Salvage / Rebuilt e93 M3 Opinions

[javarithms]

I wouldn't buy it but take it to a good alignment shop and see if they can do an alignment.

[MrMikeHenry]

Originally Posted by javarithms

I wouldn't buy it but take it to a good alignment shop and see if they can do an alignment.

His shop has an alignment rack he claims he hasn't had time to get it up to check the alignment. Drove the car wheel slightly off by a few degrees but drove straight

[redvitesse]

I would take a pass, the damage is to much even if the frame did not have to be straightened especially if it has a DCT. the possibility of melting your credit card with issues after purchase is just to great IMO.
I would rather go after an older/higher mileage car with a clean title and service history for the same or slightly higher $. If I were going to move on it, it would need to be < $20k for the risk as others have stated and I would need to be sure I was committed to keeping it for a good long while.

[Elwolfe]

I would be concerned about the top leaking. If it's been in an impact, the chances of it being slightly out of square and thus not water tight are pretty high. A leaky roof can cause all kinds of problems, some of which you might not see for quite awhile...

[IIAp3x]

Do you know what auction it was? Full VIN number? He probably paid about $15-17k for it... The front end damage does not look that severe according to the photos... The core support is bent in but that is what it is suppose to do and it is a bolt on part, but that does not necessarily mean that the frame rails were bent... Even if they were bent a good frame shop can realign them back to specs with a laser frame machine... That is the most important part of the repair, as everything else is easily replaceable... Just because the car was totaled by the insurance company does not mean that the car could not be readily repaired and put back on the road as good as new; it just simply means that the standard R&R values (which are based on factory replacement costs for parts) exceeded the insurance costs threshold of what they are willing to pay...

I see cars like this a lot in the auction business, and they typically don't bring as much money in the lanes as people would think, where the profit margins for re-builders can often be very large depending on the severity of repair and parts costs...

PM me the vin and I will see if it sold at one of our auctions...

[doogee]

With such a light accident, I wouldn't be worried about this car at all.

It does look like the hood/fender could use some aligning. Shouldn't be difficult.

FYI: The intake ducting is missing from the front. If the guy repairing the car skimped on that, he probably skimped on other parts. Get the car checked out first.

[htwnlovaboy]

im selling my m3 convertible for 35,500. and no accidents.

[Candide13]

Originally Posted by MrMikeHenry

His shop has an alignment rack he claims he hasn't had time to get it up to check the alignment. Drove the car wheel slightly off by a few degrees but drove straight

This sounds odd to me, surely having the car aligned properly, if that is even possible, would be a worthwhile time investment for the selling shop?

[Candide13]

Originally Posted by doogee

With such a light accident, I wouldn't be worried about this car at all.

It does look like the hood/fender could use some aligning. Shouldn't be difficult.

FYI: The intake ducting is missing from the front. If the guy repairing the car skimped on that, he probably skimped on other parts. Get the car checked out first.

I think that was the "before" picture; the "after" picture is at the bottom and the duct is in place there.

[doogee]

Originally Posted by Candide13

I think that was the "before" picture; the "after" picture is at the bottom and the duct is in place there.

In this photo? It's all missing.

[Candide13]

Originally Posted by doogee

In this photo? It's all missing.

Hm, looks just like my car, should I be worried ?

Unless you mean the missing left counterpart for the breathing hole in the bonnet, which is cosmetic and not functional.

Kidding aside, you might mean something I don't notice, of course.

Anyhow, I'd be most concerned about the alignment of the car overall. If that is off then it won't be much fun under heavy cornering etc.

Edit: I think I see what you mean now: the front flat piece going to the radiator, right? If they really did not bother to get that part then that is not good.