Opinions on prospective 2018 M3 6MT purchase

[M3SQRD]

SteveYem

I know the body shop guy didn’t mention this but any chance the bumper was PPF’ed after it was replaced/repainted? Have you confirmed the car has the LCI ICON Adaptive LED headlights? On my ‘16 f82, the adaptive LED headlights were part of the executive package. Off topic but if you get the car, you absolutely need to have anti-dazzle high beams coded!

Other than PPF, I don’t see how a BMW front bumper would not have road rash after 53k miles while everything else around it does have road rash? A fresh repaint for some reason that was paid out of pocket?

Lease body damage - lease agreement states it must be repaired to oem standard but doesn’t specifically state oem parts are required (iirc, from out 228ix lease). We were rear ended our local body shop replaced and painted the new oem rear bumper. I don’t believe there was a non-oem bumper available in 2018-2019 so my guess is it has an oem bumper. If it wasn’t, the body shop guy would have picked up on a poorly fitting bumper. On one of my e92 M3s, I had the oem CF lower splitters molded to the front bumper before being painted so I wasn’t in an accident yet I have a new oem Euro bumper.

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

SteveYem

I know the body shop guy didn’t mention this but any chance the bumper was PPF’ed after it was replaced/repainted? Have you confirmed the car has the LCI ICON Adaptive LED headlights? On my ‘16 f82, the adaptive LED headlights were part of the executive package. Off topic but if you get the car, you absolutely need to have anti-dazzle high beams coded!

Other than PPF, I don’t see how a BMW front bumper would not have road rash after 53k miles while everything else around it does have road rash? A fresh repaint for some reason that was paid out of pocket?

Lease body damage - lease agreement states it must be repaired to oem standard but doesn’t specifically state oem parts are required (iirc, from out 228ix lease). We were rear ended our local body shop replaced and painted the new oem rear bumper. I don’t believe there was a non-oem bumper available in 2018-2019 so my guess is it has an oem bumper. If it wasn’t, the body shop guy would have picked up on a poorly fitting bumper. On one of my e92 M3s, I had the oem CF lower splitters molded to the front bumper before being painted so I wasn’t in an accident yet I have a new oem Euro bumper.

Shoot! It crossed my mind to ask him if there was PPF applied but I completely spaced on it. This guy seemed pretty sharp and I think he would have mentioned it if he noticed it.
A recent, fresh repaint for the heck of it sounds like a pretty rare (and dubious) move, for a completely bone stock car (i.e. not owned by a car enthusiast per se).

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

Shoot! It crossed my mind to ask him if there was PPF applied but I completely spaced on it. This guy seemed pretty sharp and I think he would have mentioned it if he noticed it.
A recent, fresh repaint for the heck of it sounds like a pretty rare (and dubious) move, for a completely bone stock car (i.e. not owned by a car enthusiast per se).

I went to a car meet once and I was backing into the organizer’s driveway, parking between a Lambo and Veyron. Fortunately, I didn’t back into either of the cars but I did back into the brick column between the garage doors of a $10M home! Had to have the rear bumper replaced. You never know what might have happened.

[icebiker]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

Ah, ok. I have one photo from the dealer where it looks like there is a raised feature on the hat, although it’s mostly obscured by the wheel spoke:



I guess the car has been sitting outside in the rain for a while as well.

My fellow bimmerposters will correct me if I’m wrong but those wheels look different than the ones that came stock on the car. Given the tire is 19”, they should be 437’s or 763’s but the one in the pic looks like neither. Or is the picture fooling me?

[gerri]

Originally Posted by icebiker

My fellow bimmerposters will correct me if I’m wrong but those wheels look different than the ones that came stock on the car. Given the tire is 19”, they should be 437’s or 763’s but the one in the pic looks like neither. Or is the picture fooling me?

They are 641M and are used for the winter set. I don't know why they are fitted with summer tires because the 641M are 8.5J front and 9J rear and fit 255 front and rear while the 437 are 9J front and 10J rear and fit wider tires at the rear. IMO they only mounted 4 rims that they had for sale because the originals were no longer available.

[gerri]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

A recent, fresh repaint for the heck of it sounds like a pretty rare (and dubious) move, for a completely bone stock car (i.e. not owned by a car enthusiast per se).

There is nothing strange, the owner or the seller had the bumper repainted before the sale because it was damaged, perhaps even just slightly, but not nice to present. If the paint is perfect compared to the rest, it has been 100% repainted.

