How to tell if its an authentic ZM

[brock]

Hi guys im looking at purchasing this M and i want to make sure its authentic.
The guy said he bought it written off and did all the work to it himself, i went and checked it out today and everything seems to be in check but i wanna make sure its an authentic M and not just a Z3 done up to look like an M. how can i make sure? heres the link below. thanks.

http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2000-BMW-Z3-M-Roadster-W0QQAdIdZ563502033

 

[FRANKIE]

Hi guys im looking at purchasing this M and i want to make sure its authentic.
The guy said he bought it written off and did all the work to it himself, i went and checked it out today and everything seems to be in check but i wanna make sure its an authentic M and not just a Z3 done up to look like an M. how can i make sure? heres the link below. thanks.

http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2000-BMW-Z3-M-Roadster-W0QQAdIdZ563502033

Hi Brock and welcome to the forum. Most of the members of this forum are from Europe as you might be also. I noticed that your post was at 9:16PM but I can't tell if it was in Europe or in the US as I am. I bought a z3 at the end of last summer and joined the forum at that time. I have constantly been impressed with the knowledge the forum members have with these cars. Several of them have M cars and can give you all the information you need to make a positive decision with regard to your situation. Unfortunately, most of them are sleeping now and won't be checking your post for a few hours yet. They can tell you in no uncertain terms what to look for and what to avoid. Be assured that there is a great wealth of knowledge on this subject among the members who are mostly from the UK. They're a great bunch of guys and a lot of fun to talk to. If you have any other questions that I might be able to help you with, please let me know. Frankie

 

[FRANKIE]

Hi guys im looking at purchasing this M and i want to make sure its authentic.
The guy said he bought it written off and did all the work to it himself, i went and checked it out today and everything seems to be in check but i wanna make sure its an authentic M and not just a Z3 done up to look like an M. how can i make sure? heres the link below. thanks.
http://stcatharines.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2000-BMW-Z3-M-Roadster-W0QQAdIdZ563502033

Its me again. I replied to your first post from work this morning. I'm a dealer at Caesars in AC and I was using the computer on my break. Last night I only got 3 hours sleep so I was and am a little shot in the tail right now. When I saw your post about the M car, I didn't put 2 and 2 together to realize you were the same guy. sorry about that. Don't judge the other members of the forum by my stupidity as I'm half asleep now. The giraffe on my picture was part of a riddle the guys cooked up, the answer I gave being incorrect and the result of which was this picture, which I picked. Just some of the fun we have here. There were about 20 other guys who had similar pics, but I just never changed mine. I have to hit the sack now as I have to go into Philly early tomorrow so goodnight and start looking for posts from the other guys. London time is 5 hours past eastern standard time.Frankie

 

[brock]

Hi Frankie, i'm actually from Canada so i'm on eastern time. I wasn't aware the forum was mostly European but that just makes it even cooler. Yeah i just was wondering about the price and what to look for, if im getting a good deal or not. the pricing is in Canadian dollars and i went and checked the car out today it was in really good condition, unfortunately the roads are covered in snow and salt so i dont have the opportunity to drive the car. i started it up and it turned over right away and sounded really crisp when i reved it. it has 70,000km on the original motor but was the body work was all redone by the current owner whos had it for 7 years. anyway ill get to doing some reading on here. thanks for the friendly intro, i look forward to joining the community!

 

[GazHyde]

Welcome @brock,

Looking at the pictures in the advert it certainly looks like an M Roadster Not see one with the lower rear splitter like that before. Hard to make out the condition, but it looks shiny in the pictures. The pictures aren't best quality as they look like someone has taken a photo of a photo!

With any "M" service history is key, particularly the initial ones after first purchase. If he has had it for 7 years, I guess he will have maintained it well.

If you have any specific questions just ask.

Gary

 

[DivideBYZero]

All M car VINs start with "WBS". Simples.

 

[brock]

thanks guys i should be getting it today ill post some more pictures

 

[zedonist]

If its got a 1.9 16v engine its an //M!

 

[FRANKIE]

thanks guys i should be getting it today ill post some more pictures

So did you get it yet? Drive it home? What did you think of it on your first drive? The first day I got mine, I was driving it home from Maryland. I needed gas and stopped at a gas station. I pulled up to the pumps and on the other side of the pump island, a beautiful girl pulled up to the pump and got out to get gas. She looked at my car and her eyes popped out of her head. She came over and kept telling me what a beautiful car I had. I thought wow, I've only had the car ten minutes and girls are going crazy over it! I should have bought one of these when I was single. Let me know how you made out. Meant to ask, what part of Canada are you from? Frankie.

