Used buyers - How much did you bend on desired specs?

[CanIDeductIt]

Hi all. Hoping for some input on those who have purchased used and faced the dilemma of searching for a car that matches what you’re looking for vs what was actually available.

To provide more details on my situation, I’m hunting an F80 6MT ideally with competition package. If I were to order new it would be Sapphire Black with moonroof. I don’t want to ignite the whole carbon vs moon roof and will just leave it at the moonroof better fits my use and aesthetic preferences.

There are a handful of cars matching what I’m looking for, but between nothing local to me and between mileage and perceived condition nothing worth chasing for a long distance purchase. My runner up on color is Mineral Grey which I kind of like with the carbon roof. There happen to be a few of these out there that appear well cared for and with fairly low mileage.

So, my question to those of you have been down this road, did you wait it out until you found something that was an exact match, or did you make a few consolations to grab a car with a trusted history and was obviously well cared for? There’s a part of me that wants to wait it out as long as it takes to find the perfect match, but there’s another part of me that thinks I should place a priority on quality and maybe take a risk on a color/roof combo that isn’t exactly what I’d order if I was doing this from scratch. I’m not impatient on the purchase, but more so don’t want to spend the mental energy on a 6 month search only to end up buying the same thing that had been available months earlier.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by alwaysworkin1

Hi all. Hoping for some input on those who have purchased used and faced the dilemma of searching for a car that matches what you're looking for vs what was actually available.

To provide more details on my situation, I'm hunting an F80 6MT ideally with competition package. If I were to order new it would be Sapphire Black with moonroof. I don't want to ignite the whole carbon vs moon roof and will just leave it at the moonroof better fits my use and aesthetic preferences.

There are a handful of cars matching what I'm looking for, but between nothing local to me and between mileage and perceived condition nothing worth chasing for a long distance purchase. My runner up on color is Mineral Grey which I kind of like with the carbon roof. There happen to be a few of these out there that appear well cared for and with fairly low mileage.

So, my question to those of you have been down this road, did you wait it out until you found something that was an exact match, or did you make a few consolations to grab a car with a trusted history and was obviously well cared for? There's a part of me that wants to wait it out as long as it takes to find the perfect match, but there's another part of me that thinks I should place a priority on quality and maybe take a risk on a color/roof combo that isn't exactly what I'd order if I was doing this from scratch. I'm not impatient on the purchase, but more so don't want to spend the mental energy on a 6 month search only to end up buying the same thing that had been available months earlier.

Only you can answer those questions.

[Will911t]

I recently had a similar dilemma. Wanted the M3, white on Sakhir orange, sunroof and 6mt. I was searching for months. 6mt and sunroof are very difficult to find. Add the colour combo and that increases the difficulty. My search parameters was even nationwide (CANADA).
During my search, I located a Silverstone with black interior with the majority of options I wanted. I wasn't sure on the colour until I saw it in person. The car had some carbon and black accents- wow! I made the deal on the spot.
My suggestion is to keep your options open. When you see a car with the options you are interested in but not necessarily the colour- look at it. The options you want are difficult to find and you might be surprised how you will feel about a different colour. All the best with your search!

[chicagoshark]

I wanted a mineral gray one. But I couldn't find one for the right price. I did find a silver one that I wasn't that excited about until we negotiated a price that made me more than excited about it. Unfortunately the car sold underneath me. I then found a white one. Which I certainly liked but then when I negotiated the price to where I was happy I certainly liked that more.Then after it was CP owed, with basically 1000 miles and never been titled, giving me basically 3 1/2 years of warranty, at a great price, it could've been pink at that point. So evidently price equals flexibility for me LOL

[cryan]

I was in a similar boat. Maybe not quite as specific of a wish list, but definitely valued some more unique options. I'll just say entertain anything that checks most of the boxes. Everyone values mileage, maintenance history, warranty and options a little differently...and I think if you look at enough of them, you will confidently know it is the one when you find it.

[icegrill]

Moon roof just looks cleaner on a lot of colors.

[DocL]

I was in the same exact position and it took me almost 10 months to find the car that was 99% of what I wanted.

I was looking for a 2018 YMB/Blk. 6spd. Comp. Moonroof. The Exec package was not really important to me. I test drove a few in DCT comp and noncomp. Did the same with 6spd and definitely likes the 6spd better. The most difficult part was finding the moonroof with a 6spd. When they did pop up for sale they usually sold within a daw or two. I finally found a lease assumption car here and took it. The car had most of the exec features without the full package. I didn’t need the HUD and a few other things. The car does have the adaptive lights and everything but the 360 cameras. No big deal to me and it was a fair deal. I’m extremely happy.

