24 Jan 2008
So I bought a BMW M Roadster
Yep, after an extensive search for a used rocket, our new benchmark sports car is a 2000 BMW M Roadster. In buying it, we broke all the sensible rules of buying a used car, and took the plunge into high-maintenance exotic car ownership. With 321 hp calling, who can resist?
That’s right, the S50 inline-six engine, lifted straight out of the late-90s M3 Evolution, clocks in with 321 hp at 7400 rpm and 349 Nm at 3250 rpm from only 3.2 litres, all in a body that weighs around 1410 kg. The engine features Double VANOS (BMW’s high-tech version of iVTEC), a standard cold-air intake and even lightened pistons, polished head and other cool engine parts — stuff tuners dream about. In fact, the “M Power” motor is so rare that all the technicians at the RTA’s Tasjeel governmental car-testing centre crowded around the open engine bay to stare at it for a few minutes, as we watched from some distance away.
We picked up the car for a bargain at Dhs 45,000. Even sweeter was that we pay the same 3rd-party insurance rates as the owner of a 1.9-litre Z3. Add to that the fact that our car came with the expensive removable hardtop, which reinforces the body and improves the handling, as well as an Alpine aftermarket stereo unit, which pumps up the entertainment factor.
But the car was a bargain because it has a lot of minor defects. None of these defects affect the drive however, but we wouldn’t recommending buying a car on a whim like we did, because we knew what we were getting into. But more on that later, in a detailed article on how not to buy a used car.
For now, we’ll revel in the fact that we purchased a Porsche killer for the price of a Honda Jazz.
by Saad Bashar, on January 24 2008 @ 9:12 pm
hey hot car!!!
very good choice
just put up a vid of you shredding the tires in this beast.
by Saad Bashar, on January 24 2008 @ 9:18 pm
and where did you get it from??
by cb, on January 24 2008 @ 9:42 pm
hehe i was close…nice car
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 24 2008 @ 11:01 pm
cibling, you probably had some hints from here and there and MSN and Facebook.
Saad, I got it from an Emirati guy in Abu Dhabi. Headache going to see the car again and again from Dubai.
by cb, on January 24 2008 @ 11:08 pm
hehe rarely use msn anymore and didnt know u put it up in facebook.
by sam, on January 24 2008 @ 11:48 pm
wow, wow. M roadster for 45k AED?? how much fuel does it drink?
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 25 2008 @ 12:29 am
The official fuel economy numbers are about the same as that of a G35. The car needs a bit of work, but is mechanically solid.
by Zao, on January 25 2008 @ 4:39 am
congrats! great choice….hey is it gonna be too expensive to maintain this in future?
by Tamzed, on January 25 2008 @ 8:44 am
For the same money you bought the beemer , i got myself a 2002 FPV GT ( its an aussie car ) with a 5.7lt v8 and over 280kw of power . what do you think . Would you change ur mind if u were actually here in sydney .
http://www.sweetauto.net/gallery/files/1/2008-Ford-FPV-GT-Cobra-Cobra-1280×960.jpg
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2008/def/2008-Ford-FPV-GT-Cobra-Rear-And-Side-1280×960.jpg
Of course thats not my car . mine is silver with orange stripes and should be delivered within a week.
by Tamzed, on January 25 2008 @ 8:51 am
sorry , here is the link http://allcarsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/13798.jpg
http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/Ford/Falcon/FPV/Cobra/Cobraflyer_Page_2_Image_0001.jpg
by lotfi, on January 26 2008 @ 12:12 am
hey mash r u gona test drive an accord or an altima any time soon
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 26 2008 @ 2:30 am
I was looking for a focussed sports car, and I bought this one.
I’ll get back to reviewing cars in February.
by Andre, on January 26 2008 @ 12:38 pm
Congratulations on excellent choice!!!
by rehan, on January 26 2008 @ 7:03 pm
you were right in saying Z3 is nothing in 1.9 ltr engine, I owned it for quite some time but sold caz it lacks in power.
