Advice required buying E92 M3

[Sapiense-demens]

Hi Guys

I have been looking for a E92 M3 for a while and I am about to close on the one linked below. I am still to see the car in person. The car does not have FSH and has had a cosmetic (cosmetic as per the seller) sprays in the past and even now it is with the panel beater they say just to sort small scratches and make it shiny. But they say the car has never had any accident.

They tell me they took the car to BMW and got a condition assessment but no report was printed. They then took it to Kens Auto Clinic who sorted the issues picked by BMW. They showed me an invoice of what was fixe, mostly suspension items.

I have never owned an M so I am looking for advice from you who are more knowledgeable. Any red flags on this car? Does anyone know this particular car and could share some adivce. Do you think I should insist on a Pre Purchase inspection/Condition assessment from BMW to know the history of the car and if possible ask for the history of fault codes? Am I being too picky?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

BMW M3 Coupe M Dynamic Auto for sale in Randburg - ID: 27716795

Used 2010 BMW M3 Coupe M Dynamic Auto For Sale - R 599 900 - ID: 27716795

www.autotrader.co.za

 

[UwaisPatel]

Hi how’s it

I’d recommend taking the car to BMW for a quality check and getting a full print out (before purchasing the car)

Another alternative would be to take it to Tunetech for a full check over, they are one of the best

Additionally my cousin is selling his 2012 BMW M3 E90 (4 Door) DCT with 110 thousand kilos

The car is really clean

You can WhatsApp me on 066 255 2267 for more info


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[Kishore]

Rear badge location is not 100% correct and the M badge fading for that mileage makes it look like a knock off badge which brings the question why? Paint at rear , what else ? I would also recommend a Quality check at BMW if you really keen or also a full Dekra report

 

[KPM3_30]

That car is not worth the premium, let alone looking at. Why a 2010 LCi model has pre-LCi tail lights, especially considering it has the updated navigation system is an immediate red flag. The badge placement is a dead giveaway of rear accident damage, taking into account the incorrect tail lights. Those wheels look to be replicas as well, missing the correct concave on both front and rear.

I would walk away, quickly.

Be as picky as you can be, these cars have the potential to rack up repair bills quick and fast. FSH is a mandatory, bearings/actuators are consideration points. Try to buy from an owner so you can vet how it was looked after and treated.

 

[rodga]

That whole car is a red flag
Look elswhere
Then when you find something, mail @Coisman the details and also do a vindocs check
Then also post here to get feedback from the community
Never trust a dealer, you can read some nice dealership bedtime stories here

discussion - The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

Good day, I hope this message finds everyone well. I have a few concerns regarding the motor plan and condition of our newly acquired BMW. We recently purchased a BMW with one year left on its motor plan, which we intend to extend by an additional two years if possible. The car was purchased...

www.bmwfanatics.co.za

 

[TurboLlew]

That car is not worth the premium, let alone looking at. Why a 2010 LCi model has pre-LCi tail lights, especially considering it has the updated navigation system is an immediate red flag. The badge placement is a dead giveaway of rear accident damage, taking into account the incorrect tail lights. Those wheels look to be replicas as well, missing the correct concave on both front and rear.

I would walk away, quickly.

Be as picky as you can be, these cars have the potential to rack up repair bills quick and fast. FSH is a mandatory, bearings/actuators are consideration points. Try to buy from an owner so you can vet how it was looked after and treated.

110%

You do NOT want to end up with issues on a car like this and it sounds an awful lot like they are going out of their way to hide things. No report from BMW and I am assuming no invoice either? You don't replace wheels and tail lights (and to an earlier spec at that) if there was no accident damage. Again, the problem isn't that there was an accident: it is that they are hiding it and if they are, what else are they hiding?

You have not owned an M before and this will be a terrible way to start. I don't think you need to spend money on a BMW report to tell you that spending R599K on this car is a waste of time and will come with huge buyer's remorse shortly afterwards

 

[TBP88]

I get the V8 scream appeal of these, but at the prices being bandied about I really *REALLY* don't see the appeal. R500k+ is getting into really nice car territory, given you're going to 100% run into bearing and actuator issues (and there's a murmur about even more severe engine issues on these) I don't see why unless you *must* have one. If so, this one looks a lemon from the weird rims alone. But again, be ready to be bent over on asking price here, I'd not be shocked if the really clean ones are already asking R750k+

 

[NB92325]

I get the V8 scream appeal of these, but at the prices being bandied about I really *REALLY* don't see the appeal. R500k+ is getting into really nice car territory, given you're going to 100% run into bearing and actuator issues (and there's a murmur about even more severe engine issues on these) I don't see why unless you *must* have one. If so, this one looks a lemon from the weird rims alone. But again, be ready to be bent over on asking price here, I'd not be shocked if the really clean ones are already asking R750k+

I would rather spend that money on a sorted 340i with the brilliant B58 engine and have enough money left to take care of a few services or actually take my family on a nice road trip in it.

