Good morning, Autopians! Get ready for more cheap car shenanigans. Today we’re looking at a couple of sports cars that have seen some things. But first, let’s see which ’80s wagon you picked:
Well then, fire up the Lindsey Buckingham, because it’s time to hit the Holiday Road! Honestly, I like them both; I’d probably favor the Peugeot just because it’s smaller and easier to park. In fact, it looks like those bars on the graph are just about representative of the cars’ respective lengths. Did you guys plan that?
Today, I’ve found us a couple of fun-to-drive stickshift sports cars for cheap. Why so cheap? Well, both are being sold in the state of California through lien sales. In case you’re not familiar with a lien sale, it’s what happens when someone owes money to someone for a car and can’t or won’t pay up. The possessor of the car (usually a towing company, but sometimes a mechanic) can sell the car to recoup some of their losses, after jumping through a few legal hoops. It’s not a big deal from a buyer’s standpoint; my wife and I bought a Nissan Pathfinder when we were in California from a mechanic who had a lien on it, and it went fine. The only issue is that it does brand the title, but on sub-$2,000 cars, who cares?
It also means that you have absolutely no way of knowing what the car’s history is. All you can do is assess it as-seen and hope for the best. But that’s what we do here every day anyway, so let’s dive in!
1996 BMW Z3 – $1,200
Engine/drivetrain: 1.9 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: San Jose, CA
Odometer reading: 150,000 miles (may be a guess)
Runs/drives? No one has any idea
BMW’s Z3 probably wouldn’t have existed without the success of the Mazda Miata. Introduced in 1995, the Z3 followed the same formula: a small lightweight 2-seater, with a four-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels through a manual gearbox. Of course, being a BMW, the Z3 is quite a bit fancier than your average Miata. Fancy enough for James Bond himself, in fact, though I always thought he should have driven an MGF instead.
This Z3 is about as pure as they come, with the M44 four-cylinder and a five-speed stick. You could get a Z3 with an automatic, if you insisted, but why would you? Later Z3s were available with a more BMW-appropriate inline six, if you wanted more power. But power isn’t really the point of a little lightweight roadster like this; it’s more about the balance and the feel, and if BMW knows anything, it’s how to make a car feel good to drive.
Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing how this Z3 feels to drive, because the seller has no keys to it. This isn’t uncommon, if the car was abandoned or repossessed or something, but I would have thought that the tow yard would have keys made. Maybe it’s just not worth it to them. They do seem to want to just dump this car and move on. But it sounds like the paperwork is on the up-and-up, at least.
This poor little BMW isn’t in terrible shape for twelve hundred bucks, though. The interior is half-disassembled, but it’s in reasonable condition. Outside, it’s dusty and faded, but straight. I believe the huge gap in the front is only there because the hood is ajar, but I can’t guarantee it. At least it’s a manual top on these, so there are no worries about a burned-out top motor.
2001 Ford Mustang GT – $1,795
Engine/drivetrain: 4.6 liter overhead cam V8, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Redwood City, CA
Odometer reading: 198,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep, but might need a clutch
If you’re looking for a dirt-cheap performance car to goof around with, you could do a lot worse than a fourth-generation Mustang. Too old to be valuable, but too new to be considered classics, the 1994-2004 Mustangs are down at the bottom of their depreciation curve, and astonishingly, still worth owning and driving. Even the V6 models have reasonable power, manual transmissions aren’t hard to find, and against all odds, these things are actually reliable and durable.
There’s no better example of the SN95/New Edge Mustang’s durability than this particular 2001 Mustang GT. With nearly 200,000 miles on its odometer, clearly abused, modified in who knows what questionable ways, and sitting in a tow yard for sale on lien papers, it still starts, runs, and drives. The modular 4.6 V8 in this car is also found in a zillion Crown Vics and pickup trucks, and except for some oil burning and fragile plastic intake manifolds, it’s a stout engine. This one puts out a healthy 260 horsepower through a five-speed manual. The seller says the clutch “might need some adjustment,” and this car does have an adjustable cable-operated clutch linkage, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the clutch itself is on the way out.
