Quote:
Originally Posted by Red_Baron
Remember to at least get something with remaining warranty or at least CPO. These cars are not cheap to repair.
|
I don't necessarily agree with this. I was looking at a 2009 E90 (which I bought, 2008 build, so out of warranty) and 2011 MYs with the same number of miles, about 30k. The price difference was well over $10k with the same options. The chances of blowing through $10k in repairs is very low, and depreciation will level out over the next few years. Most M3's were garaged so the wear and tear differences are mostly just mileage based.
One huge tip to help mitigate the big ticket repairs: when you find a car you like, get the VIN and call your local BMW dealer (I ask for a service scheduler) and ask for help getting the warranty and maintenance service history. For warranty work, there are common things that broke like window regulators, door lock actuators, dead battery, the usual BMW BS which is no big deal. You may see DCT reporgrammings which are fine. When you see major stuff, internal drivetrain or major electronics and the like, run away.
With maintenance, make sure it was taken care of in a reasonably timely manner, e.g. the 1200 mile service.
Take your time aand do your research. E90's are a quite a bit harder to come by than E92s and 93s.
You may see some repos out there. Proceed at your own risk with these.
I used BMWVIN dot com for option information that may not be clear on a seller's description, like extended leather or even a NAV.
Good luck! You'll love it.