The seller of today’s Nice Price or No Dice M Roadster calls it a genuine beauty and laments that “BMW no longer builds automobiles like this.” Let’s see if this bygone beauty has an equally attractive price.
Squeaks in a car can mean loose trim panels or, even worse, mice! In a less dilatory fashion, the vote on last Friday’s 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited ended up a squeaker, with its $10,500 asking coming in under the wire at a 53 percent Nice Price win. Thank goodness it wasn’t mice.
To put things into perspective, the 1999 BMW M Roadster we’re contemplating today is more than twice as expensive as Friday’s Jeep, and comes with nearly 100K more miles on the clock. With that awkward and somewhat immaterial comparison out of the way, we should now get down to brass tacks and evaluate this hot Z3 on its own merits.
BMW’s Z3 has always been a bit of a Cinderella car, with most of its important bits being hand-me-downs from the E36 and even older E30 3 Series line. The M Roadster is no different, dressed up for the ball with a drivetrain and suspension baubles taken from the E36 M3. Not only that, but there’s also a tangential connection to the ACS/McLaren Mustang we looked at last Thursday, as both the convertible and hard tops on the Z3 and, by extension, the M Roadster were designed and built by ASC.
This Imola Red over black leather M Roadster features that optional hardtop and, in fact, is only shown in the ad with the body-matched cap bolted in place. While that means the convertible top is not shown, it’s claimed to be in “pristine condition.”
We also don’t get to see the sweet S52 3.2-liter straight six under the hood, although the seller correctly notes in the car’s description its output is 255 horsepower and that a five-speed manual backs it up. A limited-slip differential bracketed by semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension completes the drivetrain components. New Michelin Pilot rubber has been fitted all around, wrapping the factory deep-dish Style 40 alloys and covering M3-sourced disc brakes at each corner.
According to the ad, all the mechanicals are in top-notch condition and feature fresh fluids and a new clutch, the work having been done by a BMW dealer. The service records and a recent dealer’s inspection report will come with the car.
Aesthetically, the car also appears to be in great condition. The paint looks to be without flaw, and the wheels are un-curbed. If we’re going to pick nits, the clamshell hood looks to need an adjustment, and the headlamp lenses are starting to show some age. Neither is a particularly damning bugaboo, so, again, nits picked.
It’s the same tune being sung in the tight cabin with little to no wear evident anywhere and not even the famous Z3 glovebox door drop of which to complain. Everything is factory in there, right down to the AM/FM/cassette stereo with trunk-mounted CD changer.
The seller humorously boasts that the car has “only been driven 6,000 miles per year on average,” but when we do the math incorporating the car’s 26-year age, that works out to 160,000 on the odometer, which is a lot for any high-strung performance car. Despite that, the seller claims the car to be turn-key, needing nothing to be enjoyed. They also boast that it comes from an era when BMW was at the top of its game, throwing in some probably unintended racism by noting that it was “built in Germany, NOT in China.” Yeah, OK. A clean Arizona title closes out the car’s bona fides. The asking price is $21,500.
Now, that kind of money will get you a really nice 987 Boxster S or Nismo 370Z, so along with considering its value among other M Roadsters, we should also see how it stacks up against the competition.
What’s your take on this M Roadster at that $21,500 price? Do the miles sour the deal on an otherwise appealing car? Or is that par for the course on M-imbued Roadsters of this era?
You decide!
Phoenix, Arizona, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
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