You're buying an M3 today...what's your thought process?

[MikeyDawg]

I am in the beginning stages of shopping for an e90 M3 with MT.

I've been doing extensive research on the differences b/t MYs 2008 - 2011, all of the main preventative maint items to pay attention to (RB, TAs, etc), and in general just learning as much as possible about the e9x M3.

For those of you M3 owners who've been around the block with the platform, I am curious what most of you would put highest on your priority list if you were shopping for a new one today.

Model year? Any aversion to the 1st year of the platform (2008)?
Cost?
Color/combo?
ZCP?
Preventative maint?
Other?

Appreciate your insight and all the great info on this site. TIA.

[pbonsalb]

Cost. Then I would want to know what has been done so I would know what I will have to. Brakes, throttle actuators, plugs, filters, all fluids, rod bearings, some suspension bushings, motor mounts, etc.

[cvstar9M3]

Decide the spec you must have (needs) and the wants (things you'd like but can go without). I just bought my second e90zcp (dct before now 6mt). It's harder said than done but I think deciding the spec is a good starting point. I almost bought an e92 at times or even considered 08 high mileage cars (which I glad I did not get)... in other words, my specs were too loose lol... one thing I always was king of of sure I wanted was 6mt though. Good luck w with your search... make sure you're ready to pull the trigger (cash wise or finance) because otherwise you will lose on some great cars.... but it's part of the fun I guess. Welcome

[Montaver]

Good choice! E90's with a manual are thinner on the ground but if your thorough you can find one.

The important things -
1. Buy the owner. Who owns it.. is it a kid who rags it with no mechanical sympathy? Does he have the money to maintain it?
2. Service history and condition

I wouldn't be fussy on specs personally, if I found a car which met the above criteria I would jump on it regardless. Given the market you will not have the luxury of being fussy on specs anyway in my opinion.

The E90 09's onwards had the LCI upgrades (LED tails, newer iDrive) and alongside different clutch. I'd try for an 09+ but it wouldn't stop me buying an 08 if the condition was right.

Ultimately its not like the F80 or E46 where the competition pack made a big difference. The beauty of the e9x platform is they are all essentially a very similar driving experience so model year is less important.

[MikeyDawg]

Originally Posted by Montaver

Good choice! E90's with a manual are thinner on the ground but if your thorough you can find one.

The important things -
1. Buy the owner. Who owns it.. is it a kid who rags it with no mechanical sympathy? Does he have the money to maintain it?
2. Service history and condition

I wouldn't be fussy on specs personally, if I found a car which met the above criteria I would jump on it regardless. Given the market you will not have the luxury of being fussy on specs anyway in my opinion.

The E90 09's onwards had the LCI upgrades (LED tails, newer iDrive) and alongside different clutch. I'd try for an 09+ but it wouldn't stop me buying an 08 if the condition was right.

Ultimately its not like the F80 or E46 where the competition pack made a big difference. The beauty of the e9x platform is they are all essentially a very similar driving experience so model year is less important.

I was curious about 2008s b/c they seem to linger for sale longer than 2009+... even many with lower miles that appear to be in decent condition.

So the 2009 have a different clutch as well? I wasnt aware of that... thanks for the feedback.

[nrubenstein]

The only meaningful change is that 2008 has the ugly trunk, and if you get navigation, the NAV is even more awful.

Otherwise, they all drive essentially the same.

[zstreet86]

I would be looking at mileage and condition, manual or auto, regardless of the year. Decide if there are any colors you absolutely don't want. The only maintenance items I would really care about are rod bearings and throttle actuators, which at this point if they have been done, add value imo. Then just baseline your standard maintenance when you take ownership, fluids etc.

In my search for example, I was only looking for fox red interior and manual trans. Bought the first one I found this past May (1 owner 2008 model) who happend to be a forum member here. Only smiles ever since.

[Epoustouflant]

LCI + ZCP & CF roof
Maintenance > Mileage

[Bemo]

My thought process?
Clean car with good service history.
Preferably a Lime Rock Edition!

[SYT_Shadow]

OP, remember that while rod bearings could be considered preventative maintenance, there is no reason to swap out the TAs until they give an error.

You replace the rod bearings because if they die they take your engine out and they do not warn you beforehand

You do not replace TAs preventatively as they die very slowly and the car keeps running all throughout the process after you get your first CEL.


Good luck with the search.

My E92 I bought new and I knew I wanted individual color, 6mt, ZCP and cloth seats. So that's what I bought.
The E90 I bought used. I could not live with a sunroof or a nav, so I looked and looked. Eventually found one with a single option: DCT. Cloth seats, etc. I love it.

[PKL]

Start with price. If you don't have at least $30k to spend, you can't afford this car. Especially since regardless of mileage, you need to get the rod bearings done right away. So more like $33k.

