In need of some m3 advice..

[mbonanni]

12k?! That is the most expensive e36 I have officially seen, then again I don't look for e36 m3's very often. lol.

I dig the color though

[Scarlet_Pimpernel]

Do you have a girlfriend/wife?.. If you do, do not buy it. :-) Just my .02 cents.. I had a bad experience lol.

[fiveightandten]

Don't listen to this guy: he's talking out his arse. :p

I also don't like silver or green. But I'm colorblind, so does it really matter in the end? :pimp:

[RUFFLZ]

thank you guys for all your input, ended up not checking it out as I would've been wasting the guys' time; not comfortable with buying a car that's changed that many hands.
For me that's a big deal as I knew it would've affected resale value down the line if I ever needed to sell it.
The hunt continues!

[garagewelt]

You might, I think you will, regret not buying it!

[Dj Buttchug]

would rub my penor all over that interior. hnnnngg

[Cabriolet]

For 12k it should be a real M3 and not the US fake one.

[fiveightandten]

thank you guys for all your input, ended up not checking it out as I would've been wasting the guys' time; not comfortable with buying a car that's changed that many hands.
For me that's a big deal as I knew it would've affected resale value down the line if I ever needed to sell it.
The hunt continues!

Personally, I think that's silly. The condition of the car is completely independent of how many people have owned it. This is a 19 year old car. How long do you normally keep a car? Each of the owners hung on to it for an average of nearly 5 years. That doesn't seem excessively short to me considering how long I see most people keep their cars.

Are you buying the car to own it, or buying it to sell it? You'll put far more money into it than you'll ever loose in residual value from it having 4 owners as opposed to 2, or 3, or whatever you consider acceptable. If you like the car, go take a look at it!

And *if* the car is truly clean, the asking price if fair. A lot of E30 guys seem to be out of touch with clean E36 M3 prices. You can find an average or ratted out E36 m3 quite cheap. But if you want a clean one, you're going to pay. FWIW, i've been offered $13K for mine twice in recent years. Both times, I turned the offers down. My car has 140K miles on it, and i'm the 3rd owner (technically the 4th, as the owner of a dealership drove it on dealer plates for about a year, but it has 2 other registered owners on the books). I bought it in 2006. It's very clean and damn close to perfect mechanically (have some steering lines on order to fix a seeping line, and a few other small things).

[einhander]

would rub my penor all over that interior. hnnnngg

That's because you're scared of women.

OP: good move. Sticking with your gut on these things is usually a good thing.

[RUFFLZ]

For 12k it should be a real M3 and not the US fake one.

For 6k, I would also expect a turn key e30 ;) shots fired

Just fuckin witchu

Personally, I think that's silly. The condition of the car is completely independent of how many people have owned it. This is a 19 year old car. How long do you normally keep a car? Each of the owners hung on to it for an average of nearly 5 years. That doesn't seem excessively short to me considering how long I see most people keep their cars.

Are you buying the car to own it, or buying it to sell it? You'll put far more money into it than you'll ever loose in residual value from it having 4 owners as opposed to 2, or 3, or whatever you consider acceptable. If you like the car, go take a look at it!

And *if* the car is truly clean, the asking price if fair. A lot of E30 guys seem to be out of touch with clean E36 M3 prices. You can find an average or ratted out E36 m3 quite cheap. But if you want a clean one, you're going to pay. FWIW, i've been offered $13K for mine twice in recent years. Both times, I turned the offers down. My car has 140K miles on it, and i'm the 3rd owner (technically the 4th, as the owner of a dealership drove it on dealer plates for about a year, but it has 2 other registered owners on the books). I bought it in 2006. It's very clean and damn close to perfect mechanically (have some steering lines on order to fix a seeping line, and a few other small things).

I agree, number of owners is not necessarily correlated with condition, but it is an indication.
Being 21, if shit hits the roof and I need to liquidate my cars; I'd like to be able to do so and not get shafted in the process.
On the surface, sure 4-5 owners; kind of a red flag, but not a deal breaker right?
well keep reading..

