Pricing Help: '05 ZCP IB / M-Texture, SMG, 50K, Stripper

[Duck360198]

Hey Everyone! (warning, possible TLDR status for some of you)

I'm looking to get some insight on my '05 ZCP from you all. I'm not quite sure how to approach this one. I'm a big fan of rare spec cars and when this one popped up I had to have it because of the stripper status but most importantly it had the M Texture interior. A couple reasons I am thinking of moving on is 1) I just don't get excited about Interlagos Blue and 2) Another E46 has popped up on my radar that may be worth pursuing. I purchased the car with the intent of considering my first 6MT swap. After talking with local individuals, I just didn't feel confident in their abilities but they said they were willing to "give it a try." I even tried reaching out to the forum swap gurus with zero response, which was disappointing. I've since decided for now to skip the swap.

Here are the specs on the car:

- 2005 BMW M3 ZCP
- Interlagos Blue / M-Texture Alcantara (manual seats)
- SMG
- Just over 50K miles
- I'm the 3rd owner (first owner had it for a year I believe and then the second owner had it for the remainder of the time)
- No Sunroof, No Nav, No Heated Seats, No Xenons. I believe the only options on it are ZCP and rear PDC.
- Clean carfax (no accidents). Believe it started as an Illinois car. The the owner who had it for 14 years or so would ship it between Indiana and Florida.
- My "numbers guy" has provided the following stats for U.S. cars:

IB/M-Texture: 39 SMG / 28 6MT
Of those, 6 SMG / 12 6MT had no sunroof
Of those, only 1 had no sunroof and no xenons, which is this car.

Exterior Condition: Overall exterior condition is good. Needs a solid detail as swirl marks are evident. Couple tiny surface dents that PDR would easily remove. Some other items of note:

- The rubber gasket at the vent windows are deteriorating
- Minor scratches on bottom of front bumper
- Passenger side fog light housing missing
- Kidney grilles are plasti-dipped
- Couple plasti-dip drips on the front bumper
- Exhaust tips appear to be plastic-dipped
- Side grilles plasti-dipped
- Clouding of paint on rear bumper behind driver side tire
- Light scuff on the driver mirror housing

Interior Condition: Overall interior condition is good. The upholstery overall is great. I've never experienced M-Texture before and it's spectacular. Honestly, it's what makes me hesitant to sell the car. Some other items of note:

- All of the soft touch surfaces need replacing in my opinion, which isn't surprising.
- Headliner is sagging
- Front and rear pillars were bunching (I've since removed the fabric completely).
- Alcantara steering wheel is completely matted and trim is rough and scratched.
- Passenger front seat upper lever has broken off.
- Soft touch surface around the speaker housing on the front door cards is wearing.
- Rear view mirror has not leaked but can see the liquid line through the middle of it.
- Warning stickers removed from sun visors.

Other Items of Note:

- Tires are old, strange sizes, and different manufacturer for front and rear. They need replacing.
- Wheels have minimal curb rash.
- Aftermarket control arms installed.
- Front wheels have camber.
- Extended lugs throughout.
- 1 key. The key fob does not remotely lock and unlock. Must put the key in the door and turn for it to lock/unlock.
- Dealer serviced its whole life. Not sure if VANOS, sub-frame, rod bearings, or inspection services have been addressed.

I was game-planning getting parts and started to prioritize the list, but this other car that has popped up (seller not in a huge rush to sell) has made me rethink it and now I don't know the best way to approach it. Some want a turn-key, pristine example. Others would rather use their own preferred parts, detailers, PDR guy, etc. I think it would be obvious what to do if it were a 6MT car. It just seems SMG is always going to get a bad reputation (I love it) and so it feels like swapping out many of these items may be for nothing because of the SMG. On the other hand, I feel it's an enthusiast spec and should be given proper respect. And where does all of this fall on the pricing spectrum? Is this a $20K car as-is? Is this a $30K car as-is? By taking care of the list does it become $25K and $35K, respectively? I don't have a clue.

I guess that's why I'm reaching out as I'd love to get some opinions on how you approach a car like this. Thanks!

[Inizes]

While I can’t speak for the actual value, I would say it’s definitely more than a 20k car.

If I were in your shoes, before selling I would at least take care of the small items that a potential buyer would be picky about. Clean off the plasti-dip or get new front grills. Refinish or buy new soft touch surfaces in as many places as you can. Door cards would be tougher but steering wheel and center console isn’t too bad. Get new A and C pillars. Repair the mirror or find another to replace it with. Passenger seat handle can be replaced but it would require taking the seat apart so you may just have to deal with that one.

All of those items should be under $1000 and should net you with more in return. As for the tires and suspension, it’s hard to say if you’d see your money back out of those items.

[COVID-19]

^+1 I would spend the money and replace the smaller parts that would put the car in way better condition but it will bring more $$. If you don’t want to pay to get the car detailed then spend the time DIY and clean as much as you can. (To include engine bay) There’s great Detailer’s out there than can work within your budget and transform the car for a few hundred dollars. (Obviously not ceramic coating $$)

[fattycharged]

I'd have all the worn trim, interior and exterior, addressed, new tires, then list it on BAT and pick up the one you really want. BAT cars can still pull a premium at low mileage without any of the Big3 addressed imo, depending on how much you paid, but sounds like you likely got a decent deal

[EthanolTurbo]

I'll buy it. Sounds great to me.

