[amitoj]

I have a Honda Odyssey minivan that has a sunroof. My Dodge Charger had a sunroof. On sunny days, my wife would slam the cover shut because the direct sunshine bothered her. One day, when she did that, I said to her, "We are never getting a convertible, are we?" And she nodded yes, even though her dream car is a Jaguar convertible in British racing green. 3 months later, I brought home a 2001 BMW Z3 2.5i and when I took my wife in it for a spin, she couldn't stop giggling! How did that happen? Read on.

It was the month of August, 2020. We were getting ready to move from our 1 garage townhouse to a new single family house that we were getting built. So, at that time we were busy dealing with all the vendors, the builder, picking flooring colors, kitchen backsplash etc etc. Suddenly, it struck me that soon I will have room for 3 cars!! Thus began the hunt for a used car that would serve no purpose other than being a fun car that I could regularly take to Autocross. Which meant that it had to be a coupe, it had to be small, probably a convertible so that I could squeeze my 6'3" frame into it, rear wheel drive and it had to be under $7000. Oh and most important of all: It had to be a manual! Note that none of the above are requirements for autocross. They were all my requirements for "fun".

I was also inspired by this video:

Bought a Cheap Sports Car

That meant the list was somewhat short:

• Mazda Miata-Is-Always-The-Answer Miata
• Porsche Can-Turn-On-A-Dime Boxster or
• Z3, BMW Z3.

Miata: My biggest concern with Miata was whether I would fit. I test drove a couple of them and with the seat all the way back, they were still a tight fit. Here's proof:



Porsche Boxster: Every online review told me to be careful with the infamous Porsche IMS bearing issue, which could crop up at any moment and cause catastrophic failure. That, and a lack of any Boxster with a clean service record made it difficult to find a good piece.

BMW Z3: This one seemed to tick all the right boxes, except that the ones at local dealers were really in horrible shape. I remember I test drove one 2002 model with 80k miles on the odo. The car shuddered and made all kinds of noises every time I shifted gears. I was worried whether the car would make it back to the dealer during the test drive! That car suffered from a common failure of a part called Guibo in Z3s. Whoever named that part must have been reading a children's storybook.

I read up a lot of online advice on how to buy an old used car and they all recommended that I get a pre-purchase vehicle inspection done. There are many shops that offer that. Some even offer going to the seller's house, performing the inspection and sending the report to the prospective buyer. But the problem was that I could not find any seller willing to submit their car to an inspection. Then I read an article by the famous car reviewer, Doug DeMuro who said that he doesn't believe in Pre Purchase inspection. What he does is that he bombards the seller with a ton of questions regarding the car and why they are selling it. I thought let me give that a try and it did help weed out quite a few uninterested sellers.

All of September was spent looking for a good car, that had all the service records, not more that 100K miles and was priced at or around $7000. Being in the northeast part of the country meant that convertibles were far and few in between. Finally in the month of October, I was able to find a gentleman up in Vermont who was looking to sell his Z3 that had 95K miles. Price was reasonable and through some back and forth emails, I was able to determine that he had done regular maintenance on the car and had genuine personal reasons for selling the car. Finally we settled on a price of $6,500 and decided to meet him in Vermont towards the middle of October, 2020. A friend of mine who had helped me with the negotiations and I drove up to Vermont, met the gentleman, took a short test drive and sealed the deal! Below is the first pic of me in the Z3 (named Zedd from henceforth) on our way back from Vermont. You can see my red Charger in the background



The drive back home from Vermont revealed no issues either. The car ran smoothly, the gears shifted like butter and the top came down effortlessly. The radio worked, in the sense that it made some noises Heating worked since I was able to redirect it towards the steering to keep my hands warm. October in Vermont is the end of fall season so it can get quite nippy in the evening.

By the way, I bought the car even before we had moved into the new house! So, it had to be parked outside for a week or so.

Next step was getting the car registered and Zedd deserved a personalized number. After much thought and inputs from friends, decided on this:



BURRAAH, for those who don't know, is an expression of joy in Punjabi, that you will hear people shouting when doing the Bhangra. "Expression of Joy" seemed apt for the car.

The car was an immediate hit among my friends! All my friends took turns taking photos sitting in the car. It brought a smile to everyone who sat in the car and took it for a drive. Most of all, my wife and I could not stop giggling like little children when we both took it for a spin, and that meant that I had made the right decision

The car is so small that when I park it next to some big trucks and SUVs, the roof of the car doesn't even go above their fenders!

There are a couple of minor issues with the car. One, the passenger seat's motor is busted and it is stuck all the way back. Two, the AC does not work. I can live with both the issues. Who needs AC in a convertible after all. Heating works and that's fine. And I love the growl of its straight 6 engine and the gentle popping sound it makes in second gear. It is a pure joy to drive on the twisty back roads around my house. I hope to stick with this car for a few more years. Z3 is already on its way to becoming a classic car as it is now impossible to find one in under 10K!

