1996 BMW Z3

Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

4USCH7325TLB72150

Gasoline

Up for auction is my 1996 Supercharged BMW Z3, I purchased as a commuter/ project car last year. The car gets between 28-32mpg on the highway, with the Supercharger. When I got it there were several things wrong with it and I have spent the last several months repairing things one by one. I have focused mainly on the mechanics and getting it running smoothly, but it does have a few issues. I'll list them as the good, the bad, and the not sure. I'm selling the car because I am active duty and have received orders to another duty station and can't take the car with me this time. THE CAR IS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST TO DRIVE!!! You will definitely get noticed... I'm willing to deliver to you, read below. THE GOOD: This car is pretty rare in that it has a Supercharger on it. In the late '90s a company called Downing Atlanta began producing a supercharger kit for the Z3. Downing Atlanta is known for building race cars for all different sorts of series, I was concerned about the supercharger when I bought it so I did some research and found Downing Atlanta at the following link: http://downingatlanta.com/downingatlanta/da_superchargers_info_new.htm, where you can read up on the whole kit. It uses a custom made intake, but then reuses many of the stock components to make the kit easily maintainable, but producing well over 200hp. I have not had the car dyno tested, so I do not have the real numbers for this car. The car normally runs at about 2.5lbs of boost when cruising, but will go to 7lbs of boost when you get on it, definitely throw you into your seat. I also did research on the supercharger itself and it is a standard piece that is produced by Magnuson, a brand name in Superchargers. I contacted Downing Atlanta and they still keep parts for the kits in stock and were very helpful in answering questions I had, you will get a complete installation manual with the car for the supercharger. The kit is worth $3000 alone, with new kits going for $5000 in Europe. In addition to the Supercharger the car has a Stage 2 aftermarket clutch to handle the increased power, it pulls strong, but I don't know how long ago it was put in. It has an aftermarket Alpine stereo with iPod plug in and Infinity speakers, it also has an Alpine amp and wired for a subwoofer. There is a factory 6-disc CD changer, but it does not have the cassette for it. The car had the complete bodykit on it when I bought it, parts are still available on Ebay and are very affordable and is holding up very well. It also has an aftermarket stainless exhaust system, it's not a "fart pipe" system, but one that is matched to the supercharger kit, sounds great!! The top on the car is new, about 1.5 years old, no rips or tears, very tight with no buffeting at speed at all, I have had no leaks that I can speak of with it. The car was not originally yellow, to be honest I'm not sure what the factory color was. As I was going through the car when I got it, I found a business card from a car customizer in MD who had the car painted purple and used it as a show car, I'm not sure when it became yellow, I still have the business card so you can see what it looked like. The car also has aftermarket drilled brake rotors for better stopping ability. It does not have a spare tire because of the aftermarket rims, but it does have the original BMW tool set. In addition to the Supercharger information you get, I'm also including a Haynes repair manual with the car. RECENT WORK COMPLETED: - recent service to include an oil change with Synthetic oil - new serpentine belt - new dynamic tensioner - new Bosch Platinum spark plugs - new intake ducting - new Spectre air filter - new power steering pump pulley - new Apex rims (available through Tire Rack, about 6 months old) - new Sumitomo tires (available through Tire Rack, about 2 months old) THE BAD: Ok, so it does have an issue or two, but it runs great. On a scale of 1-10, I give the paint about a 8.5. It has some normal chips and dings, the front bumper has the most chips. It looks like it was driven on a gravel road and chipped the paint and because it's a fiberglass bumper, it has a little "spiderwebbing." The rear bumper has a small crack in the fiberglass, right near the tailpipe, it's an easy fix. There was a small, about 1/4", crack in the rear window of the top when I got it, the previous owner did not know how it happened. I put some clear packing tape on both sides of the window and you can barely see it, doesn't leak either. I've had 2 Z3s and fixed the top the same way on both, cheap, easy, and very effective. If you want a new window, it's about $170 here on Ebay. The seats do have some cracks in the leather, I mean the car is 15 years old. I had plans to get some black and yellow covers from Ebay, but hadn't gotten to it yet, they're about $170 as well. The previous owner pulled the rearview mirror off for some reason and in the process caused a small crack in the windshield. I remounted the mirror and you can't even see the crack and it hasn't spread in 2 summers and a winter, so it's fine. At some point in it's life there was spoiler mounted on the car, you can see where when the trunk lid is opened. It was subsequently removed and the holes welded shut and fixed before it was painted yellow, you can't even see it when the lid is closed. The last issue is that there is an electrical issue with the dash, I had it checked and when the vehicle is shut off the dash draws 3 amps of power. I had it to a shop and they said it could be a bad cluster or bad relay, estimated at $300-$500 to get it fixed, I figured that into the price of the auction. The shop said it doesn't hurt the car to drive it like that, so I have been. The speedo and odometer work no problem, but the tach, temp gauge, and fuel gauge do not work. I use the trip computer to determine when to fuel up. The idiot lights stay lit and door chime goes off, I just keep the music up and can't hear it. When I park the car, I simply disconnect the negative battery terminal to stop the battery drain, I have a quick disconnect that will go with the car, just haven't installed it. Another benefit is no one will ever be able to steal the car, added security for me. I simply don't have time to get it fixed as my timetable to move is VERY fast. The only thing I don't know about the car is if the air conditioning works. The previous owner took the belt off the compressor to get a few extra horse power cause he never used the AC, neither do I, it's a convertible, who needs AC in a convertible? You do get the belt with the car though. LASTLY: The shop said that the car still had some horse power that could be unleashed and to have it dyno tested and tuned, said it could be a real screamer, just haven't been able to do it. If you are the winning bidder there is a $500 non-refundable deposit via Paypal due immediately upon you winning. I will accept cash, cashier's checks, or Paypal to pay for the remainder of the winning price. I am willing to deliver the car within a 4-hour radius of Charles Town, WV 25414. I have a flatbed trailer I can load it on and bring it to you, there will be an added charge of $200 for this delivery, covers cost of the fuel, contact me to discuss before bidding. Buyer is ultimately responsible for all shipping arrangements of the car if over 4 hours away. PLEASE, DO NOT BID UNLESS YOU PLAN TO BUY, I DON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR IT, PLEASE!!!