Looking at joining the ///M club

[For3]

Hi M3post,

Long time lurker. I currently have 09 e92 328i 6mt. Please don’t flame. I’ve been dreaming about a M3 since I was a kid (41 next month) and it might be just about time. I am looking at e90s specifically and am zeroing in on this one at the moment as it is relatively local to me:

https://www.shopautobahnoutlet.com/i...pm9c56ae202286

Thoughts? I don’t love the wood grain trim but can swap that out. Only other thing I would want is M359 wheels but I could get those down the road. Currently have 6MT but am open to DCT. The 6mt can be a beating in my rush hour Dallas commutes. Mileage is somewhat high but starting in August when our youngest starts kinder my daily round trip cuts down 60% so I am thinking annually I will put about 6-7k miles on the car. My plan is to keep it for 5-10 years.

I’ve done a bit of DYI on the e92 thanks to these forums and YouTube. I wouldn’t do rod bearings myself but would be comfortable doing Throttle Actuators, Spark Plugs, Pad’s and Rotors myself, perhaps even struts and shocks.

I know the big mystery is the Rod Bearings. Also concerned about DCT pan, and potentially Evaporator.

Anyways thanks for any feedback.

[Scharbag]

You sound like me

I am 42 and have owned an M3 for less than 2 years but I swooned over the E36, E46 and E9x when they were released. Finally bought one and LOVE it!!

I changed my own rod bearings. It is not a hard task, just takes some time to access them. Take your time, be very clean and meticulous and use good tools and it will go well. SYT_Shadow has a fantastic DIY that shows you every single step in detail. Personally, I dropped the subframe cause I did it on jack stands.

Anyway, I also had an 11 328i x-drive 6MT before the M3. Difference is, well, astounding. The M3 is just better. Faster for sure, but also just better. And after taking it on a 7,000KM road trip over 7 days, I can say the seats are just awesome.

Happy M3 hunting!!

Cheers,

[mrspecter]

Sounds to me like you're able to do a lot of the maintenance work yourself, which in my opinion is a big plus if you're looking at a higher mileage example.

As long as you find one with the options you like, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger especially if it has a relatively clean history because I think the market for E9X M3's have hit a bottom and there really isn't a better time to own one of these.
If you're looking at E90's specifically, then your choices have become even more limited.

You're debate between manual and DCT is a personal choice and I don't want to get into that debate. Traffic in New York is no joke either and as badly as I'd like a manual, it just isn't ideal for the type of driving that I do on a daily basis.

[Richbot]

That particular wood was exclusive to this generation M3. It’s nicer in person than in photos.

That car has pilot sport cups on it. May have been somebody’s sometimes-track-car

[L1FHR]

Car looks good.
But i'm being a devils advocate here.

Call me lucky or crazy, but I bought my 2013 E92 M3 with 14k miles, ZCP package, CF roof and etc. for $35k + $5K 6/60k warranty (bumper to bumper).

Compare to this car $25k with over 80K miles. I would think that this car would be in low $20k. I pay $15K more for almost 65K miles difference.

14K miles for $35k
80K miles for $18K-20K max?

[For3]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

That seems like a great deal on the E92. I do seem to find lower mileage E92 at comparable price points in my searches but I think that is a function E92s being more prevalent than E90s.

[mrspecter]

Originally Posted by L1FHR

Car looks good.
But i'm being a devils advocate here.

Call me lucky or crazy, but I bought my 2013 E92 M3 with 14k miles, ZCP package, CF roof and etc. for $35k + $5K 6/60k warranty (bumper to bumper).

Compare to this car $25k with over 80K miles. I would think that this car would be in low $20k. I pay $15K more for almost 65K miles difference.

14K miles for $35k
80K miles for $18K-20K max?

I'd say you got an extremely good deal on your car. I bought my 2011 E92 with 19K miles, ZCP, CF roof, MPE for 37.5K after about 2-3 months of searching

[Bemo]

Do it - I picked mine up last year at the same age.

[Todd0131]

If you are interested in an e92 m then let me know. I have a nice one for sale in Dallas. Same mileage. Lots of upgrades, rod bearing s done, has a warranty. I can shoot you pics and specs. Wasn’t sure if you looking only at sedans. Enjoy your evening

[Whyte Dynamyte]

Originally Posted by Richbot

That particular wood was exclusive to this generation M3. It’s nicer in person than in photos.

