M3 - whats it worth

[gazzab]

A chap in my village is selling his M3 soon. A 52 plate in silver. I am not sure of the spec. Think it is manual with 19s. Assume it doesnt have sat nav. It is out of warranty and has 58K on the clock. One owner. The prices are hard to judge. Independent nr Reading has one for £19K. There are private ones at this or higher. Havent looked on trader yet. I am not looking for an M3 but I guess if I could twist his arm for a keen price then I might get it as an everyday car. He has said in the region of 19K.

[andrewturner]

sort of answered your own question there.

I always look at www.autotrader.co.uk or the parkers guide for a rough idea.

If you are happy spending 19k, then go for it. A local one owner car to me woudl be worth more than one from a dealer.

good luck

[M5Dave]

I would echo the above comments, and knowing the car and how it has been treated is a big advantage to my mind.

These cars were also subject of several recalls early in their lives, one of which was for the bearings in the bottom of the engine, and it's essential to make sure these were done.
Contact your local dealer with registration no, or chassis no, and they will confirm what recall work has been done.

It is also essential to make sure the 1,200 mile running in service was done on time, I think the limit is 1,700 miles. This is considered to be the most important service(due to engine, gearbox and differential being filled with thin oil at the factory to aid the bedding in process) and if it is not done it has a big impact on resale value,BMW dealers will not sell them if this service was not done on time.

Hope this is of some help. David.

[DanH]

not sounding like a huge bargain to me. Need to factor in when the next service is due & tyre tread etc. Saw a nice fully loaded one (except 19s) the other week (ad on ph). did need a service and tyres quite soon, but less mileaga and satnav makes a difference come resale! Was up at mid 19k gbp.

[Curley]

Well i sold my March 03 M3 with 55,000 on the clock for £20,000 to a dealer last month .
This was a standard car on 18 inch wheels with no sat nav .

The only option was Estoril paint.

dealer sold it on within a week for £22,000

£19,000 doesnt sound bad to me if you know the car.

[markda]

I would say £19k sounds about right too, certainly not expensive. Providing that 1st service has been completed to schedule I would go for it, the 1 owner from new is nice and quite rare. Like someone already said at least you have a little more idea of the history of the way the car has been driven this way.

M3's tend to have 2-3 owners on them by the time there 3 years old, and if a discussion on BM3W was anything to go by recently there are quite a few '04 CSL's out there with 4-5 owners on them, which is pretty normal too.