Buying a Beat up E92

[M3Dreaming]

Hi all, I recently stumbled across a beatup E92 with 44k miles on it. The shop wants 28500 for it, and is offering me 16500 for my 2012 528xi in perfect condition with 22k miles on it.

This car is to be my daily moving forward, and I am prepared to put a decent amount of money into it. What should I expect to go soon, other than break pads, throttle actuators, and rod bearings of course? How much money should I allocate for these repairs and should I get them done within the first year?

Additionally, is this a good price? The car has never been in an accident, but moderate damage was reported the front of the car (my guess is they bumped something, but I dont have the details). Car shows medium wear and tear, paint chips, exhaust pipe chips, seats worn in, M3 badges (fake air went by front tires) are worn down. This car has 4 previous owners and has probably been redlined many times. But what can I say, Im in love with this car, have always wanted one, and this is what I can afford at the moment.

Thank you in advance for all advice!

[roastbeef]

Wait until you can afford a nicer one if cost is your concern.

[GeorgeA]

What exactly do you mean by beat up? I redline mine all the time but that doesn't mean its beat up. Was the car maintained normally?

I would buy it and do a huge service which would include rod bearings, engine mounts, steering rack (if it's leaking and needs attention), suspension bits that are worn (visual and driving inspection), valve cover gaskets.

Honestly these things you'll end up changing on a babied car as well - and 44k miles for 28k is an amazing price.

[M3Dreaming]

Originally Posted by GeorgeA

What exactly do you mean by beat up? I redline mine all the time but that doesn't mean its beat up. Was the car maintained normally?

I would buy it and do a huge service which would include rod bearings, engine mounts, steering rack (if it's leaking and needs attention), suspension bits that are worn (visual and driving inspection), valve cover gaskets.

Honestly these things you'll end up changing on a babied car as well - and 44k miles for 28k is an amazing price.

Thank you for your reply. Just general signs of wear and tear. Aesthetically the interior cabin and exterior look like they werent well cared for, but the engine looks great.


Regarding the huge inspection, that was my thinking as well. Any other thoughts or tips you have would be greatly appreciated!

[Ajolives]

Originally Posted by M3Dreaming

Thank you for your reply. Just general signs of wear and tear. Aesthetically the interior cabin and exterior look like they werent well cared for, but the engine looks great.


Regarding the huge inspection, that was my thinking as well. Any other thoughts or tips you have would be greatly appreciated!

Even the more reason to daily it, it's gonna get more chips, wear and tear. Not a bad price for the mileage either.

I daily mine and have come to terms that it'll never look like the IG M3s or some of the others floating around on the forums. That being said, I've dumped a bit of money into it since I bought a couple years ago because every refresh and upgrade just makes it look and drive so much better, which got addicting.

[roastbeef]

There's no such thing as the engine looking great if the rest of the car was abused or neglected. They abused and neglected the engine as well.

[Redd]

If the condition doesn't scare you off and the engine is not making weird noises, then just get it. Get the RBs done first thing, they're the only thing that can cause devastating damage to the car. Everything else can be fixed as and when they fail. There's tons of posts on common failure items on this car, such as valve cover leaks, DCT pan leaks, etc. Everything else is just wear and tear.

[M3Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Redd

If the condition doesn't scare you off and the engine is not making weird noises, then just get it. Get the RBs done first thing, they're the only thing that can cause devastating damage to the car. Everything else can be fixed as and when they fail. There's tons of posts on common failure items on this car, such as valve cover leaks, DCT pan leaks, etc. Everything else is just wear and tear.

Thank you so much for your advice. I will be sure to get them done asap!

[NeverL8]

If rods or main bearings go out, do you have $12-15k for engine replacement?

Changing rotors and pads are approximately $1400 just for parts alone.

Everything is expensive on this car, just make sure you’re in a good financial situation to being able to maintain it, as it will be your only car/daily driver.


