Have any of you ever considered buying an M Roadster instead of an S2000?
08-13-2018, 06:50 AM
#21
Registered User
Thread Starter
I’ve driven my friend’s Z3 with the 3.0 i6 motor, so I can lend some thoughts. The Z3 is a great car to drive for miles and miles. It is well appointed for when it was produced and the motor is very smooth. If I were to pick a car to drive to work in or go on a road-trip in I’d take the BMW. The Honda is a more focused car when it comes to the backroad, you can tell the BMW rides on a platform which was not intended to be a convertible from day one(a lot of the Z3 comes from the 3 series IIRC). The M-Roadster very well might have addressed these issues. The biggest thing though is the maintenance. My friend is very capable with a wrench in his hand, but he has spent a large sum of money to fix, repair and improve the vehicle. His car was behind on services when he bought it, but I still feel confident when I say the the BMW lives up to the reputation when it comes to maintenance.
The biggest thing is what will your budget allow? My mother always says, get the very best you can afford. I would imagine $15,000 would buy you a better S2000.
The biggest thing is what will your budget allow? My mother always says, get the very best you can afford. I would imagine $15,000 would buy you a better S2000.
The last part you said is what I'd be most cautious of with any German car. Again haven't experienced it myself, but I've heard enough stories. My S needed some maintenance from time to time, but what car doesn't? I wouldn't get this car to shift at low RPMs and go slow...
Last edited by common reactor; 08-13-2018 at 06:51 AM. Reason: Misspell
08-13-2018, 07:43 AM
#22
While not in the same class of vehicles, I've owned a German car for almost 20 years now (a 1999 Audi A4). Overall I have enjoyed the Audi quite a bit. But working on the car hasn't exactly been one of the highlights of the ownership experience. As you are already plenty familiar with the S2000, in order to make a more informed decision my suggestion would be to spend some time on forums dedicated to the M roadster to get a better sense for what types of issues you would be dealing with as an owner of the BMW.
08-13-2018, 12:31 PM
#23
I did this before buying the S. Checked out other forums.
Especially with any of the German stuff, there would always be these threads with titles like 'the dreaded...' (fill in the blank with issue relevant to that car). Often there would be these horror stories about dealer not covering it, and it costing many, many thousands to fix. There would be this endless stream of 'it happened to me too...' type replies. Many pages long.
Over on the S forum, the only talk about 'issues' was stuff like how nasty the cabin filter gets. It was like night and day what the discussions on the forums were. Eventually I stumbled across the tct issue. When I learned it takes about 15 min to swap and only cost a couple hundred bucks to buy, I was sold. I mean if something as easy as that is considered one of the worst issues...
Especially with any of the German stuff, there would always be these threads with titles like 'the dreaded...' (fill in the blank with issue relevant to that car). Often there would be these horror stories about dealer not covering it, and it costing many, many thousands to fix. There would be this endless stream of 'it happened to me too...' type replies. Many pages long.
Over on the S forum, the only talk about 'issues' was stuff like how nasty the cabin filter gets. It was like night and day what the discussions on the forums were. Eventually I stumbled across the tct issue. When I learned it takes about 15 min to swap and only cost a couple hundred bucks to buy, I was sold. I mean if something as easy as that is considered one of the worst issues...
08-14-2018, 03:04 AM
#24
Registered User
I thought about a Z when I made the decision to buy a roadster a few years ago to relive my youth before I go off into the sunset. My conclusion was that reliability and cost of repair are important to me because I'm not a one percenter, and I have other things to do with my money and time. Also, I love the lines of the S, not so much the Z.
08-14-2018, 03:08 AM
#25
Registered User
I did this before buying the S. Checked out other forums.
Especially with any of the German stuff, there would always be these threads with titles like 'the dreaded...' (fill in the blank with issue relevant to that car). Often there would be these horror stories about dealer not covering it, and it costing many, many thousands to fix. There would be this endless stream of 'it happened to me too...' type replies. Many pages long.
