my BMW dealer has '25 M3 they can't sell for months because of owner was heavy smoker

[DavyNM]

I stopped by my BMW dealer this morning to get the free brake fluid change. Even with an appointment that was booked a month ago, I had to wait almost 3 hours before the tech started working on it.(not their fault... my area had huge snow storm last week and screwed up their schedules) 40 minutes ago my SA told me it would be only another 15 minutes... but I'm still here... so I decided to write about the M3 I saw earlier.

Anyway... I walked around the lot and saw a ridiculously mint-looking 2025 M3 in my favorite dravit grey. I was shocked when the window sticker said it was knocked down from $75000 to $68000. It had only 7800 miles. The sales people weren't there yet, so I couldn't get inside. Around 9AM, they started showing up and I got a sales lady to help me.

When I pointed to that M3, she seemed excited but asked me the strangest question. She said "you smoke?" I never smoked, but I honestly thought that she was offering me a cigarette. I said "thanks, but I don't smoke" She said "oh, that's too bad..." At this point, I still thought she was offering me a cigarette.

She got the key fob and we got inside the M3. I instantly realized why she asked me about smoking. She said the previous owner was a HEAVY smoker and the dealership spent almost 3 weeks to try to get rid of the smoke smell. They even got two outside detailers to work on it but the smoke smell was still "haunting the interior"(her words). The car had been sitting on the lot for months and was rejected by EVERY potential customer, even smokers. Apparently they took this M3 in trade because the previous owner upgraded to a new M5.

Shen went on to say that they marked it down almost $10,000 cheaper than a comparable M3... but it may eventually go to auction due to lack of customer interest.

I'm still sitting here waiting for the tech to complete the brake fluid change on my car... boy, I'm sure that I'm not a smoker.

[jaffles]

for my money, a good professional interior upholstery clean and let it sit in the sun with doors open for few weekends. Then chuck some leather strips under the seats and leave the window open for as while as much as you can.

Or buy it and park it where it floods, then go buy a clean one with insurance.

[JTK44]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

I stopped by my BMW dealer this morning to get the free brake fluid change. Even with an appointment that was booked a month ago, I had to wait almost 3 hours before the tech started working on it.(not their fault... my area had huge snow storm last week and screwed up their schedules) 40 minutes ago my SA told me it would be only another 15 minutes... but I'm still here... so I decided to write about the M3 I saw earlier.

Anyway... I walked around the lot and saw a ridiculously mint-looking 2025 M3 in my favorite dravit grey. I was shocked when the window sticker said it was knocked down from $75000 to $68000. It had only 7800 miles. The sales people weren't there yet, so I couldn't get inside. Around 9AM, they started showing up and I got a sales lady to help me.

When I pointed to that M3, she seemed excited but asked me the strangest question. She said "you smoke?" I never smoked, but I honestly thought that she was offering me a cigarette. I said "thanks, but I don't smoke" She said "oh, that's too bad..." At this point, I still thought she was offering me a cigarette.

She got the key fob and we got inside the M3. I instantly realized why she asked me about smoking. She said the previous owner was a HEAVY smoker and the dealership spent almost 3 weeks to try to get rid of the smoke smell. They even got two outside detailers to work on it but the smoke smell was still "haunting the interior"(her words). The car had been sitting on the lot for months and was rejected by EVERY potential customer, even smokers. Apparently they took this M3 in trade because the previous owner upgraded to a new M5.

Shen went on to say that they marked it down almost $10,000 cheaper than a comparable M3... but it may eventually go to auction due to lack of customer interest.

I'm still sitting here waiting for the tech to complete the brake fluid change on my car... boy, I'm sure that I'm not a smoker.

From my perspective, a $7000 discount on a used one year old car is frankly shocking: unless you live in an area where there is no competition, I would expect a discount of a minimum of 20%.

On my 2026 540I, MSRP of just over $75,000 I got a discount of $9,000 off of MSRP.

The M3 is not mainstream and hence depreciates faster. The car is one year old and has smoke.

I would expect to see a minimum discount of 20%, $15,000. As the salesperson pointed, even smokers have rejected this car: it is not the smoke it is the PRICE!

[25 V8 IS]

I never got the allure of smoking in cars, but I sure do see a lot of people doing it when I drive around.

[co_440i]

Originally Posted by JTK44

From my perspective, a $7000 discount on a used one year old car is frankly shocking: unless you live in an area where there is no competition, I would expect a discount of a minimum of 20%.

On my 2026 540I, MSRP of just over $75,000 I got a discount of $9,000 off of MSRP.

The M3 is not mainstream and hence depreciates faster. The car is one year old and has smoke.

I would expect to see a minimum discount of 20%, $15,000. As the salesperson pointed, even smokers have rejected this car: it is not the smoke it is the PRICE!

