What to look for when buying a 2000 M

[doug watts]

Hi,

I am new here and excited about this forum. Looks like a great source of information.

I am going to Lawrence Kansas to look at a sweet 2000 M roadster. I would appreciate any advice I could get on what to look for, especially red flags that indicate problems.

The car only has 25k miles and I was told it has not been raced. It also comes with a hard top which I am not so sure I will ever use, but nice to have.

Also, I was wondering if I should run by a BMW mechanic to get it checked out before I buy it. I am not sure if there is one in Lawrence, but if anyone knows of a good one near there please let me know.

 

[hard top]

Hi Doug and welcome to the forum. I own an M44 so can't tell you much about the ///M but I am sure that the ///M boys will be on soon to give you some advice.
Most of the discussions I have read are about checking the welds under the carpet in the trunk as they can fail.

 

[GazHyde]

Hi & welcome Doug,

The important things to check out are:

• Service history. Essential that it's been serviced to the schedule, including the initial service (if I remember correctly it's 1000 miles from delivery). ///M engines are much more highly strung than the standard engines.
• Boot welds. You need to take the carpet out of the boot and if you can see the welds have popped, then they will need re-welding.
• Rear differential mount. http://zroadster.org/forum/threads/buying-an-m-roadster.3354/ is worth a read, as it has some pictures of what to look for. Obviously you can only check this with it up in the air, and you need to look very closely.

None of these are deal breakers, as they can be repaired/strengthened but obviously some negotiation involved with any potential seller.

After those items, it's just down to your personal standards over condition of the car!

Needs a thorough test driving and make sure that if you do, the engine hasn't been run before you turn up. Bring the oil up to temperature on the test drive, then give it a good blast. Should pull really strong through the rev range in all gears!

Cheers, Gary

 

[Aceman]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

As Gary has pointed out above there are a few things to keep an eye open for especially with the ///M models.

Over here in the UK the ///M was speced with a different engine in the ///M's which got the S50 whereas over there in the states you guys got the S52 varient which due to emmisions laws has somewhat less power than the S50. The S52 is basically a bored out version of the M52 2.8 engine with the addition of throttle bodies and is not quite as highly strung as the S50 we have over here. As with all BMW straight 6 engines they can suffer from VANOS problems although this was more prevailent in the S50 engine for some reason so with the one you are looking at with such low mileage hopefully it won't have any vanos problems to speak of but try listening for a grumbling sound at low revs which would indicate the vanos maybe in need of a rebuild.

Boot welds in these cars have become a problem over the years especially with the hight powered ///M cars as there are higher stresses exerted through the rear structure of the car resulting in popped spotwelds in the boot floor and also the diff hanger bracket which is also only spot welded can crack. Don't worry though if you find one or two spot welds popped which can be identified by lifting the boot carpet and preferably also removing the tool tray to gain better access, if you see round rust spots around the spot welds that can just be seen through the paint then they have popped. Most competant Auto engineers will be able to reweld the spot welds and also seam weld the rest of the boot floor but one guy over in the states who is the guru on this subject is a guy called Randy Forbes just google him and he has a website which details this problem in quite some fine detail, he is a very nice guy to deal with and sells strengthing kits if you want to go that far.

Other than the above normal common sense when it comes to purchasing cars is all you need and if unsure get someone who know a little about BMW's to help you and I am sure you will be fine.

All the best and hope it is a good one.

 

[doug watts]

Thanks for the tips!

I think I will run by the BMW dealer in the area. He charges $130 but it sounds like it could be money well spent!
I am not sure why the body was not welded better to begin with. Hopefully with only 25k miles there wont be any issues.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

As Gary has pointed out above there are a few things to keep an eye open for especially with the ///M models.

Over here in the UK the ///M was speced with a different engine in the ///M's which got the S50 whereas over there in the states you guys got the S52 varient which due to emmisions laws has somewhat less power than the S50. The S52 is basically a bored out version of the M52 2.8 engine with the addition of throttle bodies and is not quite as highly strung as the S50 we have over here. As with all BMW straight 6 engines they can suffer from VANOS problems although this was more prevailent in the S50 engine for some reason so with the one you are looking at with such low mileage hopefully it won't have any vanos problems to speak of but try listening for a grumbling sound at low revs which would indicate the vanos maybe in need of a rebuild.

Boot welds in these cars have become a problem over the years especially with the hight powered ///M cars as there are higher stresses exerted through the rear structure of the car resulting in popped spotwelds in the boot floor and also the diff hanger bracket which is also only spot welded can crack. Don't worry though if you find one or two spot welds popped which can be identified by lifting the boot carpet and preferably also removing the tool tray to gain better access, if you see round rust spots around the spot welds that can just be seen through the paint then they have popped. Most competant Auto engineers will be able to reweld the spot welds and also seam weld the rest of the boot floor but one guy over in the states who is the guru on this subject is a guy called Randy Forbes just google him and he has a website which details this problem in quite some fine detail, he is a very nice guy to deal with and sells strengthing kits if you want to go that far.

Other than the above normal common sense when it comes to purchasing cars is all you need and if unsure get someone who know a little about BMW's to help you and I am sure you will be fine.

All the best and hope it is a good one.

 

[Aceman]

It is strange but not uncommon throughout the BMW range as both the E36 & E46 suffered similar problems. I think that would indeed be $130 well spent as they will be able to get it up on the ramps and have a good look underneath.

Let us all know if you succome to its beauty and and buy it.