Compromise When You Purchased Your E9x

[petediddie]

Hi Everyone,

New member here. New(ish) owner as well.

I'm curious to get everyone's opinion on this. What kind of compromise did you make when you settled on your current M3? For example, one of the items on my wish list was a white exterior with red interior. I searched and waited and searched and waited for about a year and couldn't find anything that checks off all the items on my wish list.

Then I stumbled on the car I now own. It has black exterior and black interior. I remember seeing the ad and the car looked so good that I didn't mind that it didn't have everything that I wanted. I found the car on a Monday and by Friday, I was flying to another state to pick up the car and drove it back. A few months into my ownership and I have zero regrets.

Of course there were other things on my wish list, but in this case, I made the compromise of exterior and interior color.

So what was your compromise(s)? Or did you wait it out?

Cheers

[jiggz]

I made no compromises. I didn't 'need' this car so figured I'm not going to spend $35K after tax unless it's exactly what I want. And I was very specific about color combo & packages/options.

I did make a few compromises on my X5, but I'd spent 10 months looking for a very specific spec, and this one was 95% of what I wanted so I bought it.

So you wanted white over red but bought black over black - not even close to what you were wanting

[fatalelement]

I was looking for a white M3, but there really were none in my area that weren't either:

1) e90/92s somehow $30k plus also very high mileage and modded to shit (I don't mean wheels, I mean wheels, body kit pieces, exhaust modifications, shitty nonstandard emblems, gross looking HIDs from China, etc. etc.)
2) bunch of accidents and/or work needing to be done

I never buy used cars from enthusiasts, since it never has worked out for me or anyone I know, so I settled on a space grey e93 because it was owned by a middle-aged businesswoman who had gotten it meticulously serviced at the dealership she eventually turned it back into for a new car and other than one crease in the passenger seat leather, looks like it's maybe a year old on the inside/outside.

That overrode all of my other concerns about not having the right color - I'm happy with my choice.

[Bemo]

Time was the compromise. Wasn't in a position to buy a new LRP when it was first released. Had to wait 5 years but mission accomplished.

Don't compromise and get exactly what you want!

[///Myers]

IMHO just buy one, dont let the perfect get in the way of the good. I used to hate red cars until I bought one. The color grew on me now I love red cars. I drive manuals for a 20 years then somewhat accidentally bought a DSG car (when I was in a practical mood) now I love dual clutches. My only point is sometimes 'settling' is unexpectedly rewarding. Too many times I have spent hours, days, months looking for the perfect car only to be disappointed 6 months later. Honestly I have been more satisfied with cars I have settled for. To me buying an M3 at all was 'settling' but now that I have had it for a year it turns out I love it.

[Transfer]

Only thing I didn't get was fox red interior but that wasn't even close to a deal breaker. Got everything else I wanted including <40k miles and a warranty but my compromise was really that I probably overpaid by ~$3k to get the right one. The price was acceptable for me though so that really defines the value.

[MikeyDawg]

TBD as I am still searching but buyers fatigue is definitely setting in.

[Montaver]

I wanted an E90, with low miles, in A1 condition with full history and known provenance (i.e. low owners). In terms of spec the only deal breaker would be beige interior. Everything else doesn't really matter, the cars all drive the same regardless of spec. As it happened I found all the above in 2 weeks and bought it from the original owner, in 'resale grey' with black interior and every option ticked. Only thing I would change is delete the sunroof as I never use it.

On one hand you have to buy what makes you happy and compromises can taint that, on the other hand I find it odd that people are so specific about what they want on a used car that went out of production 6 years ago. People will discount very good options for such arbitrary reasons, I see it on posts on for sale threads all the time. 'Oh I would buy this car in a heart beat if it had red seat belts, what a shame!' People will buy an absolute dog of a car because it has a red interior and white paint etc.

Most importantly every minute you spend looking for one, is time spent not driving one.

[bkfastwagon]

For me, as long as the car was mechanically sound and had regular services I was okay. 1200 mile service was key and having regular oil change meant that the PO likely didn't abuse the car like driving hard without warming up. Car has not given me much problem and although I would love to get a blue sedan I would have hard time giving up on my car.

[wyatth]

EPS premium audio
Heated seats, split/folding rears (note I didn’t want the CWP because headlight washers suck; I’d rather have none of this than the full package)

It would have been nice to have these options but they’re far from deal breakers. It’s otherwise what I wanted: AW/Black E90 DCT ZCP slicktop with iDrive/Premium, low miles, clean history, great shape all around and a flawless PPI.

People need to be somewhat flexible on what they’re looking for, especially as these cars age. Yes get a color combo and transmission you like, or if you’re set on one rare combo then be flexible on options, etc. Getting a clean car is so much more important. And waiting 2 years to find the right spec is just wasted time/smiles. Know where to compromise, know what’s important.

[rpascua]

Originally Posted by petediddie

Hi Everyone,

New member here. New(ish) owner as well.

I'm curious to get everyone's opinion on this. What kind of compromise did you make when you settled on your current M3? For example, one of the items on my wish list was a white exterior with red interior. I searched and waited and searched and waited for about a year and couldn't find anything that checks off all the items on my wish list.

