It was November 1995. I was 12 years old and sneaking into my first movie. The ticket girl asked in what year I was born and I fumbled out "1981" since the movie was rated AA14 in Canada. This was the first Bond movie made in six years and the first one I ever saw in theatres. Sure, I had seen a bit of Live and Let Die and Thunderball before, but I was not hooked. The movie was GoldenEye and it started a 007 obsession that continues strong to this very day. But GoldenEye started another obsession, one that currently sits downstairs in the Edmunds garage.
Vehicle: 1998 BMW Z3 2.8
Trim level/Options: 17-inch wheels, Premium Package (includes power soft top and wood trim), Metallic Paint
Purchase Price: $14,000
Edmunds TMV: $10,000 (yes, I overpaid)
Modifications: Removed the damn front license plate holder and replaced original plate, replaced the cloudy rear window
Other Currently Owned Vehicles: Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin DBS, Lotus Esprit submarine ... oh, we're not counting model cars on my desk? OK, then, none.
Previous Vehicles Owned: 2006 Acura TSX 6-Speed, 2000 Volkswagen Jetta GLS VR6, 1988 Powerwheels Jeep
As Q said, "Your new car. BMW. Agile, five forward gears, all-points radar. Self-destruct system and as usual, all the usual refinements. Now, this I'm particularly proud of. Behind the headlights, stinger missiles."
Of course, we saw none of that on the Z3 in GoldenEye. Pierce Brosnan just briefly putters around the Caribbean with the Bond girl before handing it over to C.I.A. ally Jack Wade. And with a measly 1.9-liter four banger, it was hardly the high-performance machine Bond was accustomed to.
But I didn't care (and neither did the people who sat on waiting lists and shipped them across the Pacific to get one). The Z3 was simply stunning, especially in its GoldenEye color of Atlanta Blue. This was the car I yearned for the rest of that decade. When my father had to sell his Miata because of U.S. safety standards, I begged him to get a Z3. I still remember the day the saleswoman from Dreyer & Reinbold BMW in Indianapolis let him take me down the street in a new-for-'97 Z3 2.8 (in Atlanta Blue). I'd never been in a car that quick before. Sadly, we couldn't swing it at that time.
Years later, GoldenEye remains amongst my favorite Bond movies even though I've now seen them all countless times. And even if I've now driven the latest Bond car, the Aston Martin DBS, the Z3 holds a very special place in my heart. When I decided my nearly new Acura TSX was uselessly gathering dust and depreciation down in the garage, my search for a less expensive and more collectable automobile began and ended with one choice.
Pictures from the original owner, plus an interior pic I used in an LT Suzuki SX4 blog.
I found a 1998 Z3 with a mere 38,900 miles on her. It was of course Atlanta Blue with a beige top and interior, just like Bond's. Unlike 007's, it had the sweet 2.8-liter straight-6, which was connected to a five-speed manual (you'd be saddened how many have the auto). It was owned and babied by a flight attendant from Marina del Rey who kept it parked at LAX under a car cover for weeks at a time. When she originally bought it in 1997, she lived in Hawaii and had to special order her '98 Z3 2.8 here in California then ship it back Aloha way. As such, my car still has the stubbornly unremoveable Hawaiian registration stickers -- that's OK, they're out of the way and I think they add character.
So that's why I own the car I do and why I'm such a James Bond nut. They both started with GoldenEye.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
Check out my Facebook Page
By estreka
on January 22, 2010
10:57 AM
First off, I feel old now that you used my birth year to get into a Bond movie.
Second, Brosnan was the worst Bond ever. Either Daniel Craig or Sean Connery was the best.
Third, the Z3 is a lovely machine. It was blasphemy for Bond to drive a non-English car (could you imagine Bond cruising around in a 'Vette?). But as German cars go, the Z3 is an excellent choice.
By redwoodaggie
on January 22, 2010
11:34 AM
Not that it has anything to do with the car, but Timothy Dalton was far worse than Brosnan.
I hope the Z8 works out, and I'm glad it's a manual with a sweet BMW inline-6.
By 1487
on January 22, 2010
11:52 AM
Brosnan was good as Bond but he got stuck with bad movies. He had the character down though. Craig is good but he's much more convincing as a tough guy than as the suave ladies man Bond. Dalton was a disaster.
Goldeneye wasn't that good although at the time I thought it was OK. In retrospect it's terrible and they barely played the theme music.
wow, I guess BMW interiors have come farther than I thought after seeing what they were doing 12 years ago.
By dougtheeng
on January 22, 2010
01:06 PM
I wish I could get a similar fun vehicle for so cheap....but convertible in southern ontario = fail.
This was the first Bond movie I saw in theatres as well, and my experiences and opinions are much the same.
Daniel Craig is a terrible Bond - its just bandwagon hype by people who don't get what Bond is all about. I think Sean Connery was clearly the best, but Brosnan was great as well. I actually agree with 1387 that he was stuck with bad movies, especially after Tomorrow Never Dies.
By jriz
on January 22, 2010
01:22 PM
"I hope the Z8 works out"
Yeah, so do I.
By rick8365
on January 22, 2010
02:07 PM
"I hope the Z8 works out"
"Yeah, so do I."
Hahaha....was thinking the same thing. I'm a tad jealous already....I'll be super jealous if "it works out".
Very nice car - good luck with it.
My wife and I are looking at a 128 Convertible tomorrow.
By ahightower
on January 22, 2010
02:41 PM
Great car. You're a pretty tall guy, right? How comfortable is it?
By jriz
on January 22, 2010
03:03 PM
Good question and one I can address more fully in a future EPC entry.
I was actually pleasantly surprised by its space. As in almost every roadster I've ever driven (except the new Z4), the seat is all the way back to the bulkhead. Legroom is basically the same as in a modern SLK or Boxster, although I'd like the front of the seat to raise/tilt more than it does. In total though, Z3 makes the last Miata feel like a Lincoln.
By rsholland
on January 23, 2010
08:21 AM
Nice car Jim, but poor position of the GPS. It's waaay too low, which means you have to take your eye off the road to view it.
I've got my Garmin up on the windshield. All it takes is a quick glance, and your eyes never really leave the road. :)
By firstwagon
on January 23, 2010
10:20 AM
"When my father had to sell his Miata because of U.S. safety standards, I begged him to get a Z3"
I don't understand that line. What does US safety standards have to do with someone selling a Miata? Was he under the impression that the Z3 was somehow safer?
By jriz
on January 23, 2010
11:18 AM
I suppose some explanation is in order there. The full story can be found here...
http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/03/thoughts-from-the-curb-a-20-year-roadster-tale.html
But in short, we moved to the States from Canada where the Miata did not come with an airbag. It did in America and as all cars here must meet the safety standards of their respective model year, we had to sell the Miata. We also had to sell our Integra because it didn't have those stupid mechanical seatbelts.
-James
By firstwagon
on January 23, 2010
01:25 PM
Thanks, that makes more sense. I am surprised the our Miata didn't get the airbags at the same time as the US.
(one of the great things about Canada is we never had those stupid mechanical seatbelts)
By carlisimo
on January 25, 2010
07:58 AM
"In total though, Z3 makes the last Miata feel like a Lincoln."
In terms of interior room, or the driving experience?
By jriz
on January 25, 2010
08:47 AM
Interior room. Though the Z3 is hardly as nimble as the Miata, I would never insult it in such a way.
By carlisimo
on January 26, 2010
01:40 AM
I didn't think it was as nimble, but I figured it would be more comfortable (and/or spacious) than the Miata...