M Seeking M3

[m3virgin]

Hello new friends,

My name is Bob and I'm from Sarasota, FL.

I currently own an 08 Infiniti G35x. It's a very capable car, but I'm at the point where I need to purchase another addition for the family... Wife will get my G35.

I've had my eyes on the Audi RS5, and the BMW M3. Frankly, I made up my mind a while ago - M3 it is.

I'm not a guy that knows much about cars, but I appreciate speed, excellent craftsmanship, and nice things. The M3 certainly fits the mold while not being too over the top flashy IMO.

I'm looking for a 2012 or 2013 with less than 35k, fully loaded with all premium upgrades, and in alpine white, black, or space grey w/ fox red interior and CF roof.

I've been searching online and working with local BMW dealerships for a couple months but have not had any success...

How do you guys feel about buying out of state for this particular car? It would certainly increase my chances... Will a 3rd party inspection service be able to distinguish between a beauty and a lemon if buying from an off-name dealership, or from a private party? Would I have a much better experience going with a branded BMW out of state dealership?

Thanks for any advice. This community is cool and I hope to keep posting here in the future. I've really just begun to get into the part of my life where I can afford sweet stuff like this... Never been to a track either! Happy times ahead.

[leopard print]

I didn't buy mine out of state, but I did travel about 350 miles to get it and took nearly 6 months to find the combo I was looking for from a private party. I'm in LA and the car was in San Jose. I would definitely considered buying out of state. And yes, get a 3rd party PPI before purchasing. To me, purchasing from a private party or dealership doesn't matter as long as all service records are to date and an inspection is performed.

[dragonsi]

I've bought many cars out of state, there's things I look at in pictures as a first observation: panel gaps, engine bay cleanliness, paint panels match etc.

Then depending on the specific car in question, I will proceed with a PPI.

[yidgyi]

I bought mine out of state. While looking for mine, it took me almost a year to find the perfect one. I wasn't in a rush. I did however buy it from the dealer and it was a CPO with a year left of warranty so I wasn't too worried and I originally lived in that area before moving out of state so it was quite funny that I bought my M3 in my hometown.

[Xeneize]

I was also looking out of state and it took me about 6 months to find my car. Luckily, one appeared about 10mins from my house with all the options I wanted. You just have to keep looking

[eyanez1230]

I was lucky enough to find mine in my city, with color combo I wanted, miles I wanted, and CPO! I live in Los Angeles and it took me about a year to find the perfect one though.

[monterey]

I wouldn't buy a car like this out of state.

[Mr. BMW]

I bought mine at BMW dealer out of state after having a buddy of mine, that happened to 10 minutes away, check it out for me.

Although I'm more than happy with the car, there were a few minor issues and if I had gone and checked it out myself, I would have been able to get them resolved or negotiated a better price. Something that was hard to do over the phone. The car really needed 4 tires but they only replaced the front and claimed the rears where within spec and they were not.

I think if I was going to do it again, I would have to see it in person before pulling the trigger.

[STooK]

I bought my e92 from Florida and I live in nyc. Overall a smooth transaction but it could've easily gone wrong. I pretty much bought the car without test driving it or seeing it person, I put a lot of trust in the dealer. Luckily the car was as clean as they described and in great mechanical condition.

Also, I feel that cars down south are generally in better shape than the north. If I were you I wouldn't buy a car up here but if it's a bmw dealer selling it out of state I would definitely inquire. If you are not sure get a ppi done on it especially if the car is out of warranty. Hope you find the car you are looking for, closer to home!

[bimmerfrk]

bought mine out of state and over paid., but it was my dream car. So i won in the end game.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by monterey

I wouldn't buy a car like this out of state.

I have the opposite opinion, this is exactly the type of car I would (and have) buy out of state. Depending on where you live, finding an M3 can be very difficult and especially so if you have specific color/option/mileage/year requirements. You are shooting yourself in the foot if you only choose to look locally and the chances of finding what you really want are slim. Maybe not as much of a problem in hotspots like San Francisco, but most cities have a very small selection of used M3s. A Camry is the type of car you don't have to go out of your way to find; finding the right M3 requires some serious legwork if you are as picky as you should be.

Just make sure you do all your homework, buying a car from out of state is not as scary as it sounds if everything checks out. Obviously it's preferable to go out and see it before making a final decision, but I personally am comfortable buying a car sight unseen assuming it has all of the service documentation, good PPI results, lots of good pictures and/or videos, and a responsive knowledgeable seller.

In my own M3 buying experience, the car I bought ticked all the right boxes and yet still (almost) burned me with a major, completely unpredictable, breakdown after 1 week and ~100 miles. Shit happens and thank god for extended warranties. Do your homework and buy an extended warranty to avoid getting burned, the location of the car should not be a show stopper. Same thing could've happened if I bought my car locally.

[Wilsel]

I had a bad experience buying sight unseen. I found mine at Husker BMW in Nebraska. Was a CPO, clean carfax, etc. I thought it was the perfect one. One owner, 14k miles, blah blah .I wanted a car with no paintwork. I was assured by the salesman they have strict guidelines to certify a car, and if it was in an accident that it couldn't be CPO. Imagine my disappointment when the car arrived, and it had paint runs on the rear bumper. When I called the salesman he said "I said been in an accident, not never had a bumper repainted". I will never buy a car sight unseen again. NEVER!

