A year of daily driving a BMW Z3

Driving in a developing country isn’t that easy; improperly paved roads and potholes are almost everywhere, speed bumps aren’t within their standard dimensions, and thieves are always on the hunt for the slightest opening to steal whatever car they deem vulnerable for a robbery. Add the the record breaking hurricanes that plow through our country every year and logic will tell you that soft top convertibles are the idiot’s choice to use as a daily driver.

One day I might be cursing the shattered mess that our government consider as roads, the next day I might be scraping on a massive speed bump wishing I drove an SUV with good ground clearance; but in those rare moments when you’re on a smooth ribbon of tarmac wrapped around the mountains, the 50:50 weight distribution, manual transmission, rear wheel drive, and an unobstructed view of nature’s ceiling all add up to convince me that it all makes sense, that I’m not a complete idiot.

Not everyone would agree that owning the ultimate driving machine is worth the troubles of fixing it when it decides to break. In this harsh place where mechanics will chew on anyone who’s clueless about cars, owning a car that is reliable is almost always mandatory.

So anyway, the car.

She’s a 1997 Z3 equipped with the 1.9 liter M44 engine with 35,000 miles. Everything seemed to be in good condition the first time I saw her. Clean radiator and engine oil caps, bushings, body, and subframe (fellow Zed owners know what I’m talking about). The only thing wrong with her was the infamous soft top leak on the A pillar, which I blasted with a fat squirt of sealant and it never bothered me again. Fast forward by 6 months of uneventful daily routines, and the engine started to die at random moments. I also noticed that the engine is having trouble reaching the ideal operating temperature. These are issues that are unrelated to each other but I fixed them DIY with the guidance of an OBDII scanner, parts bought online, and support from BMW forums. German reliability is a popular phrase in the car community and I’m hoping that whoever said that wasn’t being sarcastic.

Sheer driving pleasure. Is it?

I used to drive a 125hp 1.6 SOHC Civic so I can’t really complain like most of you petrol heads do about the 140hp and 180nm that she’s making. More important than that is the balance from the weight distribution and the FR layout that makes it very easy to communicate and cooperate with her when we’re sweeping swiftly through corners. Roadsters are usually very heavy due to reinforcements made to the chassis to compensate for the lack of rigidity that a solid roof provides. In the Z3’s case, I think they should’ve added a bit more reinforcements to what is probably one of the most wobbly chassis ever made. Driving over cambered surfaces make her dance and you’d have to learn how to sway with her if you don’t fancy taking home bits of what used to be your neighbor’s dog or a mangled pedestrian. I can’t finish talking about driving impressions without saying anything about what makes a Z-series BMW - the convertible roof. We get relentless blankets of heavy clouds from June to October every year and in those 5 months, my soft top is nothing but a huge musical instrument that amplifies the sound of every single raindrop. The day when the skies finally become clear is the day when you can finally try if driving with the top down is all about the magic that movies show it to be…and it is.

So.. I named her Zoey

If I had a dollar for every time someone stares at my car, I’d be rich enough to meet the expectations that are running in the minds of those people. We don’t get to see 2-seater sports/sporty cars that often in my country, so I guess I can understand why my car is getting so much attention. But this won’t change the fact that I’m probably more broke than most people around me. I’m usually a shy person who would rarely start a conversation with a stranger, but Zoey here feels like a friend who’s inviting people to come and talk to us. Men would always ask me “How many chicks have you caught with it? “ and women would always ask “It’s nice but how do you carry friends and luggage around?” I’m uncertain how to tell them the disappointing answers, but what I’m sure is that I’m enjoying the car for myself; and that’s the only thing that matters for now.

I plan on holding on to her a bit longer

Yes, she sucks at hauling people and things around. Yes, she scrapes on ramps and speed bumps. And yes, she doesn’t do a very good job of being an easy daily driver. But that’s what makes her more of a partner than just a car. You’d have to consider her wants and needs before heading out of the house and slowly, you’ll learn to live with her imperfections. This may not sound appealing for people who just want some form of transport. But for car enthusiasts, character is fun. Like the flamboyant but hard to use shoes of your girlfriend, or the ability impairing alcohol that we humans drink a lot, we find pieces of ourselves in things that challenge us. I’ve learned so many things in a year of daily driving a BMW Z3. People, places, physics, and the star-filled sky; everything that interests the nerd inside me are all blended into this tiny car.