I took delivery of the Z3-2.3 y2k only a few months ago, and the general quality is acceptable. Certainly do not have the defects like you experienced. On the other hand, after I took a long look at the fit and finishes, I have to say it is not as good as the German made models. My other BMW which is the 80'-320i, I bought it brand new and still have it in excellent shape. It was certainly better in fit and finishes in many subtle ways. For example, all the screws were capped with plastic end neatly. The hood edges on the Z3 is roughly curled back with rough edges, and so on. There are definitely subtle differences and they are difficult to describe. But overall, the Z3 is a very fun car to drive compare to the 320i. My 2 cents personal comment.