Looking to Buy an E9X M3? Buyers Guide Review - the good, bad and ugly

[spiderspider]

this thread got really weird lol

[Z K]

Originally Posted by M'EM

Guys I am confused. I thought rod bearings was a part inside the Engine. What does it have to do with the way the car sounds. That's more to do with exhaust right. Can someone please help clear my doubt??

Yes, rod bearings have nothing to do with the way the car sounds.

They're joking.

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by Z K

Yes, rod bearings have nothing to do with the way the car sounds.

They're joking.

Damn! I was searching Youtube for Rod Bearing sound clips.

[CHE///MIST3]

I hate it when these excessively objective reviewers say: "I wouldn't own this vehicle without a warranty". It's a car, not an F16. There's dozens of things you can DIY, and what solid guarantee does one have anyways that $4,500 today means a new motor replacement in 3.999 years without shelling out another few grand ?

I love this car and plan to repair, or preventatively maintain as much as I am able to learn.

GM

[Richbot]

Wait, it's not an F16? Time to burn it to the ground. Should I save my Iron Eagle sound track or burn it too?

[thecurryman]

Yeah not gonna lie I think this guy was a big more pessimistic about the car than I would have expected. I've owned an e92 (335) before so I get the gripes about the interior but I think he really over blows the rod bearing issue. If you're buying one of these cars you HAVE to get an extended warranty IMO simply because I've owned enough BMW's to know that shit alllllways breaks and will cost a ton to fix. It's just too risky unless you got a great deal or you have enough money set aside for a large repair that it won't matter.

I will say this though, for a review I kind of liked it because there are a ton of videos on the e92 M out there but not too many really go into the flaws of the car. If someone had 0 knowledge about the car and then watched this I'd say they would be educated enough to make a solid decision on whether they can afford the car or not.

It was weird how he didn't go into the sound of the car or how high it revs, etc...but it was a good watch!

[Kash]

Originally Posted by kb9uwu

Guys, I just replaced my rod bearings with oil impregnated bronze bushings, problem solved!

What oil 10-20 or 10-60. Did you warm it up to 210 before soaking the bushings?

[Canalpine]

I don't think you NEED a warranty with these cars for sure everytime. Yes things will go wrong, but if you just stay on top of shit there is no reason that an extended warranty, (that may not even cover all ur problems), is always a necessity

[SMOOTH26]

mechanic=mark wahlberg

[jt10mc]

Originally Posted by surewin

Don't get me wrong, although the E92 M3 doesn't perform as well compared to the other cars he mentioned in the video, it's still the most special to me because of its tie to Motorsport. None of the other cars have even competed at the same level as the E92 M3.

I'm sure you all know in the 2011 American Le Mans Series GT class, BMW Team RLL swept all categories, winning the GT manufacturer, team, and driver championships with an S65 powered M3 GT2, which is equipped with a chassis that is picked up straight off the E92 M3 production line, beating the Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, and Jaguar factory teams. BMW also took an overall win at the 24 hr at Nurburging in 2010 with this car (http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/05/16/bm...s-nurburgring/).

Few other more worthy notes that makes the S65 special:

The S65 engine was used in the Z4 GTLM, GT3, GTD race cars all the way up to 2015. The Z4 took the driver's championship in 2014 in the GTD Tudor's United Sportscar Championship class.

There are also many other race cars that are using the S65 engine as their base up TO THIS DAY. (http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1065981)

The S65 engine was also primarily built by hand (

), it was 32 lbs lighter than the 6 cylinder S54 engine from the E46 M3, and it won the International Engine of the Year award 5 times in a row (

), beating engines from the GTR, Porsche's 911 Carrera S, and McLaren 12c.

Lastly, the E92 M3 GT4, which had the exact same S65 engine as the production car, and won a few championships in various GT4 series:

http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/dam/bm...F.download.pdf

In regards to motorsport, no past or present M car comes close to the E92 M3's success apart from the E30 M3, which really blows the E92 and any other car in history out of the water.

GREAT comments! I agree completely. The NA S65 is what pushed me into the the E92; that said I do plan on owning a 911 Turbo S down the road also.

This is really a unique platform that we won't see again. If you own one I would hold on to it. The prices are dropping somewhat on these cars BUT it will be a valuable car later as things even off. That said. Unless something (the blonde) forces me to sell it...I plan to hold onto it until the LORD calls me home and my will will read...use it as my coffin!