Like this one possibly.

BMW 3 Series 340i Edition M Sport Shadow Sports-Auto for sale in Midrand - ID: 27562413

Used 2018 BMW 3 Series 340i Edition M Sport Shadow Sports-Auto For Sale - R 540 000 - ID: 27562413

www.autotrader.co.za

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[individj]

I get the E92 thing...and manual...carbon roof...comp wheels...

 

[AshG108]

That car is not worth the premium, let alone looking at. Why a 2010 LCi model has pre-LCi tail lights, especially considering it has the updated navigation system is an immediate red flag. The badge placement is a dead giveaway of rear accident damage, taking into account the incorrect tail lights. Those wheels look to be replicas as well, missing the correct concave on both front and rear.

I would walk away, quickly.

Be as picky as you can be, these cars have the potential to rack up repair bills quick and fast. FSH is a mandatory, bearings/actuators are consideration points. Try to buy from an owner so you can vet how it was looked after and treated.

@Sapiense-demens - I would go with what KPM said above, this oke is as anal as can be when it comes to his cars and he is an M3 owner.

 

[KPM3_30]

I would rather spend that money on a sorted 340i with the brilliant B58 engine and have enough money left to take care of a few services or actually take my family on a nice road trip in it.

Like this one possibly.

BMW 3 Series 340i Edition M Sport Shadow Sports-Auto for sale in Midrand - ID: 27562413

Used 2018 BMW 3 Series 340i Edition M Sport Shadow Sports-Auto For Sale - R 540 000 - ID: 27562413

www.autotrader.co.za

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Two completely different cars with wildly differing appeals... Justification for both in the stable is not necessary, one day.

 

[NB92325]

Two completely different cars with wildly differing appeals... Justification for both in the stable is not necessary, one day.

No look, I know it's a silly comparison but only sort of. Performance reaches a point of pointless when speed limits are hit in 3rd gear and metro cops are growing in number by the month.

Trust me - as a baby e92 owner I would give anything to own the big brother. But I would need to hit lotto numbers to not care enough about catastrophic maintenance and repairs lurking behind every spirited outing.

At least I can aspire to a B58 exemplar knowing that if it was well kept, I just need to keep on keeping on.

But this is all besides the point. This specific car on question has a whole walk-in wardrobe full of skeletons it seem.

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[Eust]

I had a supercharged one and it didn't skip a beat.
Key is preventative maintenance.

I spent circa R60k as I bought it for bearings (previous owner did it but I did it again anyway) and DCT Service.

Mine recently had both banks' actuators sorted, but you need to do that. Then there is a school of thought that you should do mains too.

I wouldn't drive this car unless you can spend the R100k upfront on preventative maintenance and then have another R50k for a slush fund.

And dropping R100k on this specific car would not be wise. You need to also decide if this car is really what you want to keep long term, if you dropping this type of cash into it.

 

[TurboLlew]

Two completely different cars with wildly differing appeals... Justification for both in the stable is not necessary, one day.

Definitely different in so many ways, but starting with the newer one can be better prep for knowing and appreciating the older one more. Stretching into an old out of plan M (especially of questionable history like this one) is one way to end up hating M cars/performance cars in general if you go in unprepared. I can definitely see the appeal of going with something newer to start with until getting a feel for the 'other' elements of performance car ownership and maintenance.

For an M out of plan, you need to both have money AND not care about spending it on the maintenance and unexpected items. Even with that slush fund, it will be painful for most people to see it get depleted in multiples of R10K at a time.

Unfortunately, the preventative maintenance approach is not something that most people take seriously but it is the one way to have a generally fun time with any out of plan car... and of course the prep for this begins WAY before 100000km (in this case with good previous owners) with the in-between oil changes and religious maintenance of wear/rubber items. This car was most definitely NOT owned by a 'good' previous owner and just looking at the tyres is a dead giveaway of the approach taken with the rest of the car.

 

[individj]

I had a supercharged one and it didn't skip a beat.
Key is preventative maintenance.

I spent circa R60k as I bought it for bearings (previous owner did it but I did it again anyway) and DCT Service.

