The Official Bring A Trailer (BaT) Thread

[s54brendan]

I went yesterday and was super polite, asked if there was any way I could get some direction on the type of service that might have been performed… dude said “if your name is not on the service records I can’t show you anything. You can ask me questions and I can confirm or deny whether I see your question in the service record.” I just wanted to get out of there so I asked about the airbag recall and he said “yup, I see that” and I thanked him for his time and walked out.

are you in NYC? Sounds accurate to the dealerships in that area. Try going to a dealership in Westchester

[davidinnyc]

I literally just walked in my local dealer and gave them the VIN number and that was that haha

I went yesterday and was super polite, asked if there was any way I could get some direction on the type of service that might have been performed… dude said “if your name is not on the service records I can’t show you anything. You can ask me questions and I can confirm or deny whether I see your question in the service record.” I just wanted to get out of there so I asked about the airbag recall and he said “yup, I see that” and I thanked him for his time and walked out.

[oceansize]

For me, with respect to the wagon, this isn't something I would buy sight unseen. I'd have to drive it (or at least be driven around in it), get it on a lift, evaluate the paint/body work as best I can, scan for current codes, test every function, etc. I couldn't bring myself to spend this type of money on a youtuber's "maybe" ok job. This will likely end somewhere around $50k to $70k.

[Slideways]

i am curious what makes this a truly awful build. I get body panels being a bit off in a custom build. I certainly don’t understand why it wasn’t cleaned up. The scratched trim pieces seems odd when you put this much effort into it. I know nothing of Lang Racing or Kassel other than I hear their names all the time from a tuning standpoint.

What are your major red flags here?

If the owner didn't take the extra 10 min to properly glue the F10 shift knob boot to the E46 shift boot frame and make it look clean, I don't want to know what else they cut corners on with the rest of the build, especially when it comes to the body work, anything underneath the car or mechanically. The rear bumper fabrication and alignment to the tailgate is off by quite a bit. It is almost as if someone did these things blindfolded. Also, if you are going through all the work and expense doing the body conversion, get a better replica CSL diffuser. Without factoring in the cool parts like the PSS10s, Karb CSL intake and brace, the base touring conversion is very ok. And if the Lang built engine turns out like the two other engines mentioned on this forum where one had scored cylinder walls and the other had a valve train failure, that would really suck.

I'd rather spend 10 or 20% more and have the guy in Europe build one from scratch. From what I can tell in this build journal, the M3Projekts touring conversion is built to a much higher standard - https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...nd-back/page12

[George Hill]

"Omg ITS A WAGON" is not a qualifier on its own.

I think at the end of the day it all comes down to what someone wants. The fact of the matter is you cannot go buy an S54 widebody touring from BMW so if you want one you have to make one and that makes the comparison a stock M3 (or any production car for that matter) a bit silly IMO.

I want to understand from a comparison standpoint where this BaT one cut corners

I don't know this car from anything other than its online presence so I don't know how well the swap was done but it COULD be a good starting point for someone who doesn't want a perfect car but wants the look and then can tweak to their liking down the road. OR maybe someone loves it the way it is, the seller likely did so the reality of someone else is highly possible.

Personally I put more value in proper execution of the mechanicals than most, but I am also scared of body work I can't see. IMO if this or a car like it is something a person is interested in I would want to know:

• Can you trust the body work was done properly and will hold up for years to come or is it going to start cracked, paint peeling, etc
• Can you trust the engine work was done properly
• Is it actually a sorted car or are there odds and ends that need to be fixed to fully sort it
• And in this particular car I would want to know how well the DSC works, being AWD the Bosch ABS doesn't really play nicely with the MSS54 DME. It might be ok for a persons needs but if not, it could be a lot of work to correct.

At the end of the day right now its a running and driving S54 widebody conversion and IMO it would be pretty tough to pay someone to build a duplicate for $40k and it be nice. Could you build a better version of this car for $100k, absolutely but then you have to wait and commission it and it might take years.

Years ago I had a client come in with a widebody converted S54 sedan that he had bought and it was so far from where he wanted it to be that it would have been cheaper for him to sell the car and start over. But the timeline would have been so much longer he stayed the course and fixed the current car and he was happy with the outcome. YMMV good luck with the auction if you bid.

[stephen]

That's what I thought - I called the service department the other day and they told me they couldn't give me any information unless I was bringing it in for an inspection (which I assume would need to be paid)... I said I'd just stop by and ask in person, then hung up.

DM me your VIN and I can pull it for you.

[Duck360198]

Lang Racing is hackjob shit. Kassel doesn't do great tunes. This guy posted the car up with a grimy underbody, Alibaba trash wheel, awful wheels, after ripping a funky wrap and cornball lights off of it... it's a mish-mash of parts, body work, and questionable build choices with a ton of shilling and nobody questioning it.