OP: good move. Sticking with your gut on these things is usually a good thing.

yup, a mix of intuition and due diligence had something to do with my decision.

past history of the car with a ton of useful info
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...Sacramento-CA)

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...=343858&page=4







these findings were unveiled just a few hours before I was going to look at the car.
Sure, the car seemed like a prude virgin schoolgirl for the 1st couple owners; but looks like she got daddy problems when she drove over to cali and became a straight ho.

[einhander]

"Came here for school, graduated to the high life."

[fiveightandten]

If shit hits the roof and I need to liquidate my cars; I'd like to be able to do so and not get shafted in the process.

An M3 is the wrong car to begin with if you're hoping to make your money back selling it. My point is, you're going to spend a few grand on any used M3 you buy, just to bring it up to speed and keep it on the road. Maintenance and upkeep will completely overshadow any perceived depreciation from the car having a completely average number of owners.

If you're looking for a 1 or 2 owner 19 year old car, you will be looking for a long time, and you will probably pass over some nice cars in the process.

The condition of the car is the condition of the car when you go to see it. It's absolutely nothing more or nothing less. Know what you're looking at. Know how to spot paint work, accident repairs, and signs of neglect. Assess a given car accordingly.

past history of the car with a ton of useful info

these findings were unveiled just a few hours before I was going to look at the car.
Sure, the car seemed like a prude virgin schoolgirl for the 1st couple owners; but looks like she got daddy problems when she drove over to cali and became a straight ho.

It's a 19 year old car, and will clearly have history. That doesn't mean any other 19 year old car has less history because you don't have any documentation of it available to you. Know what I mean? The car was money shifted. But clearly not by some kid. It got a brand new crate motor put in it, not some mystery junk yard engine. I don't like the idea of buying a car with a swap, but truth be told, that's the best repair you could ask for. And i'm not sure about CA title/registration laws. But it looks like there's just a lot of documentation any time the car is inspected or the reg is renewed.

I'm not saying buy the car. You are clearly put off by it, and I wouldn't recommend buying any car you're not excited about. But you have a very tall order if you want a 1 or 2 owner 15-19 year old car that you can buy and not loose any money on if you have to sell it without warning. Buying an E36 M3 isn't a financially beneficial decision no matter how you slice it. I have over $20K into my M3. If I have to sell it, i'm getting hosed no matter what. Any BMW owner will loose money on selling their car if they've had the car for any length of time. It's the cost of upkeeping the car. If loosing money on owning a car is that much of a worry to you, it would probably be better to buy a cheap beater and just drive it.

[Larzzz]

Heres Your Options list

[RUFFLZ]

An M3 is the wrong car to begin with if you're hoping to make your money back selling it. My point is, you're going to spend a few grand on any used M3 you buy, just to bring it up to speed and keep it on the road. Maintenance and upkeep will completely overshadow any perceived depreciation from the car having a completely average number of owners.

I preemptively go into purchases with the mindset that I need to break even or make money. Call it what you want, but I like having some kind of cushion when I sign the bill of sale; it's just my nature.

If you're looking for a 1 or 2 owner 19 year old car, you will be looking for a long time, and you will probably pass over some nice cars in the process.

You're right, I will most likely be searching for some time; but I'm confident I can do it eventually. I've done it successfully with both my E30's and it is so worth it in the end.

The condition of the car is the condition of the car when you go to see it. It's absolutely nothing more or nothing less. Know what you're looking at. Know how to spot paint work, accident repairs, and signs of neglect. Assess a given car accordingly.

That's what this foreplay bit is about.
Doing my research before dropping $100+ on a PPI.
When push comes to shove and I'm in person with the car, I usually let my eyes get the better of my wallet, hence why I try to do the most I can before I'm in placed in that situation.

