Advice on buying

[javkhan]

Hey Guys,
Just moved to San Francisco from London and having sold my E92 M3 before I left which was heartbreaking but I want to replace it asap. I am currently looking in cars.com and autotrader.com. Is there any where else I should be looking? I am after a 2009-2011 car.

Cheers
Jav

[Jopa201]

eBay would be another option.

[averrec6262]

There's a lot in the for sale section in this forum

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by averrec6262

There's a lot in the for sale section in this forum

+1
Buy a fellow enthusiast's car!

[UCBPhD]

Originally Posted by averrec6262

There's a lot in the for sale section in this forum

Agreed.

[quadpipes]

Check out the BMW Car Club of America website:

http://www.bmwcca.org/classifieds/listings.php

I have also heard anecdotally that Craigslist might be a good source in the SF area.

Don't hesitate to buy in other cities/states. Just find a good mechanic to do an inspection and use a covered transporter. Call a BMW dealer close to where you want to buy or try an independent BMW mechanic (http://www.bimrs.org/ or http://www.bimmershops.com/).

Good luck!

[M3 Esq]

Originally Posted by quadpipes

Check out the BMW Car Club of America website:

http://www.bmwcca.org/classifieds/listings.php

I have also heard anecdotally that Craigslist might be a good source in the SF area.

Don't hesitate to buy in other cities/states. Just find a good mechanic to do an inspection and use a covered transporter. Call a BMW dealer close to where you want to buy or try an independent BMW mechanic (http://www.bimrs.org/ or http://www.bimmershops.com/).

Good luck!

+1. You will find a lot of nice examples in the CCA classifieds. These are usually enthusiast cars that have been meticulously maintained and the price will reflect that. My advice is to look for an ad that provides a detailed description of how well the car was cared for, how the owner kept detailed service records, and a number pictures that show a well maintained and clean car. You may pay a bit more, and you may have to travel, but it will be worth it in terms of ownership and overall driving experience. GL!

[javkhan]

Thanks guys, I'm glad I asked the question. Almost doubled the number of adverts I am looking at!!

[AshyLarryMP]

Check ebay and look at the completed listing. You can see what they are actually selling for.

Get a 2011 with all the options. You need some time left on the warranty to fix problems for a year or so.

You should probably go to LA to buy the car and drive it back to SF.

[dreamspeed]

I used all the major search engines and in the end I found out that the BMWUSA actually had the best selection. I was literally checking the ads for updates every hour and it seemed like the BMW one had the fastest updates. Of course this is only if you want to buy from a dealer. Carguru is also pretty good

[prolific]

Great thread; had a similar question, answers helped a lot here.

Any other sites we should be using?

[cohenfive]

in addition to looking here, don't forget to search on your local craigslist. the bay area is the home of cl and there is a huge amount of activity going on the site here...i've bought and sold several cars now using cl. in fact i usually have more luck with cl than anywhere else. you have to be careful but if you know what you are looking for it is usually listed on the bay area cl. i just did a quick check of cars for sale by owner and there are several really nice sounding e92 m3's for sale now...so good luck!

[soniczoom5]

cargurus.com

hands down, best site for looking

[Kobaiyashi]

Originally Posted by cohenfive

in addition to looking here, don't forget to search on your local craigslist. the bay area is the home of cl and there is a huge amount of activity going on the site here...i've bought and sold several cars now using cl. in fact i usually have more luck with cl than anywhere else. you have to be careful but if you know what you are looking for it is usually listed on the bay area cl. i just did a quick check of cars for sale by owner and there are several really nice sounding e92 m3's for sale now...so good luck!

+1.

Welcome to SF! Just in time for the Superbowl.

P.S. If you actually will be living and working in the city, I'd suggest at least considering cars a bit smaller than the M3. Then again, if you loved having the M in London, you've probably already weighed the pros and cons. Either way, good luck.