G80s do not depreciate fast

in fact, $68k seems like the cheapest 2025 G80 in the country by $10k (this specific car isn't listed on Autotrader)

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by JTK44

The M3 is not mainstream and hence depreciates faster. The car is one year old and has smoke.

so I was just chatting with my best friend. He smokes a lot, but never around me. I gave up trying to help him quit. Anyway... he said "I'm a smoker and I will never buy a car, or a house, from another smoker..." That pretty much tells me why smoky cars are hard to sell?

[25 V8 IS]

I remember years and years ago when I worked for an auto broker in Upland, CA, we took in a Jeep Wrangler whose owner smoked cigars in the car.

Let me tell you...You think cigarettes are bad (they are)? Cigars are on a whole other level when it comes to stink from cars.

[DubaiRich]

Damn, what were they smoking, Chesterfields??

I had a "smokers" car once, and no matter what I tried, the smell was always permeating the cabin. I will never buy a smoked in car. I give back rentals if there's a hint of smoke in the interior.

[Janjohn]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

I stopped by my BMW dealer this morning to get the free brake fluid change. Even with an appointment that was booked a month ago, I had to wait almost 3 hours before the tech started working on it.(not their fault... my area had huge snow storm last week and screwed up their schedules) 40 minutes ago my SA told me it would be only another 15 minutes... but I'm still here... so I decided to write about the M3 I saw earlier.

Anyway... I walked around the lot and saw a ridiculously mint-looking 2025 M3 in my favorite dravit grey. I was shocked when the window sticker said it was knocked down from $75000 to $68000. It had only 7800 miles. The sales people weren't there yet, so I couldn't get inside. Around 9AM, they started showing up and I got a sales lady to help me.

When I pointed to that M3, she seemed excited but asked me the strangest question. She said "you smoke?" I never smoked, but I honestly thought that she was offering me a cigarette. I said "thanks, but I don't smoke" She said "oh, that's too bad..." At this point, I still thought she was offering me a cigarette.

She got the key fob and we got inside the M3. I instantly realized why she asked me about smoking. She said the previous owner was a HEAVY smoker and the dealership spent almost 3 weeks to try to get rid of the smoke smell. They even got two outside detailers to work on it but the smoke smell was still "haunting the interior"(her words). The car had been sitting on the lot for months and was rejected by EVERY potential customer, even smokers. Apparently they took this M3 in trade because the previous owner upgraded to a new M5.

Shen went on to say that they marked it down almost $10,000 cheaper than a comparable M3... but it may eventually go to auction due to lack of customer interest.

I'm still sitting here waiting for the tech to complete the brake fluid change on my car... boy, I'm sure that I'm not a smoker.

Is the upholstery leather or synthetic? If it were me and I was especially hot for an M3, I’d do some research on local upholstery professionals for getting bad smells out of cars and couches. I know it can be done well but the key is to clean everything and everywhere.

If you’re still interested and aren’t risk-adverse, make the dealer give you an “auction” price. The M3 won’t sell before you finish with your research.

[pbonsalb]

Ozone machines can help but detailers probably tried one.

[Mautofied17]

Originally Posted by JTK44

From my perspective, a $7000 discount on a used one year old car is frankly shocking: unless you live in an area where there is no competition, I would expect a discount of a minimum of 20%.

On my 2026 540I, MSRP of just over $75,000 I got a discount of $9,000 off of MSRP.

The M3 is not mainstream and hence depreciates faster. The car is one year old and has smoke.

I would expect to see a minimum discount of 20%, $15,000. As the salesperson pointed, even smokers have rejected this car: it is not the smoke it is the PRICE!

This is not a 540i. M3s are allocated cars.

It has the lowest depreciation of any new BMW...

[RockCrusher]

Not quite ready to buy the discount is due to the car being smoked in.

Yes I know you smelled the odor but this can't be the first smoked in car the dealership and the detailers have encountered.

Thus this car has a "story" and the general rule of buying a used car is avoid those with a story...

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by Mautofied17

This is not a 540i. M3s are allocated cars.

It has the lowest depreciation of any new BMW...

Every BMW made is an allocated car. Whether or not it's reserved and assigned to a customer is another question.

[Mautofied17]

Originally Posted by alex2364

Every BMW made is an allocated car. Whether or not it's reserved and assigned to a customer is another question.

I will clarify. It's one of the few BMWs where allocations are hard to come by.

[smithf80]

Yeah, near impossible to get out without replacing the carpet and headliner, and even then, it still won't be entirely gone.

One thing that does help that is not commonly known is chlorine dioxide gas treatment, I think it's actually better than ozone, but again, still, it's unlikely it'll be gone completely.

