Intro + tips on buying used?

[david3558]

Hey everyone,

The name's David and I'm looking to purchase a M3!

It's been my dream car (it's no Aston Martin, but it sure as hell is realistic) for quite a while now and with my moving back to California (after university in Boston), I think it's time to get it!

I started out back in the day with a 2008 Civic Si Sedan which I babied but ended having to sell for school, over a year or so ago, I purchased a 2007 Nissan 350Z Roadster with only 2k miles on the odometer, needless to say it was a bargain, fully loaded for $24,000. Anyhow, the car was more or less my father's as he had wanted to get another Z after his first Datsun 240.

I've been taking a good look at M3's because of its mix of practicality and performance, the engine is also reminisecent of the high revving Hondas I have come to love, except with twice the amount of cylinders

Anyhow, I've been looking around for a used M3, but I would appreciate tips on what items to look out for, and potentially what "issues" could help me drive the prices down during my hunt. That being said, I'm looking for an E90 M3 (sedan), mainly because I think it might have more space overall (as I do a lot of traveling) - what are your thoughts on the E90 vs E92 spacewise?

I'm just not very familiar with BMW's so it'd be awesome if you could give me pointers for buying used, I don't want to end up with a huge bill for a car that hardly runs

PS: MAX budget is $45k, but I'd like to stay as "cheap" as possible.

[Titanium Silver]

With a budget of $45k, I would look for an 08' or 09' with low mileage that is Certified Pre Owned. I think the CPO warranty is one of the most important things to look for. My CPO is 6 year 100k and makes me feel much better about any potential issues.

I would also look for a vehicle serviced by the dealer you are purchasing from, so you can take a look at the service records to see if there has been any major work or recurring problems.

Good luck!

[rossii]

What TS said plus I would look at cars owned by BMWCCA members. You know they have been taken care of. Go to to the BMWCCA site and check out classifieds.

[david3558]

Awesome thanks for the pointers! CPO seems somewhat hard to find especially for:

E90/E92, low(er) mileage, DCT transmission, GPS, etc.

PS - in actual day to day usage, besides getting in and out of the rear seats, how realistic is the E92 for long term usage? I want to keep the car for as long as possible. That's why I was considering the sedan!

[robb7979]

IMO they are pretty close space-wise. I just couldn't deal with the longer door on the coupe. Decent sized trunks, limited leg room in back. Coupes come with the fold downs standard, I believe. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong though. Getting in and out isn't that bad on the coupe. How often would your back seats be used? Let the girl ride in front!

[david3558]

Haha, I literally hardly ever use the back seats to be honest. I'm coming from a 350Z, so anything is better. I just felt so space-starved in the Z roadster. The main thing really is overall storage capacity!

Anyhow, I've been looking at CPOs and I'm on a waiting list now. Does anyone know if it is possible for me to submit a used car I bought for CPO?

[Michaeljh2000]

Usually you pay a little more for a CPO. So, if you really need that peace of mind, then just buy an extended warranty.

[david3558]

Hrm, so you're saying I can actually just buy the extended warranty even if I bought the car secondhand? If that's the case, I'm definitely going to do that.

[xchosun1x]

one thing to look out for is the CPO plan itself.

some items on the cpo plan do not cover drivetrain issues ie dct clutch etc. Only from the intial 50k warranty.

That is my understanding while talking to a SA. But...as we all know..talking to one SA will give you different information dealer to dealer to dealer.

[RDATL]

Originally Posted by robb7979

IMO they are pretty close space-wise. I just couldn't deal with the longer door on the coupe. Decent sized trunks, limited leg room in back. Coupes come with the fold downs standard, I believe. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong though. Getting in and out isn't that bad on the coupe. How often would your back seats be used? Let the girl ride in front!

Getting in and out of the E92 isn't too painful, but it does require some level of self-awareness. Those doors are unbelievably long. So far I have used my backseat a grand total of one time, to the comment that it is "surprisingly spacious."

