United Bimmer Community - BMW Forum - z3 1999 anything i should look out for

I bought a 1999 z3 2.5 with 65k miles on it about 3 years ago. It is a 2nd car, so it only gets drive maybe once or twice weekly, mainly during the weekends. I have put about 22k miles on it.

The plastic seat belt guides on the sides of the seats broke, but I was able to tape them together so that they serve the purpose without having them replaced. The tape is hardly noticable because the guides are black and I used black tape. I had to replace the soft top after about a year, but was able to find a person in the area that replaced convertible tops professionally and who did it in my driveway (cost around $600). The fan speed switch had to be replaced in the 2nd year of ownership (cost around $150). Now the automatic top retraction only works intermittently, so I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow to let them diagnose the problem. I think the problem is a microswitch, but am anxious to get the dealer's diagnosis. If they want an arm and a leg to fix it, I might take it to an independent shop to fix. In the meantime, there is a disconnect mechanism that I have engaged that allows me to open and close it manually.

I really love this car. It is so much fun to drive, especially cruising on the twisting roads in the mountains. It really straightens out those curves.

I hope your wife enjoys her z3 as much as I have enjoyed mine.