Buying E92 M3 help.

[James909]

Im looking to buy this M3 and have a few photos of the car in question. Would greatly appreciate any advice or anything that looks an issue. The car is an 2011 E92 M3 on 65k miles. The rear diff looks very oily.



Thanks

[tbuck]

Honestly, no way can anyone that has not physically looked at the car and heard it running tell you what might be a problem. As an example, is the oil on the diff coming from the rear cover, the drain plug or one of the output shafts? No way for us to tell you. Could be as simple as it needs a new crush washer, therefore a few bucks and it is fixed. Or it needs a full rebuild.

Best practice when buying a car you are unfamiliar with, certainly an M-car, is to do your due diligence, put in the time to research the good, the bad and the ugly. There are tons of posts telling of all the issues with these cars, some or all could apply to the one you are lookin at. Then you will be able to view the car with an informed eye to what may or may not be an issue. Also, I would never, never, never buy one of these without a PPI. No way no how. Best insurance you could ever buy.

Good luck!

[DukeofAlexandria]

Originally Posted by James909

Im looking to buy this M3 and have a few photos of the car in question. Would greatly appreciate any advice or anything that looks an issue. The car is an 2011 E92 M3 on 65k miles. The rear diff looks very oily.



Thanks

1 - Were those pictures taken with a 2004 Nokia? No one can tell much from those pics.

2 - Ask the owner to take it to a reputable shop for a PPI. They are cheap and will find a decent amount of things for as little as $75-150.

Don't be cheap, just buy one and you'll have a better understanding of what might be wrong with this car.

-Duke

[neilum]

Buying a used car is a skill. Personally, I follow a very strict process to do it the right way including a PPI and virtually 0 time looking at random pictures of it and trying to draw any conclusions.

[asma123]

That undercarriage looks a bit rough. what’s the going rate for comparables in your area?
- The engine bay looks neglected.
- at 65k miles rod bearings are about to go

Keep in mind a cheap m3 is an expensive m3.

[jp1984]

Originally Posted by asma123

- at 65k miles rod bearings are about to go

Rod bearings can go at 6.5 miles or 650,000 miles. I would not scare anyone thinking they can't touch the car because the bearings arent done, because even having your bearings done isnt a 100% guarantee .

Yes do bearings as soon as you can, no, they are not "about to go" at 65k. Consider having them done as peace of mind though.

But otherwise, I agree with the poster.