That car has pilot sport cups on it. May have been somebody’s sometimes-track-car

Agreed...I have the same color interior (but extended leather) and the wood trim looks MUCH better in person than in pictures

[amrazM]

Originally Posted by L1FHR

Car looks good.
But i'm being a devils advocate here.

Call me lucky or crazy, but I bought my 2013 E92 M3 with 14k miles, ZCP package, CF roof and etc. for $35k + $5K 6/60k warranty (bumper to bumper).

Compare to this car $25k with over 80K miles. I would think that this car would be in low $20k. I pay $15K more for almost 65K miles difference.

14K miles for $35k
80K miles for $18K-20K max?

Late sedans are harder to come by

[pbonsalb]

Looks like a nice car at a fair price. I would have zero interest in driving a 328i, but my 08e90M3 still entertains me 8 years after I bought it — with a series of mods over the years.

[Drifter2090]

I went from E92 335 FBO 6mt to my E90 M3 DCT and it was one of the best decisions I made haha.

Mine also has that wood trim, I think its called sycamore anthracite. The flash from the camera is making it look a lot more brown than it is in real life. I am looking to replace it with the carbon trim but for now it's not actually that bad.

As for the transmission, I would pick the DCT again every time.

[travisfrenchmusic]

Originally Posted by For3

Hi M3post,

Long time lurker. I currently have 09 e92 328i 6mt. Please don’t flame. I’ve been dreaming about a M3 since I was a kid (41 next month) and it might be just about time. I am looking at e90s specifically and am zeroing in on this one at the moment as it is relatively local to me:

https://www.shopautobahnoutlet.com/i...pm9c56ae202286

Thoughts? I don’t love the wood grain trim but can swap that out. Only other thing I would want is M359 wheels but I could get those down the road. Currently have 6MT but am open to DCT. The 6mt can be a beating in my rush hour Dallas commutes. Mileage is somewhat high but starting in August when our youngest starts kinder my daily round trip cuts down 60% so I am thinking annually I will put about 6-7k miles on the car. My plan is to keep it for 5-10 years.

I’ve done a bit of DYI on the e92 thanks to these forums and YouTube. I wouldn’t do rod bearings myself but would be comfortable doing Throttle Actuators, Spark Plugs, Pad’s and Rotors myself, perhaps even struts and shocks.

I know the big mystery is the Rod Bearings. Also concerned about DCT pan, and potentially Evaporator.

Anyways thanks for any feedback.

Just based on my experience as a Client Advisor with BMW, I'd say that the carfax looks pretty good, but I would definitely try to knock a few grand off that price. That's a lot of miles for that price range. I wouldn't settle if I were you. There are other vehicles in the market. I would use a little bit of the money you'd save by just traveling to a different city or state to get one at a better price. It might save you some dough in the long run!

[fragments]

You definitely won't regret making the jump into an M! Overall, the car looks pretty clean inside and out. However I wouldn't pay more than $21k due to the mileage and the history. If $25k is your budget, there are many options available. I'm confident you could find a cleaner, lower mileage example.

[travisfrenchmusic]

Originally Posted by KeepForever

You definitely won't regret making the jump into an M! Overall, the car looks pretty clean inside and out. However I wouldn't pay more than $21k due to the mileage and the history. If $25k is your budget, there are many options available. I'm confident you could find a cleaner, lower mileage example.

Could not agree more. I'm glad someone agrees with me.

[For3]

Thanks for the responses. Maybe it’s best to pass on this one. I do agree there are a lot of coupes out there with better mileage / prices but sedans seem much harder to come by with lower miles unless jumping up to the 30k+ price point. I am going to keep looking and maybe like you say something non local / out of state might be the way to go.

I will add if any of you have any suggestions of better deal or buys, feel free to post a link or shoot me a PM. Thanks.

[carenthuziast]

Something about the beige interior is a turn off.

Beige and light grey are the worst looking/feel for a sports saloon/coupe/convertible.

[pbonsalb]

Black interiors hold up best as the car wears from age and use.