Don't buy this M3 Competition!!!

onefastdoc · 12-03-2019, 05:00 PM

Hi guys. I'm just posting this as a public service announcement. It's always tricky buying a used car, and most people on this forum are fanatics like me who want a pristine vehicle. Well, my 2016 F80 M3 Competition was pristine, before being totaled that is. My car was parked on a residential street and was hit by a young girl who was probably texting. Frame damage, suspension damage, the whole nine yards. The trunk wouldn't close, the rear doors wouldn't close, and the gas cap which is on the opposite side of the damage wouldn't close. Should have been a total loss but her insurance company elected to repair it because the $30,000 repair bill was cheaper than the buyout on the lease. It took 3 months to repair, and after receiving the car back from the shop, I turned it in to BMW last week when the lease ended. That means this car will end up for sale on some dealer's lot. The car looks absolutely pristine. The shop did an amazing job, but I would never want to own this car, and I don't think anyone on this site would want to own it either. So, I'm posting my VIN and photos to show you what the car went through. If you are on the hunt for a used M3, avoid this one and keep on looking. Just trying to save you guys from a bad buy.

VIN WBS8M9C59G5G41529

Before accident

After the accident

The car that hit me spun and ended up on the sidewalk

The repair process

After the repair

White340 · 12-03-2019, 05:06 PM

Crazy to think that this cost 30k to repair. Fact is that it looks pretty flawless afterwards so I bet someone who buys it won't even know it was in an accident if they don't check the carfax. Does it even show up on carfax this early?

uniqueMR · 12-03-2019, 06:32 PM

knightarmor · 12-03-2019, 06:56 PM

Wow! Awesome post, thank you for posting this up. In any case at least anyone who really wants to know about this car may stumble upon this thread here and make a more informed decision on whether to purchase or not.

icegrill · 12-03-2019, 08:08 PM

Great post!

Suds · 12-03-2019, 08:14 PM

The Question; does Carfax show a repair?

guess2098 · 12-03-2019, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suds

The Question; does Carfax show a repair?

If repair shop reports yet then yes.

tropicalypso · 12-03-2019, 10:48 PM

Thank you for posting this.

lukej · 12-03-2019, 11:20 PM

Oh snap,,, that’s a crazy story... WOW is all I can say..

Thanks for posting..

IK6SPEED · 12-03-2019, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukej

Oh snap,,, that’s a crazy story... WOW is all I can say..

Thanks for posting..

Or this 2018....

lukej · 12-04-2019, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Or this 2018....

Oh that one will be ok,,, The front bumper just fell off... just missing a bolt...

Holy Crap .... oh sorry can I say that on here.. !!!

Spun Crankhub · 12-04-2019, 02:02 AM

Ugh, whenever I see these I hope it never happens to me. OP sorry about your car.

TheDailyDriven · 12-04-2019, 06:55 AM

Who would have thought that would have been 30K in repairs. Good thing you leased it.

cotmfk · 12-04-2019, 07:58 AM

Thanks for posting this.

Also, what were you driving for the 3 months this was in the shop? (I'm assuming they gave you some crappy rental car?)

agentrnge · 12-04-2019, 09:30 AM

Thanks for the info. +1 It did not look all that bad, and -looks- like a perfect repair.

Bimmer Pleaser · 12-04-2019, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guess2098

If repair shop reports yet then yes.

To make it clearer: shops that have contract with Carfax report it, which means smaller mom-and-pop shops usually don't report. Also, a frame damaged car will be specifically marked as "structurally damaged" by Carfax even if frame was completely fixed.

jmg · 12-04-2019, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f80_austiny3llow

Who would have thought that would have been 30K in repairs. Good thing you leased it.

I hit a rock that destroyed my oil cooler among other things. Had to replace that plus the front bumper, front headlights, steering mount, M Performance Exhaust, rear differential and some other things that I can't remember. It was over $30k in repairs and wasn't totaled. I lease returned it 2 months after I got it out of the shop.

onefastdoc · 12-04-2019, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotmfk

Thanks for posting this.

Also, what were you driving for the 3 months this was in the shop? (I'm assuming they gave you some crappy rental car?)