[spiderspider]

I used the "Buy It Now" feature on ebay. Had to pay for shipping (so used to amazon prime)

['Cane]

I have a 2011 (July build date) E92 M3 for sale. It's AW, but black interior. Only ~21,000 miles. Plus, I'm also in FL. PM me if you have any interest.

['Cane]

Also, I almost bought a car out of state, but it seemed so fishy for some reason. Finally found someone on the forum that had a family member in the city where the car was being sold, and the dealership turned out to be an empty warehouse. No cars of any kind in sight. The day after I found out, I found exactly what I was looking for and it was local.

[opihi5]

Don't buy out of state, especially on the m3.
gl

[redvitesse]

There is nothing wrong with buying from out of state. I have bought my last two cars out of state with great success (Texas and New Hampshire). If you are going to be very specific with the miles, condition, color, options, ect., unless you are very lucky you are going to have to at least consider it.

The decision whether to buy out of state is going to depend heavily most on how much extra time and/or money you can and are willing to spend.

You can easily find a reputable shop to take care of a PPI out of state or even find a fellow forum member to swing by to at least look at a car before getting serious with a seller especially a dealer. Even if I was willing to take a car sight unseen I would still query a potential seller if he can help arrange to drop the car for a PPI. If a seller says no, than it is walk away time no matter how good it appears to be.

I personally would never buy a car without seeing it with my own eyes first but then I am super critical and not only demand no accidents but no paintwork. This means that you have to be willing to take time off and fly out to view it, or a lot of reputable dealers will typically do an out of state sale with the agreement that you can refuse the car when the truck shows up at your home if you determine that it is not as described, but you will eat the shipping costs.

I also have a paint gauge not only for the purpose of checking paintwork, but also as it is very useful when doing paint correction. Some would say this is over the top, but while running a vehicle history is a must, it can and will miss issues and accidents. Plus as another member stated, private sellers and dealers lie even BMW dealers (shocker I know). You can buy a paint gauge for about $135 and you will be 98% assured after using it that the car is straight and true even if you know nothing about bodywork.

For me I love private party sales. As another forum member said it best, you are buying the car as much as you are buying the previous owner(s) so getting to know them should tell you a lot about how the car was treated. Plus typically you can save on the sales tax by buying privately compared to through a dealer and that will pay for at least your flight out or PPI.
The only thing better is buying from a fellow forum member as it is that much more likely that the car has been well cared for. This is an enthusiast forum and I think most members are likely to be more helpful and honest than your average seller on say craigslist.

Just look at how many helpful members have responded to your query.

[ICTZHP]

I bought mine out of state. I live in Kansas and bought it from an individual in NY. I asked a long list of questions via e-mail, text messages, and on the phone. He sent me a bunch of photos. Once I was comfortable that this was the car for me, we negotiated the price. At that point, I had him take the car to the local BMW dealer for a PPI. He scheduled the appointment and I paid the bill and got the report. The car checked out as clean as advertised. At this point, I hadn't seen the car and was still nervous. My wife was talking to friends in the BMWCCA and told them about the car and who the owner was. Come to find out, there were a few local members/friends who knew the seller and vouched for him being a stand-up guy. My nerves were calmed. We bought airline tickets, flew to NY, and drove the car home. It was a very good way to get familiar with the new-to-me car.

The car has been fantastic. It is a 2009 Melbourne Red E92 with a long list of toys including DCT, EDC, and carbon fiber roof. I bought the car at the end of October, 2015 and it had just under 15,100 miles.

I consider myself lucky that I ran across a seller who was known by friends of mine. It is a big decision to make such a large purchase at a distance. Mine worked out and many others will as well. You just need to make sure you are comfortable. Opening up your search out of state or even across the country certainly gives you more cars to select from.

Good luck!

[Bucki14]

I bought my m3 out of state over 400 miles away. Received all of the history of the car, a PPI, Carmax, videos of it running and what not and was very confident moving forward on the purchase.

I'm still very happy with my purchase and haven't had any issues other than low gas mileage and oil changes lol!

I too looked and looked in state for about 3 months before looking further out

GL

[dbworld4k]

Originally Posted by monterey

I wouldn't buy a car like this out of state.

This is an unbelievably stupid statement.

[tadmcmichael]

I bought mine sight unseen off of eBay a few months ago. I knew I was taking a chance, but had a good vibe based on the listing and the sellers feedback. Service history was not a factor, as the car only had 1,600 miles. Clean Carfax and showed a couple of oil changes. Car showed up and it didn't have a scratch on it. I was able to find a 2013 AW with comp package and most importantly manual transmission. I didn't want the Fox Red, but it has definitely grown on me.

I have bought the past three cars (and a boat) off of eBay. All have been a gamble to some extent, but I feel that I am way ahead based on the balance of risk vs. price.

[OnlySoMany]

I looked for 2 months before I found mine. Found it in my hometown. There was only 1 coupe in a 300 mile radius.