Really, though, it’s not in awful shape. The seat upholstery is trashed, and it needs a paint job if you want it to look pretty, but it’s an $1800 Mustang with a V8. Who cares if it’s a little banged-up? This isn’t a car you buy to impress anyone. It’s a car you buy to take to the dragstrip, or to an autocross or rallycross. It’s a car you hack up and modify as you want, because it’s already beat-up.
But – I’m going to make the joke before anyone else gets the chance to – whatever you do, don’t take it to a crowded Cars & Coffee.
Lien sales go against every rule you’re supposed to follow when shopping for a used car. You don’t get any of the car’s history, you often can’t test-drive it, and you know that no matter what happens you’re walking out of the DMV with a branded title. The cheap prices may or may not make up for it. If it matters, our gamble on the aforementioned Pathfinder paid off; we moved from California to Oregon in it and got three good years of service out of it after that. Which one of these are you more willing to gamble on?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I was all set to go with the Mustang, but then I saw the handle on the shifter. It just screams “Abuse!!!”. Never a big fan of the Z3 but I’d take it given this choice.
The BMW is a looker but I bet she’s an expensive date. I’ll take the one happy with a hamburger and a Coke.
I had the same powerplant that’s in the Z3 in my 97 318i. Drove that car to circa 300,000 miles when the transmission gave up first gear.
You can do all basic maintenance with the trunk toolkit (spark plugs, oil, belts, etc.). BMW engines get a lot of justified grief for their turbos, but this was a 4-cylinder engine with 6-cylinder cooling system and such. It’s tough to kill. With a manual top and generally reliable interior electronics, the only dicey bits are going to be suspension, for which RealOEM is, like, right over there.
With a manual top, I’d take a dice roll on it gladly. The 3-series of this era weighed less than a ton and a half with a full tank of gas, so even though 120HP may not sound like much, you can throw this thing around canyons with gleeful abandon and not feel underpowered. I’d also add that while the Mustang clearly has more power, the brakes and suspension on the BMW are superior, so if you’re looking for a canyon carver… this is the way to go.
James Bond or James Cahn? I am going suave and sophisticated Z3 over loud and cant make a turn at speed.
Pretty sure I wouldn’t tackle either of these even with someone else’s money.
That Mustang is the definition of “rode hard and put away wet”. With it confirmed to be running/driving, at least you know she puts out.
Other than the profile gasket (which should have been replaced a long time ago), the M44 1.9L motor in the Z3 is pretty damn reliable. Getting a key from the dealer should be pretty easy with the VIN and proof of title.
The 2001 Mustang’s still had the plastic coolant crossover integrated into the intake manifold, and will eventually give out. 2002 is when the updated design with the aluminum crossover debuted, and was a direct replacement for the plastic one that will eventually crack and start leaking around 100K. This one has already had the intake replaced.
I just replaced the one on my 2001 GT convertible, with 118K on it. I swapped in one from a 2002 Crown Vic, which are plentiful in the junkyards around here.
Im pretty sure the Z3 had an immobilizer that is tough to get past without the key. Then you have to get past the branded title in order to get a key…. I’ll take the Mustang for this reason alone.
I’ll take both of them and put the v8/ 5 speed in the Z.
Too bad the Z3 shoe car was never available with the 1.9L I4 🙁
The Z3 roadster is cool, but I’d rather have a 318ti with the canvas sunroof 😛
Instead of ‘clown shoe’ is the Z3 more of a croc?
I’m surprised at the love for the Z3. I guess those saying “parts car” make sense but it’s a horrible scary car under any other circumstances. The Mustang is also awful but it’s a known quantity and it could be turned into something worth a few grins. Unlike the little run we’ve had of two acceptable cars in the past few days I wouldn’t touch either of these under any realistic circumstances.
Wow. Both of these fright pigs do the term shitbox proud.
I guess I’d go with the Mustang for cheaper parts, but really this is like choosing between getting punched in the balls or kicked in the dick.
One thing I learned in martial arts is a kick to the dick hurts a lot less than a punch to the balls. You can usually remain standing after a kick to the dick. Put the balls in play, and you meet the floor.
Like these cars, I’ll pass on both.
I’d take a California Z3 body shell for that money. The rest is bonus parts.
But I wouldn’t mind either or both, at these prices.
That’s one way to look at it. I’m sure there is a decent market for Z3 parts.