Mine recently had both banks' actuators sorted, but you need to do that. Then there is a school of thought that you should do mains too.

I wouldn't drive this car unless you can spend the R100k upfront on preventative maintenance and then have another R50k for a slush fund.

And dropping R100k on this specific car would not be wise. You need to also decide if this car is really what you want to keep long term, if you dropping this type of cash into it.

a mate bought "M3NACE"s car here. had 200k on clock (bearings done)...bought it for R230k e90 pre lci...did actuators...daily'd it for a few years and sold it with about 300k on the clock (this year) for cheap...loved every day of it and never dropped him..he did the actuators after they failed...clutch was tired at the end...not saying its normal but ya he had a good experience.

 

[Eust]

a mate bought "M3NACE"s car here. had 200k on clock (bearings done)...bought it for R230k e90 pre lci...did actuators...daily'd it for a few years and sold it with about 300k on the clock (this year) for cheap...loved every day of it and never dropped him..he did the actuators after they failed...clutch was tired at the end...not saying its normal but ya he had a good experience.

Yeah, let thing is he did the preventative maintenance. Mine was trouble free as well.
And at that price,R230k, I'd drive that all day too.

At R600k+, the car needs to be much much better than this one or others I've seen on Autotrader.

 

[VinceM]

LCI ones with less than 80k on the clock were going for R500k to R600k not so long ago. Then the car market re-adjusted post covid!

We have also have the effect of speculators, buying cheaper and selling at high prices wanting to catch the craze of M3s (this is happening with E46 too, Just saw one listed for R749k).

If you really want a mint one, I’d say patience is your best friend.

These are hard to come by, but they eventually do. Neven had his for sale at R450k with full car history. Was a great buy.

Happy Hunting!

 

[TurboLlew]

There are a subset of cars that will be worth a lot of money. 100000+ examples are simply not in that category and most of the tired 80000+ ones most certainly are not. Unfortunately with the 'market stimulation' this is what we get.

Neven's car was worth every penny and went pretty quickly as far as these things go as did his E46 which had a fairly fresh motor as well (replaced under plan). In fact the E46 sat with me for a few days and I was AWFULLY tempted to not let it leave (same as this 330ci so he had better move it quickly LOL)

The cars that I have seen come up past R500K (and which seem to sit for ages) are nowhere close to these two examples. Again I say, we have NO IDEA what these cars eventually sell for (if they sell or just return to owners/collectors) and you cannot trust a sales person to tell you the truth. There is no registry or even lasting auction records of what these cars actually sell for as you would find with houses or art. E46s are absolutely NOT selling for R749K if they are north of 100000km or in need of any kind of maintenance. There are individuals and dealers in these markets that have a vested interest in talking up the numbers and 'stimulating' the values.

 

[TBP88]

There are a subset of cars that will be worth a lot of money. 100000+ examples are simply not in that category and most of the tired 80000+ ones most certainly are not. Unfortunately with the 'market stimulation' this is what we get.

Neven's car was worth every penny and went pretty quickly as far as these things go as did his E46 which had a fairly fresh motor as well (replaced under plan). In fact the E46 sat with me for a few days and I was AWFULLY tempted to not let it leave (same as this 330ci so he had better move it quickly LOL)

The cars that I have seen come up past R500K (and which seem to sit for ages) are nowhere close to these two examples. Again I say, we have NO IDEA what these cars eventually sell for (if they sell or just return to owners/collectors) and you cannot trust a sales person to tell you the truth. There is no registry or even lasting auction records of what these cars actually sell for as you would find with houses or art. E46s are absolutely NOT selling for R749K if they are north of 100000km or in need of any kind of maintenance. There are individuals and dealers in these markets that have a vested interest in talking up the numbers and 'stimulating' the values.

stimulate you say???

@OP if you *must* have the E9x at least do proper research and try to find a mid-miles one. I really don't think these are anything close to a collectible car, BMW sold them by the bucketload so you'll have plenty of options, especially if you're not fussy on colour. If you're just after an M-car experience, shop around a bit more. F8x series M3/4s are dipping into the R600k range, and if you can get a relatively unmolested one is likely a more reliable all round car than an E9X car (and it's another world of speed, miles quicker). If you're happy to go slower and get a more "pure" experience then Z4M (have I beaten this horse dead yet?) is also a good place to shop - there's a Z4MR that I think is still for sale on forum, probably worth a test drive at least.

 

[cRed001]

OP your post in itself is a red flag that you are'nt ready to buy a used 12+ year old M3. Do you research and make informed decisions.