For the reasons I mentioned, maybe compromise on the color, but nothing else. You will regret it. I did it a few years ago on another car and hated not having the exact options in a brand new car.

Hope this helps.

[3MOS]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Only you can answer those questions.

This! You've gotta prioritize because you'll likely need to compromise on some aspect of the purchase and deciding up front what you're comfortable compromising on helps tremendously. I started with the following-

Must haves:
-6MT
-Warranty
-Condition

Non-starters:
-Black or white exterior
-SO interior
-Sunroof (have had bad luck with sunroofs in prior cars)

Good luck!

[JimBatt20]

I waited it out. Took about 4 months for me to get EXACTLY what I wanted.

I ended up flying from Glasgow to London to pick it up.

I would wait it out, no point in buying and then wishing it had this or that, IMO.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by 3MOS

This! You've gotta prioritize because you'll likely need to compromise on some aspect of the purchase and deciding up front what you're comfortable compromising on helps tremendously. I started with the following-

Must haves:
-6MT
-Warranty
-Condition

Non-starters:
-Black or white exterior
-SO interior
-Sunroof (have had bad luck with sunroofs in prior cars)

Good luck!

This is a great response. Make a list of must haves versus good to have. For example, you might find everything you want except its DCT instead of 6MT. That would kill the deal.

[Rahul718]

When I was looking, my criteria was the following:

- M4 coupe
- 6 speed
- Comp package

I was flexible on color as long as it wasn’t Yellow, YMB or Orange. But really wanted a moonroof, but was flexible there too. I searched for 5 months nationwide and finally ended up getting a car that ticked the most important boxes for me and it was only 10 miles away! It is 2016 m4 coupe Comp 6mt with CF roof and black exterior. I was checking cpobmw.com 3x a day and when this got posted it didn’t even have pictures. But I saw it in person an hour after and bought it. It definitely wouldn’t have lasted. So in the end I gave up the sunroof but I’m happy that wasn’t the deterrent for me.

But if I was looking for a F80, a sunroof would be a must. With the f82, not so much

[doug_999]

I think some of it depends on how long you will keep the car. If you "settle" on a color or must have option, you will constantly wonder if you should have waited.

Remember, good things come to...

Ps manual/sunroof combo is super rare and I wish I had forced my dealer to keep looking for a build slot and just ordered what I wanted.

[CanIDeductIt]

Thanks all for the great responses. I realize that in the end it's my decision to make. Interesting to hear of other's thought processes and how they arrived at a decision. Honestly, I'm going into this planning on this being a 3 year car for me, however, keeping it longer is certainly on the table and part of my hesitation on not chasing something that's an exact match for me.

I'm searching nationally and found something that matches my criteria, although it has a handful more miles than I was hoping for. I won't be able to inspect the car in person and would need to have it shipped which adds a bit of hesitation. My plan for now is to vet the car as much as possible via detailed photos and service history, and then make a decision on whether it's worth chasing vs waiting for something more local and maybe with a few less miles to appear.

[NoSuchSol]

New owner of a used M3 myself. I knew it had to have the DCT, Executive Package and the Comp Pack, but I was flexible on the rest of it. I did want the carbon fiber roof but it wasn't a deal breaker to find the car with the other items that needed to be on there. I ended up with a '16 Sakhir Orange / Sakhir Orange with the sunroof.

I think you're going to have a hard time with the sunroof since it isn't the popular pick. Best of luck!

[NoSuchSol]

Originally Posted by alwaysworkin1

Thanks all for the great responses. I realize that in the end it's my decision to make. Interesting to hear of other's thought processes and how they arrived at a decision. Honestly, I'm going into this planning on this being a 3 year car for me, however, keeping it longer is certainly on the table and part of my hesitation on not chasing something that's an exact match for me.

I'm searching nationally and found something that matches my criteria, although it has a handful more miles than I was hoping for. I won't be able to inspect the car in person and would need to have it shipped which adds a bit of hesitation. My plan for now is to vet the car as much as possible via detailed photos and service history, and then make a decision on whether it's worth chasing vs waiting for something more local and maybe with a few less miles to appear.

There is a 6MT Black/Black over at California Beemers but it looks like it doesn't have the sunroof.

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by alwaysworkin1

Thanks all for the great responses. I realize that in the end it's my decision to make. Interesting to hear of other's thought processes and how they arrived at a decision. Honestly, I'm going into this planning on this being a 3 year car for me, however, keeping it longer is certainly on the table and part of my hesitation on not chasing something that's an exact match for me.

