2000 BMW Z3M, I picked up this awesome little M Roadster as a bit of a project back in 2016. It is a good story, I bought it in Portland, OR from a dude named Ming who worked on the shipping docks. An interesting guy but not too kind to the M Roadster, as it needed some work. Most importantly it had the dreaded subframe/differential mount separation. This was my first and major order of business to make the M Roadster road-worthy again so I ordered up a Randy Forbes subframe reinforcement kit. This is a must for any M Roadster or Coupe and is a known design flaw. Do your research and don't get stuck with a car with the failing trunk floor/subframe! I opted for the single double-ear fix and went about welding in the Randy Forbes kit. I have a lift so this ad includes some good pictures of the trunk floor and diff mount. Make sure you know about this design flaw and look for the fix in any Z3 you might be thinking of purchasing but it is absolutely essential for the M Roadster and Coupe!!
Alright so enough about the subframe/diff mount/trunk floor suffice it to say it is sorted on this car. Next up was the cooling system, good ole Ming had let the cooling system go beyond a reasonable maintenance schedule at 96,000 miles! The car didn't overheat and ran strong but this needed to be addressed. I completely replaced all elements of the cooling system, the car has a new radiator, high performance Stewart water pump, 88C thermostat, aluminum thermostat housing (a must-do upgrade from OE plastic), new water pump pulley, Gates Hoses, New Condenser, New AC Compressor, New AC Lines, New Drive Belts, tensioner, idler... you get the picture! So now the cooling system and accessory drive and associated parts have all been sorted so what next?
Next up was the front end, the M Roadster had been in a bit of a shunt as the Brits say and Ming's buddies or a prior owner didn't do the car any favors by using an aftermarket bumper cover. So that crap was tossed in the garbage and I spent $1,165.29 from BMW of Silver Spring, MD to get all brand new BMW front end parts shipped to MT. The entire front end is new with bumper cover, lower grille, spacers, mounting parts, headlights, marker lights, etc.
We are almost finished describing the repairs on this M Roadster but a few important parts remain. It needed a new clear window for the convertible top which was purchased and installed and I added a set of new M Roadster OE floor mats. This little car has come a long way in the 4 years that I have owned it and it is an absolute blast to drive! It does have a few remaining items but these are nowhere near as big or as expensive as the initial restoration/repairs. The seats could do with reupholstery, the AC System needs a vacuum/re-charge and the stereo system could use attention, although it does have a working aftermarket head unit. After pulling it out of its winter slumber today I found that the battery has a dead cell so I will be replacing that this week and it should be ready to roll!
I should also mention one other modification I made to the car, the hydraulic top was not functioning when I purchased it so I removed the frozen hydraulic cylinder and pump. I still have it if a buyer wants it but I have no idea why these cars came with a power top as they are so small that the manual operation is preferable in my opinion. It easily goes down or up with one hand and you can open and close it easily from the driver's seat without even exiting the car (if you have short arms this might be a bit more challenging)!
Well this is about the end of my saga and story of Ming and the M Roadster, she is ready for a new owner and this car will definitely be missed. Why are you selling you might be wondering, well MT isn't exactly convertible country with our lousy weather yet I find myself with 2 other convertibles after the AZ auctions in January. I picked up a 2008 M3 Hardtop and a 2007 M6 so we are officially long convertibles and need to shorten up. I also have a set of OE RoadStar wheels that can be packaged into the deal if you are not fond of the aftermarket wheels (Ming's taste again) but they have kind of grown on us and we didn't swap them out.
Even if you aren't in the market for an awesome 2-seater I hope at least that you have found a bit of entertainment in my story with this car. These cars are solid collectibles and even with the checkered history of this car and its remaining rattles and noises, I hope some lucky buyer will see the value as I have it priced well below market to take into account the title and ownership history.