Some douche decides to dump his project and it's supposed to be worthy of praise just because it's a wagon? Naw. There are wonderful, well-sorted, passionately loved coupes being sold that shit on this Instagram poser wagon. This is a bottom barrel conversion that should be criticized and held in contempt vs a truly well done wagon conversion.

"Omg ITS A WAGON" is not a qualifier on its own.

I 100% agree with the underbody, steering wheel, the fact it wasn't properly cleaned up. Wheels don't bother me much, but do agree ZCP's would be much better. The wrap that was on before and the lights, agreed, wasn't a fan. Felt like a sponsor show car. But all of those things can be taken care of quite easily. I'm more concerned about the execution of it all from an engine, transmission, wiring, etc. standpoint. From my perspective, it seemed like this was taken a step further than the other conversions I've seen. I can't speak to Lang Racing though. If they are known for hack jobs, I feel like maybe there would be more people chiming in on that in the BaT listing.

Do you have any links to other builds by chance? I want to understand from a comparison standpoint where this BaT one cut corners. I know there's some guy on IG in Europe who has been converting wagons and it sounds like he does a lot of the work himself. For me, I have a ton of interest in a swapped/converted wagon, but I don't have the time to take on the project, don't really want to pay for a build from the ground up, and would rather just have a turn-key example (for the most part) that can be enjoyed immediately.

I believe this BaT car was listed on consignment a year or so ago for $110K or something wild. Wasn't up long so not sure what the deal was there. Will be interesting to watch for sure.

[s54brendan]

That's what I thought - I called the service department the other day and they told me they couldn't give me any information unless I was bringing it in for an inspection (which I assume would need to be paid)... I said I'd just stop by and ask in person, then hung up.

I literally just walked in my local dealer and gave them the VIN number and that was that haha

[EthanolTurbo]

i am curious what makes this a truly awful build. I get body panels being a bit off in a custom build. I certainly don’t understand why it wasn’t cleaned up. The scratched trim pieces seems odd when you put this much effort into it. I know nothing of Lang Racing or Kassel other than I hear their names all the time from a tuning standpoint.

What are your major red flags here?

Lang Racing is hackjob shit. Kassel doesn't do great tunes. This guy posted the car up with a grimy underbody, Alibaba trash wheel, awful wheels, after ripping a funky wrap and cornball lights off of it... it's a mish-mash of parts, body work, and questionable build choices with a ton of shilling and nobody questioning it.

Some douche decides to dump his project and it's supposed to be worthy of praise just because it's a wagon? Naw. There are wonderful, well-sorted, passionately loved coupes being sold that shit on this Instagram poser wagon. This is a bottom barrel conversion that should be criticized and held in contempt vs a truly well done wagon conversion.

"Omg ITS A WAGON" is not a qualifier on its own.

[mr pete]

I don’t get the hate and why bringatrailor is a joke. It’s a great platform that brings more eyeballs to a wider audience that allows vehicles and/or car related items to be sold to interested buyers. It’s up to the buyer to do their due diligence and decide if something is worth buying.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and truly subjective. If you like it and have money, buy it. If not, let people do their thing with their money.

[Duck360198]

Truly an awful build, I've heard this thing on Instagram and it sounds worse than a stock E46 M3. The owner is honestly a big poser. Lang Racing did some of the work on it and it's got a Kassel tune so of course it's not really well sorted.

If this thing goes above $40k it shows what a joke Bringatrailer has become. This thing in no way shape or form is more sorted or worthy than a well-built $40k E46 M3 coupe, and in many ways probably inferior in build quality.

I feel bad for the unwitting purchaser of this mickey mouse built wagon. 😅

i am curious what makes this a truly awful build. I get body panels being a bit off in a custom build. I certainly don’t understand why it wasn’t cleaned up. The scratched trim pieces seems odd when you put this much effort into it. I know nothing of Lang Racing or Kassel other than I hear their names all the time from a tuning standpoint.

What are your major red flags here?

[TexaZ3]

Interesting....

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2001-bmw-e46-m3-wagon/

[davidinnyc]

If you bring your ownership and DL, they are supposed to provide you with full history without issue...

That's what I thought - I called the service department the other day and they told me they couldn't give me any information unless I was bringing it in for an inspection (which I assume would need to be paid)... I said I'd just stop by and ask in person, then hung up.

[PetrolM3]

I need to pull repair history for my more recently acquired M3 since it was largely serviced by BMW through 50K miles, but no paperwork came along with the vehicle. Hopefully BMW of Sherman Oaks plays nice when I go visit them this week!

If you bring your ownership and DL, they are supposed to provide you with full history without issue...

[davidinnyc]

It would appear so.

I need to pull repair history for my more recently acquired M3 since it was largely serviced by BMW through 50K miles, but no paperwork came along with the vehicle. Hopefully BMW of Sherman Oaks plays nice when I go visit them this week!