Buying 2011 e90 M3

[Properstyle]

it is very very common in florida for a wreck to no be reported and the car be fixed.

[mjposner]

I know this dealer well and have purchased 4 cars from them, a 2007 BMW M Roadster (prior accident), 2008 M3 (prior accident); 2010 Porsche Cayenne (one owner higher mileage) and 2011 M3 (prior accident). They buy from auction and sell for cheap, high volume, lower margin, no negotiation. they let you test drive alone, and welcome inspections. I would call Vista in Pompano and ask what happened. Might end up being a steal.

I do not see airbags deployed, but I would be wary of frame damage. What is odd it was for sale at Vista BMW in fall 2014 then goes to auction when the damage is reported. Something odd here. I think it may not be true unless it had an accident on a test drive. Based on the 10/10 in service date, the dealer dumped once warranty expired.

On this car the carfax is clean but the dealer states "previous accident":

ACTUAL PRICE! NO DEALER FEES! WE WANT YOUR TRADE! INSTANT FINANCING WITH APPROVED CREDIT! OVER 3,000 CARS IN STOCK!THIS VEHICLE IS PRICED $9,328 BELOW THE MARKET AVERAGE ACCORDING TO PURECARS INDEPENDENT DATA!! STUNNING BMW M3!! THOUSANDS BELOW RETAIL!! GREAT COLOR COMBO!! 31,900 LOW MILES!! 18'' ALLOY WHEELS, NAVIGATION SYSTEM, BLUETOOTH CONNECTION, PADDLE SHIFTER, PARKING SENSORS, REAR SPOILER, PUSH START BUTTON AND MUCH MORE!! ONLY $35,999!! BLACK WITH RED LEATHER, CD PLAYER, POWER WINDOWS, POWER LOCKS, POWER MIRRORS, POWER FRONT SEATS, POWER FOLDING MIRRORS, STEERING WHEEL AUDIO CONTROL, CRUISE CONTROL AND TILT STEERING***PREVIOUS ACCIDENT***CAR LOOKS NEW!! MUST SEE!! SAVE THOUSANDS!! EXTENDED WARRANTY AVAILABLE, BRING YOUR TRADE!! DON'T PAY MORE!! 100% FINANCING AVAILABLE WITH APPROVED CREDIT, SEE OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.OFFLEASEONLY.COM

[Properstyle]

Originally Posted by mjposner

I know this dealer well and have purchased 4 cars from them, a 2007 BMW M Roadster (prior accident), 2008 M3 (prior accident); 2010 Porsche Cayenne (one owner higher mileage) and 2011 M3 (prior accident). They buy from auction and sell for cheap, high volume, lower margin, no negotiation. they let you test drive alone, and welcome inspections. I would call Vista in Pompano and ask what happened. Might end up being a steal.

I do not see airbags deployed, but I would be wary of frame damage. What is odd it was for sale at Vista BMW in fall 2014 then goes to auction when the damage is reported. Something odd here. I think it may not be true unless it had an accident on a test drive. Based on the 10/10 in service date, the dealer dumped once warranty expired.

On this car the carfax is clean but the dealer states "previous accident":

ACTUAL PRICE! NO DEALER FEES! WE WANT YOUR TRADE! INSTANT FINANCING WITH APPROVED CREDIT! OVER 3,000 CARS IN STOCK!THIS VEHICLE IS PRICED $9,328 BELOW THE MARKET AVERAGE ACCORDING TO PURECARS INDEPENDENT DATA!! STUNNING BMW M3!! THOUSANDS BELOW RETAIL!! GREAT COLOR COMBO!! 31,900 LOW MILES!! 18'' ALLOY WHEELS, NAVIGATION SYSTEM, BLUETOOTH CONNECTION, PADDLE SHIFTER, PARKING SENSORS, REAR SPOILER, PUSH START BUTTON AND MUCH MORE!! ONLY $35,999!! BLACK WITH RED LEATHER, CD PLAYER, POWER WINDOWS, POWER LOCKS, POWER MIRRORS, POWER FRONT SEATS, POWER FOLDING MIRRORS, STEERING WHEEL AUDIO CONTROL, CRUISE CONTROL AND TILT STEERING***PREVIOUS ACCIDENT***CAR LOOKS NEW!! MUST SEE!! SAVE THOUSANDS!! EXTENDED WARRANTY AVAILABLE, BRING YOUR TRADE!! DON'T PAY MORE!! 100% FINANCING AVAILABLE WITH APPROVED CREDIT, SEE OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.OFFLEASEONLY.COM

Your in florida palmbeach area at that. it is likley this was a teen owned car. He or she wrecked it, and mommy and daddy didn't want to report it so they pay a close by shop to repair the car. I test drove a c63 that was on there lot before I purchased my second one. the car as a 2011 with 40k miles, in the middle of the test drive I pull over to look the car over as it was a p30 package. I look under the car and see it's leaking oiling from the engine in a quite rapid amount. The dealer said nothing, had I not looked I would have bought a lemon. they sold the car the next week. this is a 2011 the car would still have been in warranty when it was sent off last year.

