Not everyone likes the way the Z3 M looks, either. Some love it and others loathe it, the coupé attracting the nickname ‘clown shoe’. In fact, the model wasn’t a smash hit initially, although perceptions are changing and used prices are now on the rise.
Why? Well, apart from the fact that it is a skunkworks sports car that’s only getting scarcer, it’s from a time when BMW’s M division was still cementing itself in the performance car scene with the first M3s and M5s. It was creating cars using powerful naturally aspirated engines with personalities and sounds thataren’t quite present in the M cars of today. Drive the analogue Z3 M and the current Z4 M50i back to back and you’ll notice the difference. As such, the Z3 M is seen as increasingly special slice of automobilia.
The rarest and best examples sometimes go for upwards of £60,000. Fortunately, cheaper cars are available, from around £18,000.
But whichever example you pick – whether it’s a cheaper S50 roadster or a more expensive S54 coupé – you’ll be getting a truly outstanding driver’s car. If the standard Z3 was designed as a more sophisticated alternative to the Mazda MX-5, then the Z3 M is an MX-5 on steroids.
What we said then – 28 January 1998
“It will cover distances at a prodigious rate and even the most hardened drivers can’t fail to be impressed by its astonishing brakes, performance and grip. But despite all its technical brilliance and the audacity of BMW in building such an outrageous machine, we can’t see many people falling in love with this car in the way that it’s so easy to do with an Elise or Boxster. This is just a shade disappointing from a car with so much to boast about.”
How to get one in your garage
An expert’s view – Dan Norris, Munich Legends: “My favourite thing is the way it looks, because there’s something about it that was immediately classic [from day one]. It’s a timeless design and just sitting in it is a real event. The Z3 M is a model that should have never been made and it’s something that’ll probably never be made again. It’s a really exciting car and it goes like stink, too. For the money, it’s properly special, and I think it has still to have its day, value-wise. In terms of reliability, there are some issues relating to build quality and trim, but these are very predictable cars in that they’re pretty reliable mechanically.”
Source: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/used-cars-used-car-buying-guides/used-car-buying-guide-bmw-z3-m