I'm searching nationally and found something that matches my criteria, although it has a handful more miles than I was hoping for. I won't be able to inspect the car in person and would need to have it shipped which adds a bit of hesitation. My plan for now is to vet the car as much as possible via detailed photos and service history, and then make a decision on whether it's worth chasing vs waiting for something more local and maybe with a few less miles to appear.

Lots of great people here - don't hesitate to ask someone to go check the car out. I know that if it was local to me in IL, I would be happy to do that for a fellow board member!

[Darth One]

For used cars it's condition, mileage and documented history Uber allés. And then proximity of location, so you can lay eyes on both car and seller if possible (and save a grand or so on transport as well).

Only then would options and color come into play so clearly you'd have to compromise quite a bit on getting perfect options and ideal color. IMO of course

[LVI]

Originally Posted by alwaysworkin1

Hi all. Hoping for some input on those who have purchased used and faced the dilemma of searching for a car that matches what you’re looking for vs what was actually available.

To provide more details on my situation, I’m hunting an F80 6MT ideally with competition package. If I were to order new it would be Sapphire Black with moonroof. I don’t want to ignite the whole carbon vs moon roof and will just leave it at the moonroof better fits my use and aesthetic preferences.

There are a handful of cars matching what I’m looking for, but between nothing local to me and between mileage and perceived condition nothing worth chasing for a long distance purchase. My runner up on color is Mineral Grey which I kind of like with the carbon roof. There happen to be a few of these out there that appear well cared for and with fairly low mileage.

So, my question to those of you have been down this road, did you wait it out until you found something that was an exact match, or did you make a few consolations to grab a car with a trusted history and was obviously well cared for? There’s a part of me that wants to wait it out as long as it takes to find the perfect match, but there’s another part of me that thinks I should place a priority on quality and maybe take a risk on a color/roof combo that isn’t exactly what I’d order if I was doing this from scratch. I’m not impatient on the purchase, but more so don’t want to spend the mental energy on a 6 month search only to end up buying the same thing that had been available months earlier.

you're having trouble finding a black car? I think your issue is that you're set of just 2018 cars that's the problem, not the color, with the sunroof being another option that was unpopular.

Keep in mind that most of these cars are less than 2 years old and are leased. Because of that, my guess is that most 2018s won't turn over until close to lease end, for various reasons, but mainly because a lot of these leases are upside down and it doesn't make sense to trade in at this point.

That said, finding a black 6mt should be relatively easy, even with a sunroof, if you're not picky with other options and are willing to travel. I'd be very surprised if it really takes you 6 months to find it.

[RElias21]

Originally Posted by lawrence1

you're having trouble finding a black car? I think your issue is that you're set of just 2018 cars that's the problem, not the color, with the sunroof being another option that was unpopular.

Keep in mind that most of these cars are less than 2 years old and are leased. Because of that, my guess is that most 2018s won't turn over until close to lease end, for various reasons, but mainly because a lot of these leases are upside down and it doesn't make sense to trade in at this point.

That said, finding a black 6mt should be relatively easy, even with a sunroof, if you're not picky with other options and are willing to travel. I'd be very surprised if it really takes you 6 months to find it.

I was looking for a particularly Spec'd F 80for about a year and a half. My perspective was that there is nothing worse than buyers remorse. I would rather not have the car then end up buying an expensive car that wasn't exactly to my liking.

I will say, however that my color preference naturally changed with time. Certain colors that I liked initially I end up deciding that I did not like.

After a year and a half I found my unicorn. It was not the color I was initially looking for, but it was a color that I grew to love in the end.

I didn't sacrifice anything. I waited.

[chicagoshark]

Originally Posted by doug_999

Lots of great people here - don't hesitate to ask someone to go check the car out. I know that if it was local to me in IL, I would be happy to do that for a fellow board member!

Absolutely. I'm chicago western suburbs, if you need

[bagekko]

It all depends on how long you are going to keep it, if only 2-3 years there's no sense spending 6-12 months waiting for the perfect one IMHO.

With 6MT cars, you kinda have to be flexible on color unless you will wait up to a year for the right one to come along.

I get at least a car every year and very good at the hunt, most of the ones I get are hard to find, and I sacrifice color which is how at one point we had 4 blacks cars ugh.

My F83 M4 6MT, once I got serious took me about 3 months to find what I was willing to accept. Unless local I would not look at anything but those at BMW dealers. 6MT, Exec, Nav, Adaptive, and 19's were must haves, obviously ZCP would of been nice but wasn't required. I ended up getting a CPO shipped sight unseen from CA to RI, SS2 which is better than black lol. Around CPO end in Jan 2021, it will be replaced with hopefully the final model year of the F83 with a 6MT.