Cheers,
Amitoj

[amitoj]

Now it was time to take it to track and do what I bought the car for.

Autocross, for those who don't know, is where they set up a course in a large parking lot or an airfield using cones and you drive your car around the course one at a time as fast as you can without hitting any cones and without going off course! You get penalized for every cone you hit and/or any time you go off course. The cars are divided into various categories based on several factors so that someone like me in a Z3 is not competing with, say, a WRX STI! However, all new drivers are put in Novice category and their times are adjusted according to the car they are driving.

This is me at the very first autocross event



The car behaved like any 20 year old car with stock suspension and all-weather Cooper tires and a novice driver. Autocross events have a very friendly vibe to them. You can walk up to anyone who looks like they know what they are doing and chat them up. Not a single person told me to change anything on the car, except maybe tires. This was their polite way of saying that I needed to first work on my skills.

After a couple of AutoX events, I decided to change the tires. After spending some time on tirerack.com, bought a set of Falken Azenis RT660 (Extreme Summer Performance) tires, mounted on new American Racing gloss black wheels. The advantage of ordering from tirerack.com is that they mount and balance the wheels before shipping them. All you have to do is swap out old ones and install the new ones. Before this change, I had no idea that tyres could makes such a big difference. The entire driving experience went up 2 levels and I climbed a few notches in the Novice category as well.

Here are a few shots with the new shoes:







I took many videos of my autocross days but unfortunately I could find only one. Here it is regardless, with a friend of mine riding shotgun. You will hear a gentleman at the start giving me a tip on how to get rid of the engine ticking.

A Lap Around the Course

I did 8 autocross days in 2021 and learnt a lot during those sessions. I was never really happy with the floaty nature of the car and its tendency to wag its tail all over the place. During the off season, I ordered OE shocks and struts with the intention of replacing them myself during the winter months. However, I never got around to doing that and ended up taking the car to a local BMW specialist and getting them installed earlier this month. The car is now tight and I cannot wait to take it to track in April. Stay tuned for a full report on my next Autocross session!

Thanks for reading.
Amitoj

[libranof1987]

Absolutely terrific, Amitoj! Lovely acquisition. You've done yourself right by getting this, after buying a van.

How's the ergonomics? A friend owns the Z3, and another the GT-R, and both hated their cars as a daily driver - and the GT-R guy actually sold it off quickly because he developed a backache.

Will the soft-top make driving bearable in the harsh north-eastern winter?

Congratulations on the car, damn happy you've got this! And Burraah. Truth be told, on opening this thread, this was what I was most curious about. You've upped CHALOJI thumpingly.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Absolutely terrific, Amitoj! Lovely acquisition. You've done yourself right by getting this, after buying a van.

Haha. Thanks! Having a minivan gives me room to buy car for myself. So don't be dissing on the minivan

Originally Posted by libranof1987

How's the ergonomics? A friend owns the Z3, and another the GT-R, and both hated their cars as a daily driver - and the GT-R guy actually sold it off quickly because he developed a backache.

Will the soft-top make driving bearable in the harsh north-eastern winter?

The Zedd is definitely not a highway cruiser meant for long drives. But it is my preferred mode of transport to work and any short trips. It stays parked during the winter months, primarily because the tires are not meant for winter driving.

As for ergonomics, the gearshift is within a very comfortable reach and I can roll my foot off the brakes and onto the gas pedal enough for heel toe braking. I don't drive with the top up, unless I absolutely have to. I will wear a beanie rather than put up the top. The small windshield takes a little getting used to and it is not helped by the rear view mirror blocking part of it. I think a shorter person will not have that issue.

If your friend is looking to sell his Z3, I have a friend who is looking.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Congratulations on the car, damn happy you've got this! And Burraah. Truth be told, on opening this thread, this was what I was most curious about. You've upped CHALOJI thumpingly.

Thanks again. By the way, CHALOJI has moved from the Charger to WRX STI. Happened last year.

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[shree_shell]

Interesting choice! Why not an S2000 or old 370z? Essentially anything Japanese.

While I never had to take my Beemers to a workshop for unexpected failures, I have nightmares about that possibility (read - rod-bearings and VANOS failure).

Anyway, the quirky Zedd has a lot more charm and character than any other Jap small sports car, so I bet you look cool blasting down the corners

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by shree_shell

Interesting choice! Why not an S2000 or old 370z? Essentially anything Japanese.

I would have loved to own an S2000! Their sweet high revving engine and exhaust are pure music! But at that time it was difficult to find anything in my range. Right now it is difficult to find any for less than $25,000!

As for 370Z, I did consider them briefly but the ones within my budget seemed to have been heavily abused by boy racers. Besides, their design didn't seem to age well either. But that's my personal opinion.

My plan was to buy something that was as close to stock as possible so that I could build/modify it as per my needs.

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I would have loved to own an S2000! Their sweet high revving engine and exhaust are pure music! But at that time it was difficult to find anything in my range. Right now it is difficult to find any for less than $25,000!

