2000 BMW M Coupe with S52 engine. 58,000 miles/93,000 km (was US car). $22,000 US/$30,000 CND. 416-876-3547. Desirable sunroof delete (stiffer, more headroom and less heat gain from the sun) as the glass sunroof is tilt only and thus pointless. Titanium Silver on all black leather. Accessories include iPod interface, magnetic rear fender flare stoneguards, Parrot Bluetooth kit, daytime running lights and Leather Z Mark 2 armrest/centre console installed (original included). The glove-box sagging fix has been completed (the original steel part comes with the car). Will come with the windshield wiper adjustable interval relay which I bought but never got around to installing because it isn’t driven in the rain much. Never winter driven. It has the rear shock mount reinforcements installed that also allows replacement of the rear shocks from above. It has replacement clear side marker lenses, but the original orange ones go with the car.
The car has effectively been serviced only by Marcus Glarner since I bought it in April of 2009, except for simple fluid changes. The car was a New Jersey car originally and has been properly imported and is registered in Ontario. No physical changes, except the installation of daytime running light relay were required and because the cluster indicates that the mileage is in miles, no stickers were required. Since 1999 it has only required fluid changes, hatch shocks, tires and one new battery (2015). Fluids are now due since (as discussed below) the car was not driven in 2016 and hardly driven in 2015. I would replace the tires and the M-mobility tire sealant (if you expect to ever use it) probably as they are getting pretty old now too.
The front spoiler has been repainted by previous owner. The wheels were refinished by Steve Rotenberg shortly after I bought it in 2009. The (really deep) barrels of the wheels were polished and clear coated, which is not factory.
Who I am (and how it relates to BMW cars)
I am a long time BMW enthusiast and until last year owned a 1973 E9 3.0 CSL, a 1991 E34 M5 and this E36/9 M Coupe since 1991, 1995 and 2009 respectively as summer collector cars. Winter cars have been (since 2005) a E91 328iX and E39 540i). My wife has her own car. I have been active on a number of BMW listserves, largely the E34 M5 and E39 lists (my winter car from 2005-2015).
Marcus Glarner has looked after my cars since I first met him in 1991 when I was looking for E9s and I believe in the value of his work enough to do that long drive out east and use up the goodwill needed to get my wife to drive out with me. For more urgent things and for the winter cars’ primary maintenance Autotrend has been very helpful here in Toronto (without the hassle of going to Port Perry).
Reason for Selling
I am selling because I suffer from nerve damage in the metatarsal area of my left foot (ball of the foot) right where you push the clutch pedal. Over the last 5 years I’ve tried to find a solution and have not been able to do so. I sold the M5 and the CSL last year and kept the M Coupe hoping its lower clutch pedal pressure would make it more bearable. It isn’t and every drive leaves me limping the rest of the week. So, I guess it is time to sell something that I can’t really drive without pain. I’ve replaced them more or less with a SMG 3 car (E60 M5) and DCT car (E90 M3). So while they still don’t give me the same driving pleasure as a manual car, they allow me to satisfy the BMW itch. I’m torn about what to replace the M Coupe with since nothing is quite like it.
The Good
Fairly decent mileage car driven by mature men (previous owner was a 60 year old physician). I bought it from him in New Jersey and it was inspected then for the rear subframe issue (it is fine). I’ve explained the details of the car above and I have driven it reasonably and only on the street. It has not been tracked to my knowledge. The good is that it is a nice colour combination for those of you who don’t want the bold multi-colour interiors that many of them came with. The fact it doesn’t have that silly tilt and lift-out sunroof is a really good thing. Finally it was originally a US car so it can be easily sold back down there if you tire of it and want to sell to where more of the market is.
If you haven’t driven one, you ought to. They are visceral and involving with a short wheelbase and the rear axle feels like it is inches behind your butt. It would be a great track car. It is a hooligan car (which is why so many of them have the rear subframe problem) and there are great videos on the internet of it.
The Bad
I have not driven it much in the last two years and did not drive it at all last year (2016). While my pattern is to change all of the fluids in a car that I buy when I buy it, I know not everyone does. With this car, you should. As indicated, I would also change the tires even though they may have tread left. The interior is good with no significant wear. Driver’s seat bolster leather has creases (as you would expect). The front spoiler bottom is scratched (see photos). There is a tiny dent on the rear right of the roof (see photos). It has the S52 engine, which means those looking to collect a supremely collectible car that will fetch top dollar 20 years from now, won’t be looking for this one. A S52 is better on the street though and definitely has more than enough power and torque (and in fact, I believe that below 4500 or 5000 rpm there is little difference and more useable torque at reasonable engine speeds. It isn’t one of the louder colours (interior and exterior) but that is really a personal preference thing. The odometer reads out in miles, which it turns out, isn’t a big deal. The rear view mirror auto-dim fluid was drained out to avoid the eventual leak (it had started “pooling”) and the two layers make the reflection weird so it has a mirror from 5 or 7 series in it, which is a little bit too large for the car compared to the “correct mirror” – either get the mirror redone or fit a normal mirror from an E36 or E31 into it (which the non-M coupes have).