Why you should buy this car: Because it's a taut, brilliantly executed roadster in the tradition of great British roadsters — well, not exactly in their tradition. Think of the romanticized, open-top road car of your dreams, not the one whose parts fly off when it gets breezy. Also because you're also well-heeled enough, or willing enough to subsist on Top Ramen for a decade out of love alone, to float the $10,000 premium (plus $1,000 gas-guzzler tax) over a base BMW Z4.

Why you should not buy this car: Because you think the Bangled design is better suited to a shopping mall in Leipzig than a roadster. Also, because you're way too into driving not to buy the coupe.

Suitability Parameters:
· Speed Merchants: Yes
· Fashion Victims: Yes
· Treehuggers: No
· Mack Daddies: No
· Tuner Crowd: No
· Hairdressers: No
· Penny Pinchers: No
· Euro Snobs: Yes
· Working Stiffs: No
· Technogeeks: No
· Poseurs: Yes
· Soccer Moms: No
· Nascar Dads: No
· Golfing Grandparents: No

Also Consider:
· Porsche Boxster S
· Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG
· Honda S2000

Vitals:
· Manufacturer: BMW
· Model tested: M Roadster
· Model year: 2006
· Base Price: $51,300
· Price as Tested: $56,400
· Engine type: 3.2-liter DOHC 24-valve inline six with VANOS variable valve timing
· Horsepower: 343 hp @ 7900 rpm
· Torque: 269 ft.-lbs. @ 4900 rpm
· Redline: 8000 rpm
· Transmission: 6-speed manual
· Curb Weight: 3,273 lbs
· LxWxH: 160.4" 69.5" 50.8"
· Wheelbase: 98.3 in
· Tires: 225/45 ZR18 - 255/40 ZR18 Continental ContiSport Contact
· Drive type: rear-wheel-drive
· 0 - 60 mph: 4.8 sec.
· 1/4-mile: 13.6 seconds @ 105 mph
· Fuel economy city/highway: 16 / 24
· NHTSA crash test rating: 4 /4 / 3 / 5

[by Mike Spinelli]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 BMW M Roadster, Part 1, Part 2 [internal]

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