[jt10mc]

Originally Posted by surewin

Don't get me wrong, although the E92 M3 doesn't perform as well compared to the other cars he mentioned in the video, it's still the most special to me because of its tie to Motorsport. None of the other cars have even competed at the same level as the E92 M3.

I'm sure you all know in the 2011 American Le Mans Series GT class, BMW Team RLL swept all categories, winning the GT manufacturer, team, and driver championships with an S65 powered M3 GT2, which is equipped with a chassis that is picked up straight off the E92 M3 production line, beating the Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, and Jaguar factory teams. BMW also took an overall win at the 24 hr at Nurburging in 2010 with this car (http://www.bmwblog.com/2010/05/16/bm...s-nurburgring/).

Few other more worthy notes that makes the S65 special:

The S65 engine was used in the Z4 GTLM, GT3, GTD race cars all the way up to 2015. The Z4 took the driver's championship in 2014 in the GTD Tudor's United Sportscar Championship class.

There are also many other race cars that are using the S65 engine as their base up TO THIS DAY. (http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1065981)

The S65 engine was also primarily built by hand (

), it was 32 lbs lighter than the 6 cylinder S54 engine from the E46 M3, and it won the International Engine of the Year award 5 times in a row (

), beating engines from the GTR, Porsche's 911 Carrera S, and McLaren 12c.

Lastly, the E92 M3 GT4, which had the exact same S65 engine as the production car, and won a few championships in various GT4 series:

http://www.bmw-motorsport.com/dam/bm...F.download.pdf

In regards to motorsport, no past or present M car comes close to the E92 M3's success apart from the E30 M3, which really blows the E92 and any other car in history out of the water.

surewin

Good post. The S65 is a special engine and was a major reason of why I bought my car.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by Canalpine

I don't think you NEED a warranty with these cars for sure everytime. Yes things will go wrong, but if you just stay on top of shit there is no reason that an extended warranty, (that may not even cover all ur problems), is always a necessity

There is no objective way to establish the need for a warranty. A warranty is risk mitigation. An individual's tolerance for risk is 100% dependent upon their circumstances.

[H2887]

I had a 2011 e90 m3 and sold it when it ran out of warranty,the last repair was a door handle with comfort acess and i was informed that it would have been over 1k for the repair if it was not covered,plus the fact that they wanted 5k plus to extend the warranty.having seen this video im glad i didnt take the risk,these cars are still depreciating and putting any more money into it is just not worth it IMO.I learned my lesson on a 91 850

[surewin]

Originally Posted by jt10mc

GREAT comments! I agree completely. The NA S65 is what pushed me into the the E92; that said I do plan on owning a 911 Turbo S down the road also.

This is really a unique platform that we won't see again. If you own one I would hold on to it. The prices are dropping somewhat on these cars BUT it will be a valuable car later as things even off. That said. Unless something (the blonde) forces me to sell it...I plan to hold onto it until the LORD calls me home and my will will read...use it as my coffin!

The blonde... my wife is used to the car now...

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by H2887

I had a 2011 e90 m3 and sold it when it ran out of warranty,the last repair was a door handle with comfort acess and i was informed that it would have been over 1k for the repair if it was not covered,plus the fact that they wanted 5k plus to extend the warranty.having seen this video im glad i didnt take the risk,these cars are still depreciating and putting any more money into it is just not worth it IMO.I learned my lesson on a 91 850

How long would the warranty have been for? If it was a 3 year extended warranty, that's only ~$1,600 per year. All cars depreciate. If your car was more than 2 years at the point you sold it, it had already taken the biggest hit. The depreciation on the car plus the cost of the warranty would likely be less than the depreciation hit on a new car over the same term.

I'm not saying you shouldn't have sold it, but a lot of people overestimate the cost of used car ownership versus going out and buying a new car. Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't have sold it, or that you shouldn't buy new cars, or anything like that. I'm just pointing out that it might seem expensive when you look at the cost of an extended warranty, but versus buying a new car, it's often far less expensive. There are plenty of other factors that might make a new car the better choice for some people.

[Bmw doubles]

Excellent review

[bigjae1976]

If you're not willing to work on your own car...I'd never recommend owning an out of warranty BMW unless you're willing to pay premium prices to maintain and fix a premium car.

[ec_E92]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

If you're not willing to work on your own car...I'd never recommend owning an out of warranty BMW unless you're willing to pay premium prices to maintain and fix a premium car.

Best advice I've seen in this thread