Some Thoughts on this M3 Pls

[gareth 1]

Hi All,been offered a Silver E46 M3,22k,sat/nav,bluetooth,heated seats,folding mirrors,H&K,19s,SMG,1 previous onwner,Full BMW history and 12 months RAC WARRENTY (Are the RAC any Good??)
6k till nxt service.Asking £27500.

After some thoughts pls,not sure if its to expensive or am i been tight as this time last yr bought my 1st M3 wished id never sold it, but i payed alot and lost quite a bit too. Trying to limit the damage this time around.

Any comments would be gratfull.

Gareth

[Harsh]

how old is it?

[gareth 1]

Sorry Mate thats a good point. Its a 54 plate.

[petrolhead76]

Sounds expensive based on the prices I've seen for 2003 (c£20k) with similar spec - but then thats based on independent sellers not the dealers.

I'm sure someone more knowledgable will be along in a second, but have a quick look on autotrader as that should give you an answer.

[Vixpy1]

I reckon price is a about right for a 54 plate with that mileage.

The mileage would put me off though, too few miles over the years

[gareth 1]

Thanks for the feed back, still not to sure my self,am i right in thinking the nxt service will be just and oil service(22k and 6k till nxt service)? any idea when disk and pads need doing on these?

Cheers
Gareth

[M3desmo]

Check that running-in service was done around 1200 miles - very important as it will affect resale if done after 1800 miles (no engine warranty/goodwill from BMW).

I personally would only trust a BMW warranty on an M car - most other third party warranties don't seem to be worth a great deal with limits on the each claim and lots of exclusions on cover. It does seem odd that a '54 plate doesn't have the extended BMW warranty when it would have been possible to extend, unless the previous owner forgot to extend it in time. Once M cars pass the renewal date for warranty extension, you cannot purchase a BMW warranty for it even if you wanted to.

As for price, I would suggest that it's a little steep if buying from an independent. £27500 is more what I would expect to pay for a main dealer supplied car with AUC warranty. Just my opinion of course.

My advice is not to rush into any purchase and look at as many cars as possible - there is plenty of choice out there, most with similar high spec too.

[E36GUY]

gareth 1 said:

Thanks for the feed back, still not to sure my self,am i right in thinking the nxt service will be just and oil service(22k and 6k till nxt service)? any idea when disk and pads need doing on these?

Cheers
Gareth

jeeez dude, if you're worried about the cost of disks and pads then you'll be terrified when it come to a service!

[M3John]

E36GUY said:

gareth 1 said:

Thanks for the feed back, still not to sure my self,am i right in thinking the nxt service will be just and oil service(22k and 6k till nxt service)? any idea when disk and pads need doing on these?

Cheers
Gareth

jeeez dude, if you're worried about the cost of disks and pads then you'll be terrified when it come to a service!

exactly.

[nutcase]

The only thing I'd ask is why are you are looking at buying from a BMW dealer when you could probably get the same car privately or an independent still with extended BMW Warranty for about 25-25.5k?

There are loads of decent financing options out there for privately purchased cars too if that is a consideration.

Good luck with the search,

J

[petrolhead76]

M3John said:

E36GUY said:

gareth 1 said:

Thanks for the feed back, still not to sure my self,am i right in thinking the nxt service will be just and oil service(22k and 6k till nxt service)? any idea when disk and pads need doing on these?

Cheers
Gareth

jeeez dude, if you're worried about the cost of disks and pads then you'll be terrified when it come to a service!

exactly.

I'm not sure if the poster is worried about the cost of discs / pads - more so I suspect it will help him negotiate a better price !

If you are worried about the cost then avoid the car !

Edited by petrolhead76 on Thursday 22 November 16:50

[M5Dave]

nutcase said:

The only thing I'd ask is why are you are looking at buying from a BMW dealer when you could probably get the same car privately or an independent still with extended BMW Warranty for about 25-25.5k?

There are loads of decent financing options out there for privately purchased cars too if that is a consideration.

Good luck with the search,

J

I would always have a look at what BMW have to offer.

Given the standard of preparation, the history checks, the warranty and the general peace of mind that the AUC package offers, I don't think BMW dealers are over the top with their used car prices.

[gareth 1]

Thanks for your thoughts on this M3, it is from an independant car dealer, that's what botherd me a little as i think its priced very closely to BMW and would have there warrenty with it. The reason for the question about disks and pads was to get an idea of cost/ renewal so i could hit the dealer with it as a bargining tool? All the previous service are spot on as is the 1200 mile check.