Struggling to sell my e92 M3 with original rod bearings

[shimmy23]

Originally Posted by e90335e36m3

I think 22,500-23,000 is a good price for your car. I think the reason your car hasn't sold is due in part to the fact that the cargurus.com site itself classifies your car as a "fair deal" $405 above cargurus.com IMV.

Notwithstanding that an M3 is a niche market car, think about basic buying psychology. Cargurus has already classified your car as a "fair deal" at 25,000. Would you as a buyer jump on something classified as "fair" when other offerings are classified as "good" or "great"? You need to be at 24,500 to get to basic competitiveness. 24,000 listing point to be safe.

Then, think about the relative desirability of your car to what most buyers are looking for in an M3.

2008...the least desirable production year, most likely to encounter premature wear, failures, doesn't have LCI improvements...negative

47,000 miles...relatively low mileage (for the year)...positive-neutral

gray...generally not the most desirable color, alpine or mineral would sell faster, but then it's not black...neutral

transmission...manual...most buyers want DCT so your pool is limited with manual, sad but true...neutral

mods...what you have done to the car really doesn't add any value...neutral


condition...great...positive

All in all, my position is that your car, overall, is not memorable unless I am searching for a gray or manual car specifically, but that is not a large chunk of the market.

I'd knock off 1000 to 1500 from that 24,000.

I think at 22,500 to 23,000 you will see more interest. Just my honest feedback.

And I disagree on half of your points... just goes to show that ever buyer is different

[cjm41]

This thread has an exceptional amount of bad information, even for the internetz.

I'd just delete the thread and try again.


$25k is right for the price for the miles but also high for a 2008. I could see paying $25k for your car if I didn't have to travel for it. But your in New England. Nobody is buying fun cars in New England with winter coming, and nobody anywhere else in the country is buying cars from the North East, period. Surely, living in FL and SoCal (both places where seasons don't matter) I could never justify buying a car from the North East.

Also... now the car is 11 years old, it's not easy to get a good loan on a car over 10 years old and people with $25k cash laying around are going to be inclined to spring for the exact spec they want.

RBs need to be done. Don't do it if you're selling, I don't believe you'll get that investment back. You'd be better dropping the price to $22,500 instead.

6MT is more desirable. Throttle actuators don't (not preventative) I've got 90k miles on my OG actuators.

Unless you need the money for a family emergency or a down payment on a house, put it in the garage for the winter, take it for fresh bearings in the spring and enjoy it until Uncle Sam forces us all to drive Priuses.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by cjm41

Unless you need the money for a family emergency or a down payment on a house, put it in the garage for the winter, take it for fresh bearings in the spring and enjoy it until Uncle Sam forces us all to drive Priuses.

Top advice !!

[MTrezzz]

I'd market your car better. $25,000.00 Seems a bit low for a mint example like yours.

Try to make it as stock as possible and sell off the unnecessary mods.

Also co-signing it at a dealership or trade in for something you want and get the best deal possible.

I'd sell for nothing less than $30,000.00

[Chris_Penning]

I bought a 09 6MT two months ago with 55K with about 10K in Dinan parts and tune, sitting on a set of HREs with the rod bearings, TAs, and spark plugs done at 53K for 28K; and drove 8 hrs to Charleston, SC to buy it. I would have considered your car at 23-23.5k knowing I'd change the RBs as soon as I got it.

[pbonsalb]

Your 09 at $28k was a better deal than the OP’s 08 would be at $23k. But there are some who simply can’t afford a $28k car. They may have no choice but to buy a $23k car and spend $2k on rod bearings for a lower total price of $25k.

[WAKman]

I'm not clear on why you are selling it--is it just because of your anxiety about the bearings and TBAs? In other words, would you go back to loving the car if you took care of these things? If so, then just fix them and enjoy the car. If, on the other hand, you want something else, can't afford to keep it, or whatever, then price it aggressively--$21K--and move it on.

I had the rod bearings done on my then 77K-mile 08 when I bought it, and they looked fine. The car now has 107K miles. I also took out the TBAs and replaced the gears with better aftermarket gears. I bought my 08 because it was significantly cheaper than comparable cars in the later model years, and I liked the colors and equipment. I don't care about the older iDrive or taillights in the 08; they're fine for my purposes.

