red one. I call this one my 75th birthday present. Of course it has a few minor imperfections but to see it you would think it just came off the show room floor. Hopefully, I’ll be able to submit a picture.
I’m new to the forum but a long time owner of 2 Z-3’s. The first was a brand new1998 Atlanta blue purchased in 1999 as a 50th birthday present. It was a 1.9L, 4 cylinder, 5 speed manual stick shift. The best car man has ever made! I took great care of it and drove it for 303,000 miles. In March of 2025 (26 years later) I messed up! On a Monday my long time mechanic changed the oil and checked every thing out. He didn’t have antifreeze handy so the next day, in my garage, I topped off the radiator, shut the hood and drove off without putting the cap back on. By the time I realized the temperature gauge was buried it was too late. Yep, a cracked cylinder head. Yep, quite the dumb ass! But wait. It turned out to be a stroke of genius. Instead of slashing my wrists I started checking out all possible replacements. After a month goes by I call an old friend and humbly told him what happened. Out of the blue he asked me if I remember his son Justin. I answered vaguely, since it’s been twenty years or so. My friend said he had just talked to him one week prior. He now lives in Greenville, SC going thru a divorce and in between jobs. He has a 1998 Z-3 he used for autocross and regretfully needed to sell it. Tell me more I said and what is his phone number? Low and behold I bought his red 1998 BMW Z-3, 2.8L, 6 cylinder 5 speed stick shift with only 65,000 miles. It had a SC salvage title as a result of a front end collision prior to Justin buying it in 2021 from a friend of his. Everything up front is new. The hood, the lights, the radiator and the entire cooling system is new. The car looks absolutely gorgeous. I liked my blue one allot but I’m in love with my red one. I call this one my 75th birthday present. Of course it has a few minor imperfections but to see it you would think it just came off the show room floor. Hopefully, I’ll be able to submit a picture.
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