As for 370Z, I did consider them briefly but the ones within my budget seemed to have been heavily abused by boy racers. Besides, their design didn't seem to age well either. But that's my personal opinion.

My plan was to buy something that was as close to stock as possible so that I could build/modify it as per my needs.

Congrats on your ride! That one is sweet and will make the drive to kancamagus memorable too.

The S2000 is hard to come by for the region and also was pretty pricey. The Z is a great car.

I do agree to your points on the 370Z. Do know of two of them sold in the nottingham region in 2022 and they were a little abused plus had seen multiple owners too. Especially the Subieee crowd.

Maddy

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Congrats on your ride! That one is sweet and will make the drive to kancamagus memorable too.

Thanks, Maddy.

It is interesting how having a fun car makes you look for routes that do not take the highway.

There are so many small things that you start to notice when you start driving a convertible. For example, seeing the leaves fly around in the rear view mirror as you drive by them in fall, or the totally unobstructed view of the sky, or that I am growing old too quickly every time I try to get in or out of the car

[ruchiragrawal]

Congrats on the purchase Amitoj! That's a great-looking car!

It seems like a winning recipe in AutoX as well! You would be able to beat Miatas and Abarths with that inline-6! RT660s are known to be the best AutoX tires, probably second to RE71s (which are now discontinued).

One secret to get better times with the same tires in AutoX - max out your front and rear camber on your stock suspension adjusting bolts. That is completely legal, and keeps the car completely drivable for long-distance traveling as well!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ruchiragrawal

Congrats on the purchase Amitoj! That's a great-looking car!

It seems like a winning recipe in AutoX as well! You would be able to beat Miatas and Abarths with that inline-6! RT660s are known to be the best AutoX tires, probably second to RE71s (which are now discontinued).

One secret to get better times with the same tires in AutoX - max out your front and rear camber on your stock suspension adjusting bolts. That is completely legal, and keeps the car completely drivable for long-distance traveling as well!

Thanks, Ruchir. After reading your tip about the camber adjustment, I did a quick google search and it told me that there is no rear camber adjustment on stock Z3s. But I will ask the neighborhood Bimmer expert garage as well. I anyway need to go there to get all the struts and shocks re-torqued (standard operating procedure after getting new ones and driving around on them for a while)

As for those Miatas, they are tough to beat, but as of now the most improvement possible is in the driver than the car, as I found out in the Autocross Novice School event of BMWCCA yesterday.

Speaking of the event, I am so glad I attended it. I got plenty of track time with an instructor and that helped me improve my driving by several seconds! My biggest problem was that I was not going fast enough

I won't bore you all with the details of the day, but in summary, we tackled specific elements of an autocross circuit in the morning: clamshells, kidneys and slaloms. And then in the afternoon, we had a full course set up where instructors did the course walk-through, followed by a drive at approximately 80% in the student's car. Then the students got 4 runs with the instructor sitting next to them. Finally, the day ended with students as passengers in the instructors' cars as the instructors went around the course at race speed. All in all, it was a thrilling day with a lot of learning!

Here's a video of my allegedly best run in the afternoon

Autocross Novice School

[ruchiragrawal]

I just saw your video, and it felt that your tires indeed have a lot more grip than how much you are pushing it. Quick tip - if you can't hear your tires squeal, you're not pushing it hard enough. If you do start hearing that, then change your form - different attack angles, braking early, and so on.

You'll beat the Miatas soon enough.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by ruchiragrawal

I just saw your video, and it felt that your tires indeed have a lot more grip than how much you are pushing it. Quick tip - if you can't hear your tires squeal, you're not pushing it hard enough. If you do start hearing that, then change your form - different attack angles, braking early, and so on.

That is exactly what my instructor also said about making the tires squeal just at the threshold, no more no less. You've been doing this for a while?
Cool Rex on your profile page, btw. Maybe one day I will take my STI to an AutoX event. But not till I get better at driving the Z3.

[amitoj]

Last Sunday took the car to my 3rd Autocross points event with BMWCCA. The circuit was a nice sweeping, flowing circuit, and people including yours truly, got carried away more often than anticipated

Not that way!

We had 4 runs in the morning and 4 in the evening. All my runs were hovering around the 70 seconds mark, and I had given up all hope of breaking into the 60s. But finally, on the last run I managed to get a clean under 70 seconds run. I felt like I had won a championship There is something very satisfying about getting the best run out of your last run.

The Last Run

Cheers,
Amitoj
PS: Still looking for an optimal place for the GoPro. This one is on the windscreen so it picks up a lot of wind noise. If I place it at the front on the bumper, then it skews the perspective but looks really cool. Suggestions welcome!
PPS: Also saw a lot of good, experienced drivers spraying water on their tires. I asked them why and they said something about tires getting too hot and outside their normal operating temp range. It was hot, but it was not Texas hot!

[amitoj]

Final update for the year. Last Saturday was the season's last event of the year. Can't wait to do this all over again next year!

That's it for the year