That's a nice looking 'vert. I was only kidding about buying the beetle.

There's always about 10 days every year when I wish i had a convertable (usually in the fall). It's a little tough to put a roof rack and surfboards on a softop, so it wouldn't do me much use. I have seen roof racks on M coupes though (z3 generation).

As for buying on ebay...I think the risk is about the same with buying any used car. Even if you have it inspected, there are still no guarantees. Substitute the vibe you may get from a sketchy salesman with the vibe you get from reading ALL of the feedback posted for the seller. The presentation of the car, the number of similiar cars they've recently sold & the feedback should help.