Talk me in or out of buying this m3

[whtcanbrwnd04u]

Was bored and came across this m3 at a local salvage yard.

Not familiar with these cars so i'm turning to you guys for some advise :

Ad states the primary damage is interior burn. There's no other pics besides these.

Can someone tell what the burned area pictured is? Friend said it's under the passenger seat? What is located here / how hard is it to replace or repair?


Thoughts / opinions?

[Ink09]

WOW

[roastbeef]

how much are they asking? probably not a bad deal for a couple grand.

[Spun Crankhub]

Tough to say what thats worth without knowing if its running or not. That fire could have been caused by a short to a very critical system of the car. Youll be able to find a full E92 interior on ebay for like $2k. I'd pay $6k.

[deansbimmer]

Looks like the main relay shorted. May have shorted other electrical components but looks to be quite repairable. The smell will be the hard thing to get out of the car.

I lol'd at 6k though. The pre-bidding is already past 7k- the real bidding doesn't start for 3 more days. Based on how high I've seen M3's selling for at auction lately, I would estimate it will sell for between 12-14k. It's a well optioned 2011 Competition Package with minimal damage and looks pretty clean. It's not going to go for peanuts.

If the OP is very handy, patient, and has a healthy budget he can get it going and enjoy a very nice car. But these kind of projects aren't great to get into if you're on a shoestring budget trying to get M3 status for 335 money- it's not fair to the car.

[///Master]

This will definitely sell for around 10-14k... The real bidding wars start during the live auction. I have a license to all these places so Ive seen a lot.. I would be pretty weary about the interior burn as it may have affected a ton of things you're not seeing. (smell, huge electronics malfunction) This is a BMW so electronics add up quick.. Not to mention the headache of trying to fix this.. And it looks like someone already tried to take it apart. Make sure to check if an insurance company is selling it or not. It will say it in the listing.. If it doesn't say, someone is be selling it off because they couldn't fix (most likely).

[tdott]

easy fix, do it!

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by davidschi

...And it looks like someone already tried to take it apart. Make sure to check if an insurance company is selling it or not. It will say it in the listing.. If it doesn't say, someone is be selling it off because they couldn't fix (most likely).

Very true. I too am a salvage bidder and can speak from experience that in 9 times out of 10 if the car has been tampered with in any way, then it is being sold by a private company and red flags should go up. Insurance companies don't usually list cars that are missing parts or have been partially repaired. I am extremely cautious with buying cars sold by private companies- they are the only ones I get burned on. They tamper with the car to maximize the bid- conceal damage, swap parts, polish the turd, etc. So be careful!

I've never seen Copart list the seller on their website. The seller is however listed on the windshield label or you can call and ask.

Also, the pre-bid just hit $10k. lol

[OzCoE92]

Fire is just as bad as a flood, so I would stay away from that one unfortunately. Be patient, there are plenty of other clean title cars out there for sale, check the classifieds.

[dparm]

You could probably sell the engine, trans, suspension, brakes, any body panels that are in good shape, and wheels. I sus

I wouldn't bother trying to repair the car. Electrical problems are a nightmare.