Mash's 2000 BMW M Roadster

Long-term wrap-up: 2000 BMW M Roadster

Long-term wrap-up: 2000 BMW M Roadster


It’s time to close the chapter on our 2000 BMW M Roadster, our first attempt at owning a near-exotic car. We bought it in early 2008, and sold it last month, barely driving it for 7,000 km in more than three years. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know if you plan to buy a premium sports car on a budget.

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Comparo: 2010 BMW Z4 vs 2000 BMW Z3 M Roadster

Comparo: 2010 BMW Z4 vs 2000 BMW Z3 M Roadster


We’ve had in our possession a 2000 BMW Z3 M Roadster since the beginning of 2008. It is as close as limited-income people like us can get to owning an exotic car without selling off kidneys and limbs. But in the past decade, the Z3 was replaced by the Z4, and then came a second-generation Z4 in 2009. So for a few days in 2010, we had in our possession a BMW Z4 sDrive30i. Ironically, the new mid-range Z4 now costs as much as the M Roadster used to cost a decade ago. So is a regular Z4 really at the same level as an M-tuned Z3 of the past?

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Comparo: Nissan GT-R vs Ferrari F430 vs BMW M Roadster

Comparo: Nissan GT-R vs Ferrari F430 vs BMW M Roadster

Before anyone gets too excited, this is not a full-blown comparison test. Getting the Nissan GT-R for a test drive was a good excuse as any to assemble a few other sports cars and a photographer. We’ve had our 2000 BMW M Roadster for more than a year, the 2009 Nissan GT-R tester was with us for only a few days, and our friend’s 2009 Ferrari F430 Spider was still being broken in so we couldn’t push it. But we did get a feel for three different approaches to speed.

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Long-term update: 2000 BMW M Roadster

Long-term update: 2000 BMW M Roadster


Our BMW M Roadster soldiers on, having spent more than one year with us, racking up only 3000 km since we bought it at the beginning of 2008. Driving a hardcore-tuned sports car in daily traffic isn’t easy, so we fell back on our other automatic cars for city driving. Even then, costs came up during the year, some involving expected repairs, some just general maintenance, and some because BMWs have the durability of ice cream in the desert.

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