[sqweak]

Originally Posted by david3558

Hrm, so you're saying I can actually just buy the extended warranty even if I bought the car secondhand? If that's the case, I'm definitely going to do that.

Any car that is still within 4/50k warranty can have the warranty extended to the equivalent of CPO direct from BMW. Same for the Maintenance plan. I *think* any dealer can sell it to you as well, so you could shop around for pricing.

[david3558]

Hrm thanks for that! Anyone else have some tips? What are your thoughts on purchasing from a private seller from another state? I don't know about the security process or www.escrow.com.

[mdosu]

if you haven't checked out this thread, then read it first:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=366319

secondly, you can with $45k cash come out with a 09 E90 with around 15k miles, no CPO, IMO, you just have to search around, have patience, know how to negotiate, and not live in California. If not, then you'll be like half of the people who posted on that thread who overpaid.

Finally, I would not limit yourself to a CPO car, like others have said, just buy it seperately or make this decision seperately b/c it's pretty damn expensive:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=542997

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Welcome to the Forum .... there are quite a few similar posts here regarding the purchase of a used M3 ... one that might be of interest is here ===>CLICK to open my views on the subject are in post # 7

Hope you find what you are looking for.

Cheers,

Rolf-Dieter

[Bimmer Freeeek!]

Originally Posted by robb7979

IMO they are pretty close space-wise. I just couldn't deal with the longer door on the coupe. Decent sized trunks, limited leg room in back. Coupes come with the fold downs standard, I believe. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong though. Getting in and out isn't that bad on the coupe. How often would your back seats be used? Let the girl ride in front!

My soon to be old car is a 325Ci convertible and getting in and out of the backseat is fine if you are just going to have occasional passengers. The backseat entry was a bit tighter in the convertible than in the coupe, but my friends never had any problems - though I imagine it would have been uncomfortable for a tall person. I have had the car for ten years. My front seats are well worn in but my back seat is nearly pristine - that should give you an idea of how much it has actually been used. If there are more than 2-3 people going somewhere and the drive is going to be on the long side, we usually end up taking someone else's car (almost always bigger than mine). I do think accessing the backseat will become a pain if you plan to use it as legitimate routine passenger seating (like carting your kids around). However in all body styles, the 3er has a pretty roomy backseat - your normal sized friends won't be uncomfortable sitting back there but might start to feel a bit cramped after an hour of sitting back there. Make sense?

Now the 1er - that is another story. I don't see how anyone larger than a hobbit could possibly sit back there.

[Grail05]

bought my 2008 m3 with 1k miles for 43k... 2 years ago... LOL just make sure you got cash to drop.... im at 55k with no issue at all...

[FVM3]

E92 is big enough for me. E90 interior room isnt that much more then e92, mainly just 2 extra doors. Trunk space i believe they are almost the same

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Freeeek!

...... the 3er has a pretty roomy backseat - your normal sized friends won't be uncomfortable sitting back there but might start to feel a bit cramped after an hour of sitting back there. Make sense?

Now the 1er - that is another story. I don't see how anyone larger than a hobbit could possibly sit back there.

Agree with this ^^^ 100%

[david3558]

Thanks for the replies!

[david3558]

Additional question: what are some reasonable financing options for purchasing from a private party?

[nineonenine]

check your local credit union! I got 2.99 on my 08 e90 m3

[dagolfpro]

Originally Posted by david3558

Additional question: what are some reasonable financing options for purchasing from a private party?

Try PenFed, you can join for $20 membership or see if you qualify for free membership is you belong to one of the associations. They have one of the best rates around for used cars.

CPO is only available if you buy direct from dealership. Aftermarket warranties can be purchased if you buy from anyone else.

Try to buy 09 or newer as idrive issues were resolved. I looked everywhere before I bought mine. You might even try leasetrader or swapalease as well.

$45k is on the low end for 09 but they are out there. The price is also dependent on what options are on the car. 2 months ago, a seller on this board sold his 2011 with 5,000 miles for around $50k, but MSRP new was around $59k. So it really depends on factory options.

Good luck.