Sold the E93 335i, looking to purchase a M3 now

[Gregrobin]

I sold the 2008 E93 335i weekend driver in my signature. With the help of the good folks here, I had a lot of fun tuning, modifying and driving it, but it's time for something different. I've been researching the 2008 through 2013 E92 M3s. Test drove my first one recently, with the competition package, and absolutely loved it. The V8 aspirated engine is so different from the twin turbos and inline 6, not better, just different. It has the DCT transmission.

It's a 2012, loaded, 114,000 miles. Current owner has had it for 6 years, pretty good service history, rod bearings and actuators have not been replaced. Carfax shows two minor accidents and two other minor damage reports. Clean title, no signs of any frame damage or excessive abuse.

Interior looks like new, I give the exterior an 8 out of 10, modified aftermarket exhaust but no other modifications.

I plan to get a presale inspection by one of the BMW performance shops in my area. Is there anything else I should check out with the car before purchasing it? Anything I should be aware of in general to look at, go over?

This one will be a weekend driver for me as well, maybe 1000 miles a year.

This is the car

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...ibextid=dXMIcH

[amrazM]

get a pre sale inpection for sure, make sure the top works especially. also look for any hack repairs which were done on the top, there are strings that make the c pillars lock into place keep an eye on those. ask for an ista readout of all the faults active and not active, get a printout if possible. I would not worry too much about the mileage especially if youre planning to drive it. i cant stress enough, make sure everything relating to the top works, check the age of the battery, etc.

[pedro2u]

He said it was an e92…..

Looking for the perfect car is not a race. I’d be concerned about 4 damage reports, that will impact sale price forever, and at 114k, RB’s and TA’s are high on the list too. Add the cost to do those to your total search price and you’ll have more cars to look at IMO

Good luck with your search!

[kolosy]

a good rule of thumb on these is that it'll cost you around $30k. if you buy one for less than that, you'll spend the delta in maintenance / other costs.

[Gregrobin]

Thank you, yes, I'm including the cost of RB and TAs and it's been a slow, patient, steady search. I can do the TAs myself.

Dealers are listing these for low to mids 30s so I'd like to try to find a good one from a private party.

[For3]

I'll play devil's advocate here re: buying most pristine example you can find vs finding one that's a good deal.

Obviously people on these forums tend to be more on the die hard end of the owner spectrum vs the average user and thus opinions tend to go towards more the collector / enthusiast route.

It all depends on what your goals are. To me if buying a 114k mile example is within your search criteria (which is fine!) then that potentially comes with things like a less than perfect interior, exterior, and potentially an accident report or 2. Are you buying it to drive it and enjoy it? Or are you buying it to ocassionally drive it and keep it 5-10 years with the hope it's goin to appreciate like the e36 and e46 markets have? If the latter, buy the best example you can with lower miles at the top of your budget. If it's the former weigh the pros and cons between best example, and getting a good deal in my opinion.

At 22k, I'd factor in 2.5k for the rod bearings and new motor mounts. That puts you at 24.5k. Like you said you can do the TAs yourself and just do those when they go out. I bought my car at 84k miles 4 1/2 years ago and did the RBs immediately but haven't had to do the TAs yet knock on wood.

Other maintenance things to consider. Replacing struts, shocks especially if they are original, Replacing front control arms, and Valve cover gaskets. Sounds like if you can tackle the TAs then you can also do those above and save on labor costs.

Best of luck on the search. This forum is a great resource for ownership, especially for DIY'ing.

[Gregrobin]

Originally Posted by For3

I'll play devil's advocate here re: buying most pristine example you can find vs finding one that's a good deal.

Obviously people on these forums tend to be more on the die hard end of the owner spectrum vs the average user and thus opinions tend to go towards more the collector / enthusiast route.

It all depends on what your goals are. To me if buying a 114k mile example is within your search criteria (which is fine!) then that potentially comes with things like a less than perfect interior, exterior, and potentially an accident report or 2. Are you buying it to drive it and enjoy it? Or are you buying it to ocassionally drive it and keep it 5-10 years with the hope it's goin to appreciate like the e36 and e46 markets have? If the latter, buy the best example you can with lower miles at the top of your budget. If it's the former weigh the pros and cons between best example, and getting a good deal in my opinion.

At 22k, I'd factor in 2.5k for the rod bearings and new motor mounts. That puts you at 24.5k. Like you said you can do the TAs yourself and just do those when they go out. I bought my car at 84k miles 4 1/2 years ago and did the RBs immediately but haven't had to do the TAs yet knock on wood.

Other maintenance things to consider. Replacing struts, shocks especially if they are original, Replacing front control arms, and Valve cover gaskets. Sounds like if you can tackle the TAs then you can also do those above and save on labor costs.

Best of luck on the search. This forum is a great resource for ownership, especially for DIY'ing.

Yes, I will be getting a pre-sale inspection by a reportable BMW shop (not the dealer) I used for my last 335i. Seller has a Blackstone Oil analysis from 6500 miles ago, I will get another one pre-sale to compare.

