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      03-26-2010, 02:56 PM   #1
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Those who purchased a used E9x M3

Well the time has come for me to look into a "new" car. Ive had my 330izhp for 5 years now and its time to upgrade, and i finally have the means to do so, a question to those of you who purchased this car used, like i am planning on doing.

1. Were you kind of on the fence about purchasing a performance car used?
2. Is purchasing an extended warranty possible if i do not buy the car from a bmw dealership?
3. how does the dct tranny hold up over time? i know the smg was very costly to repair after the warranty went, and this is THE ONLY reason holding me back from the dct.. those of you w 20k+ on the clock, how is it holding up?

I am pretty picky about the options i want the car to have, so waiting for the right one to come about isnt the issue, ive waited this long, and for the money i'll be spending on it, id rather get the one i want..

thank you in advance for any advice you guys have to offer.
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      03-26-2010, 03:42 PM   #2
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I bought my 08 M3 about 4 months ago sight unseen, and had it shipped from a non-BMW performance car dealer from Athens, GA to Miami. I was a bit nervous about it. I think anyone who is in the market for an M3 wants to find one that wasn't driven like an M3, which is pretty difficult to know for sure. I tried to get as much info on the prior owner as possible, carfax, ect., which checked out ok. I even gave the prior owner a call and asked him questions, such as whether he ever tracked it, modified it, ect. I checked service records with BMW to see if all maintenance/oil changes was done on time, and if any major repairs/replacements had been done. Also, for me, I always look at the interior as the tell tale sign whether the prior owner took care of the car or not, and I think for a performance car this is important. It's easy to make an exterior look like new, but the interior is a lot more difficult to hide excess wear. I think if the interior looks pristine, then you found a car where the owner took pride in it, and in all likelihood treated it properly. I also looked for signs of modifications, even visual ones, which may indicate that the prior owner may have reverted the car to stock before sale. In the end though, remember that you do have 2 more years of manufacturer warranty, which makes the decision a lot easier to live with. I think as long as your M3 is under factory warranty they let you purchase an extended one (not bumper to bumper though). I'm all for it. I picked up a fully loaded 08 coupe with new tires, pristine inside and out, for 45k, and never looked back.
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      03-26-2010, 03:47 PM   #3
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I bought my 08 M3 about 4 months ago sight unseen, and had it shipped from a non-BMW performance car dealer from Athens, GA to Miami. I was a bit nervous about it. I think anyone who is in the market for an M3 wants to find one that wasn't driven like an M3, which is pretty difficult to know for sure. I tried to get as much info on the prior owner as possible, carfax, ect., which checked out ok. I even gave the prior owner a call and asked him questions, such as whether he ever tracked it, modified it, ect. I checked service records with BMW to see if all maintenance/oil changes was done on time, and if any major repairs/replacements had been done. Also, for me, I always look at the interior as the tell tale sign whether the prior owner took care of the car or not, and I think for a performance car this is important. It's easy to make an exterior look like new, but the interior is a lot more difficult to hide excess wear. I think if the interior looks pristine, then you found a car where the owner took pride in it, and in all likelihood treated it properly. I also looked for signs of modifications, even visual ones, which may indicate that the prior owner may have reverted the car to stock before sale. In the end though, remember that you do have 2 more years of manufacturer warranty, which makes the decision a lot easier to live with. I think as long as your M3 is under factory warranty they let you purchase an extended one (not bumper to bumper though). I'm all for it. I picked up a fully loaded 08 coupe with new tires, pristine inside and out, for 45k, and never looked back.
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      03-26-2010, 05:50 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jb-m3 View Post
I bought my 08 M3 about 4 months ago sight unseen, and had it shipped from a non-BMW performance car dealer from Athens, GA to Miami. I was a bit nervous about it. I think anyone who is in the market for an M3 wants to find one that wasn't driven like an M3, which is pretty difficult to know for sure. I tried to get as much info on the prior owner as possible, carfax, ect., which checked out ok. I even gave the prior owner a call and asked him questions, such as whether he ever tracked it, modified it, ect. I checked service records with BMW to see if all maintenance/oil changes was done on time, and if any major repairs/replacements had been done. Also, for me, I always look at the interior as the tell tale sign whether the prior owner took care of the car or not, and I think for a performance car this is important. It's easy to make an exterior look like new, but the interior is a lot more difficult to hide excess wear. I think if the interior looks pristine, then you found a car where the owner took pride in it, and in all likelihood treated it properly. I also looked for signs of modifications, even visual ones, which may indicate that the prior owner may have reverted the car to stock before sale. In the end though, remember that you do have 2 more years of manufacturer warranty, which makes the decision a lot easier to live with. I think as long as your M3 is under factory warranty they let you purchase an extended one (not bumper to bumper though). I'm all for it. I picked up a fully loaded 08 coupe with new tires, pristine inside and out, for 45k, and never looked back.
45k seems like a really good price. Wish I could find one for that price.
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      03-26-2010, 06:30 PM   #5
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WOW.. i would pull the trigger tonight if i had that oppurtunity.. nice find man, enjoy it.. thanks for the info, i'll keep that in mind.. i was going for an 09 e90 because of the LCI was already done with the 4 door, therefore i dont have to worry about something being "newer" then the one i would have just purchased. I def understand though, my ideal situation is to find an old man who bought one and drove it like it was a 328 haha, i guess beggers cant be chosers
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      03-26-2010, 07:06 PM   #6
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From Car and Driver's long-term test article on the 2008 M3 DCT at 40k miles:

Quote:
The only significant complaints involved the dual-clutch transmission. In automatic mode, it works remarkably well, and it was hard not to be awed by the speed of the shifts and its smoothness of operation. Indeed, technical director Dave VanderWerp observed that it “upshifts so smoothly under part throttle that it’s easier to detect a shift from the change of the exhaust note than it is to feel it. Too bad,” he went on, “that the lazy throttle tip-in from standstill is so off-putting.”

