Good Buy or pretty common deal?

[Le-Blu]

I've lurked this forum for almost a decade, and my time has come to grab an e92. My budget is $21k so that puts me in an 08-10 with somewhere around 80k miles.


I've had my eye on this e92 for a while, and they just dropped the price from $23k down to $19.5k. 2010, 83k, spec'd how I want it. Seems to be unmolested, aside from the red brake calipers. I'm assuming RB's haven't been done, so I'm factoring that into my $21k budget.

Is this a run of the mill price for an e92 these days, or would you say a rare deal worth an 8 hour drive?

LISTING - https://www.evolutioncars.com/detail...4ap363204.html

CARFAX - https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...204&source=BUP


I really am interested in a forum members e92, but he's gone MIA for a good week now. Don't want to miss a good deal waiting. Hopefully he's alright.

[IanMan]

Let me put it this way. If you're worried about the seller, I can already tell you're ready for a deal that's probably not the best for you. Don't just jump on whatever seems like the best available deal. I don't know how much research you have put into finding a car, but I'm guessing you're moving up to an M3 from your 325i. That's a huge leap. Don't make any mistakes. Do a shit ton of research. Remember, you can always come here for advice, but I'd suggest, if you want a really good M3, you have an least 5-10 cars you are looking at. As for the price of this car. The values are dropping, especially on E93's. I suggest waiting for the spring and values will be even lower. Also, the interior on this looks extremely worn.

[Le-Blu]

Thanks for the response, I definitely appreciate the wisdom on this one. I'm not upgrading from the 325i, that has been a project I've been working on for years. Before this I had an f30 328i, before that an e90 335i m sport (FBO, JB4, etc), and I've had a couple other three series as well.

You're right about not going for the best available deal price-wise. I've seen cheaper ones in varying conditions, and have been on the hunt for a couple months so this isn't the first one I've seen by a long shot.

What makes you say values will be lower in Spring? There are already a ton of much cleaner e93's available near me for a decent price, but I just am not a fan of the side profile.



Edit: I've been looking at e92 M3's since my 335 was totaled a couple years ago(not a fault). But I was getting married, and then bought a house, etc. so made the financially responsible decision and just got a 328i. Things have evened out now, so the timing is much better.

[pwrdbym]

You may have to come to the realization that $21k isn't going to get you a perfect M3. Buying this car is no different than buying any BMW with 83k miles; it has preventative maintenance needs. Filters, fluids, plugs, etc to start. As mentioned this car has some worn interior parts, especially the rubber coating over plastic. These are items you could slowly replace over time if you want to improve the condition.
I'll make one note on the color, Lemans is pretty rare so if that is a major factor then it could be awhile before you find another in your price range/location. Buying an M3 is never going to be a good financial decision, so you can write that off right now. Any of them will have needs, not to mention fuel, insurance, etc. You can be one of those owners who worries constantly about everything or you can buy this car and drive the shit out of it with the understanding that the smiles don't come free.

[kerrit]

That's a pretty big price drop all of a sudden, I would be weary, betting the car doesn't look that nice in person.

Any BMW shops around that can do a full inspection + compression and leak down test?

[BeaterM3]

Originally Posted by Le-Blu

Thanks for the response, I definitely appreciate the wisdom on this one. I'm not upgrading from the 325i, that has been a project I've been working on for years. Before this I had an f30 328i, before that an e90 335i m sport (FBO, JB4, etc), and I've had a couple other three series as well.

You're right about not going for the best available deal price-wise. I've seen cheaper ones in varying conditions, and have been on the hunt for a couple months so this isn't the first one I've seen by a long shot.

What makes you say values will be lower in Spring? There are already a ton of much cleaner e93's available near me for a decent price, but I just am not a fan of the side profile.

Edit: I've been looking at e92 M3's since my 335 was totaled a couple years ago(not a fault). But I was getting married, and then bought a house, etc. so made the financially responsible decision and just got a 328i. Things have evened out now, so the timing is much better.

Every situation is different.

My 2010 M3 which was pretty much fully loaded (minus parking assist) came with 81,500 miles and was $17,500. Some would say that I should have passed on it because of the price and mileage.