Well said, this speaks to me. It's a weekend driver, I plan to tinker with it, clean it, polish it, maybe do some tuning, etc. I could smell a little oil when I first lifted the hood (hot engine) so I am guessing the valve covers need to be replaced soon. Shop pre-inspection should catch this.

Honestly, the pristine ones I looked at are priced in the mid to upper 30s, and they do not appeal to me as everything is already done :-) I can't put my touch on it. And the others one I see are heavily modified, which I do not want. IF I modify it I want to put my personal tocuh on it, not the previous owners.

Here's the CarFax, not sure if you'll be able to see it though

https://www.carfax.com/showroom/repo...37&mobile=true

[For3]

Yeah I can see your reasoning about wanting one that needed a little TLC to make it your own.

To be honest that wasn't the goal when I bought mine necessarily but has morphed into that. It's my daily and when I bought it was a bone stock 2010 E90 M3 with dct, jet black paint, bamboo beige interior with 220M wheels. My requirements were it needed 4 doors for hauling kids to school /activities and thus I chose the E90 over the E92.

A few months after getting it, I swapped wheels to the 359M comp wheels. Over time I've decided my build is going to be OEM plus. I put Ohlins R&T coilovers on in the Fall and have loved them much more than the EDC. Overtime I've refreshed little odds and ends to get it to be as nice as it can be without going overboard. It's 14 years old and has 121k on the clock but still looks and drives great. Paint is far from perfect but that's ok to me. To some others that would be a deal breaker. Again go for what matters to you.

I couldn't see any info from the carfax link. From my own personal experience the car had more owners than I desired but the last owner owned it for a while and was upgrading to a 5 series so that told me it was some that most likely cared for the car. Also I wanted a E90 which are tougher to find and I wanted one that was semi local so I wouldn't have to fly to check one out if at all possible. One showed up locally for a price I was comfortable with and in my top 3 color choices and I even let it sit a couple of weeks while I checked out other listings and then grabbed it when the price dropped. So certainly some of the convenience factors played a role in my purchase.

Again best of luck with the hunt.

[Gregrobin]

We are under contract, getting a pre-inspection done by a local BMW performance shop. The throttle actuators were actually done a couple years ago, saw the invoice today.

[egebhardt]

Nice. Happy so far?

[Gregrobin]

I decided to walk away from this one, too many red flags. I've landed on a very nice 2010 E93. If all goes well it should be in my garage this weekend.


https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/7...0aAgO4EALw_wcB

[Brandoch]

Originally Posted by Gregrobin

I decided to walk away from this one, too many red flags. I've landed on a very nice 2010 E93. If all goes well it should be in my garage this weekend.


https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/7...0aAgO4EALw_wcB

The E93 club welcomes you.

[Gregrobin]

I test drove the E93 yesterday. It was nice, rattled a bit, had some modifications I didn't like so I looked at an E92 Competition he had on the lot, this one

https://www.catoctinautomotivegroup....bmw/m3/797710/

I can really tell the difference between the two, I liked it, a lot. The only issue is on the driver side fender right above the wheel, there's a crack, it's about 2 in long, barely noticeable. He said he thinks it can be repaired, but to do it right the entire fender should be sprayed. The other thing that bugs me is someone installed aftermarket coilovers, Ohlin. It feels super nice but you lose the EDC. I've never been a big fan of white, but it does look good with the black trim and roof. The car is going to need new tires soon as well.

I think it's priced fair based on where I see the market. He's willing to take some money off for the crack in the fender. He's going to have his touch up tile look at it for me next week as well.

Thoughts on this one?

[Honda]

Originally Posted by Gregrobin

I test drove the E93 yesterday. It was nice, rattled a bit, had some modifications I didn't like so I looked at an E92 Competition he had on the lot, this one

https://www.catoctinautomotivegroup....bmw/m3/797710/

I can really tell the difference between the two, I liked it, a lot. The only issue is on the driver side fender right above the wheel, there's a crack, it's about 2 in long, barely noticeable. He said he thinks it can be repaired, but to do it right the entire fender should be sprayed. The other thing that bugs me is someone installed aftermarket coilovers, Ohlin. It feels super nice but you lose the EDC. I've never been a big fan of white, but it does look good with the black trim and roof. The car is going to need new tires soon as well.

I think it's priced fair based on where I see the market. He's willing to take some money off for the crack in the fender. He's going to have his touch up tile look at it for me next week as well.

Thoughts on this one?

Front fenders are made of fiber glass. I don't know if these are repairable or needs replacement.

[Ajolives]

Spending 40k for that steering wheel would bother me a little. It’s missing the front tow hook cover with a crack on the fender. To me it’s a possible parking lot bump or something like that.

Overall looks nice, there may be better examples though.

[DRLane]

If you can wait, I’d wait and find a well sorted example on the forum. That’s a lot of money for the miles. Personally I’d discount the emphasis on year & comp pack.

[Gregrobin]

Thank you for the replies. The dealer will replace the front tow hook cover. He will repair the cracked fender, which I don't think will ever turn out right. A couple folks have mentioned the steering wheel, what's the issue with the steering wheel? I am still learning these cars so I appreciate the feedback.