[Inizes]

I'd have all the worn trim, interior and exterior, addressed, new tires, then list it on BAT and pick up the one you really want. BAT cars can still pull a premium at low mileage without any of the Big3 addressed imo, depending on how much you paid, but sounds like you likely got a decent deal

Duck isn’t too much of a stranger to BaT. He’s bought and sold a 1 of 2 car there before Interlagos with white interior). Seems like he is trying to stay away from there for now.

[Duck360198]

Thanks a lot everyone! I worry about the "SMG effect." Meaning will putting money into the car return any gains? But I tend to agree that even $1K would have a good impact on it.

[Duck360198]

I'll buy it. Sounds great to me.

Ha! Alright...make an offer!

[Duck360198]

Duck isn’t too much of a stranger to BaT. He’s bought and sold a 1 of 2 car there before Interlagos with white interior). Seems like he is trying to stay away from there for now.

This IB/M Texture car wasn't a steal by any means, but I did buy sight unseen and was expecting the things I've found with the soft touch parts, swirl marks, pillars, etc. So I knew going into it money would need to be put into it. It was certainly an impulse purchase.

And really the Interlagos/Platinum was an impulse purchase as well. The BaT car experience wasn't my favorite. That's the only car I've purchased off BaT (have bid on others). With a 1-owner car, I felt like I knew exactly what I was getting. But when you have a family friend selling for a widow (plus a language barrier) who lost her husband, it complicates things. First, I had NO history on the modifications that were done and there were some interesting ones. Second, lawyers for the widow were watching the sale like a hawk and that added an interesting, yet frustrating level of complexity after the auction end. Third, when I received the car there were imperfections that were not mentioned that I felt should have been. It was still a beautiful car, but it just made for a less than desirable overall experience. I ended up selling all of the parts but kept the full lightweight titanium exhaust. With the replacement parts and installed (shop did everything) I bought and Inspection II I had completed, I was just under breaking even. The intent was to keep the car a LONG time, but the whole process got frustrating with each little thing I found and I just wanted to move on from it. Went to a dealer in NY and they have now sold it for significantly more than what they bought it from me. Just how it works I guess. And IB has been very wishy washy for me. I found myself only enjoying it in low light levels or overcast conditions. In direct sunlight I personally was not a fan. LSB has the same effect for me, so take my comments for what they're worth.

I've never sold a car on BaT, and in order to prepare for the onslaught of comments, I feel like I'd have to be 100% familiar with the history of a car...especially with an E46 M3. I don't know, maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe it's something you set a solid reserve and see what happens...after it gets cleaned up of course. But at least I'd get the experience in. At the same time, I don't know any of those people so maybe that's a good thing in a situation like that. Answer the questions, see what happens, and then I'll know if it's something I'd want to do again.

[Inizes]

Ahh you’re right, I remember I saw that for sale ad on BMWCCA and not on a second run through on BaT.

As for SMG, because of the rarity of the spec and lowish miles I don’t think it’ll have a huge impact on price. Although based on all the people who analyze BaT data they would say it does.

[fattycharged]

I remember that auction, he had a couple csl airboxes iirc. BAT can certainly be hit or miss, but it gets the job done in 6 days, which is nice.
I agree with you on the IB and LSB, looks great in photos, not so much in person, the Instagram effect.


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[Duck360198]

I remember that auction, he had a couple csl airboxes iirc. BAT can certainly be hit or miss, but it gets the job done in 6 days, which is nice.
I agree with you on the IB and LSB, looks great in photos, not so much in person, the Instagram effect.

He did. One was a replica box the other was an OEM P54B32 airbox, which is the OEM Z4 GTR airbox. Still essentially just a modified CSL airbox with the oil pickup. 100% agree with the "done in 6 days" aspect of BaT. Maybe it could even go as a no reserve auction to entice some people, but that scares me a bit.

[COVID-19]

Thanks a lot everyone! I worry about the "SMG effect." Meaning will putting money into the car return any gains? But I tend to agree that even $1K would have a good impact on it.

The “smg effect” is what I’m afraid of too .. IMO is hard to gauge until it hits the market. There’s all kinds of buyers out there including some that want the SMG low mileage etc.

[bmw]

There are SMG enthusiasts out there, I know of at least one, myself. I think it is the 'right' transmission for the E46 M3 (just look at the CSL) and offers a better driving experience after the learning curve. The 6MT is below average, clunky, long throws, heavy clutch - not worth the hype, and contemporary DCT offerings are not nearly as engaging. I'll pay a premium for SMG, but at this point I am a collector and only looking for a very specific car. In a decade, as the E46 M3 becomes a true collector car especially the partially done conversions with the SMG gauge cluster are going to be looked at as tragedies of this particular point in the models' history.

[lcrain]

I guess I am going to go against the grain here, but I am hesitant to spend time/money on a car I am about to sell. Yeah it may pay off to clean up some of the cosmetics a bit, but that takes time and it sounds like you are done with the car.

I sold one car on BAT and I had it in my mind that it had to be perfect. The result was not what I hoped for. I accepted a reserve that was on the low end, certain that my investment of time and money would pay off. It barely made it past the reserve. Not saying I wouldn't do it again, but I would certainly think hard before making my car "perfect" for a sale.

Sounds like a desirable car to me, even with SMG. I'd wager to say it is easily a $25k car with SMG in it's current form. If I owned that car, I would list it as is on here and maybe on CL/FB for a price that you are comfortable selling it for. If that doesn't get it sold, then maybe BAT?