That was a whole different story. Her insurance, Liberty Mutual, would only pay for a $30/day piece of crap rental car. After 6 weeks they said that was it, the repairs were taking too long and they weren’t paying for a rental anymore. So I called my insurance (State Farm) and at first they said sure well pay for a rental car. However, after realizing that Liberty Mutual already covered a rental for 6 weeks, State Farm said no, and suggested I threaten to sue Liberty Mutual. That didn’t work, so I borrowed a beater from my parents for the remaining time.

onefastdoc · 12-04-2019, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by White340

Crazy to think that this cost 30k to repair. Fact is that it looks pretty flawless afterwards so I bet someone who buys it won't even know it was in an accident if they don't check the carfax. Does it even show up on carfax this early?

I didn’t take pics during the tear down but it was impressive. They had to take a saw and cut the whole left rear quarter panel off which went all the way to the B pillar. The frame was pretty damaged and all of the panel gaps were off. The damage was a lot worse than the initial photos above would suggest.

All I can say is THANK GOD I leased it. Imagine if I owned it. I’d be stuck with a beautiful but worthless M3. The resale value would be terrible. I leased my GT-R and then bought the car when the lease ended. If this happened to the GT-R, I would have been crying.

So yeah, I would say that a huge advantage of leasing, aside from writing it off as a business expense, is that if the car gets damaged, you can just turn it in and walk away.

alex2364 · 12-05-2019, 12:20 AM

What are you replacing the M3 with?

jvit27 · 12-05-2019, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suds

The Question; does Carfax show a repair?

Police reports will flag it too. (but not always)

kumkeet · 12-05-2019, 02:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onefastdoc

I didn’t take pics during the tear down but it was impressive. They had to take a saw and cut the whole left rear quarter panel off which went all the way to the B pillar. The frame was pretty damaged and all of the panel gaps were off. The damage was a lot worse than the initial photos above would suggest.

All I can say is THANK GOD I leased it. Imagine if I owned it. I’d be stuck with a beautiful but worthless M3. The resale value would be terrible. I leased my GT-R and then bought the car when the lease ended. If this happened to the GT-R, I would have been crying.

So yeah, I would say that a huge advantage of leasing, aside from writing it off as a business expense, is that if the car gets damaged, you can just turn it in and walk away.

If they did a good repair job, car would still drive great? Don't think it will be 'worthless'?

