Looking at this M3 - comments please!

[jin]

Hey fellas im considering getting a M3. Ive had a 335i for awhile now and im getting tired of it pissing oil everywhere, and continual maintenance required with a tuned turbo.

I have seen this M3 for sale which looks beautiful. Has EDC, individual audio, idrive, manual transmision (yay!) and 93,000km / 57,777 miles on it.

Appreciate any comments on what to look out for, questions i should be asking when looking at it.

Here is a list of the features from vin lookup:
Type code WD92
Type M3 (EUR)
Dev. series E92 (M3)
Line 3
Body type COUPE
Steering RL
Door count 2
Engine S65
Cubical capacity 4.00
Power 309
Transmision HECK
Gearbox MECH
Colour SILVERSTONE II METALLIC (A29)
Upholstery ERW.LE.NOVILLO/SCHWARZ (NDSW)
Prod. date 2007-11-23
No. Description
1CA SELECTION COP RELEVANT VEHICLES
1CB CO2 CONTENT
1CD BRAKE ENERGY REGENERATION
2MD M DRIVE
2MT M ALLOY WHEELS DOUBLE SPOKE 220 W MB
2PA LOCKING WHEEL BOLTS
223 DYNAMIC DAMPER CONTROL
302 ALARM SYSTEM
313 EXTERIOR MIRROR PACKAGE
4AE ARMREST FRONT RETRACTABLE
4MX INT.TR.FINI.ALU SHADOW LENGTW.CUTTING
428 WARNING TRIANGLE
441 SMOKERS PACKAGE
490 SEAT BACK WIDTH ADJUSTMENT
494 SEAT HEATING F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER
508 PARK DISTANCE CONTROL (PDC)
521 RAIN SENSOR
524 ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHTS
563 LIGHTS PACKAGE
6FL USB-/AUDIO INTERFACE
609 NAVIGATION SYSTEM PROFESSIONAL
612 BMW ASSIST
616 BMW ONLINE
620 VOICE INPUT SYSTEM
633 PREP.MOB. PH. BUSINESS BLUET.INTERF.
654 DAB TUNER
694 PREPARATION FOR CD CHANGER
752 INDIVIDUAL AUDIO SYSTEM
760 INDIVIDUAL HIGH-GLOSS SATIN CHROME
761 INDIVIDUAL SUN PROTECTION GLAZING
8SM VIN, VISIBLE FROM OUTSIDE
8SP COP CONTROL
8S2 CODING OF ALARM SIGNAL
8S3 AUTOMATIC LOCK WHEN DRIVING AWAY
812 ENGLAND VERSION
850 ADD FUEL TANK FILLING FOR EXPORT
863 EUROPE/DEALER DIRECTORY
877 DELETION CROSS-OVER OPERATION
880 ENGLISH / ON-BOARD DOCUMENTATION
431 INTERIOR RR VW MIRROR W AUT ANTI-D
459 SEAT ADJUSTM., ELECTR. W. MEMORY
502 HEADLIGHT WASHER SYSTEM
522 XENON LIGHT
534 AUTOMATIC AIR CONDITIONING
540 CRUISE CONTROL
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE
853 LANGUAGE VERSION ENGLISH

[jin]

Has its engine rebuilt recently due to a bearing in the bottom end. Steering rack replaced too.

[Tracyis300]

Not bad. It's a SSII with the MT, And the RB were replaced (even though to a car buyer that doesn't know about the s65 will see it as a red flag) so some peace of mind is there.

How much is it going for?

[jin]

Originally Posted by Tracyis300

Not bad. It's a SSII with the MT, And the RB were replaced (even though to a car buyer that doesn't know about the s65 will see it as a red flag) so some peace of mind is there.

How much is it going for?

Yeah good to know the bearings have been done! And warrantied for a few years. What does SSII mean?

Its got an asking price of about $27-28k.

[jin]

Ok assume you mean silver stone metallic. Agree it looks great my fav colour and black leather. Only things missing is a sun roof and comfort access.