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by gerri

They are 641M and are used for the winter set. I don't know why they are fitted with summer tires because the 641M are 8.5J front and 9J rear and fit 255 front and rear while the 437 are 9J front and 10J rear and fit wider tires at the rear. IMO they only mounted 4 rims that they had for sale because the originals were no longer available.

I really appreciate this input! The build sheet for this car, provided to me by the dealer, indicates that it came with 19" 437M wheels but clearly these are not them. Now I'm feeling even more leery about this car considering it doesn't include all of the original equipment. Sliced and diced.

[Yuille36]

So the search continues. From my earlier post, you can find a unmolested low mileage F80, if you look hard enough. I found mine in AZ, and had it shipped to Virginia.

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by Yuille36

So the search continues. From my earlier post, you can find a unmolested low mileage F80, if you look hard enough. I found mine in AZ, and had it shipped to Virginia.

Did you buy it sight unseen without a test drive? No judgement from me, just curious.

I am currently waiting to hear from a seller in south Texas who has one that is perfectly spec'd for me, and I'm considering flying to Houston, doing a one-way car rental to drive down and test drive / purchase the car, driving it back to my friend's house near Houston and having it shipped from there, then flying home. Some extra expense, for sure, but also a little adventure and some much needed diversion from the daily grind!

Your M3 is a beauty, by the way, but you already knew that : )

[MotoGPWannaBe]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

Did you buy it sight unseen without a test drive? No judgement from me, just curious.

I am currently waiting to hear from a seller in south Texas who has one that is perfectly spec'd for me, and I'm considering flying to Houston, doing a one-way car rental to drive down and test drive / purchase the car, driving it back to my friend's house near Houston and having it shipped from there, then flying home. Some extra expense, for sure, but also a little adventure and some much needed diversion from the daily grind!

Your M3 is a beauty, by the way, but you already knew that : )

Let me know if you need someone with about 4 years of F80 ownership in the Houston area to take a look at it for a small fee. I’ve also had an E46 M3/AMG/ total of 25 cars.

[Yuille36]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

Did you buy it sight unseen without a test drive? No judgement from me, just curious.

I am currently waiting to hear from a seller in south Texas who has one that is perfectly spec'd for me, and I'm considering flying to Houston, doing a one-way car rental to drive down and test drive / purchase the car, driving it back to my friend's house near Houston and having it shipped from there, then flying home. Some extra expense, for sure, but also a little adventure and some much needed diversion from the daily grind!

Your M3 is a beauty, by the way, but you already knew that : )

Thank you for the compliment, everyone gives me thumbs up, or tells me how nice it is.

There was a lot of back and forth communication, and they provided me with tons of photos, and some that I specifically requested. But yes sight unseen, I had them take it to a BMW Dealership where a PPI was conducted, and I spoke directly with the service advisor (SA) and got his report and thoughts. The car did have an issue with the DME (Digital Motor Electronic), simply an ECU but they installed updated software and the issue was rectified. They identified worn rear tires, which I already knew from the photos. Overall, the SA told me that he hasn't seen a 7 year old M3 with as little miles 10,237 in this good condition. I was told that this car was a weekend car for the previous owner, hence the low miles. But he took great care, as the car already had PPF installed, carbon side skirts, diffuser, spoiler and front bumper splitter and BMW M Performance goodies like the Alcantara shift knob & boot, carbon E-brake handle & boot and armrest.

Under my watch, I've completed a comprehensive service on everything that could be serviced. Installed new Michelins tires, lowering springs, oil skid plate, oil catch can, oil thermostat, carbon interior door handles, Alcantara steering wheel, carbon seat backs, exhaust tips, dash cam, radar detector, full screen apple car play, updated map software, coded in some new features using Bimmer Code and numerous other things, that I cannot remember right now. And soon will be converting the headliner and such to Alcantara. This car has full extended leather package, so the Alcantara headliner, sun visors A, B and pillars along with the rear parcel shelf will complement and already nice interior. I don't know why it didn't come this way from factory, and my X5M has it, along with my E63 AMG. From my recollection, the only option this car didn't have was the upgraded sound system, and Carbon Ceramic Brakes. So, pretty much every box was checked by the previous owner.

I probably spent about $8,000 in maintenance and parts alone.

I truly found a diamond in the ruff, after my long extended search. And I absolutely love the mineral white metallic paint, which has metallic pearl in it. I was looking for a Yas Marina Blue, and seen a lot of them for sale in the north east, but those dealers were playing games, adding additional fees into the purchasing price, and out the door the car is $10,000 more. So, I told them that they can kiss my *** but my long search paid off in the end. And this was a very low mileage M3, that was reasonably priced during my search.