12-03-2019, 05:00 PM	#1
onefastdoc Lieutenant 124 Rep 425 Posts Drives: 2016 F80 M3 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: L.A. iTrader: (2)	Don't buy this M3 Competition!!! Hi guys. I'm just posting this as a public service announcement. It's always tricky buying a used car, and most people on this forum are fanatics like me who want a pristine vehicle. Well, my 2016 F80 M3 Competition was pristine, before being totaled that is. My car was parked on a residential street and was hit by a young girl who was probably texting. Frame damage, suspension damage, the whole nine yards. The trunk wouldn't close, the rear doors wouldn't close, and the gas cap which is on the opposite side of the damage wouldn't close. Should have been a total loss but her insurance company elected to repair it because the $30,000 repair bill was cheaper than the buyout on the lease. It took 3 months to repair, and after receiving the car back from the shop, I turned it in to BMW last week when the lease ended. That means this car will end up for sale on some dealer's lot. The car looks absolutely pristine. The shop did an amazing job, but I would never want to own this car, and I don't think anyone on this site would want to own it either. So, I'm posting my VIN and photos to show you what the car went through. If you are on the hunt for a used M3, avoid this one and keep on looking. Just trying to save you guys from a bad buy. VIN WBS8M9C59G5G41529 Before accident After the accident The car that hit me spun and ended up on the sidewalk The repair process After the repair __________________ *OneFastDoc* 2012 R35 GT-R Full Bolt On E85 (600whp) 2016 F80 M3 2008 E90 M3 sold 2007 E92 335i (369whp, 354wtq) sold
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12-03-2019, 05:06 PM	#2
White340 Colonel 1606 Rep 2,123 Posts Drives: 2018 M3 Comp / 2022 X5 45e Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: NYC iTrader: (3)	Crazy to think that this cost 30k to repair. Fact is that it looks pretty flawless afterwards so I bet someone who buys it won't even know it was in an accident if they don't check the carfax. Does it even show up on carfax this early? __________________ 2022 X5 45e : AW/Tartufo 2018 M3 Competition : AW/SO 2016 340i xDrive : AW/CR (sold)
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12-03-2019, 06:32 PM	#3
uniqueMR Colonel 1971 Rep 2,989 Posts Drives: Depends ;) Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	__________________ Currently: '22 Ferrari F8T \| '24 Mercedes G63 \| '24 Porsche GT3RS \| '25 BMW M3C \| Ducati Pani V4 Previous Others: Audi, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Infiniti, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen Insta: @theuniquemr
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12-03-2019, 06:56 PM	#4
knightarmor Lieutenant Colonel 950 Rep 1,656 Posts Drives: 2017 M3 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Washington iTrader: (2)	Wow! Awesome post, thank you for posting this up. In any case at least anyone who really wants to know about this car may stumble upon this thread here and make a more informed decision on whether to purchase or not.
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12-03-2019, 08:08 PM	#5
icegrill Lieutenant Colonel 2079 Rep 1,810 Posts Drives: 2015 M3 Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Oregon iTrader: (3)	Great post!
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12-03-2019, 08:14 PM	#6
Suds /M Enthusiast 1641 Rep 1,630 Posts Drives: 2019 M2C Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lone Star State iTrader: (1)	The Question; does Carfax show a repair? __________________ 2019 M2 Comp, Alpine White, DCT, track car build, 1/2 cage, AP Racing Brakes & Nitron Coilovers, BM3 Stage 1 93 Oct. 2018 Porsche Cayman GTS, Night Blue Metalic, PDK, COBB tuned 93 Oct. 2004 Audi A4 Avant USP 6mt, RS4 clutch, built motor, Garrett GT3071r "Big Ass Turbo" Motoza Tune
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12-03-2019, 10:48 PM	#8
tropicalypso Second Lieutenant 335 Rep 252 Posts Drives: Occasionally Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Tampa, Fl iTrader: (0)	Thank you for posting this. __________________ ///M3 \| 2018 \| Black Sapphire \| M Perf \| BM3 Stage 1
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12-03-2019, 11:20 PM	#9
lukej Lieutenant 392 Rep 544 Posts Drives: 2020 M4 Comp, Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Midwest iTrader: (0)	Oh snap,,, that’s a crazy story... WOW is all I can say.. Thanks for posting.. __________________ 1."Luck" is an excuse for people that have failed at their mission to do something! (Allan McNish) 2. I’m not an (EXPERT) I’m just here with an opinion. So don’t hate me. (lukej)
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12-04-2019, 02:02 AM	#12
Spun Crankhub Major General 1009 Rep 5,152 Posts Drives: 15 F82 SOLD Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: San Jose, CA iTrader: (66)	Ugh, whenever I see these I hope it never happens to me. OP sorry about your car.
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12-04-2019, 06:55 AM	#13
TheDailyDriven Co-Founder BMW INVASION 699 Rep 487 Posts Drives: 2022 Imola Red II G80 M3 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: South Florida iTrader: (1)	Who would have thought that would have been 30K in repairs. Good thing you leased it. __________________ 2022 Imola Red II G80 M3 Instagram : TheDailyDriv3n F80 Journal : https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1573171 YouTube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDailyDriven/featured
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12-04-2019, 07:58 AM	#14
cotmfk Major General 2133 Rep 6,195 Posts Drives: M3 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: FL iTrader: (12)	Thanks for posting this. Also, what were you driving for the 3 months this was in the shop? (I'm assuming they gave you some crappy rental car?) __________________ T1M3LESS M3 is for sale https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1423045
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12-04-2019, 09:30 AM	#15
agentrnge Lieutenant 404 Rep 513 Posts Drives: 2018 M3 6MT, 2001 740iL Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Morris County, NJ iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the info. +1 It did not look all that bad, and -looks- like a perfect repair.
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12-05-2019, 12:20 AM	#20
alex2364 Brigadier General 3560 Rep 3,063 Posts Drives: 2020 M4 ZCP / 2023 X3 M40i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Northern VA iTrader: (2) Garage List 2020 BMW M4 [10.00] 2023 BMW X3 M40i [9.75]	What are you replacing the M3 with?
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