Thoughts on '08 E92's?

[davesaddiction]

Here's the "high mileage" 08s thread - probably worth a read for information-gathering on your decision.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682601

[haberman13]

I'm in a similar position OP.

The '08 has finally become somewhat affordable for us mid-upper-class folks.

I'm looking at an '08 with 75k for $30k.

That or go the 'smart' route with an E46 for ~$20k with similar mileage.

What to do ... what to do!?!

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by haberman13

I'm in a similar position OP.

The '08 has finally become somewhat affordable for us mid-upper-class folks.

I'm looking at an '08 with 75k for $30k.

That or go the 'smart' route with an E46 for ~$20k with similar mileage.

What to do ... what to do!?!

Spend 6-7k more and get an 08 w/ 40-45k miles.

[S65V8]

get that '08! Negotiate it down though, and make sure you get it inspected. Car is pretty much a rock if you take care of it. Another aspect of NA engines I will miss. Turbo engines are reliable for shorter period than NA (at least that's what I've heard..)

[davesaddiction]

I got my '08 last year with six months of remaining warranty; I'm sure I paid a little premium because of that. It definitely paid off in my case, however, as I got several things taken care of before my factory warranty ran out (one would have cost me $3000). If I was in the market for an '08 now, I think I'd be looking for one that's CPO, just for the peace of mind.

That said, finding one with such low mileage is very tempting... but if I was going to spend $45-50k on an M3 right now, I'd find an '09+ with remaining warranty.

If you're already stretching you finances some to get into car like this, a big repair bill could mess up your situation.

[davesaddiction]

Originally Posted by haberman13

That or go the 'smart' route with an E46 for ~$20k with similar mileage.

Or a mint E39 M5!

[swartzentruber]

I think the answer depends a lot on what kind of mileage you anticipate putting on the car. If it's going to be your DD, and you average reasonably high mileage (i.e. 10-12k+), I'd go for this car. The majority of car parts wear out due to mileage, not age, and there's a decent chance that even if you get that car almost out of warranty, and are a high mileage driver, you'll be through that warranty soon, and start hitting needed repairs after the warranty expires. Conversely, if you are a lower mileage driver, getting a newer car with higher mileage may be a better bet, as you can get more value from the remaining warranty, and won't be hitting out of warranty repairs as soon.

The point about whether or not you have the savings to pay for out-of-warranty repairs is also quite valid.

[haberman13]

Originally Posted by davesaddiction

Or a mint E39 M5!

That crossed my mind!

... heads back to autotrader...

[AshyLarryMP]

Originally Posted by signes

This makes no sense, any used car can have a history of abuse (or good care for that matter), whether it is two years old or five. And I'd rather buy a car that is five years old that was tracked occasionally by somebody who who performed the right maintenance than a newer car owned by somebody who didn't give a shit. Each car needs to be look at individually.

In my case, I bought from a private seller. Based on my meetings with him, I could make a pretty good guess about what he did with the car and how he treated it. If he had owned the car for 4 years I would have been less sure of the accuracy of my guess.

This guy could have put a super charger on it and put 14k miles on it at the track, but based on the guy and how long he had it, I am sure that none of that happened. I mean, who buys a new M3 on lease, puts a super charger on it, and then parts it out and sells it in 1.5 years. Some people do yes, but probably not this guy. He was busy doing other stuff and I know this because I got to know him.

There are a lot of things that affect the accuracy of your guess regarding if it's going to be a good car or a lemon. It's good to get a car that you can accurately guess the condition of. So if you can make a good guess on a high mileage car or an old car, or any car, then I think that's alright.

At a minimum I would only bet on a car with at least 3 months left on the full coverage warranty.

The more money you have, the less you have to worry about any of this. If you don't have a lot of money, making a good bet becomes more important.

[AshyLarryMP]

Originally Posted by davesaddiction

I got my '08 last year with six months of remaining warranty; I'm sure I paid a little premium because of that. It definitely paid off in my case, however, as I got several things taken care of before my factory warranty ran out (one would have cost me $3000). If I was in the market for an '08 now, I think I'd be looking for one that's CPO, just for the peace of mind.

That said, finding one with such low mileage is very tempting... but if I was going to spend $45-50k on an M3 right now, I'd find an '09+ with remaining warranty.

If you're already stretching you finances some to get into car like this, a big repair bill could mess up your situation.

Honestly, this is probably your best advice.

I very much agree that low mileage is very tempting and something I valued.