Mechanically is there anything in particular i need to check? Not familiar with m3 but I'm handy with a wrench

[Zarilia]

SS II. Is the color Silverstone II

[Tracyis300]

Originally Posted by jin

Ok assume you mean silver stone metallic. Agree it looks great my fav colour and black leather. Only things missing is a sun roof and comfort access.

Mechanically is there anything in particular i need to check? Not familiar with m3 but I'm handy with a wrench

The throttle actuators are probably the main thing that can go wrong with the E9x's?! Other than that? It's like any other car. So things happen :

Skew the sunroof! It looks way better with the CF roof. Once you see it in person? you will fall hard for it, and be glad you got it.
I have the four door, and they don't come with the CF roof. So the closest thing to it is a vinyl wrap!

[jin]

Originally Posted by Tracyis300

The throttle actuators are probably the main thing that can go wrong with the E9x's?! Other than that? It's like any other car. So things happen :

Skew the sunroof! It looks way better with the CF roof. Once you see it in person? you will fall hard for it, and be glad you got it.
I have the four door, and they don't come with the CF roof. So the closest thing to it is a vinyl wrap!

I havent even seen it yet but pretty sure im going to buy it lol.

There is a diy for the throttle actuators i see. Given the bearings have been done is it a clear case of aftermarket warranty not needed? Or still a gamble in the case of some other catastrophic failure that i couldnt fix in my driveway? Id get BMW to do a PPI.

[Tracyis300]

Getting a PPI is a must!

If your fortunate enough to get a warranty? Then get it.
But also check to see if theres one on the motor? Seeing that it had to be rebuilt.
When things go wrong on these cars? Repairing it can be pricey$$$

[Doc Oc]

Originally Posted by jin

Has its engine rebuilt recently due to a bearing in the bottom end. Steering rack replaced too.

What do you know about the rebuild? Did the engine blow and they completely rebuilt it or did they just replace the bearings? If rebuilt, do you know what they did and who did it? New bearings and/or a rebuild could be a blessing or a curse

[jin]

Originally Posted by Doc Oc

What do you know about the rebuild? Did the engine blow and they completely rebuilt it or did they just replace the bearings? If rebuilt, do you know what they did and who did it? New bearings and/or a rebuild could be a blessing or a curse

Apparently was rebuilt from bottom up not just bearing. rebuild was demanded by insurance to make sure nothing else went wrong with engine. Total rebuild cost about 15k. Holy shit these things are expensive toys.

[jin]

So i got a copy of the work that was done to the engine:

- dismantle motor/clean/check
- hone cylinders
- fit main/b.e brgs and size
- polish crank journals
- resize conrod cavaties
- recondition oil pumps
- clean ring grooves
- strip/clean/decarb head
- clean valves

The work was carried out by a reputable shop but still makes me nervous about whether it could fail again. Should the rebuild concern me? It is still warrantied for about another 15months.

Also the exterior condition was pretty bad with clear coat failure and rock chips all over the front. Would need outlays to fix this up and repainting could cause headaches/time in the shop.

But getting a SSII / EDC / MT / IA would take awhile if at all. Appreciate any comments. Is this a buy or should i run?

[M3Bimmer77]

Take it but don't pay more than US$25k max and ask for a written warranty covering any damage on the engine

[dparm]

Meh, I'd move on. Plenty of other nice M3s available.

[MTM]

You should run away....it looks like they moved the steering wheel to the wrong side when they rebuilt the engine. HAHAH!

The only things I would really worry about are:
- throttle actuators (already mentioned)
-evaporator corrosion for the air con (check if it has been replaced yet)...at a US dealer that job is $$$

BTW, I love the wheels! Those are sexy....

[Eau Rouge]

Even at a "good" price, that car has too much history for me and the original owner didn't take sufficient care of the exterior to make it interesting me. ymmv Suggestion: Keep looking. Eventually you'll find one you like much more and be happy you didn't buy this one.