I thinking of getting mustang, do you recommend this ? its model is 2000 with automatic transmission
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 27 2008 @ 1:00 am
The automatic Mustang GT V8 is fine as a fast daily driver, although the V6 isn’t anything special.
by rehan, on January 27 2008 @ 10:14 am
And how much you think i should pay for the same Mustang auto transmission model 2000? and its V6 engine
by sanu, on January 28 2008 @ 12:07 am
Request !!!Mashfique can u do a review for Nissan Altima 2008?
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 28 2008 @ 1:23 pm
Soon, my friend.
by assassin, on January 29 2008 @ 5:10 pm
nice, but as i know this Z3 is made in USA not in Germany, is that ok for you?
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 29 2008 @ 10:44 pm
No problem really. The cars are assembled in USA, but the main parts are brought in from Germany, including the M engine and gearbox. That’s not to say that the car does not have problems. But those same problems are also found in the German-built 3-Series all the way up to 2005.
Funnily enough, my “American” Jeep is built in Austria.
by assassin, on January 30 2008 @ 6:06 pm
hey guys, i bought a 2008 V8 Land Cruiser by 202000 AED.
mash, do i have to drive it slowly at the first 1000km as the dealer told me to? i cant wait this long period time, i wanna test my own land cruiser power.
by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury, on January 30 2008 @ 9:51 pm
Of course drive it slowly for now. But read the manual. There might also be other things you have to do, like rev it a bit once in a while.
by assassin, on January 31 2008 @ 10:04 am
hey thatsit mohammed, where are you? I’m sure that you are studying right now
and i miss fighting with you baby. 
let’s start, i have a 2008 V8 GX-R of course you know what GX-R means, i wanna say it is faster than FX45, G37 and Cayenne Turbo.
yalla get angry and write a story that shown how do you hate land cruiser, toyota brand, Emaratis and tell us more about altima.
by assassin, on January 31 2008 @ 10:05 am
WAITING FOR YOUR REPLY
by Tamzed, on January 31 2008 @ 10:12 am
What actually is better and more powerfull than a gx-r is this v6 bruiser here in australia . read at
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/30/fpv-f6x-launches-in-australia/
by Tamzed, on January 31 2008 @ 10:13 am
not to mention , heaps more expensive
by thatsit, on January 31 2008 @ 1:28 pm
hi to everyone
) i read this in nissan arabia web site. so lets hope that the coming nissan will have a nicer look than the new land cruiser. actually if they keep the shape like this and change the engine its enough for us.
really i was not in the country in the last week and i was busy….business man
hi assassin how are you
congrats for your new car and (ye3teeke 5eerha w yekfeeeke sharha)
and really the car is perfect from inside and it become very lux. but the problem is with the exterior style(i really tried to look at it many times in the road trying to swallow the shape but i couldnt)
but in general its a very nice car.
i have a good news about the coming nissan patrol
karlos ‘3oson called mohamad bin sulaiem the professional driver to meet the team that is going to be resposible for building it. of course the good thing that he was a rally driver and he knows alot of stuff related to rally things. i also knew that the coming patrol is going to have a bigger engine than the armada(5.7 L). to compite with the new 5.7 land cruiser engine. and you remember how the gtr killed many cars when they lunched it. you know who shared the testing of the GTR with other drivers!!! (it was mohamad bin sulaiem also
OH, mash a question for you
loooooool 
did you see the GTR V-SPEC in world car fans web site. they are saying
it will be lighter by about 100 KG(the thing that will be interesting is that it will be build from carbon fiber). and it will have a 512 HP. thay also modified the suspension(although there is no need) and there are extra things (find out yourself). also look at the comments of the readers
salaaaaaaam
by thatsit, on January 31 2008 @ 1:33 pm
this is the link for those who are interested
by thatsit, on January 31 2008 @ 1:39 pm
ops the link looooooooooool
http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080129.028/nissan-gt-r-spec-v-brochure-leaked
by thatsit, on January 31 2008 @ 2:13 pm
as a correction (5.6 litters not 5.7)
i was thinking of the american 5.7l engine
by assassin, on January 31 2008 @ 7:21 pm
5.7 nissan patrol,
dont worry we’re not gonna have it here.
by thatsit(mohamad), on January 31 2008 @ 11:16 pm
hehehehehe
lets hope not
by Saad Bashar, on February 3 2008 @ 11:21 pm
The comments about the gt-r spec-v is about the gearbox not about the car.hilarious.