1996 BMW Z3

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VEHICLES SHOWN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Body Color
Black
Stock
21KCC200
Vin
4USCH7328TLB65399
Miles
36,621
Engine Size
1.9L 4-Cylinder
Transmission Type
5 Speed Manual
PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS WELCOMED
Body Color
Black
Stock
21KCC200
Vin
4USCH7328TLB65399
Miles
36,621
Engine Size
1.9L 4-Cylinder
Transmission Type
5 Speed Manual
PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTIONS WELCOMED

36k Miles

Black
Tan
1.9L 4-Cylinder
5 Speed Manual

1996 BMW Z3

- First Year of Z3
-1.9L 4 Cylinder
- 5 Speed Manual Transmission
- 36k Miles
- Black Over Tan Interior

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1996 BMW Z3 on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 170 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, and a link to its accident and damage-free Carfax history, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“BMW Z3 – The time is now.” – Car & Classic (U.K.) website, July 2020

Reviewer, Chris Pollitt, gave a summary of the model's development: “The Z3 project began in 1991 and was led by Burkhard Göschel. The brief was for BMW to come up with something that could occupy the competitive two-seater roadster marketplace, of which the Mazda MX-5 was undoubtedly the king. BMW wasn't going directly against the Mazda though, and instead wanted to offer something more solid and luxurious, while also offering the famed BMW handling. As such, the Z3 was based on the floorpan of the hugely successful E36 3 Series, but with the semi-trailing arm suspension designs from the E30 3 Series.”

Pollitt went on to address the Z3's lasting appeal: “Because they're handsome, they're brilliant to drive... they're impressively reliable and let's be honest, who doesn't like the idea of saying they drive a BMW? More than that though, the Z3 is the complete package; a car that was built after serious thought, research and development. BMW didn't just throw this out to compete, it did it to be the best, and in the eyes of many, it succeeded.”

Offered here is a 1996 BMW Z3 in Black2 over Sand Beige. The car's production specifications decoded from its VIN (courtesy of bimmer.work) are as follows:

VIN: LB65399
Production date: 1996-02-09
Type: Z3
Series: E36
Steering: Lefthand drive
Engine: M44
Transmission: Manual
Color: Black 2

Upholstery: Leather Oregon/int. beige/sand beige

Equipment/Options:

S410 Window lifts, electric, front
S440 Non-smoker Package
S676 HiFi Speaker System
S687 Radio Preparation
S694 Provisions for BMW 6-CD Changer
S520 Fog Lights
S530 Air Conditioning
S540 Cruise Control
S209 Differential Lock 25%
S240 Steering Wheel, Leather
S243 Airbag Foo Front Passenger
S272 BMW LA Wheel Z Star
S354 Windscreen, Green-Tinted Upper Strip
S380 Hardtop-Preparation
S388 Softtop, Black
S806 Third Stoplamp
S853 Language Version, English

The car's odometer currently reads 36,621 miles, or fewer than 1,500 miles per-year on average.

The car's exterior black paint remains in good overall condition with swirl marks and some light patina noted. Black trim (door handles, windshield surround, taillight trim) is in very good condition, as are the tastefully limited chrome touches surrounding the bespoke kidney-shaped grille. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) There is no evident damage anywhere on the body. The black-fabric soft-top is also without flaw. Factory 16-inch, 5-spoke alloy factory wheels with BMW-logo center caps are mounted with Michelin® 225/50 performance tires. The wheels show very light road rash.

Inside, the Sand Beige leather upholstery (with textured inserts on the well-bolstered bucket seats) has been properly maintained, and is free of rips or tears. Tan cabin carpeting (with matching carpet mats) is in similar condition. The tan door trim (echoing the seat-upholstery design) and tan-and-black dashboard surfaces are unmarred; instrument markings and lenses are as-new. The BMW-logo, leather-trimmed, sport steering wheel shows very little wear. (Please view the close-up photography in the gallery to assess the Z3's excellent interior-surface condition.) The center stack hosts the HVAC controls and stock radio, with power-window buttons, and the shifter for the 5-speed manual transmission on the console. An armrest with audio-tape-storage compartment separates the seats. Controls for the power-operated convertible top are located on the rear cabin wall. (The tan “boot” cover for the stowed top is included in the sale.) Trunk surfaces are very clean with a complete tool kit located below the floor.

Under the hood, the trusty 1.9-liter, BMW inline-4-cylinder (M44) occupies an unmodified engine bay. Surfaces are very clean without having been treated with shine-enhancing spray-on products. There are no modifications from stock indicated. Viewed from below, the car's chassis is complete, clean, and orderly with no indications of damage, including the sort of compression marks that can arise from too-aggressive driving. Light surface rust is limited to the untreated metal on the exhaust system.

The car's factory-mounted identification and information tags remain in place. The full complement of factory-supplied owner literature and a BMW-branded car cover are included in the sale.

While the more than 170 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '96 BMW Z3

in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

Cars & Classics summarized the Z3's inherent appeal: “After all, there is little better in life than going for a blast in a car that's designed to be driven hard, all while the wind rushes through your hair. It's exhilarating; the sense of speed, the noise of the engine, the feeling of being at one with your surroundings rather than simply observing them through a sheet of glass. This is it, this is motoring at its best.”

No argument from us on any of that.

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