Buying an E36 M3 isn't a financially beneficial decision no matter how you slice it. I have over $20K into my M3. If I have to sell it, i'm getting hosed no matter what. Any BMW owner will loose money on selling their car if they've had the car for any length of time. It's the cost of upkeeping the car. If loosing money on owning a car is that much of a worry to you, it would probably be better to buy a cheap beater and just drive it.

I appreciate your unbiased feedback for this whole ordeal as you clearly own a variety of bimmers; I suppose I'm just not in the ideal position to spend $12k on an m3 I'm uncertain of. Maybe a few years down the line, I can throw money at an m3 without batting an eye, but for now I plan to keep a short leash on my wallet while hopefully experiencing the most smiles per dollar as these e36 m3's seem to provide (when the right deal comes around ;) )

"Came here for school, graduated to the high life."

[fiveightandten]

I preemptively go into purchases with the mindset that I need to break even or make money. Call it what you want, but I like having some kind of cushion when I sign the bill of sale; it's just my nature.

You're right, I will most likely be searching for some time; but I'm confident I can do it eventually. I've done it successfully with both my E30's and it is so worth it in the end.

That's what this foreplay bit is about.
Doing my research before dropping $100+ on a PPI.
When push comes to shove and I'm in person with the car, I usually let my eyes get the better of my wallet, hence why I try to do the most I can before I'm in placed in that situation.

I appreciate your unbiased feedback for this whole ordeal as you clearly own a variety of bimmers; I suppose I'm just not in the ideal position to spend $12k on an m3 I'm uncertain of. Maybe a few years down the line, I can throw money at an m3 without batting an eye, but for now I plan to keep a short leash on my wallet while hopefully experiencing the most smiles per dollar as these e36 m3's seem to provide (when the right deal comes around ;) )

Gotcha. FWIW. I've been in the E36 scene since 2006 when I bought mine. When the economy tanked, the value of these cars plummeted. People were picking up *nice* E36 M3's for $6K or $7K. To be honest, a good amount of E36's got ruined due to this. High school kids were grabbing them, driving them for a year or 2 and ruining them, then putting them back up for sale with more miles, and more wear, for more money (without any maintenance done, of course).

Then prices came back up. They seem to have plateaued. While you can pick one up for $5-$7K pretty easily, the clean ones have been selling for $10-$12K in recent times. I doubt we'll see them go any higher, or at least much higher. I think clean ones with average mileage will hold their value at around $10-$12K, with lower mileage or exceptionally clean ones going a bit higher, and higher mileage cars going in the $9K range.

If you're really concerned with your expenditure and the value of the car while it's in your hands, i'd honestly be looking closer at the maintenance the car has had, as opposed to the number of owners. A one owner car that hasn't had the clutch, suspension, or cooling system replaced will rack up $3K in parts for maintenance. I'd also warn you against paying a premium for a one or 2 owner car under the assumption that you'll be able to command a premium for it if you sell.

High dollar maintenance items are:
-Clutch (almost always requires flywheel too) $1000 in parts
-Shocks (plan on around $900 for shocks and new mounts, gaskets, hardware etc. I'm basing that on Konis you get on sale. Sachs are a little cheaper, but IMO not really worth buying unless you really love OEM parts.)
-Control arms (The ball joints are integrated. Plan on $500 for LCA's and bushings)
-Cooling system (not really high dollar, but needs to be done. $500-600 or so for everything)

A neglected one will nickel and dime you to a degree, so any recorded maintenance is good to have. Tires are expensive. I bought tires for my E30 for under $300. May last set for the M3 was $700. VANOS is $250. CCV system is $120. Guibo is $100. Brakes are more expensive, belts are more expensive. Everything is more expensive.

That being said, it's a solid car if you treat it well. And an E36 M3 is a damned monster compared to any E30 that's anywhere close to stock. The way the car takes corners, stops, and changes direction is something the E30 chassis just isn't capable of without major modification. And even then, it's a completely different animal. I have an E30, E36 M3, and E46 330ci. If I had to pick only one, i'd keep the E36 M3.

Keep looking. You'll find the right one. I'd just try and avoid pre-judging cars that are otherwise clean.