If you do decide on an M Z3, look over the diff area very carefully for floor pan (at the differential) cracks.... It's a problem.

 

...and one thing I forgot to mention, its not uncommon for German cars to have a fatal Achilles Heel. An issue that if it occurs, would cost many thousands to correct. Often its something in the engine. Often its something thst is either impossible or too expensive to try and prevent. So you just hope it doesn't happen.

True, we have our oil squirters and cracked retainers, but newer models eliminated these issues, and they aren't that expensive to retro fit for prevention.

 

 

I thought about a Z when I made the decision to buy a roadster a few years ago to relive my youth before I go off into the sunset. My conclusion was that reliability and cost of repair are important to me because I'm not a one percenter, and I have other things to do with my money and time. Also, I love the lines of the S, not so much the Z.

 

I owned a 99 M Coupe for a few years and it's still one of my favorites. It's a completely different experience than a S2000 though and I'd encourage you to drive both to see which style you prefer. The s2000 is high strung and very focused where the BMW is torquey, more relaxed, and very tail happy. I used to slip the rear tires every chance I got because it was so fun and controllable. Be prepared for maintenance costs on the BMW, it's solidly built but BMW likes to use very expensive proprietary tools. There are work arounds for a lot of these but it's still a PITA compared to working on a Japanese car. Mine was completely reliable except for some fiddly stuff like a sensitive airbag sensor (that required a $300 tool to reset!). The main weakness of that platform is the rear subframe (It tears over time) so be prepared to replace the rear bushings. It's easy, but time consuming, work. You can't go wrong with either. That said, I sold the BMW and I'm planning on keeping my S2000 for life!

 

I've seen a couple of these out west on the back roads I drive/ride. If I wanted a Sunday car it would be this one, have to save some penneys but well worth the wait
https://www.arielna.com/arielatom-4
0 to 60 2.8 sec, 0 to 100 6.8 sec. Looks like fun to me.

ROD

 

Nop..

 

I am located here in Munich. The streets are flooded with all kind of BMWs. You see a Z4 every 2 Minutes, you sometimes see three or four BMWs waiting on a Red Light. From 15 Coworkers: two Z, one 1 Series, one 3 Series. My boss just have bought a M2, one year old. Great car, nevertheless!
I dont like the Design of BMW the last 15 Years. Ugly. Not timeless. I think the Z Series will nor age well.
I am a Motorcycle driver. Therefore, I want a real drivers car. No nosense, no electronic gimmicks.
Honda sold only 4.500 S2000 in Germany, its very rare. I like exclusive, underrated vehicles.
The S2000 is just a beautifull car.
Just for information, the maintanance cost (spare parts!) of a Honda are roughly double compared to a BMW here in Germany.

 

Interesting. Of course, the cost of spare parts won't be a significant issue with the Honda because they don't break.