Keep at it, and you will find the right vehicle for you. Don't settle for everything less.

[SteveYem]

Following up to say that I really appreciate all of the guidance and insight you all have provided here. I ended up passing on the car that I originally posted about here, and tomorrow I will be looking at one being sold by a private party. It is spec’d perfectly for me: 2018 M3 Competition package, 6MT, executive package, Sakhir Orange extended leather interior, moonroof, factory carbon front splitters, rear diffuser and rear spoiler, and the oem 666m wheels that came with the car. 39k miles and no reported accident history. If all goes well, by this time tomorrow I’ll have some photos to share

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

Following up to say that I really appreciate all of the guidance and insight you all have provided here. I ended up passing on the car that I originally posted about here, and tomorrow I will be looking at one being sold by a private party. It is spec’d perfectly for me: 2018 M3 Competition package, 6MT, executive package, Sakhir Orange extended leather interior, moonroof, factory carbon front splitters, rear diffuser and rear spoiler, and the oem 666m wheels that came with the car. 39k miles and no reported accident history. If all goes well, by this time tomorrow I’ll have some photos to share

The deal went through. I had to travel from PA to TX to test drive and do my due diligence. It’s currently parked at my friend’s place in TX where it will be picked up to ship to me in PA. Here is my new-to-me 2018 M3 6MT in Mineral Gray Metallic with Sakhir Orange extended leather interior, with Competition and Executive packages, and moonroof

[icebiker]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

The deal went through. I had to travel from PA to TX to test drive and do my due diligence. It’s currently parked at my friend’s place in TX where it will be picked up to ship to me in PA. Here is my new-to-me 2018 M3 6MT in Mineral Gray Metallic with Sakhir Orange extended leather interior, with Competition and Executive packages, and moonroof

Congrats!! Awesome ride. You’re going to love it.

[SteveYem]

I am back in PA, but my friend's dad in TX was kind enough to go over and work with the transport driver while he loaded the car. It should be here by Monday, weather-permitting, and I am psyched. I put up the extra coin for covered transport. Probably buying myself only peace of mind, but after the effort I went through to lock down this vehicle I think it's worth it. That's what I'll tell my accountant, anyway. Would have rather had an upper deck seat, but what are ya gonna do! Buddy's dad said there was another M3 in the trailer but didn't specify which generation : )

[Yuille36]

I'm happy for you. I just hope that the upper deck has a drop tray to catch any liquid spills from the old 60's Corvette.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

I am back in PA, but my friend's dad in TX was kind enough to go over and work with the transport driver while he loaded the car. It should be here by Monday, weather-permitting, and I am psyched. I put up the extra coin for covered transport. Probably buying myself only peace of mind, but after the effort I went through to lock down this vehicle I think it's worth it. That's what I'll tell my accountant, anyway. Would have rather had an upper deck seat, but what are ya gonna do! Buddy's dad said there was another M3 in the trailer but didn't specify which generation : )

Congrats! MGM/SO is a nice color combo. It’ll definitely be worth it once you start driving it. The f8x is by far the best M3/M4 for daily driving and is pretty damn quick on track in mostly stock form (needs track pads and brake fluid). Respect the throttle pedal because > 400 hp and torque can get you in trouble fast. Enjoy it in good health!

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by Yuille36

I'm happy for you. I just hope that the upper deck has a drop tray to catch any liquid spills from the old 60's Corvette.

I had the same thought. Fortunately there was a thorough pre-loading inspection conducted by the driver and witnessed by my friend so if there is a puddle of oil or a panel of paint stripped away due to leaking brake fluid, I’ll find it immediately upon receipt inspection.

[louielouie]

Congrats!

Much nicer than the original listing as well.

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by louielouie

Congrats!

Much nicer than the original listing as well.

Oh boy, do I agree. I actually can’t really think of a more ideal spec for me. Maybe if it had the 19” 437m wheels, but that’s an easy change to make later if desired. Who knows, the 666m might grow on me!

[louielouie]

Originally Posted by SteveYem

Oh boy, do I agree. I actually can’t really think of a more ideal spec for me. Maybe if it had the 19” 437m wheels, but that’s an easy change to make later if desired. Who knows, the 666m might grow on me!

Never had them since my Comp came with aftermarket wheels. The style did grow on me since release but you might not feel the same while you sit there and clean them.

[SteveYem]

Originally Posted by louielouie

Never had them since my Comp came with aftermarket wheels. The style did grow on me since release but you might not feel the same while you sit there and clean them.

Ha, great point! I’m going to be relying heavily on Sonax wheel cleaner and my pressure washer, I reckon.