CSL wanted

[nightwalker]

Thought id post up to see what is offered:

I am looking for a SG CSL (aren't we all) below 50k miles, full BMWSH as I would like to retain the warranty, no late running services or missed services etc.

My budget will be upto £27k for the right car.

Anyone thinking of hanging up their hat throw me a PM, I am in the North West.

I do have one im looking at again on Sunday (weather permitting), if no deal is done on this then the hunt will be on next week.

Cheers

[MADMAX33]

i also would be interested in a low mileage CSL 1+2 owner maximum, prefer Auto
but would consider Manual.

Must be genuine vehicle with FBMWSH

Cash waiting for right un-molested vehicle

[thatsprettyshady]

MADMAX33 said:

i also would be interested in a low mileage CSL 1+2 owner maximum, prefer Auto
but would consider Manual.

Must be genuine vehicle with FBMWSH

Cash waiting for right un-molested vehicle

The CSL came with one gearbox, the SMG which is a robotised manual with paddle shift.

I wouldn't worry about number of owners with cars like this, they tend to change hands a few times within their early years.

History is the most important, look for a car with full service history and also check eligibility for a BMW insured warranty as an incomplete history will preclude this. Full history will consist of 1200 mile running in check followed by service schedule of oil service, inspection I and Inspection II carried out in the correct order (oil - insp I - oil - Insp II) and within 2 years of each other.

Good luck with the hunt, the right cars are out there and the csl register is an excellent resource for info

[Leins]

As above, you'll be doing well to find a choice of 2-owner cars, nevermind 1-owner. Such is the nature of them that people bought to "tick the CSL box", or found that they were expecting it to be easier to live with for a daily driver. Either way, many of them didn't last long in early ownerships

Saying that, I'm under the impression that many are beginning to be retired from the higher mileage stuff now and are getting "put away", only for weekend fair weather use

[161BMW]

Leins said:

As above, you'll be doing well to find a choice of 2-owner cars, nevermind 1-owner. Such is the nature of them that people bought to "tick the CSL box", or found that they were expecting it to be easier to live with for a daily driver. Either way, many of them didn't last long in early ownerships

Saying that, I'm under the impression that many are beginning to be retired from the higher mileage stuff now and are getting "put away", only for weekend fair weather use

Hi a thing that put me off getting a M3 CSL in the past is that the very vast majority are not 1 or 2 owners vehicles. In fact many have much more owners than this. In your experience on a unique car like the M3 CSL should high owners put me off such a car given they have only a very short term interest in the vehicle :-) ?

[Leins]

161BMW said:

Hi a thing that put me off getting a M3 CSL in the past is that the very vast majority are not 1 or 2 owners vehicles. In fact many have much more owners than this. In your experience on a unique car like the M3 CSL should high owners put me off such a car given they have only a very short term interest in the vehicle :-) ?

I'm probably not the best person to ask, as mine had 2 owners before me

However, as long as I could establish that it wasn't just a hack that got passed around the place, I don't think it would bother me too much within reason, say less than 6 owners

A nicely stamped up service book including the running-in one @ 1200 miles, no damaged panels or repainting (other than the front bumper that they've nearly all had), and no strange noises like a loud diff that's about to destroy itself would be much higher on my priority list

Some of the minor things that you'll find on many used CSLs are pretty common now, such as worn steering wheels and sill kickplates that are delaminating, but these are easy and cheap enough to resolve. Make sure that the interior rear-view mirror is pristine though, as these can leak very easily and destroy your interior (= £££s), so check there are no bubbles or liquid in it. I got the gel in mine replaced in the US as a preventative measure

Personally, I prefer to have the oil changed every year in between the regular services too, even though I only do a few thousand miles pa, but for many it's just a case of getting the routine maintenance done to meet the warranty conditions. Nothing wrong with that, but as these get older they'll start dropping out of the warranty scheme more and more, so it's up to owners to get the necessary work done before even bigger bills start appearing on the horizon IMO

The CSL-Register is the best place for info btw, even on a particular car's history

[Yanto]

3-6 owners over 10 years is not uncommon.

Leins speaks sense.

[161BMW]

Leins said:

161BMW said:

Hi a thing that put me off getting a M3 CSL in the past is that the very vast majority are not 1 or 2 owners vehicles. In fact many have much more owners than this. In your experience on a unique car like the M3 CSL should high owners put me off such a car given they have only a very short term interest in the vehicle :-) ?