Over on the S forum, the only talk about 'issues' was stuff like how nasty the cabin filter gets. It was like night and day what the discussions on the forums were. Eventually I stumbled across the tct issue. When I learned it takes about 15 min to swap and only cost a couple hundred bucks to buy, I was sold. I mean if something as easy as that is considered one of the worst issues...
Especially with any of the German stuff, there would always be these threads with titles like 'the dreaded...' (fill in the blank with issue relevant to that car). Often there would be these horror stories about dealer not covering it, and it costing many, many thousands to fix. There would be this endless stream of 'it happened to me too...' type replies. Many pages long.
Over on the S forum, the only talk about 'issues' was stuff like how nasty the cabin filter gets. It was like night and day what the discussions on the forums were. Eventually I stumbled across the tct issue. When I learned it takes about 15 min to swap and only cost a couple hundred bucks to buy, I was sold. I mean if something as easy as that is considered one of the worst issues...
08-14-2018, 04:32 AM
#26
Moderator
The last German car I owned served me well to 250k mi, but by that point I was budgeting $3k a year in maintenance. Parts are expensive, and components are sometimes sold as systems, so when one thing goes, you have to replace a few at once. Also, all the sensors just add extra complexity and cost to everything. The engines and chassis can be great, but these days German cars are too overstuffed with electronics I don't care for. Do I really need a sensor telling me my brake pads are thin?
Case in point, I recently replaced the rotors and pads on the S. Whole parts list was 4 rotors, and 4 pad sets, and probably cost me less than $250 with fluid. My buddy did the same job on his Porsche, but parts were twice as expensive, and he broke a brake sensor, so now he has to order and replace that as well.
The M roadster is great looking and great driving, but to keep it that way you will spend more money. If you're prepared for that, then no problem.
Case in point, I recently replaced the rotors and pads on the S. Whole parts list was 4 rotors, and 4 pad sets, and probably cost me less than $250 with fluid. My buddy did the same job on his Porsche, but parts were twice as expensive, and he broke a brake sensor, so now he has to order and replace that as well.
The M roadster is great looking and great driving, but to keep it that way you will spend more money. If you're prepared for that, then no problem.
08-14-2018, 04:55 AM
#27
Registered User
Thread Starter
You guys make a lot of good points, and obviously I was expecting this to sway toward the S because of my audience. To be honest even if cost wasn't an issue I still would most likely buy an S because the car means a lot to me, and it's so much fun. But I am just looking at other options because I am in the very early stages.
At the end of the day, I'm hoping my budget can get me an S with under 50,000 miles. If I can do that I'll be thrilled. I've found a few M roadsters that are similar, but they are the earlier years and like all of you pointed out, a 20 year old BMW may come with more maintenance costs. That is something I'm definitely not prepared to deal with.
At the end of the day, I'm hoping my budget can get me an S with under 50,000 miles. If I can do that I'll be thrilled. I've found a few M roadsters that are similar, but they are the earlier years and like all of you pointed out, a 20 year old BMW may come with more maintenance costs. That is something I'm definitely not prepared to deal with.
08-15-2018, 02:54 AM
#28
08-15-2018, 09:29 AM
#29
Registered User
Thread Starter
I'm in a position where I'm going to look for a deal that works for me, and I'm willing to purchase one from a decent distance as well. If I found the right car with around 70,000 miles I wouldn't rule it out, but obviously the less miles the better.
08-15-2018, 10:55 AM
#30
I wouod argue against thay statement. Yes, the less miles in general the better. But when trying to buy a good car on a budget, miles can be your friend. For your fixed amount, you will probably be able to get a newer car, in better condition, if you you all but ignore miles.
These cars are known for going 300k+ miles and still running strong. So who cares if you find one with 120k miles vs 60k? If that is going to be the difference between finding one that checks all your other boxes or not, the place I woukd compromise first is miles.
These cars are known for going 300k+ miles and still running strong. So who cares if you find one with 120k miles vs 60k? If that is going to be the difference between finding one that checks all your other boxes or not, the place I woukd compromise first is miles.