Buying an M3

Hey guys, im new here and I have been looking into buying an M3 2004. The price they have it at is 17,500 and it has 104,000 miles. I was just wondering from you guys if you think it's still ok to buy a car with that many miles. The engine was clean and had no oil leaks. The guy mentioned he had cleaned the engine bay, and you could tell it was as if it was new. Then the inside of the car is an SMG tranny and has navigation. Convertible top as well, with red leather interior, but the front seats have minor damage. What do you guys think? I really want it and it will be my first BMW ever, just don't know if im making a right choice for the price and miles. Thanks let me know.

LuckySpin

Also just to mention, the guy told me the top works, but he has a speaker in the trunk.. So he had to take the speaker off in order to put the top down, and i was wondering how much space do you have in the trunk if the top is down... It's a 2004 E46

always try to negotiate the price and get him down a little if possible. That doesn't sound like a horrible deal but check a few things. Does the car have any maintenance records(work receipts), This is a very good sign the car was taken care of well. Also when was the last time the cooling components were replaced. Also have there been any valve adjustments done to the car. Has there been any repairs done to the sub-frame mounts. Also have all the inspections been done to the car. Lastly some things that can be used to gauge how well it has been taken care of, is the tool kit complete in the trunk with all tools, does the car come with all the keys or at-least most of them. Things like a clean engine bay could mean they care for the car well but it can also mean they are covering something op by wiping it away. good luck and hopefully everything works out. Oh and one last thing be very weary of how the smg tranny shifts. These sometimes have problems and are crazy expensive to replace.

hey that many miles is silly...i just got a 04 m3 for 23000...with 32,000 miles on it. Y ou can do a lot better people are hurting to sell cars...just wheel and deal em!!..my car is white/vert/cinnamon interior..great shape too..good luck

one more thing sounds crazy but look ebay...thats where i started looking and eventually found one on autotrader online. later

I am also shopping around for a used E46. I actually came across a consumer reports list that had the E46 M3 ranked as one of the most reliable cars on the road. I was not expecting that, but I was happy to hear it.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...-used-cars.htm

What I am really interested in is what you said about the miles. 104k sounds high but I want to know what the owners here that have that many on their cars think. If that is still a reasonable number it really opens a lot of options.

Hmm. The link you show doesn't say most reliable, just most satisfying:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...dels/index.htm

(sub required to see link)

Highly recommend having it checked out by an independent BMW garage. Look for leaking seals underneath. Slightly seeping seals may not be a big deal. Engine valve adjustment as mentioned was supposed to be done as the last warrantable, end of warranty service, otherwise it's expensive. Try to verify all factory maintenance was done, get service records, dealer receipts from owner.

I checked for any safety-related recalls (NHTSA) There were none for the 2004

http://auto-recalls.justia.com/bmw/m3/

it's tempting..... but, I have to burst your bubble/excitement....I'd walk away.....too many miles,... soon YOU might be sending in posts here to ask advice on fixing this or that....

just...WAIT..... there's ALWAYS another better deal that will come along...with LOWER miles......

Saw nice '03 M3, with SMG. 97,000 miles. Needs new transmission is all Audi dealer could say. Is it worth my time to have a PPI, make an offer to the dealer and have it replaced on the funds I didn't spend on purchase? Thoughts?

btw, if a Maryland BMW dealer would do the work and I move out of state, is the work warrantied by any BMW dealer?

-Alex