On other hand, they’re somewhat reliable once you change rod bearings ($2500), throttle actuators($800) and couple other glitches

[NeverL8]

Not trying to scare you off, just make sure you have extra couple 1000s laying around Just for any maintenance pop up problems

[Bruuuce]

never noticed what year it is, that can also make some difference.

[M3Dreaming]

Originally Posted by TheRussski

If rods or main bearings go out, do you have $12-15k for engine replacement?

Changing rotors and pads are approximately $1400 just for parts alone.

Everything is expensive on this car, just make sure you’re in a good financial situation to being able to maintain it, as it will be your only car/daily driver.


On other hand, they’re somewhat reliable once you change rod bearings ($2500), throttle actuators($800) and couple other glitches

Thank you for the heads up, plan is to get the rod bearing and throttle actuators done asap. Im hoping everything else can wait.

[M3Dreaming]

Originally Posted by Bruuuce

never noticed what year it is, that can also make some difference.

It is a 2010

[M3Dreaming]

Originally Posted by TheRussski

If rods or main bearings go out, do you have $12-15k for engine replacement?

Changing rotors and pads are approximately $1400 just for parts alone.

Everything is expensive on this car, just make sure you’re in a good financial situation to being able to maintain it, as it will be your only car/daily driver.


On other hand, they’re somewhat reliable once you change rod bearings ($2500), throttle actuators($800) and couple other glitches

I don't have much saved, enough to get the rod bearings and throttle actuators fixed off the bat but I'd still be taking out a 10k loan to buy the car. Doesn't seem wise but I see cars with 90k miles listed at 30k all the time so it seems like they're going for a lot right now.

I can be patient but I don't want to wait 5 years and have to pay double what I would now for a car with 2x the money

[Redd]

I think you're kinda pushing it with your finances if all you can afford are RBs and TA and nothing else. I'll go so far as to say that TA are not an urgent fix. Sure they will leave u stranded, but so will a bad brake vac sensor, and TAs won't cause the engine to blow up.

Still you should be prepared for wear and tear items like brakes, tires, dampers etc and those aren't cheap on the M3.

[NeverL8]

Originally Posted by M3Dreaming

I don't have much saved, enough to get the rod bearings and throttle actuators fixed off the bat but I'd still be taking out a 10k loan to buy the car. Doesn't seem wise but I see cars with 90k miles listed at 30k all the time so it seems like they're going for a lot right now.

I can be patient but I don't want to wait 5 years and have to pay double what I would now for a car with 2x the money

Don’t rush into buying something when you’re not feeling confident in owning it. You’ll always be stressed out, worrying if something will go wrong and do I have enough money to cover it. I’ve been there and speaking from experience.

If I was you, I would save some more money, feel alright if any repair comes up, and maybe even buy a better condition one in the future. There will always be M3s for sale as people move onto other things.

[M3Dreaming]

Originally Posted by TheRussski

Don’t rush into buying something when you’re not feeling confident in owning it. You’ll always be stressed out, worrying if something will go wrong and do I have enough money to cover it. I’ve been there and speaking from experience.

If I was you, I would save some more money, feel alright if any repair comes up, and maybe even buy a better condition one in the future. There will always be M3s for sale as people move onto other things.

Thank you for the guidance, this is exactly what I'm thinking too now.

[NeverL8]

Originally Posted by M3Dreaming

Thank you for the guidance, this is exactly what I'm thinking too now.

It took me couple years to finally pull a trigger on mine. I had a somewhat low paying job and didn’t have any extra cash on the side, especially if something went wrong if I bought it.

It was tough, my dream car was almost at my reach, but I made a difficult but right decision to improve my financial situation before buying one. I got a much better job, worked extra hours and finally after 2 years I was able to buy it.

I bought a much, much better condition car with less miles and now I’m not worried if something needs to be fixed. Looking at it now...Definitely made the right decision on not rushing.

Hopefully this helps with your decision