Long story short, I took the car back to the dealer with a load of information in hand from two BMW mechanics/specialists (Brent - Greg @ Bimmers R Us was one). I didn't even bother talking through my sales agent... walked right into the sales manager's office and pretty much told him how it was going to be if he wanted to make a sale. He got pissed that I did such a thing and ended up saying he couldn't do $17k. I walked out of that place with a huge smile on my face. Went down to Bimmers R Us (I am with Brent - they are really good people) and bought a '98 4 door with 42k miles. Full exhaustive service history, pristine condition... Loads of Dinan work (CAI, throttle body, exhaust, software 2, stage 1 suspension), a $2k custom sound system, a 3 spoke aftermarket steering wheel... all sorts of goodies. Even met the guy who owned it before me. He's a 45 year old commercial pilot and the most meticulous person you could hope to buy a car from. Ended up paying quite a bit more, but really feel comfortable with the purchase b/c I know that I'm purchasing a "cream puff" M3. That's worth a few extra grand in my book. Bye bye IS300. Hello M3. The thing is amazing.
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Hub, only person you needed to please was yourself, so sounds like you did that.
A 98 sedan sounds great, manual I hope? And hope you didn't pay too much of a premium for the mods, mods don't translate into more money usually with sale, unless of course it's exactly the mods you'd want to do.
Welcome and see you around the Forum! :thumbsup:Comment
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Is the M3 you bought, red????
If so, I know that guy... I have a few photos of that car being dyno'd. That gentlemen absolutely BABIED the M3. He's a pilot, tall fellow.
If that's the gentleman, I'll send you the photos, if I can remember where I put them!Comment
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Hub, only person you needed to please was yourself, so sounds like you did that.
A 98 sedan sounds great, manual I hope? And hope you didn't pay too much of a premium for the mods, mods don't translate into more money usually with sale, unless of course it's exactly the mods you'd want to do.
Welcome and see you around the Forum! :thumbsup:
IIRC, I think that car is an auto. And having Dinan mods on a BMW actually don't hurt the resale of the car. (since BMW and Dinan have some sort of business relationship)Comment
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Brent - it is the red one and it's a 5 speed. I met the former owner (tall Pilot as you said) yesterday afternoon at the shop. I could tell he totally babied his car. He said he drives his cars like he flies planes - detail oriented down to the last little bit.
Underneath the temp display / check control computer, he installed three analog guages: Oil Pressure, Oil Temp and Voltage. They're more novelty than anything else, but they look sweet! Makes me wish one was a boost guage
Edgy- Had the mods not been Dinan, I wouldn't have paid, but they were so I did. I wouldn't have shelled out the cash to have them all put on a stock M3, but it's an easy decision when you just roll it into your auto loan!
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I'm confused why an M3 would be used as a company vehicle... and why is this a red flag? Is it absolutely impossible for it to have been a one owner/driver car? Accident is reported as minor, but it's hard to say as you said. I took it to an independent mechanic and they said mechanically it was in really good shape. It wasn't a BMW mechanic, rather a generalist who looked at it. Can I place confidence in his conclusion?
It likely wasn't used as a company vehicle - it was probably leased. That's how CarFax often reports a lease.
And chances are - the original person who leased it may have bought out the lease - so the "single owner".
It's not a BMW dealer. It's a local VW dealer that usually has a good number of nice imports on the lot (BMW, Benz, Porsche, Audi, etc). The only way I can get warranty is if I purchase one of those extended ones, and I believe they're pretty expensive. I have called all 3 BMW dealers' service departments and tried to piece together the history on the car's maintenence. Latest record I can find is 10/2001 at 34,500 miles. No confirmation of Inspection II either. Up until 28k, it was serviced very regularly at a BMW dealer in the area. After that it was like radio silence.
Funny thing is that they've let me have the car since yesterday around this time and I've probably put nearly 100 miles on it. It's been really good cause I have noticed some things I wouldn't have otherwise, but I can imagine the dealer will be flaming hot if I don't purchase now that I've had it for so long. I guess it's their fault in the first place for giving it to me? Not like I begged, they basically offered it. Never even took my license or a copy of it!
How will the E90 body style impact the sale/resale on the e36?
Sounds like the dealer is legit if they let you take the car home. Spend some money and have a PPI (Pre-Purchase-Inspection) done at your local BMW dealer. They'll catch the obvious, and tell them to look for any possible body damage from an accident.
