Have any of you ever considered buying an M Roadster instead of an S2000?
08-10-2018, 10:13 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Have any of you ever considered buying an M Roadster instead of an S2000?
I am in the early stages of looking for a Sunday car as I'm looking to make a purchase within the next year or so. I had a 2002 S2000 over 10 years ago and I've wanted another one ever since I sold it. I am 95% sure I'm going to buy another S, but I am still looking at other cars as well since I have a while.
One of the cars I'm interested in is the M Roadster, specifically from 1998 - 2002. There are features that I like better about the BMW, and features that I like better about the S. I'd think that the BMW would cost much more to maintain, but I've never owned a German car so I'm strictly going by hearsay. The rear tires must be very expensive. I'd also have way more options with the S, as there were about four times more of them made than the first generation of the M Roadster. My budget is around $15,000 and I won't buy a car with more than 75,000 miles. I've found a good amount of S2000s to sift through that meet my budget, but only a few M Roadsters. On the other hand I love the look of the M Roadster, and the exclusivity of it is nice.
So for any of you that considered an M Roadster or even drove one, why did you buy the S2000 instead?
One of the cars I'm interested in is the M Roadster, specifically from 1998 - 2002. There are features that I like better about the BMW, and features that I like better about the S. I'd think that the BMW would cost much more to maintain, but I've never owned a German car so I'm strictly going by hearsay. The rear tires must be very expensive. I'd also have way more options with the S, as there were about four times more of them made than the first generation of the M Roadster. My budget is around $15,000 and I won't buy a car with more than 75,000 miles. I've found a good amount of S2000s to sift through that meet my budget, but only a few M Roadsters. On the other hand I love the look of the M Roadster, and the exclusivity of it is nice.
So for any of you that considered an M Roadster or even drove one, why did you buy the S2000 instead?
08-10-2018, 10:39 AM
#2
I think you can probably get a better S for $15,000 than you could an M. A poorly treated Honda will last a fair bit longer than a poorly treated M. I dunno, I really like the M, but I feel like a $15,000 one would be a gamble.
08-10-2018, 12:17 PM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
My last S was modded more than I'd like now. I think the most I would do is add on an OEM front/rear spoiler. Since the car would most likely be 12-16 years old I'd probably concentrate on the paint, wheels, interior, and anything mechanically that be wrong with it to get it to be where I'd want it.
08-10-2018, 12:46 PM
#6
I like how wide the rear looks on the M, and part of me probably would enjoy owning a BMW. I've only owned Japanese cars and I've owned a lot of them so it would be something different.
My last S was modded more than I'd like now. I think the most I would do is add on an OEM front/rear spoiler. Since the car would most likely be 12-16 years old I'd probably concentrate on the paint, wheels, interior, and anything mechanically that be wrong with it to get it to be where I'd want it.
My last S was modded more than I'd like now. I think the most I would do is add on an OEM front/rear spoiler. Since the car would most likely be 12-16 years old I'd probably concentrate on the paint, wheels, interior, and anything mechanically that be wrong with it to get it to be where I'd want it.
08-10-2018, 12:50 PM
#7
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.
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08-10-2018, 02:00 PM
#9
I almost bought one instead of the S2000, but my budget was not an obstacle, in your case I would go with an S2000 or Miata. The one I was looking at was the S54 with very low miles. I may go down that road one day, love those cars, but very happy with my decision to go with the S2000.
08-10-2018, 09:23 PM
#10
An 18 year old BMW? Sure, that won't need lots of costly maintenance at all!
I've sworn off German cars. I did most of the wrenching myself. Even then it was costly. And they can be very frustrating to work on. Everything is overengineered, overly complicated. Nothing comes apart easily nor goes back together easily. Lots of specialized tools required. Every task is a total pita.
By comparison Japanese cars seem like magical unicorns that never break down, never leak oil and are easy to work on.
I've sworn off German cars. I did most of the wrenching myself. Even then it was costly. And they can be very frustrating to work on. Everything is overengineered, overly complicated. Nothing comes apart easily nor goes back together easily. Lots of specialized tools required. Every task is a total pita.
By comparison Japanese cars seem like magical unicorns that never break down, never leak oil and are easy to work on.