I think the E9x M3s was one of the coolest cars ever made, and we should all consider whether we'll regret selling nice examples like the OP's in a few years.

[jv92red]

I've had my M for sale on here for a few weeks now and at just turning 30K miles, I've had a few people ask me if I had done rod bearings yet... I'm thinking wouldn't it be a selling point to buy a lower mileage car and just enjoy driving it for a little while then think about changing the bearings after 40 or 50K or more miles if you're concerned? if the overall % of failures is 1% or 2% overall, I wonder what the % of failure is for E9X cars at 30K or less would be... .001%? Maybe .01%? I have seen a few bearing cases with low miles but these are RARE cases. But I get asked like it's a sticking point for a buyer to just drive my price down. Amazing.

In case anyone is interested:
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1656500

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by jv92red

I've had my M for sale on here for a few weeks now and at just turning 30K miles, I've had a few people ask me if I had done rod bearings yet... I'm thinking wouldn't it be a selling point to buy a lower mileage car and just enjoy driving it for a little while then think about changing the bearings after 40 or 50K or more miles if you're concerned? if the overall % of failures is 1% or 2% overall, I wonder what the % of failure is for E9X cars at 30K or less would be... .001%? Maybe .01%? I have seen a few bearing cases with low miles but these are RARE cases. But I get asked like it's a sticking point for a buyer to just drive my price down. Amazing.

In case anyone is interested:
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1656500

People turning away a car 30k miles because the RBs hasn't been replaced is not a buyer anyway so no need to worry about them.
Totally agree with you, a buyer in this case should enjoy it while planning for next stage maintenance, including rod shells assuming longer term ownership is planned. Sure these engines have blown which imo is a reason to plan for RBs at some point, but at low mileage the percentage is neglectable.

I had mine done at 37k (after 4.5y ownership, bought used). They where quite fine, no immediate need but as keeping the car longer term I thought might as well take the plunge now as later, same cost.

[Hunt3R]

Price should be in the lower twenties, as many have said. Maybe take it down and put it back up in the spring.

[shimmy23]

Original rod bearings does not warrant a lower selling price. Why do buyers these days think it does?:

[tooloud10]

There's only ever one reason that something isn't selling as quickly as you'd like.

[Chris_Penning]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

There's only ever one reason that something isn't selling as quickly as you'd like.

I have my real estate license and say this frequently. Something is always worth what someone else is willing to play for it. Homes and cars are the worst when it comes to emotional attachments.

[STooK]

Car looks to be in good condition but honestly it's not a very desirable combination so no one is willing to pay top dollar. There are a few things working against you here, but bearings and TA aren't the main concern IMO. Being an 08 with sunroof is probably the biggest issue. Next is the mods, if I saw that car I'd skip over it without thinking twice because it looks like it was driven hard. The color combo, while a safe choice, isn't what most buyers are looking for. Last is the presentation, if you returned the car to stock, get it detailed inside out and then get some good photos, it should definitely improve your chances.

Also consider lowering the price a bit, maybe $21-23k and try selling it again with a brand new ad when spring rolls around next year (if you have the time). Should have much better luck then.

[SAMM3Y]

I'd put it back to stock and explore consignment, they might be able to list it for 25,900-26,900, provide financing, a ppi, take their commission and leave you with $22-23k. Is it your daily ride? Problem is it's a buyers market rn, people aren't lining up to drop $30k after local tax, reg and fee's on a 10-12 year old two door gas guzzler with a shitty engine reputation regardless of the mileage and the market hasn't bottomed yet. Maybe in a few to many years a lower mileage example will fetch a premium including the earlier model years but I wouldn't hold my breath. An 01-02 e46 m3 6 speed with sub 50k still only goes for 18-22kish you'll see them advertised for more but they'll sit. Also consider what It's costing you to sit in insurance and road tax plus the money might be better spent/invested elsewhere.

[njdrive]

OP, looks like you sold the car. The FB link said sold.

[pbonsalb]

Hope he comes back and tells us the selling price.