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by smithf80

Yeah, near impossible to get out without replacing the carpet and headliner, and even then, it still won't be entirely gone.

One thing that does help that is not commonly known is chlorine dioxide gas treatment, I think it's actually better than ozone, but again, still, it's unlikely it'll be gone completely.

I'm pretty sure that's what Griot's Garage Odor Exterminator is. I've used it in a musty-smelling car in the past and it worked great. But yeah, that smoke is going to be damn near impossible to completely eliminate.

[RPM33]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

I stopped by my BMW dealer this morning to get the free brake fluid change. Even with an appointment that was booked a month ago, I had to wait almost 3 hours before the tech started working on it.(not their fault... my area had huge snow storm last week and screwed up their schedules) 40 minutes ago my SA told me it would be only another 15 minutes... but I'm still here... so I decided to write about the M3 I saw earlier.

Anyway... I walked around the lot and saw a ridiculously mint-looking 2025 M3 in my favorite dravit grey. I was shocked when the window sticker said it was knocked down from $75000 to $68000. It had only 7800 miles. The sales people weren't there yet, so I couldn't get inside. Around 9AM, they started showing up and I got a sales lady to help me.

When I pointed to that M3, she seemed excited but asked me the strangest question. She said "you smoke?" I never smoked, but I honestly thought that she was offering me a cigarette. I said "thanks, but I don't smoke" She said "oh, that's too bad..." At this point, I still thought she was offering me a cigarette.

She got the key fob and we got inside the M3. I instantly realized why she asked me about smoking. She said the previous owner was a HEAVY smoker and the dealership spent almost 3 weeks to try to get rid of the smoke smell. They even got two outside detailers to work on it but the smoke smell was still "haunting the interior"(her words). The car had been sitting on the lot for months and was rejected by EVERY potential customer, even smokers. Apparently they took this M3 in trade because the previous owner upgraded to a new M5.

Shen went on to say that they marked it down almost $10,000 cheaper than a comparable M3... but it may eventually go to auction due to lack of customer interest.

I'm still sitting here waiting for the tech to complete the brake fluid change on my car... boy, I'm sure that I'm not a smoker.

Terrible someone would smoke inside of their luxury car. Just like smoking inside of a nice house. If they were smart, they should smoke outside of the house and car.

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by RPM33

Terrible someone would smoke inside of their luxury car. Just like smoking inside of a nice house. If they were smart, they should smoke outside of the house and car.

Some people are just... unique. My parents had a neighbor that let their dog piss inside the house because "she's just a small dog". It's like, what the actual fuck?? When they sold their house they were shocked to find that they had to come down $20k on the price because no one would buy it, as well as having to rip all of the carpets out and replace them. Go figure. I can't even imagine what that house had to smell like. So disgusting.

So yeah, some people are freakin' weirdos and just don't care.

[DavyNM]

I haven't leased cars since 1998. (used cash or financing for all the other cars after that) I just found the old lease documents from 1998 on my Mercedes. Surprisingly, there was no clause that banned smoking. It did say that there would be a $350 fee if the car had smoke or other odors during lease end inspection. That seemed awfully cheap. I never smoked, but if I did, I probably wouldn't mind paying just $350 to smoke in a leased Mercedes for 2 or 3 years?

[STi from DSM]

Smoking gets ash in all of the crevices. It is VERY hard to get the smell out because well cigarettes are disgusting, lol. I agree though. If they really want to move this vehicle they need a bigger discount.

[FrankL]

Originally Posted by jaffles

for my money, a good professional interior upholstery clean and let it sit in the sun with doors open for few weekends. Then chuck some leather strips under the seats and leave the window open for as while as much as you can.

Or buy it and park it where it floods, then go buy a clean one with insurance.

Years ago, I had an older gent do some work on office walls that had wallpaper. For some reason he talked about odors. A guy he knew, worked over in Iraq during the war doing renovations.

He said a bag of coffee beans is the best odor absorbers. These houses had dead bodies in there. Awful and I hate wars.

Cigarettes and tar are a tough one. I once bought old PC on eBay because I needed that exact model. It was like $100. The guy must have used it as an ash tray. I tried cleaning it with 90% alcohol carefully. I got the worst headaches and had to throw it away.

[Car-Addicted]

A long time ago on here, I recounted all the details of a 911 we bought at auction back in the early 80's. The reason I remember it from so long ago is that car put us through hell trying to get the cigarette smoke smell out of it. New head liner, tore dash apart to clean defroster/heater tubes, total leather recondition and carpet replacement. I could still smell the smoke but it was good enough to send it to Manheim auction and even then it got pulled into arbitration and we had to cut the price again. Never, Never will I have anything to do with a car that has been in a fire or had a smoker.