is it smart to buy used m3 with no warranty?

[canadian stig]

I am in the market for a car to replace my 370z that I totaled in an accident. One of the cars i'm considering is a used manual transmission m3 e90 sedan or e92 coupe. I can get used ones from 2008 for a decent price.

My question is whether that is a wise choice. How is the reliability record for these cars? does stuff keep breaking down and require expensive repairs or are they solid and very reliable? Note that I do plan on tracking the car often in the summer times.

[BeamingE39]

e9x M3s haven't been out long enough to tell for sure, but for the 4 years they've been out, they've been extremely reliable for a high performance vehicle/

[blackbeast535]

My advice would be to request the service history from a BMW dealer. That would be a good starting point. You can also check for reputable independent shops which would be less than the dealer for repairs.

I have 5,000 miles left on my factory warranty. I'm going to skip the extended and use the money for mods and track time. I also plan on doing all of my maintenance myself.

Hope that helps.

[IFX]

Originally Posted by NAForever

e9x M3s haven't been out long enough to tell for sure, but for the 4 years they've been out, they've been extremely reliable for a high performance vehicle/

Well said. OP are you leaning more towards MT?

I would be a little worried about dct in the longrun. But is has been pretty reliable thus far..

[Dannys M3]

73K miles so far

[Jonny550]

IMHO if i was in the market for a used M3 it without a doubt be 6mt, for reliability etc. However new it would be DCT.

In any case, You could buy the extended for about 2k if iam not mistaken.

[hammick]

My '08 Sedan had 0 issues for the 14k miles that I owned it. That said I am reluctant to own any BMW out of warranty. My first BMW was a 530i with 65k miles and I spent a fortune replace worn bushings and an engine seal.

[dhahlen]

Originally Posted by Jon335iFL

IMHO if i was in the market for a used M3 it without a doubt be 6mt, for reliability etc. However new it would be DCT.

In any case, You could buy the extended for about 2k if iam not mistaken.

$5-6k for extended, depending on option and package. Search for threads started by me if you want more details and accurate pricing.

[Powerbeast]

You never know.

[luis_m3]

I wouldn't recommend investing so much money in a car without warranty, especially an M3, where repairs can be very costly.
Nonetheless, if you are set on buying one without a warranty, then I agree with others on MT being a better choice, as well as reviewing the service record before you pull the trigger.
Good luck with your decision!

[mjposner]

I bought a 2004 Audi with 35k miles from Carmax, just out of warranty. One owner, full service history. I bought carmax 3 year 36k extended warranty for about $1700. I owned the car for 1.5 years/15k miles, and had 17k in repairs. This included torque converter, transmission, bushing, air bladders (for suspension).

I just bought a 2008 M3 myself with warranty through 10/12. Took it to dealer for routine service and got it back and had major problems. Took two weeks to fix and they had to replace edc control unit. Part alone is $659. They also replaced the steering unit switch, which lists for $348.61 per oem. So while they may have caused the fault by the service work, maybe not and now I have a 2k job covered by warranty.

These are very complicated cars and are hard to diagnose even with the special computer (forget the obd 2 tools).

I would get an extended warranty If I was buying and will later this year before my factory warranty expires.

[MKE_M3]

I love the haters that state you shouldn't buy one without a warrenty. Simple math...

If you keep the car long enough, Save 20 - 30k on purchase, spend less than that on maintainance/ repairs, and you spent less money.

If you only plan to keep it for a couple years, lease a new one and it will almost definately be cheaper than buying used out of warrenty, given that the payment will be lower and there'll be no extra costs.

My 2cents

[gatorfast]

Extended warranty is nice to have but not for the price imo. To me its foolish to spend $5-6k upfront on what appears to be an overall reliable car. Id rather put that money aside on the chance I needed it for repairs ($6k of repairs seems very unlikely unless something catastrophic happens). Even if an expensive part blows and you need to shell out $3k for repair you are still coming out on top. If no major repair are needed, which seems likely based on people's experiences on this board, then you wasted $6k.

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

3 Questions;

How many miles the car?

and

was it used on the track?