I want it all. Perfect spec, low mileage, perfect maintenance history and a responsible previous owner. I am so lucky with what I found, considering I have since seen inferior cars asking way more $$$

[Drifter2090]

Originally Posted by cvstar9M3

Decide the spec you must have (needs) and the wants (things you'd like but can go without). I just bought my second e90zcp (dct before now 6mt). It's harder said than done but I think deciding the spec is a good starting point. I almost bought an e92 at times or even considered 08 high mileage cars (which I glad I did not get)... in other words, my specs were too loose lol... one thing I always was king of of sure I wanted was 6mt though. Good luck w with your search... make sure you're ready to pull the trigger (cash wise or finance) because otherwise you will lose on some great cars.... but it's part of the fun I guess. Welcome

Did you not like the dct? Or did you just really want the 6mt? What's your opinion on both after owning both now?

Trying to decide what route to go myself, Thanks!

[wfdeacon88]

Originally Posted by PKL

Start with price. If you don't have at least $30k to spend, you can't afford this car. Especially since regardless of mileage, you need to get the rod bearings done right away. So more like $33k.

agreed to this completely. I put picked up my clean 09 E90 for ~$23K, and without anything breaking, I have *invested* $5K through two months in New plugs, BE RBs, underbelly pan, two oil changes, and one or two other preventative items. I still need to do a Diff fluid change, replace one tire, replace one glitchy taillight that started flickering a little... and that doesn't include my upcoming list of small upgrades including cat delete, tune, and maybe some wheels. Luckily, I have plenty left on all of the breaks and the interior was in amazing shape. overall, it looked great, but once you own and love it, you gotta invest to protect it... and it ain't cheap, but worth every penny.

[Transfer]

Everyone is different. My criteria listed in order of importance for second M3 which I bought in April:

LCI
Transmission (DCT only for me)
Nav/iDrive
Less than 60k miles
Color and carbon roof (E92)
ZCP (I'm not modding suspension or wheels)
Overall clean condition
Heated seats
Premium sound

I was pretty locked in on what spec I wanted and the only thing I didn't get was fox red interior but black is fine. Price depends on what you value. I paid $39k in April for my near perfect car with only 35k miles and it was worth every penny to me.

[TrAcK TRaP]

Originally Posted by PKL

Start with price. If you don't have at least $30k to spend, you can't afford this car. Especially since regardless of mileage, you need to get the rod bearings done right away. So more like $33k.

I want it all. Perfect spec, low mileage, perfect maintenance history and a responsible previous owner. I am so lucky with what I found, considering I have since seen inferior cars asking way more $$$

Why not 2008 with 90K+ miles around $20-$22K. Why he can't afford the car if he doesn't have like $30K? Don't be negative and push people away

[kimiraikkonen]

1) Target a single owner, reduces the chances somewhat of having an idiot owner at one point in the history. Definitely avoid cars with 4+ owner histories...likely to get somebody who bought the M3 and was in over their head financially

2) Do NOT obsess over having a low-mileage one. At this age, you most likely want to change the RB after purchasing, so mileage is a moot point

3) DO obsess over the overall exterior/interior/and engine bay condition. Combined with the single owner history...will give u a sense of how the car was maintained and treated over it's life. Owners that don't bother fixing a gash in the leather shift boot are probably ones that won't bother wiping of motor oil in their valve covers....and probably not on top of maintenance

4) On the other hand...I on the private seller front...I stay away from sellers that brag about how their car has always been garaged and never been exposed to sprinkler water, etc. My experience there are they are typical bmw poser who will spend their last dollar on tinting their car but then delay putting in engine oil or trying to drive on regular unleaded to save a few bucks.

5) While you may want to mod the car afterwards, ideally target the Virgin one when buying...so no exhaust mod cars, test pipe cars, modified suspension....you don't know the mod history there and will spend time chasing your tail when you get engine codes down the road. Also, my pet peeve are tasteless cosmetic mods as well....speaks to the maturity and taste of the previous owner...so no tricolor front grills for me. Only exception would be mods that are full OEM parts and add-ons. So MPE,
F10 shift knob, etc may be ok.

6) No accident car from Carfax at a minimum. Even then, no guarantees...as a prior love tap on the bumper won't show up...but at least you know you are avoiding the more major prior damage cars like frame damage, salvage, etc

7) Pre-inspection...I think the main thing is get a compression test and leak down...if so, engine should be relatively strong and a known quality when you buy. Of course plan to do the RBs.

8) Dont be afraid to go for 2008 models if they hit the above criteria. As long as you can stream audio from your phone to the aux Bluetooth adapter..that's good enough for me and don't care for the enhancements on the CIC Idrive vs the CCC

As for me, I followed the above 3.5 yes ago and got me a single owner, E90, 6MT M3, EDC. Mileage was 81K and dealer maintained. Paid $29.5K and actually bought it sight unseen as it was in the east coast. Cosmetically it was pretty good condition and had a compression and Pre-inspection done. Car is a blast as my DD and has never left me stranded. Just hit 123K today.