The only 3 issues were 1) the bottom pan for the DCT was leaking. Cost me about $600 to repair. 2) the front and rear bumpers had a couple imperfections but I had no problem over looking them since they are not eye sores. 3) some of the rubberized coating on the steering wheel and inside door area were rubbed off and the seat bolsters were worn in...again things that didn't bother me.

Insurance only costs me $105 a month.

So far maintenance wise, along with the DCT, I had the Rod bearings replaced as a preventative (plus the engine mounts and oil pan gasket are done for you). I replaced the right rear wheel sensor for $15 DIY. Replaced the clock spring (fixed the paddle shifter issue) for $50 DIY. Had the idler pulley ($78) replaced and replaced the upper and lower tensioner and pulley with low mileaged used ones for 1/8 the price of OEM ($122). I did get reamed on the labor though since I asked to get my appt to be expedited and moved up right before Thanksgiving to get the pulleys done for the long weekend. I could have gotten the labor done for 1/2 the cost if I could have waited 2 weeks with my other mechanic.

[Le-Blu]

Originally Posted by pwrdbym

You may have to come to the realization that $21k isn't going to get you a perfect M3. Buying this car is no different than buying any BMW with 83k miles; it has preventative maintenance needs. Filters, fluids, plugs, etc to start. As mentioned this car has some worn interior parts, especially the rubber coating over plastic. These are items you could slowly replace over time if you want to improve the condition.
I'll make one note on the color, Lemans is pretty rare so if that is a major factor then it could be awhile before you find another in your price range/location. Buying an M3 is never going to be a good financial decision, so you can write that off right now. Any of them will have needs, not to mention fuel, insurance, etc. You can be one of those owners who worries constantly about everything or you can buy this car and drive the shit out of it with the understanding that the smiles don't come free.

HA, oh yea definitely not looking for the perfect M3 at this price point. I understand some of the problems that come with buying an 11 year old BMW (done it several times before, probably need to get my head checked). Figured I would just reach out to see what the everyone at the forums thought about this particular one, if anything good or bad stuck out. Thanks for the note on the color, that's the color my 335 was and I really did love it, but it's not a need.

I like to take good care of my cars, but I'm not afraid about every little thing. I was already at 60k miles on my 335i before I started the FBO and tune process. Had my e46 over 200k, and lord knows how many miles are on the poor e30.

Seems like this one is a pretty standard e92 for the price, aside from the color. Guess it makes sense to just wait until I can find something like that, that isn't an 8 hour drive.

[Le-Blu]

Originally Posted by revengeismine

Every situation is different.

My 2010 M3 which was pretty much fully loaded (minus parking assist) came with 81,500 miles and was $17,500. Some would say that I should have passed on it because of the price and mileage.

That's a pretty solid price. The closest to that near me is a 2008 with 130k miles, fake carbon fiber trunk, and a lit dashboard. $18.5+dealer fees

[Petosat]

FWIW. I shopped for about 5 mos for my m3 before settling on mine. I walked 21.5 otd.
2008 manual
67k miles
Lots of maintenance records. Person that traded it to the dealer gave them records(I confirmed this by tracking down the original seller)
RB's weren't done so I negotiated they pay 1/2 the cost of RB's at the shop of my choice.

Good deals are out there, just gotta find the right one and be super patient.

[cognoscenti]

As I've learned from personal experience in both the aviation and car worlds, "Never buy the A model of anything." I'm not trying to disparage the early E90 M3's, but BMW did spend some time addressing various issues over the life of this chassis. I'm not talking about the well-trodden ground of rod bearings and bolts - at the mileage of cars near to your budget, just assume you'll do them regardless (many sellers have not already). But an LCI car for not that much more might be worth your consideration.

[Scrippy]

The lower the price is when compared to the market is usually a sign of a car in bad shape. That being said things can be fixed. If you are good with tools go for it but be prepared to change out those common failure points beyond rod bearings. Once you get acclimated to parts costs for this platform it's no different than a 335 other than that roughly 30% cost increase for parts. As long as the metal is straight have at it. If you're looking for a reliable car maybe look for E92's in the 30's min. Opinions here are rather fickle so don't take them as gospel. I

[roastbeef]

i don't see anything special here. car is pretty beat up. someone fucked with the steering wheel trim and scratched the shit out of everything else. the painted calipers don't help it either. some broke kid probably beat on this thing until he couldn't afford the gas anymore. thats a hard pass.