And near the end, the dual-clutch transmission was making clunks and groans. Assistant tech editor K.C. Colwell was adamant that the transmission had loosened up considerably. Twice while the M3 was parked facing downhill, the transmission slipped markedly when the driver was trying to back up. If the clutches need to be replaced, our local dealer quoted us $3296 for the job! So far, none of the M3 forums has reported any issues with M DCT, save for the service bulletin already mentioned. Indeed, most owners seem besotted with the dual-clutch gearbox.
Most of the sentimental drivers on staff would have preferred a manual transmission in the M3, although the automatic function of the M DCT is good for mindless commuting.
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=335404
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      03-27-2010, 04:54 PM   #7
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no matter what year the car, it is always as new as many miles it has been driven. In other words, true age of car is in miles, not in years.
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      03-27-2010, 05:07 PM   #8
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I just hit 20k only 6spd....no change, still love it!
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      04-01-2010, 11:33 PM   #9
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I bought a used '08 a little over a year ago. It is true that a year ago there were a lot more deals to be had for used M3's while the economy was in free fall. I set my sights on a low mileage DCT coupe with minimal options. In the end I lucked out and found a coupe with only 1000 miles on it for $52K. It was quite a deal and the only compromise was that it was equipped with a sunroof (after 2 M3's with no sunroofs I'm over it now).

The other complication was the car was 2000 miles away. But here's the best part: Tom Williams BMW where the original owner bought the car came to my rescue. In addition to doing a pre-purchase inspection for free with the 1200 mile break-in service, they agreed to 'store' my car for about a week while I waited for the shipping company to pick it up. What great guys!

So I kinda lucked out. But lessons learned are this:

1. If you want a really good deal, you will need to travel most likely to get it.
2. If you are dealing with a private party, you most likely will need to make arrangements with the PP bank. Make sure the title and license transfers are clear before you travel to do the deal.
3. Transporting your car is just a royal pain in the ass. I've done it now 3 times and it never has been easy. Consider driving it back if you can't wait about a month to get your car delivered. Otherwise budget the transportation cost into the overall deal (you get what you pay for, mine was about $1400, but the car was covered the whole way.)
4. As someone else said, low mileage is better than the a newer year with more mileage. The lower the better and you still have the factory warranty so you should be well covered.
5. Most important. Find a dealer to do a pre-purchase inspection. Dealers usually do a very good job on this- I have had my last two M3's sold go through this and surprisingly they found things that needed attention before I sold the car. If at all possible, find a friend in the area to check it out before you go. The dealer PPI can do this for you, but it will cost you.

Good Luck- be patient, you will find your dream car!
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      04-02-2010, 01:29 PM   #10
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my last car also was a 330izhp. great car and wish i would have kept it as my daily driver. i purchased a used 2008 e90m3 and have no regrets about the car except not shopping around for a better price maybe.
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      05-05-2010, 08:21 PM   #11
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I bought my 08 E90 in January from a Land Rover Dealership in NY. The thing was a steal 46k for an 08, premium, tech, cold, with 4200 miles on the clock. I haven't looked back.

One way of sort of "checking" if it was "driven like an M3" would be to go in to the M settings and see what the presets were. My previous owner used the Middle setting on EDC and MDM instead of DSC off, so I know he wasn't driving it THAT hard, or he just didn't know how to work the tech.
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      05-05-2010, 08:26 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Polak View Post
I haven't looked back.
Apparently your very happy with your car, naming it "Bruce" and all
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      05-05-2010, 08:30 PM   #13
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Apparently your very happy with your car, naming it "Bruce" and all
It's just so manly..... normal feminine names like... Abigail, Layla, Caroline, Fiona, Pepper don't see to fit. I haven't officially decided on Bruce yet.
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      05-05-2010, 08:35 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Polak View Post
It's just so manly..... normal feminine names like... Abigail, Layla, Caroline, Fiona, Pepper don't see to fit. I haven't officially decided on Bruce yet.
Pepper? WTF?

Dude don't name your car Bruce hahaha
I don't even have a name for my car, I just call it "The M" :P
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      05-05-2010, 08:38 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xtose92 View Post
WOW.. i would pull the trigger tonight if i had that oppurtunity.. nice find man, enjoy it.. thanks for the info, i'll keep that in mind.. i was going for an 09 e90 because of the LCI was already done with the 4 door, therefore i dont have to worry about something being "newer" then the one i would have just purchased. I def understand though, my ideal situation is to find an old man who bought one and drove it like it was a 328 haha, i guess beggers cant be chosers

Well most of us here do drive our cars some what aggressively but we still take care of them with proper warm up, early maintenance, car washes/wax, etc...

We all treat them as if we will keep them forever, even if we dont.

So yes, i have no issues buying a used M3 as long as it was taken care of from the start by someone who knew what they were doing.
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      05-05-2010, 08:41 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesal@Project 808 View Post
Well most of us here do drive our cars some what aggressively but we still take care of them with proper warm up, early maintenance, car washes/wax, etc...

We all treat them as if we will keep them forever, even if we dont.

So yes, i have no issues buying a used M3 as long as it was taken care of from the start by someone who knew what they were doing.
+1,000,000

There was no incentive for me to flush my differential for example..it would have been just fine for a damn long while...way longer than I am probably going to keep the car...but still...it just feels so much better to do some early maintenance.
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