Why do you say that? I thought the fact that he has documentation was a plus and a newer motor. Also aren't bbs's pretty nice rims? I just want to get your reasoning, the more info the better. Thanks
-
-
Do you HAVE to have an M3 right now? A little bit of patience can pay off big time. Why would you want to get a car so close to 200k miles in the first place? I dont care if its a Toyota or an M3. If you wait, I'm sure one worth buying will be closer to 100k miles will pop up in your area.Comment
-
The new motor indicates the car has been abused or neglected. This is a judgement call on your part. The BBS Style 5's are despised around here. Your taste may differ.Originally posted by maubeeComment
-
This.Originally posted by badgthoComment
-
$8500 is too much for that car, in fact I wouldn't give him 5. Just be patient. While on the other side of the country from you, this car makes his look WAY over priced. And prices for everything are inflated out here...
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4308084946.htmlComment
-
-The engine should have lasted well past 200K, with a headgasket job being the only thing that should really go wrong. A new engine usually means a big failure from neglect, or abuse.Originally posted by maubee
-Where did the engine come from? Can he verify that it was a brand new crate motor? That's insane to buy a brand new motor for a 160K mile car. A swap would cost a good chunk of what the car is worth.
-BBS Style 5's don't fit the E36 properly.
-Lux package sucks. Oops, i'm supposed to be polite about it...the lux package isn't quite as desirable as a regular M3. It was a $3000 option, which installed non-M parts onto an M3 and made it look less sports car-like inside and out.
Also, he calls the car 10/10. Sorry, no 180K mile 17 year old car is 10/10. Not to be an ass, but I would never call my car 10/10, and I can guarantee you it's nicer than this. You already know you're not on the same page with respect to the condition of the car, so you can't trust his judgement on describing the car accurately. Since it's far, I wouldn't bother taking a chance on it. There's nothing special about it that warrants that. Believe me....i'm in the market for an E30 right now, and it's really tiring going to see cars that are "mint", "10/10", "perfect", etc. Anything described as such, isn't.
And those pictures are terrible.Comment
-
Man, I really appreciate all the inputs from you guys. I don't really need to have an m3 right now, it's just something I want. But I also would like to find the right one for the right price, maybe something around 7k or less? Is this practical or I'm I asking too much. When I do get one I plan to keep it for awhile. So my best bet is to be patient and wait for the right one to come my way. There isn't too many options in the area I live at but I will keep looking. Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate it.Comment
-
FWIW my just purchased M3/4/5 had an asking price of 8000 and I got it for 5800. Might have gotten it a little lower, but it was the EXACT combo I wanted (5 spd Estoril Sedan w/Dove interior) so I wasn't willing to risk missing it over a couple of hundred bucks.
Good luck!Comment
-
Originally posted by shrspeedblade
How many miles and what's the condition. I'm guessing it's pretty rough for $5,800.
It's really not a relevant comparo without some basic understanding of conditionComment
-
Let's back up a bit. I'd like to point out a few things to you.Originally posted by maubee
There are 2 somewhat distinct groups of people posting here:
-There are those of us that bought our E36's a long time ago and paid significantly more than what many of them sell for today. We were around before the value tanked and most of the cars found their way into the hands of teenagers who basically destroyed them. We're very critical of the condition and draw a distinct line between a run of the mill E36 and one that's actually in nice shape. We still think E36's are worth more than most are worth these days, but our opinion of value only holds true for nice examples.
-There are those who bought an E36 in more recent years. They probably paid less than half of what the older members paid. Most of these people weren't around when E36's were still in nice condition, and as such they often don't know what a truly nice E36 actually looks like. As someone who has helped forum members find an M3, i've looked at a *lot* of E36's from a buyer's prospective. Trust me, nearly every one of these cars is in pretty rough shape now, compared to what the former group considers clean.
I mention this so you can make the distinction of where people's opinions are coming from. Someone like badgtho, for instance, has been around E36's since the days when it was tough to find one under $20K. His current E36 literally looks like it rolled out of the factory a week ago. I'm not exaggerating that. I bought mine when my budget of $14K was met with, "you're looking at a high mileage ****box, or salvaged title kid". Then, on the other end of things, you have some of the guys that come in here with, "I got mine for 3 dollars with 458 miles on it 3 months ago". I won't talk about cars I haven't seen, but I think you get my point.
With that out of the way, you need to decide where you lie with respect to these 2 extremes. If you want a truly clean car, listen to some of the guys that have been around for a while and/or have high post counts. This may sound trite...but most of them have been around E36's long enough to know the difference between a good one and a bad one. If you just want a run of the mill E36 and are happy to have the cheapest thing with an M badge on it in your driveway, then pay attention to the lowest price someone posts here and use that as your yardstick for a budget.
Either you're shopping for a deal, or you're shopping for a nice E36. Those are 2 totally different things. Make sense?Comment
-
It does make sense. At the end of the day I want a nice, clean E36. I really appreciate your wisdom and will take your advice and the advice from the other E36 veterans on here. So I believe this is an example of what you are talking about.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/4302001919.html
This is something that appears to be very clean, nice and well taken care of.Comment
-
Yes, that car looks to be clean. I will say that a '95 wouldn't be the first choice of many. But on the other hand, many would rather have a clean '95 than a '96+ that is not as clean. Personal preference, but just make sure you know the differences before buying one and finding out after the fact.Originally posted by maubee
Black is super hard to evaluate for paint work or paint quality in pictures. But it appears to be well cared for. Though, I chuckled a bit at him making it a point to say that the glovebox doesn't sag, when it clearly does. It's ok, mine looks like that too. Easy fix (that I haven't gotten around to).
I'd like to see closeup pics of the driver's seat bolsters, and the front end (to see the level of rock chipping on it). Ask him if he knows why the airbag light is on. It could be something as simple as him turning the key while the seats were out for cleaning, or could be something expensive. The occupancy sensor in the passenger seat is a very common failure that will give an airbag light. It doesn't cause any malfunctions in the airbag system, the bag there will still fire. But it will give the light (not that you have any guarantees for 19 year old airbags firing, but just FYI).Comment
-
Sorry to side track but what is the easy fix for the glove box sag? I thought I was stuck with it. Thanks...Comment
-
I looked at the carfax the OP linked. Why is the title number the same for all eight owners? Did you ask the seller how long he owned the car?
When I moved and had the title updated DMV issued a new title that carfax listed as a sale. I was the only owner.
When I brought the payoff letter to DMV on another vehicle DMV issued a new title. Carfax may have listed that as sale as well.
I don't think that car had 8 owners.
Interesting tidbit - The car in this thread, a 98 with 170K and a sunbelt history since new, and local to the OP isn't worth more than 6500. Yet, the dreaded crappy year 95 in this thread with 133k and no history, and just a few pictures after being detailed, from a dealer and a potential Snowbelt history is considered a good deal for 7500 plus the extra cost of a plane flight and drive home by many on this forum. http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showt...post1066487113Comment
-
Originally posted by maubee
Looks reasonable but a black '95 is not incredibly desirable. With that mileage I would want to see a lot of maintenance records.Comment
Comment