I had a similar experience with having to do a lot of repairs so I would only buy a car with warranty.

I love the features of the ZCP so I say get 2011. Piece of mind at a higher initial buy in cost.

I do scrape the ground a lot in San Diego being .4 inches lower. It's hilly here and the roads are in poor condition. I have to check for damage quite often. I could live without that.

[rjd598]

Car is worth low $40k. Any more and it's not a good deal

[prolific]

Another thought: with the new model coming out at some point in 2013 (the M4, that is), we can probably expect prices on M3's (2010-2011, 2012ish) to come down some, no?

[mscdman]

Originally Posted by prolific

Thanks for the updates and replies!

I know dealerships offer comparable warranties for older models who's original warranty has expired - what's the word on those? Not worth it? Overpriced? I haven't talked details price-wise as far as that goes with the BMW Dealership goes but they do offer something along those lines.

Obviously that price will drop, or else Ill simply move on from it - $47k is a bit steep to say the least. I guess my biggest concern is the fact that the vehicle itself is "already 5 years old" but with such low mileage, and what we can assume is some remarkable engineering, how much of a concern is that really? Sounds like some owners have experienced no issues while others have nothing but bad luck with their older models. Is it all luck?

Everyone keeps saying "it's too much". Uhhh...says who? Kelly blue book says that's actually a good deal. I paid 45k for my loaded 2009 m3 e92 and I got it below what the blue book said

[Endless619]

Originally Posted by prolific

Basically: I have the option to buy an '08 E92 M3 (DCT, loaded with Tech/Premium/Cold Weather) with only ~8500 miles or so on the odometer.

I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseam so I do apologize for that (feel free to link any similar threads that come to mind or may be useful) but I'm just curious what everyone's thought was on this potential purchase? I suppose the more I think about it, I'm just wondering what value I'm getting out of a 2008 vehicle (M3 specifically, but this can go for anything with a similar build - Audi, Benz, etc). In the back of my head, no matter how great this thing looks (how great the engineering may be; see above Audi, Benz, etc), sitting on only 8500 miles, I keep thinking how this car is already 5 years old.

Price currently stands at $47.9, haven't started any type of negotiations or anything yet so pricing aside, what do you guys think about purchasing something from '08? Am I walking into a problem? Do I save the money and go for something slightly newer (2009-11ish?)

Looking forward to some discussion, thanks in advance!

Honestly when you get down to it there is no real significant difference between an 08 and 13 M3. Thats a fact. Cars are to be driven from point A to point B. Period. If you put an 08 next to a 13 you will find no major difference that would sway me from a 08 with 2500 miles and a 13 with 2500 miles. Same car regardless. Some people complain about taillight or navi differences and upgrades but quite frankly some of us arent in the car enough each day to enjoy that stuff. In the past 2 months I have driven my modified M3 maybe a week due to the 30+ inches of snow from the past storms and I have a much nicer newer X5 that I love to drive. Just saying.

08-09 CPO M3 should be $40-$50k depending on miles...

Go with what you want and can afford.

[uplusd]

Originally Posted by Endless619

Honestly when you get down to it there is no real significant difference between an 08 and 13 M3. Thats a fact. Cars are to be driven from point A to point B. Period. If you put an 08 next to a 13 you will find no major difference that would sway me from a 08 with 2500 miles and a 13 with 2500 miles. Same car regardless. Some people complain about taillight or navi differences and upgrades but quite frankly some of us arent in the car enough each day to enjoy that stuff. In the past 2 months I have driven my modified M3 maybe a week due to the 30+ inches of snow from the past storms and I have a much nicer newer X5 that I love to drive. Just saying.

08-09 CPO M3 should be $40-$50k depending on miles...

Go with what you want and can afford.

+1. I have a lot of money into my 2008 and people say that I might as well upgrade the navigation to CIC. However, I only drive my car on the weekends so the newer navi doesn't matter to me much. OP figure out if the new features are worth it to you or not.

[pbonsalb]

If it makes you feel more secure, buy a car from BMW with 12-18 months of factory warranty plus a CPO on top of that. Or just an aftermarket warranty for whatever you buy.

It is like insurance. You probably won't need it, but if there is something big, you will be happy you paid for it.

[mdosu]

Idle air control valve, and valve stems issues were the most common issues for 08s. The former are easier issues to resolve.

2012 and 2013 Models had issues with ignition coils

All models years had their issues. Good thing is they usually start acting up early in the cars life