 

[brock]

Well..... i had the owner of the car bring the car to bmw today to have a 55 point inspection done on it and while the guy was hauling it over i guess one of the straps snapped and the bmw fell off the trailer i hadnt paid for the car yet so it wasn't in my possession, however, the owner of the vehicle had cancelled his insurance as he was planning on selling it to me. Sad day for me an even sadder day for the car and the saddest day for its poor owner... Im just baffled at the whole situation its one of those things you hear people talking about but never think it would happen to you. Well im back to hitting the internet in search of a new one, wish me luck! i may go down to florida at the end of the month so maybe i can find one down there... i dunno, im still rattled at what happened today.

 

[Aceman]

OMG

Unbelievable you are lucky you were not landed with one big headache there but maybe this one wasn't meant to be and somebody up there has tried to tell you something.

All the best with your search and I hope you find the one in your dreams.

 

[FRANKIE]

Well..... i had the owner of the car bring the car to bmw today to have a 55 point inspection done on it and while the guy was hauling it over i guess one of the straps snapped and the bmw fell off the trailer i hadnt paid for the car yet so it wasn't in my possession, however, the owner of the vehicle had cancelled his insurance as he was planning on selling it to me. Sad day for me an even sadder day for the car and the saddest day for its poor owner... Im just baffled at the whole situation its one of those things you hear people talking about but never think it would happen to you. Well im back to hitting the internet in search of a new one, wish me luck! i may go down to florida at the end of the month so maybe i can find one down there... i dunno, im still rattled at what happened today.

DON'T BE RATTLED!!!!!!!!!!!!! At 62 years old, I can't tell you how many times in my life something has gone wrong and almost gave me a broken heart only to have something else come along, and thank God for it because I turned out much better for it. One door closes and another opens. Something stopped that event from being completed. My heart goes out the owner who now had a big headache. I must tell you that I have purchased many cars and cycles. I missed out on a lot of good deals but something else always comes down the road. Many times after buying something, there were times I regretted not waiting, as at times I was impulsive. You will go to Florida where there are many z's and see something that will take your breath away. Just as good a value or better. and guess what?_____________ Its a Florida car. You and I both know what that means............... no rust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. You'll get down on your knees and say: "Thank You for stopping that other deal." It will happen, don't worry. There is always something coming down the road. Bide your time. You're the buyer. Pick and choose. Frankie

 

[hard top]

Bloody hell....!!!!......how bad was the damage.......?,,,,,,

 

[Stormy_be]

I've trailered cars many times.
And I have known cables snapping.
The only thing I can say about it: The car was not well fixed.
When you fix it with 4 cables, 1 around each wheel, it will remain fixed on the trailer even with more then 1 cable snapping off. Giving you enough time to stop and fix it again.

 

[FRANKIE]

Well..... i had the owner of the car bring the car to bmw today to have a 55 point inspection done on it and while the guy was hauling it over i guess one of the straps snapped and the bmw fell off the trailer i hadnt paid for the car yet so it wasn't in my possession, however, the owner of the vehicle had cancelled his insurance as he was planning on selling it to me. Sad day for me an even sadder day for the car and the saddest day for its poor owner... Im just baffled at the whole situation its one of those things you hear people talking about but never think it would happen to you. Well im back to hitting the internet in search of a new one, wish me luck! i may go down to florida at the end of the month so maybe i can find one down there... i dunno, im still rattled at what happened today.

By the way, did you see this?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191049571858?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[vintage42]

I have a twin, a year older, with manual and 1/3 the miles. Southern California, with previous owners records, are a plus, and $5,600 is a lot less than I paid for mine a year ago. But if you wanted an M, you would not want an automatic 1.9 at any price.

 

[FRANKIE]

I have a twin, a year older, with manual and 1/3 the miles. Southern California, with previous owners records, are a plus, and $5,600 is a lot less than I paid for mine a year ago. But if you wanted an M, you would not want an automatic 1.9 at any price.

I have never owned or driven an M. If what you say is true, it must be a great car to drive. Its probably better that I don't know, 'cause I probably wouldn't rest 'till I owned one. Frankie