Then I stumbled on the car I now own. It has black exterior and black interior. I remember seeing the ad and the car looked so good that I didn't mind that it didn't have everything that I wanted. I found the car on a Monday and by Friday, I was flying to another state to pick up the car and drove it back. A few months into my ownership and I have zero regrets.

Of course there were other things on my wish list, but in this case, I made the compromise of exterior and interior color.

So what was your compromise(s)? Or did you wait it out?

Cheers

Only compromise is black on black but ZCP and every option possible.

I had to get it. The 1st owner was retired in his late 60s and loved the lines of the M3 and how it sounded when it started that was his decision . He then cashed it out in 2013 and drove it lightly, so lightly that when I was a passenger and he was driving he did not know how to use the DCT so left it in auto mode the whole time all the while listening to classical music that was loaded in his hard drive.

I knew I could not pass this up and if needed I could wrap the car and I would not have to do the rod bearings soon cause this guys only complaint was when he released the brake from a stoplight it would not automatically start rolling forward LOL!


My other compromise is my OCD kicked in and I'm meticulous about the paint and dusting, cleaning, waxing, polishing this baby of mine all the damn time. LOL!

Love every minute in this damn thang!

[firstbimmer]

Got exact car i would have ordered new, plus a couple extra options like upgrade sound and window shade i probaby would have not added due to cost and just weren't on my must have list. Bonus was i got a 2013 from last month of production. I probably overpaid by about $4k, but i got a car that had every option i wanted, including lemans blue color. Also got cpo and all service records from bmw dealer. I probably bought the car a year before i wanted to, but i told my wife that i only had a small window of time where i could find my exact desired spec in a 2013 build that also had a cpo and all records since it was late 2016 at the time.

[elvism]

For me it was when I first started out I wanted a 2011 E90 Lemans Blue with the competition package. There was one actually right in my neck of my woods but at the time I was looking to get out of my lease a brand new Jaguar F Pace S model. The Lemans Blue M3 I saw was nice but it had no sunroof. ( I know you're saying big deal) Either way I knew I couldn't buy it unless I got out of my lease from the Jag. The M3 sold 2 weeks later but fortunately a few weeks later my Jag dealer got me out if my lease with no fees. Now it was time to look for a M3. I knew the Lemans Blue was rare and hard to find especially with the competition package. I then came across a 2011 Space Gray( my second pick) fully loaded with 31K miles. The only thing that concerned me it had a few previous owners. The previous owner had 4 cars and this was just in his stable. I even asked him about the previous owner and he had told me that he was a dentist and didn't need the car anymore. The car was still certified under Bmw. Before I bought it I even had BMW do a re-certify before I bought it to make sure everything was up and running and in perfect condition. It was. Long story short I'm a happy camper.

[CarPoor]

I wanted a blue or silver M3, but I settled on Melbourne Red. Best compromise I’ve ever made and I couldn’t see myself in any other color M3.

[L1FHR]

I’ve got almost everything that I want it on my E92.
The only thing missing are full leather seats, folding mirrors.
Other than that, I’ve got all that I wanted including 13K mileages on the emmaculate car.

[Timujin]

Wanted Bluetooth audio, but settled for 2010 with no sunroof because that was #1. Slicktop FTMFW.

[jd501]

Originally Posted by L1FHR

I’ve got almost everything that I want it on my E92.
The only thing missing are full leather seats, folding mirrors.
Other than that, I’ve got all that I wanted including 13K mileages on the emmaculate car.

I did not know folding mirrors was an option, assumed they all came with it. Searching on the internets, appears you're correct though. Learned something new.

[HadesM3]

I compromised.

I wanted an e90 spec that doesn't exist I believe; ZCP, slicktop, I-Drive delete, 6mt, speed cloth,comfort access and enhanced audio.

I found a mint 1 owner with impeccable service records, but has an awful sunroof and I-Drive. I have regrets, but still enjoy the car.

[lve2xlr8]

I found my exact spec, but i had to travel for it.

I wanted mineral white and a stripper except for DCT and Competition. This was tough because most strippers have a manual. The one I found had leather so that was maybe the only compromise but I didn't mind much.

[thkfast]

I live in Iowa, so searching Autotrader for a used M3 was slim pickins. I wanted red, white or blue and condition was everything for me. At some point prior to purchase, I noticed my car was not equipped with Satellite Radio, which I want in a modern car. Alex at Alpine ended up coding that in for a very reasonable cost.

Deal breakers would have been goofy mods, badly garfed wheels, dents, interior rips or tears I guess. I found a peach!

[MachinesWithSouls]

I spec'd it how I wanted 9 years ago.

[Shiza]

I also wanted a Alpine white car with Fox red and 6MT. I'm a pretty impatient person, so I settled for Alpine white with Bamboo beige after a couple of months. When purchasing the car I didn't hate the combo but as time grew it started to feel like a senior citizen special. Luckly I found someone pretty quickly who was interested and wanted to swap their black leather. And after 2 years of searching I finally found someone who wanted to trade their Fox red for the black. I finally have my favorite color combo.