April 11, 1998 (Updated July 23rd, 1998)
By: Robert Leidy

For the 1998 model year, the BMW roadster comes in three distinct configurations.

• The Seriously Fun 1.9
  
• The Seriously Quick 2.8
  
• The Seriously Serious 3.2

I had the pleasure of driving a '97 1.9 Z3 for 18 months, a '98 2.8 Z3 for just over a week and my new '98 3.2 MZ3 for four months now. All three of these cars are a ton-of-fun to drive and I would classify each configuration in the roadster/sports car class. I'm not going to get in a debate over the true definition of a roadster or a sports car. Some people hold a very firm definition on those categories, but the vast majority of the population would agree with my general classification.

Each Z3 configuration has it's own strengths and weaknesses, owners can debate those individual issues for days and never come to agreement as to which configuration is the best. While debates like that can be a lot of fun in the end it is rare that anyone changed their mind. What I am offering is my own personal observations in comparing and contrasting the three different BMW roadster configurations, from an owners point of view.

The "Seriously Fun" 1.9