[bmwpower603]

I would pass.

You need to get an m3 from a dealer that took it in on a new car trade. Preferably a 1 owner. And maybe even a dealership like Tesla, bmw, audi, or Mercedes.

Easy for me to say, because I’m a dealer. (And specifically look for 1 owner bmws) Old , or newer.

This one is beat up. And it’s not a 6 speed manual.

[GoodTime]

I think I'd pass. Accident history and no records aren't ALWAYS dealbreakers (depending on what you want out of the car), but on a so-so deal I'd say they are.

If you're looking at ~100k mile cars, you can find something cleaner or more sorted for ~$20k

[BeaterM3]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

The lower the price is when compared to the market is usually a sign of a car in bad shape. That being said things can be fixed. If you are good with tools go for it but be prepared to change out those common failure points beyond rod bearings. Once you get acclimated to parts costs for this platform it's no different than a 335 other than that roughly 30% cost increase for parts. As long as the metal is straight have at it. If you're looking for a reliable car maybe look for E92's in the 30's min. Opinions here are rather fickle so don't take them as gospel. I

It's usually the exception when the car is priced very low and the purchaser makes out but it does happen. I bought mine for $17.5K because the dealer had no clue of the worth. By the time I had put a deposit down on the car at that price, about 15 other people had called about it because it was so low. At least the dealer didn't reneg on the original price. No maintenance records at all as well. The DCT bottom pan did need repairing, so adding that to the cost, I was up to $18.1 in the end. 81K miles and fully loaded (minus PA). I made out pretty well. - **knock on wood**

The 4 previous owners with 84K does worry me though. At least my car only had 2 previous owners before me.

[bkfastwagon]

There are definitely some red flags with this car IMO. Accident hx, lack of service hx in carfax (was 1200mile service done?), substantial price drop by the dealer etc.

If you can raise the limit just a bit, say $25k, there are several for sale by the forum members. I think it would be more than worth it in the long run.

[PACarGuy]

Besides the beat up interior that others have mentioned, what strikes me is that someone put nearly 40K miles on the car in 14 months with no service records during that time. That is some serious mileage in that timeframe - over 80 miles a day.

Maybe you'd be fine with this car, but seems like there are other better cars out there for maybe just a bit more money that will require less reconditioning.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by revengeismine

It's usually the exception when the car is priced very low and the purchaser makes out but it does happen. I bought mine for $17.5K because the dealer had no clue of the worth. By the time I had put a deposit down on the car at that price, about 15 other people had called about it because it was so low. At least the dealer didn't reneg on the original price. No maintenance records at all as well. The DCT bottom pan did need repairing, so adding that to the cost, I was up to $18.1 in the end. 81K miles and fully loaded (minus PA). I made out pretty well. - **knock on wood**

The 4 previous owners with 84K does worry me though. At least my car only had 2 previous owners before me.

Whatever works man, I don't shame folks on their purchases. I've bought a money pit more than once because of emotion. I actually like working on cars and trucks, so I'd be down to score a cheap E46 M as long as there were no subframe cracks. If it did have cracks I'd still buy it if the price was mega low knowing I'd just strip it and send it to a shop for repair and reinforcement. Because in the end I'd have a rebuilt clean example of awesome. As long as you understand this is high risk success probability as far as a cheap score goes. Your example is the 1 in 10 IMO.

[BeaterM3]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

Whatever works man, I don't shame folks on their purchases. I've bought a money pit more than once because of emotion. I actually like working on cars and trucks, so I'd be down to score a cheap E46 M as long as there were no subframe cracks. If it did have cracks I'd still buy it if the price was mega low knowing I'd just strip it and send it to a shop for repair and reinforcement. Because in the end I'd have a rebuilt clean example of awesome. As long as you understand this is high risk success probability as far as a cheap score goes. Your example is the 1 in 10 IMO.

Exactly, which is why my example is an exception.

The exact opposite is happening with E36 M3s recently. Every E36 M3 (excluding converts), regardless of condition, is selling for a high ass hell premium nowadays; you have no clue if the price matches the condition/value from first look.