I'm probably not the best person to ask, as mine had 2 owners before me

However, as long as I could establish that it wasn't just a hack that got passed around the place, I don't think it would bother me too much within reason, say less than 6 owners

A nicely stamped up service book including the running-in one @ 1200 miles, no damaged panels or repainting (other than the front bumper that they've nearly all had), and no strange noises like a loud diff that's about to destroy itself would be much higher on my priority list

Some of the minor things that you'll find on many used CSLs are pretty common now, such as worn steering wheels and sill kickplates that are delaminating, but these are easy and cheap enough to resolve. Make sure that the interior rear-view mirror is pristine though, as these can leak very easily and destroy your interior (= £££s), so check there are no bubbles or liquid in it. I got the gel in mine replaced in the US as a preventative measure

Personally, I prefer to have the oil changed every year in between the regular services too, even though I only do a few thousand miles pa, but for many it's just a case of getting the routine maintenance done to meet the warranty conditions. Nothing wrong with that, but as these get older they'll start dropping out of the warranty scheme more and more, so it's up to owners to get the necessary work done before even bigger bills start appearing on the horizon IMO

The CSL-Register is the best place for info btw, even on a particular car's history

Hi thank you appreciate. Yes I am on CSL Register :-)

I didn't realise interior mirrors leak a lot. Is this very common and expensive ? How much liquid comes out ?

Also why do buyers place such a premium on original panels and original paint ? Is it because wont need reprinting in the future ?

Few years back there was a 1 owner SG M3 CSL 30 odd k miles retailing at £low 30s at a garage (non BMW)
Really gutted I missed that chance. This was in early 2010

Edited by 161BMW on Thursday 28th February 08:40

[Leins]

161BMW said:

Hi thank you appreciate. Yes I am on CSL Register :-)

I didn't realise interior mirrors leak a lot. Is this very common and expensive ? How much liquid comes out ?

Also why do buyers place such a premium on original panels and original paint ? Is it because wont need reprinting in the future ?

Few years back there was a 1 owner SG M3 CSL 30 odd k miles retailing at £low 30s at a garage (non BMW)
Really gutted I missed that chance. This was in early 2010

Ah yes, didn't recognise the username. We share a love of E30s too

Not sure about your CS, but certainly the earlier oval mirrors in the M3s and up to the CSL were produced with a defect, and as such the liquid can leak out of them. It seems to occur in the majority of cases when a car is left outside in hot sunshine for a while, but that's not always the case either. Also, sometimes it can be spotted in advance by seeing a bubble develop in the mirror, or noticing liquid build up at the bottom before it leaks out, but in other cases it just decideds to do a Great Escape all of a sudden when a car is parked up. Not entirely sure what this liquid/gel is made of, but there's some sort of acid that will try and eat through any surface it then comes into contact with. In the case of the CSL, that will definitely be the outer casing of the mirror, and then the SMG shifter and possibly the centre console. It's this last item that really adds to the cost of the clean-up, as it's made of CF. Although mine showed no signs of this it still weighed on my mind a bit, so sent the mirror off last winter to this crowd in the states who replaced the inners and it's been fine since (fingers crossed!): http://www.radar-mirror.com/

I've also heard stories of BMW replacing fautly oval-mirrors with rectangular ones in M-cars under the extended warranty as the ovals are now NLA and the rectangulars don't suffer from this manufacturing defect

With regards to panels and paint, I suppose it just gives confidence that the car hasn't been in a nasty prang at some stage. A bit of paint due to stone-chips is one thing, especially if the car has travelled on motorways in its past, but I'd be wanting to see photos documenting all damage and repair before considering a car that's had rear wings worked on or the like

Edited by Leins on Thursday 28th February 11:46

[tvrtuscans]

My boy has just bought himself an absolutely immaculate CSL....I think it has had 4 previous owners. Mint car with absolutely everything in the history file....we are v particular about our motors...take a look at my profile. I would'nt worry about the number of owners...if it has the right provinance....thats what matters.

[darreni]

tvrtuscans said:

My boy has just bought himself an absolutely immaculate CSL....I think it has had 4 previous owners. Mint car with absolutely everything in the history file....we are v particular about our motors...take a look at my profile. I would'nt worry about the number of owners...if it has the right provinance....thats what matters.

Spot on. As the cars get older, the number of owners & mileage become less important. Condition & history are everything.

[Templedog]

Hi All,

Just popped over from the TVR forums. Friend of mine has a very nice 04 plate CSL which may well be coming on the market shortly. Please email or PM if you'd like more info.

Best regards,

Sam