Good luck with your search.

[brettcp]

I've owned several E9x M3's over the years.. then went to an M5, then an M4, and eventually wanted an E93 M3 again.. when looking for one I focused on a few things:

- Model year. I wanted the most recent build I could find. Ended up with a 2012.

- Number of owners. Found a single owner car.

- No mods. I don't want something that was beat to death by its previous owner.

- PPI. Had a PPI done which came back clean. The car didn't "show" well as it had several very minor items which needed replacing - minor trim such as the windshield rubber trim was deteriorating, a few pieces of faded trim from the sun, some curb rash on the wheels, etc.. All easy stuff to replace.. but everything mechanical on the car was 100% sound.

- Options. I wanted as many options as possible, with the exception of EDC - I've had EDC in several BMW's and never use it. I don't track the car so I had no care for EDC, but the lack of an option you don't care about can still be used as a bargaining point

- Clean carfax. Sure this isn't always 100% accurate, but a clean carfax and a clean PPI are reassuring.

If you can find history/proof of the rod bearings being done, that'd be awesome. I had mine done by Malek @ MRF.

Good luck with your search!

[MahiC]

My thought process was "where am I going to ring this baby out?"

[scrammer]

Originally Posted by Drifter2090

Did you not like the dct? Or did you just really want the 6mt? What's your opinion on both after owning both now?

Trying to decide what route to go myself, Thanks!

Start test driving various cars and make your own choice on DCT vs 6sp ... I've had both in the E9x M3 and can easily live with either. For me, finding the "right car" is the culmination of many parts ... as detailed above. Don't make any single part of the spec so important that you miss out on an otherwise great car!

[thkfast]

Having owned a string of 335s previously, I was familiar with the 3 series platform, but always hoped I'd eventually own an M3. I found my 2013 E92 in a line of used cars at a Chevrolet dealership. Under 25,000 miles, 2 owner, right color combo, but what I really noticed was the condition. No scars under the front lip, paint protection film on entire front clip, headlights, rockers, behind rear tires, top of rear bumper cover, CF grills, CF gills, CF mirrors, CF spoiler, perfect wheels, matching Michelin tires, correctly hardwired radar detector power source, stock drive train ... super clean with both window stickers and all documentation, keys, etc. I could tell someone loved the car. I wanted the newest, lowest mileage, CLEAN M3 possible. I have no idea if the RBs were replaced, but I always ensure the engine is up to temperature before rodding it.

Maintenance is easy - yearly oil changes, I changed out the rear diff fluid, air filter, micro filters and had the BMW dealership flush the brake fluid and had some coding done to enable DVD in motion and Satellite radio. I paid $38,700 18 months ago.

Good luck!

[IMG]IMG_8088 by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/154095477@N03/][/IMG]

[srmast1]

When I was looking, 1st I needed 4drs for kids, so it had to be an e90. 2nd, it had to be 6mt. 3rd, it had to be a 2011 model for the LCI and Bluetooth with less than 40k miles. I also wanted the tech, luxury and cold weather options. I also wanted a black car. So check on all of those. 2011 E90 with comp package in 6mt was almost impossible to find in 2015, but I didn't care about that. The car has no EDC or premium audio, but as far as I'm aware it has almost every other option including M drive, I drive, Nav(updated), 19inch factory wheels, as well as the moonroof(which nobody wants but I enjoy). I also had a ppi done.

Currently however, I am very interested in the 2010 e63 m6. 2010 was the best year for the s85 as it had gone through some technical updates in 2009 amd 2010. I would love a convertible 6mt with that high revving v10 for weekend drives and trips. This is because I do not have the need for a 4dr sports car any longer. The M6 reliability does worry me though. I just have not posted my m3 for sale yet, but it's probably gonna happen sooner or later.

FYI, 4 of sets oem rotors and pads + labor is right around $2k at an Indy mechanic. Maintainence on these things is not cheap unless you DIY.

[elvism]

My buying process was:

1. Miles on car
2. Color of car/ Options wanted
3. No accidents
4. Maintenance records. If they didn't have any then I called nearby BMW dealer in area where the car was located to see if they did any work on the car. You can also do a carfax search where the car was titled to get better idea where the car was in the past.
5. I had the owner take the car to a BMW dealership to give it a certified inspection. I paid the $200 out of pocket for the inspection. I didn't want to fly down to another state then find out later the car has problems. When I spoke to the service rep and received the report I felt better knowing the car was in great shape overall.
6. Make sure you have $ on the side for ex: brakes,tires,etc. Know in advance before you buy the car what it's going to cost you for service. Are you ok paying these prices?
7. Call in advance different Bmw dealerships if you plan on getting you car serviced by BMW. Not every dealership charges the same. If case some thing goes wrong then you know where to go or have your local dealership match the other dealers price.

Get the car and have it detailed in and out and enjoy the heck out of it!!