The E90 is likely to depress the E36/M3 market since the 330 is gonna be faster than the E36/M3.. may not handle as well - but speed counts and there is a horsepower war going on. Once the coupe version of the E90 shows up it could put a major hurt on E36/M3 values.Comment
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It likely wasn't used as a company vehicle - it was probably leased. That's how CarFax often reports a lease.
And chances are - the original person who leased it may have bought out the lease - so the "single owner".
Sounds like the dealer is legit if they let you take the car home. Spend some money and have a PPI (Pre-Purchase-Inspection) done at your local BMW dealer. They'll catch the obvious, and tell them to look for any possible body damage from an accident.
The E90 is likely to depress the E36/M3 market since the 330 is gonna be faster than the E36/M3.. may not handle as well - but speed counts and there is a horsepower war going on. Once the coupe version of the E90 shows up it could put a major hurt on E36/M3 values.
Dealer was a total jerk. They let me take the car home because it's the best way to sell a car. If you let someone fall in love with it, you have the upper hand at the negotiation table and overlooking small problems becomes easier. It makes the buyer more prone to act on emotion rather than logic... dangerous.
Since I found a 4-door, I'm not worried about the e90 M3 and its impact on the e36 value since I'll be driving this for the long haul. Couldn't be happier with my purchase, and I'm really looking forward to getting involved with a BMW club and doing some driving events.
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Underneath the temp display / check control computer, he installed three analog guages: Oil Pressure, Oil Temp and Voltage. They're more novelty than anything else, but they look sweet! Makes me wish one was a boost guage
Hub, LOVE the look of gauges in the E36. Always envied that the Roadster got it standard. Take some pics!
Interesting post over at Bimmers, where the guy says sedan worth less than coupe. Only made for two years, and a lot of them were auto. Exact same performance, and two extra doors. So how worth less?
Glad you realized about the dealer -- sounded like they almost got you. :thumbsup:Comment
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Hub, LOVE the look of gauges in the E36. Always envied that the Roadster got it standard. Take some pics!
Interesting post over at Bimmers, where the guy says sedan worth less than coupe. Only made for two years, and a lot of them were auto. Exact same performance, and two extra doors. So how worth less?
Glad you realized about the dealer -- sounded like they almost got you. :thumbsup:
Yeah, I don't know why a sedan would be worth less either, but I didn't let that bother me. I much prefer it to the coupe. Regardless, I'll probably drive this thing for quite a while so it's no big deal.
I also love the gauges. I took a few pics tonight, but it was dark so it's tough. I had some good motion blur despite my best efforts and there's a little bit of noise in the image, but you get the idea. If I can get home from work before it gets dark, I'll take some better pics... or I'll just wait until the weekend. For now, enjoy. :thumbsup:Comment
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[QUOTE=hubbstar]Yeah, I don't know why a sedan would be worth less either, but I didn't let that bother me. I much prefer it to the coupe. Regardless, I'll probably drive this thing for quite a while so it's no big deal.
I don't think a manual Sedan is worth less, that is not what I found when looking for mine. I like those gauges. That is a mod I'd like to do one day. Enjoy!!Comment
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Hubbstar that is great to hear. Congrats...isnt bimmers R Us located in new york mount kisco area? I am assuming you are local to that area? I live in the next town ossining ny. and i have heard alot about that shop and it is all good. Maybe i will see you around i usally drive the m3 when i go see my sister in mt kisco. :thumbsup:Comment
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Maybe there's one in the Mt. Kisco area, but this one is in St. Louis, MO. Therefore, I doubt I'll be seeing you around too often, but maybe some day
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The E90 is likely to depress the E36/M3 market since the 330 is gonna be faster than the E36/M3.. may not handle as well - but speed counts and there is a horsepower war going on. Once the coupe version of the E90 shows up it could put a major hurt on E36/M3 values.
Faster than the E36 M3? LOL, don't bank on it. :smiley_abComment
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Faster than the E36 M3? LOL, don't bank on it. :smiley_ab
I actually read somewhere on this board that the e90 330 will run a 14.1 1/4 mile. Stock vs. stock, that would make it a driver's race. Now, in the twisties it's a different story... --> :chair:Comment
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I actually read somewhere on this board that the e90 330 will run a 14.1 1/4 mile. Stock vs. stock, that would make it a driver's race. Now, in the twisties it's a different story... --> :chair:
if it aint been run, it aint been done.
I'd like to see the e90 330 run 14.1 1/4 mile.. 0-60 should definately be in the 6 second range, I dont foresee it running in the 14s, then again maybe I am wrong :dunnoComment
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