Quote:
Originally Posted by Freiheit
Congratulations! Did you check the thing out thoroughly before you bought it? We're all interested in why a desirable car like that would be sitting at a dealer for 8 months already. There has to be a story.
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I was definitely curious too! I don't know if this qualifies as "a story" tho...it's definitely a yarn.
I had been searching for a newer M3 with the Cold Weather package since my 2010 was originally a Texas car and I'm a total cold-weather wimp.
I first found the car last Thursday and called the seller (a private dealer) on Friday morning. We spoke at length about the car and it's "official" history (he had faxed me the CarFax at that point--it was originally bought in CA but then ended up in Las Vegas) and I learned that he had just acquired it the day before from another dealer in what he called a "hell swap" or something like that. He explained that now and then dealers will trade cars that have been sitting for a while; he had let go of an M4 for this M3. It was obvious that he has been selling cars for a long time...but he seemed very honest and accommodating.
I asked him why a car like this had been sitting for so long; he said rear-wheel drive sport cars just don't sell well in mountain regions (he is in SLC Utah), and that certainly jives with my experience here in Boulder CO. (xDrives sell like hotcakes). I bought my first M3 8 months ago from a Hyundai dealer in town who said it had been sitting for a while as well. "So why do dealers buy cars like these that don't sell?" I ask. Apparently cars like these are a magnet for traffic, even though most people are interested in something else.
I also asked him if he'd take 2010 M3 as a trade and how we would do the exchange since I was out of state. Apparently he ships/delivers cars all over the place so he said he'd ship me his car and I'd just load mine up for the trip back.
Last Friday night I actually discovered this very thread and reading it made me panic--if the internet knows about this car, it won't last long! Frankly it pushed me over the edge...the thought of losing a potential gem due to inaction goaded me into (irrational?) action.
So I called him Saturday morning and asked him to hold if for me and said I'd be there by 4PM (SLC is a 7 hour drive from Boulder). I also asked him if he'd match the price as shown in the link from the OP. He said that wasn't the actual price of the car...WTF. He confessed that many dealers will show a sold hot rod for some reasonable but very attractive price to signal to visitors that they're ready to make great deals. He also offered to fax me the paperwork between his business and the other dealer showing the "swap price." It was definitely in the same ballpark as the price shown in the link but definitely higher. The tricks of the trade I guess.
When I arrived in SLC I spent about 90 mins crawling around, under, inside, etc...no mechanical inspection was possible that evening or Sunday when most garages are closed. I drove it, listed for knocks, pings, smelled the oil, looked for leaks, checked VIN's...but it gradually silenced my "someone is playing me" inner voice. Having just been in my 2010 for 7 hours straight, I thought I had a pretty good base to judge from.
The strange thing about the car is that while it's definitely "new" there are some odd incongruities: the boot on the DCT shifter was unclamped from the center console, the grommet in the seatbelt strap that keeps the buckle in place was missing, there were no manuals, only one key, and some dingleberry had put too much oil in it ("oil level too high" warning). It also has a little paint scratch just below the driver's door handle which looked like someone keys rubbed against the door at some point. I also found several razor blades under the seat (no cuts!) and finally decided at some point that this car had probably been used in a crime(s), had been sitting in someone's garage for a while, then had been sold to a dealer (in Vegas no less), who then sold it at action to another dealer in Utah...who then traded it to this private dealer. Of course I'm totally speculating about these things...but it seemed like the car had seen some "action" whatever that may be.
The dealer asked me what I wanted for my car (25) and he gave me 23...which was definitely within the range of what similar M3's are fetching. I handed it over to him with 79,550 on the odometer. Fair deal I say!
Meanwhile, while I'm sitting there, someone else calls him about the car...really glad I drove out when I did.
I ended up getting some price concessions from him, plus we both agreed that I had saved us both about 1200 in shipping costs which we deducted from his asking price.
Before writing a check I looked him straight in the eye and said that I was about to set off on a 7 hour drive and that if he had any concerns about this car I'd really like to hear them. He said the car is totally tight and he had no worries at all. Apparently the factory warranty had just expired (4 years) even though it only had 5 out of 50K miles on it.
So I drove the new M3 home that night and got 26MPG @ 75MPH over 515 miles! Apparently I had a good tailwind. It just purred the whole way; it's now got 5600 miles on it. I was a bit concerned about the high oil level so I never brought it above 3000-3500 RPMs.
I'm getting the oil flushed tomorrow and asked them to check for any fault codes. I'm going to drive it like a granny for a few weeks so I can get to know it. Hopefully nothing pops up. If I had to do it all over again I'd probably have tried to stretch the deal out so that I could get a PPI...but I also figured that in this day/age it's pretty difficult to totally dick someone over without paying a price for it...so we'll see what happens
PP