1998 BMW M Roadster & Coupe

Convertible

3.2 L, in-line 6 cylinder

Manual

WBSCK9337WLC86241

Salvage

Gasoline

THE CAR HAS A SALVAGE TITLE, BUT PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING DETAILS. THIS CAR WAS PROFESSIONALLY REBUILT, AND IT LOOKS, STARTS, RUNS, DRIVES, AND STOPS EXACTLY AS BMW M ROADSTER SHOULD. It does not leak or burn any oil, has never overheated, and I have never had to add any coolant. According to the Carfax, the original owner bought the car in May, 1998, and sold it in May, 2004 with 43,152 miles on it. The second owner wrecked the car two months later, in July, 2004 with 45,552 miles on the odometer. I was told that he spun out in a local BMW dealership parking lot. Years after it was totalled, the owner of a local Maaco body shop purchased the car from the insurance company. He told me that the car had only body damage, and the accident DID NOT EVEN SET OFF THE AIRBAGS, and he stated that he believed the car should not have been totaled based on the body damage. The body shop owner replaced the damaged body panels, and he provided a partial list of parts receipts, including a new clutch assembly in 2009, and A/C compressor in 2011. He had the car inspected and titled in Maryland in 2009 I purchased the car in April, 2013 from the owner of the body shop who bought the car at the insurance auction. I took pictures of the underside of the car (see below), and I see no indication that there was any damage to the subframe or any part of the car structure. I am not a mechanic, but I saw no evidence of any damage underneath the car. The hood, the right headlight assembly, right front fender, right door, and right rear fender, and right rear wheel were damaged and replaced by the previous owner. As can be observed in the photos, there is also no separation or damage to the differential mount or rear subframe. I had a new, top quality convertible top installed in June, 2013 by the best upholstery shop in Frederick, Md., and I bought a used BMW convertible tonneau cover in very good condition. There is also a mesh rear windscreen that fits between the roll bars to reduce the wind noise and buffeting when driving with the top down. The power top motor was not functional when I purchased the car, and I never bothered replacing the motor since it is easy to lower and raise the top manually. The rims are not perfect, but they are in very good condition with a couple of small areas of curb rash that can be seen in the photos. The Michelin Pilot Sport tires are not new, but still have several thousand miles of life remaining. The tread depth ranges from 4/32" to 6/32", and are mostly around 5/32" with a few spots on the rear near 3/32". Maryland state vehicle inspection requires at least 2/32" tread depth. The seats are in very, very good condition, as can be observed in the photos. There are a couple of small wear spots that can be seen in photos, and the seats have been treated with Maguire's leather treatment three times since I've owned the car. I replaced the worn power seat track bushings with replacement bushing from Roadster Solutions. I also added removable, magnetic stone guards from Roadster Solutions. I read that the seat belt guides always break in these cars, and these were broken, too. Replacing them requires disassembling the leather seats, so I did the quick & easy repair with a strong piece of adhesive velcro, as seen in the photos. It is not a permanent repair, but it is an effective short term fix. The car has the original radio with cassette player and CD deck in the trunk with two, 6-CD magazines. The A/C blew cold, but not very cold when I bought the car. I had it charged, and it worked great all last summer, but now it is barely blowing cold again. As far as I know, everything is 100% stock except the K&M intake and lifetime air filter. THIS CAR LOOKS GREAT, AND RUNS AND DRIVES GREAT. I have driven it for 15K miles since I bought it 15 months ago. There are the typical, minor stone chips in the paint in the front of the car. All glass is in perfect condition. It accelerates and corners like no car I have ever owned, by far. You would never know from driving the car that it had ever been in an accident. The tires are wearing evenly. My wife and I took a wonderful three-day drive through the Shenandoah Mountains last Fall, and it was a joy to drive this car through the mountains with the top down. We had no problems with the car whatsoever. I don't have garage space for it, and it spent the winter under a cover, and it is not the most practical car for my daily commute of 76 miles, so after driving it to work daily for 7 or 8 months, I bought another car for daily commuting. I have only driven it occasionally since I took the cover off when the winter finally ended. I now have a new project: I am fixing up an old boat, and I need money for a new motor more than I need a fun weekend car, so the M Roadster must go! This is a NO RESERVE AUCTION, but the car is also for sale locally, and I reserve the right to end the auction at any time - but my intention is to sell the car. Please use eBay to ask any questions. I want to be as open and clear as possible about all aspects of the car's condition, and I welcome anyone who wants to see the car. No joy rides, and No bids accepted from zero or negative rated bidders without first contacting me. If the auction winner sees and drives the car, and it is not exactly as described, the deposit will be refunded minus the eBay listing/sales fee, however, once the car leaves my premises, the sale is final. The car is still tagged and insured, the title is clear and is in my name, and the car has only been driven a couple of times a month since December. It will not be driven again until the winning bidder takes it for a test drive. The car is sold as used, as-is, no warranty, and any shipping is the responsibility of the buyer. Car is for sale in the lower 48 states only. On Jul-15-14 at 18:14:25 PDT, seller added the following information: Update - July 15: I remembered a few more things about the car I wanted to mention. 1) The floor mats are not original. 2) It has heated seats. 3) there is a scuff on the underside of the front lip that is not visible unless you get close to the ground and look for it. 4) The two tiny light bulbs behind the center console that illuminate the HVAC controls (vent position, blower speed, and hot/cold temp) are burned out and need to be replaced. All of the other lights, including the illuminated gauges in the center console, and all switches, buttons, etc., all function correctly except the power top, as previously noted in the description. The non-functioning motor for the power top is located in the trunk, and the motor turns a hydraulic pump that moves a cylinder that opens or closes the top - at least it did when it worked. As noted above, the power top motor was not functional when I bought the car, and I never bothered fixing it since it is not hard to open and close the top manually. However, the hydraulic cylinder that opens and closes the top has not been disconnected. When opening or closing the top, you have to apply steady, even pressure that is moving the fluid through the hydraulic cylinder. It is not hard, and I am sure there is an easy way to completely disconnect the convertible top from the hydraulic arm, but I never bothered doing this, again, because it really is not hard or inconvenient for me. My goal in listing this on eBay is to honestly disclose everything I know about this car. I forgot about the floor mats, heated seats, and HVAC lights until this afternoon. To be fair, if anyone wants to cancel their bid based on this update, just send me a note indicating so before the end of the day Thursday, July 17, and I will cancel your bid, and respond with an email indicating so. I apologize if this caused any misrepresentation, confusion or concern, and if you have any questions about it, send me a note, and I will answer to the best of my ability. Several local people have expressed an interest in the car, and one person wanted me to drive it closer to them so they could see it, but I declined. I stated above that the car would not be driven until the bidding ends, and the winner inspects the car to confirm that my description is accurate, and I am sticking to that, and will not drive the car again. I have been asked what is my 'best price' for the car, and another person made me a cash offer. I do not blame anyone for asking these questions, but to clarify, I have decided to sell the car ONLY through the eBay auction, and my answer to all requests of this nature is the same: I am going to let the auction run to the end, and the highest eBay bidder wins. No offers outside of eBay will be accepted, no overseas shipping, no money orders, no games or BS. There is no reserve price, and there is no 'buy it now' price. The winning bid will certainly be less money than what I have invested in the car. If you want to buy the car, bid like you want to own it, and good luck. If you want to see what other people think about this model, just google 1998 BMW M Roadster, and read the reviews. Go to youtube and watch the top gear reviews. I planned on keeping the car, but my priorities have changed. The car is the real deal, an M Roadster, and it performs exactly like an M Roadster is supposed to.