1997 BMW Z3

1997 BMW Z3 questions and answers

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Q: Is it possible to drop a 1997 bmw 328i engine into a 1997 528i?
I have a 528 but the people in the junkyard say its not possible to drop a 328i, 728i, or a z3 2.8 engine into a 5 series. I think its possible to drop any of these engines into the 5 series, but i have some doubts concerning the VANOS system. Does the VANOS system change in between series.

A: Same engine

Q: Carfax Experts! Should I buy this car? Not Actual MIleage! NAM Title?
Ok, I checked this car in a dealer, the odometer shows 54,453 Miles on the dash. The car is really clean, engine - interior - exterior etc. perfect. But, here's the CARFAX report I run on the VIN. http://www.ulasdikkaya.com/z3.htm It's a silver 1997 BMW Z3 and the dealer asks $9,995. He went down to $9,400. Reading the info, what do you think happened to the car? It has an inspection at 53k but don't they check the mileage at the inspection? I'm interested in the things happened after 41k miles. Please could you explain with details? I'm a first time car buyer. Should I offer a lower price showing this? Not buy it at all? Take it to a service and check what on the car? Will I have problems registering the car if I buy? Totally newbie. Thanks I had my license in 2001 but I just moved to the US, I'm not familiar with these title - NAM etc. stuff.

A: DO NOT buy the car. The mileage has been tampered with. Some time between March and October, another mileage reading indicates that the current mileage shown is not right. No matter how great a condition this car may be in, it's not worth buying. You have no idea what they true miles are. And when you trade it in or sell later on, anyone pulling up a Carfax report on it will see the same thing and run away from it. And if you do find a buyer, count on the offer being much lower than what you'll be asking.

Q: Odometer Fraud?What is this? Not Actual Mileage?
I'm looking at a 1997 BMW Z3 2.8 Engine. The odometer reads 54,800 miles. However, I ran carfax, The last two records are as follows. The dealer said it's over 10 years and exempt from odometer stuff. I don't trust him. The 2007 reading says 56,000 miles and now it has 54,800. how come? Is this just a small electric problem etc? or rolled back? Here's the carfax: 08/15/1997 34 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Dept. Dublin, OH Title issued or updated First owner reported Registered as lease vehicle 11/22/2000 29,505 Inspection Co. New Jersey Vehicle inspected Anti-theft device present at the time of inspection 12/01/2000 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Dept. Edgewater, NJ Title #LO20003360112 Title issued or updated 12/05/2000 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Dept. Edgewater, NJ Title #BG20003400134 Title issued or updated 01/23/2002 41,659 Service Facility Vehicle serviced 02/21/2007 New York Motor Vehicle Dept. Fishkill, NY Title issued or updated Registration issued or renewed New owner reported Registered as personal vehicle Passed safety inspection 03/01/2007 53,313 New York Inspection Station Passed safety inspection Passed emissions inspection 11/13/2007 56,000 New Jersey Motor Vehicle Dept. Teaneck, NJ Title #LO20073170777 NOT ACTUAL MILEAGE TITLE ISSUED Registration updated when owner moved the vehicle to a new location CARFAX Advisor™ A NAM title is issued when the owner discloses to a DMV mileage fraud, a broken odometer or that the actual mileage of this vehicle is unknown. Mileage reported after this reading is potentially unreliable.

A: No fraud present. It clearly states that the actual odometer readings are unknown. And the dealer is correct. 10 years and they no longer have to give accurate odometer readings. This is based on the fact that most cars that are 10 years old have the odometer rolled over 100K miles. So a car can't be sold advertising 32K miles when in fact it is probably 132K. Bottom line, if it smells like a rat, it probably is. Trust your insincts. Walk away. Find one with a clean Carfax.

Q: Suspension/Wheels question?
Vehicle Info: 1997 BMW z3 2.8L Okay, here's the situation... I was driving on the freeway on a dark foggy night, following a semi for a little added protection. There was a kind of large animal carcass laying on the road (large dog or small deer, couldn't tell). I didn't see it until i hit it with both the front and rear driver's side tire. nothing's ratling or anything underneath and it seems to be driving straight. So I noticed, though, that whenever I accelerate or brake that the back driver's side wheel well emits a squeek. Well, it's shorter than that really, more a slight chirp. At constant speeds, no noise whatsoever. What could be the issue? Is it likely to be too serious to where I can't drive it on a 100 mile round trip this weekend? Ideas please?

A: wheel bearing, bent backing plate suspension, wheel, brake damage, roadkill stuck in components or blood/gut parts contaminating the brake rotor surface causing it to glaze. Maybe something was bent from the incident.