[mjposner]

Offlease is risk/reward...low price for possible issues. Get the car inspected. Also, I never had any issues with getting warranty repairs for my offlease cars, including a new nav radio in my Cayenne and some cosmetic trim on the M3.

[Landman]

Thanks for all the replies. All the comments have been very helpful.
What do you guys think about the linked car below? Only thing it doesn't have is the EDC. I'm wondering if that's something I can live without.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-M3-Base-...US_Cars_Trucks

Thanks again

[california]

Originally Posted by Landman

Hey all,
Long time reader of the threads, first time poster. I've wanted an M3 forever and now I'm getting close to pulling the trigger. I've been passively looking the last 1-2 months and will begin getting more aggressive with my search soon. My ideal M would be a low mileage (less than 40,000) 2011 e90 with DCT, technology package, premium package, cold weather package and would prefer competition package but could live without (actually prefer the 19" alloys). This will be a daily driver driving probably 10k-12k miles a year. I do not plan on modifying it. I am expecting to pay between $43k-47k depending on mileage and whether it has a warranty or not. Is my price estimate within reason?

I've always known that the car I want will be difficult to find but it seems at any given time there are only about 15 e90's being sold that fit all my criteria and being from Oklahoma there are typically only 1-2 within 500 miles of me. Therefore, I've come to the realization that I will probably need to broaden my search to all (or most) of the US and plan to either fly to purchase an M3 or have it shipped to me. I have no problem flying to pick one up and driving 1,000+ miles back, I'm just worried about the logistics of it all. Would you or have you flown somewhere to buy an M3? Would you or have you bought a car sight unseen and shipped it? If yes to either of these, please tell me your story. I'd love to hear the good or bad from your experience(s).

Finally, from all this researching I've read about the infamous rod bearing issue. Would you have the oil tested prior to purchasing? Should I not worry so much about this issue if I have a warranty?

Sorry this is so long. Wanted to throw all the details I could at you guys. I appreciate all the knowledge I've gained from everyone on these boards!

I would look at a 2012/2013 coupe and cpo for 47 with like 30-40k miles.

[iamcpap]

Originally Posted by Landman

Thanks for all the replies. All the comments have been very helpful.
What do you guys think about the linked car below? Only thing it doesn't have is the EDC. I'm wondering if that's something I can live without.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-M3-Base-...US_Cars_Trucks

Thanks again

I've had EDC and non-EDC. You don't need it IMO.

Also...

A friend and I have bought 3 cars out of state from private sellers and I've almost purchased a CPO Benz and had it shipped.

A 2004 S4 and a 2003 M3, both with low mileage and verified near flawless condition prior to sale. Flew into NYC and drove the S4 home to Chicago and drove to southern IN and drove the E46 back. Both of these transactions went off without a hitch as there were no red flags.

I recently purchased an E90 M3 from a forum member here, in the past 12 months. Pictures weren't great online, lots of little stories throughout negotiations, a PPI from a non-dealer third party. I was nervous to say the least. The car definitely wasn't as clean as I wanted it to be, but was priced right so I still bought it. I slightly regret it.

The morale of the story here is. If pics are detailed and HD, the seller is forthcoming with all details (you can tell) and you feel in your GUT it is car for you, go for it.

I also sold my car here to a forum member and he was more than impressed with the condition as I was honest about every single minor flaw on the car and sent detailed pics.

Do your due diligence and you will be fine whether you fly and drive or have it shipped. If you ship it, I think it is worth it to go enclosed for an extra $300-500.

EAG is great, they are just expensive. I think you can find a clean car without paying the premium that EAG demands.

Stick to your guns on finding an E90. I had a brand new ZCP coupe and went to an 08 E90 that had the LCI/CIC upgrades and love the car just as much, if not more.

Good luck out there!
CP

[Gbiz]

Originally Posted by Landman

Thanks for all the replies. All the comments have been very helpful.
What do you guys think about the linked car below? Only thing it doesn't have is the EDC. I'm wondering if that's something I can live without.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-M3-Base-...US_Cars_Trucks

Thanks again

I'm not going to lie, this is a good deal and the car looks great! The red/JB combo is awesome. Low mileage and it has a sunroof and navi! Scoop this thing up!

[mjposner]

I have had edc and no edc and i did not feel any major difference. I also have fox red on my latest M. Its not really red. Car does not actually have extended leather either. It also has a combox so its a later build 20l1 for apps and such.