Are all service documents on hand?

As a very minimum I would insist on a complete pre-sales inspection at a BMW dealership. The inspection (even if you have to pay for the inspection) will give you a fairly good idea what needs to be worked on, also gives you a good bargaining position for the final sales price of the car if you purchase it. The idea behind the question on extended warranty (if you take it or not) will be the dealer will give the car a very good inspection.

While being inspected at BMW ask if the car can be awarded a extended warranty? I assume that is not possible once the car is out of warranty. Still one can inquire.

Always remember when you purchase a M3 it is build for high speeds on the German Autobahn, speeds the car will not see in North America unless it saw heavy track use (therefore the question as to track use). A M3 is a very sound and special car and build very strong.

Case in point; In 2004 I purchased a 2002 e46 M3 with around 30K + KM (18,600 + miles). I sold her in 2010 with approx. 92K + KM (57,000 miles) on the odometer. I had 2 years warranty on that car never had any work done other then brake job and tire change. The car was inspected before I sold her one rear spring was found broken and I paid for the repair then I got my asking price.

[Doc V.]

If the car has a complete, documented service history, and if it passes a thorough pre-purchase inspection from a reputable service center that the buyer selects, then the car should be a solid purchase.

[MKE_M3]

Originally Posted by Doc V.

If the car has a complete, documented service history, and if it passes a thorough pre-purchase inspection from a reputable service center that the buyer selects, then the car should be a solid purchase.

+1, Inspections FTW

[donovan]

m3s are pretty reliable I have had two, but you can get a extended warranty for cheap these days.

3/36 for less than 2k for full coverage.....
4/48 2200
5/60-100,000 2600...

pm for detail

[BeamingE39]

Does anyone know of ways to tell whether the car was tracked? Because of the high cost of repairs on M cars I'd be very wary of buying used. Not saying I wouldn't do it, in fact I was very close to buying a used one myself, but just be much more careful than if you were buying say a used 650i.

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

Originally Posted by NAForever

Does anyone know of ways to tell whether the car was tracked? Because of the high cost of repairs on M cars I'd be very wary of buying used. Not saying I wouldn't do it, in fact I was very close to buying a used one myself, but just be much more careful than if you were buying say a used 650i.

You be fairly safe if you add points I've mentioned above in Post #14 to your check list when thinking of purchasing a M3 used.

The M3 is a solid automobile build for high speeds and the track. Reviewing maintenance records and finding out about the cars history will help in your evaluation and making a final decision.

[S65V8]

Originally Posted by jdemetry

+1, Inspections FTW

+1

...and if you are picky and take a little time, you'll find the right dealership who's looking to off load more urgently than others. Could take a month or two to negotiate one down to your ideal price.

also, if you do a search on this topic you'll find people are pretty happy with their used M3 with pretty high miles 50k+

[TVMA Doc]

Originally Posted by hammick

My '08 Sedan had 0 issues for the 14k miles that I owned it. That said I am reluctant to own any BMW out of warranty. My first BMW was a 530i with 65k miles and I spent a fortune replace worn bushings and an engine seal.

My previous BMW was a 2003 325i that made it to 130k miles with only a blown windshield washer pump, broken power window regulator (fortunately front-dirver) and suspension that had worn out (I can't imagine you could fault that given the milegage).

It was starting to show the slightests hints of a fuel pump issue, however. With the fuel pump sealed inside the SS gas tank, that would have cost more than the car was worth to replace. (Best price I've seen, short of 'pick and pull', was $6,500.)

A BMW out of warranty can be a needy mistress.

[JCtx]

It's not 'smart' since all '08s are still within warranty timewise, meaning you're looking at a car with over 50K miles, or with a serious issue (salvage title, etc). But you left out the most important piece of information to make a judgment: PRICE. I'm selling mine with all options (and some tastefully done cosmetic mods) for $45K with brand new tires, 9K miles, and 1-1/2 years left on warranty (original owner). So if you buy one for that much without warranty it definitely wouldn't be smart. But if you pay $30K for a pristine car without warranty that checks out, then it would. Everything else in-between is up to interpretation . Good luck.