New poster here, had been looking for an e36 M3, but may have found a deal on an M5.
It is a one owner, has 138k miles. It is a 2000, thye are asking $15k. The mileage is very large, I can only assume it was a commuter car, but the price is fantastic.
Anyone got an opinion on this, I will run car fax, bmw database and anything else I can find to check this car out.
Just looking for some feedback.
The dealership said they will stand behind the car, once it is checked out, ie they won't sell it to me if it is not legit. I also know a master bmw tech that can check it out.
New poster here, had been looking for an e36 M3, but may have found a deal on an M5.
It is a one owner, has 138k miles. It is a 2000, thye are asking $15k. The mileage is very large, I can only assume it was a commuter car, but the price is fantastic.
Anyone got an opinion on this, I will run car fax, bmw database and anything else I can find to check this car out.
Just looking for some feedback.
The dealership said they will stand behind the car, once it is checked out, ie they won't sell it to me if it is not legit. I also know a master bmw tech that can check it out.
Jack
I assume it is a reputable BMW dealership. Service records very, very important. I would also feel better if a one owner car. What did prior owner trade it in on? If another BMW, he probably liked the car and the dealership. Auction car, be veeeeeeery careful. Can you speak to the prior owner? One member has free carfax for a couple of weeks, check out thread and have VIN run. Good luck and keep us posted.
Regards,
Jerry
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'01 Black/caramel
Dinan Stage 3 suspension, SS jet coated headers, ESS SC kit, open brake ducts, Hamann front splitters, TEC cupholder, U.S.(Euro style) tilt/slide armrest, 6k HID fogs, 6k super white low beams, V1/Stealth1, dual head LI, 2.65 diff w/40% lockup/2x dynamic, compact spare, Euro trailer hitch, Mocal oil cooler, ACS type rear spoiler, Rogue custom SSK and tranny mounts, ST 355 BBK (fronts), BP sway bar brackets, Bluetooth retrofit
even with that milage, that seems dirt cheap. I'm suspicious.
Mike
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Mike
91 M5 Alpine White II, Silver Gray 3/90 production
17x8/17x9 M system with PS2, 20mm touring roll bar; Ground Control Coilovers; EAT Chip, CD43; bmw/nardi blackline steering wheel, 3.8 Cam Gears
08 535i / 6 speed
Space Gray; Gray; Sport/Premium/Nav
00 M5 Ti Silver; Imola/black sportiv --Sold
Engine:
Supersprint Headers, Dinan CAI kit and MAFS, Throttle Bodies, Cams, Ported heads, Exhaust, Custom dinan software, Evosport Pullies, Dinan clutch and lightened flywheel; Ignition solutions plasma coils
Suspension:
Dinan Stage 3 with front and rear Strut Tower Braces, Beastpower Sway bar brackets, Dinan Wheels with 275/285 PilotSport, X5 Thrust arm bushings, Stoptech 355mm 4 piston front, 355mm 2 piston rear brake kit, Dinan 3.45 diff
Interior/Misc:
Eurodash, updated steering wheel, Bluetooth retrofit, Sirius Retrofit, hardwired V1, Widescreen Mk4 nav, M audio retrofit, Ice Link, BSW Stage 1 speaker upgrade, bmw towbar
If the car is being offered for sale by a dealership at 15K, then something is wrong with it and I wouldn't touch it.
"The dealership said they will stand behind the car, once it is checked out". That is a meaningless statement from a dealership sales guy. You either have a BMW warrentee or not. And a CPO warrentee can be a headeche.
Thanks Jerry. It is a decent dealer, supposed to be a one owner car, not sure what it was traded in for though, it was from another dealer. I think someone bought it form that dealer, but could not get the money together so they are trying to move it here.
He said he had all the service records, but until he viewed them he could not tell me if they were done at a BMW dealer.
I will run a carfax, I think if you do the "fancy" car fax report you can view the previous owners, I guess I could call him/her at that point.
I will post here when I find out more!
Jack
Quote:
Originally Posted by gsfent
I assume it is a reputable BMW dealership. Service records very, very important. I would also feel better if a one owner car. What did prior owner trade it in on? If another BMW, he probably liked the car and the dealership. Auction car, be veeeeeeery careful. Can you speak to the prior owner? One member has free carfax for a couple of weeks, check out thread and have VIN run. Good luck and keep us posted.
Regards,
Jerry
First off welcome to the board, and best wishes in finding a good beast or M3!
138K might pose a few problems, and a complete check will be needed. Some guys on this board have had carbon buildup issues with the S62 at higher miles, but that is only a few guys out of many. Others on this board have been driving their M5's to pretty high miles with good results. There is a thread around on what mileage you have, so it would be prudent to run a search of the E39 forum for that.
The price is really low even though it has a lot of miles. Searching for non M model E39's can get you a 528 in that price range, with less miles, so I would be leary of the low cost. If they will do a CPO warranty then that lessons the risk, but if you are set on that car look into getting an aftermarket warranty from a good company. Do the usual checks for any used car purchase: compression, leak down, study the service records, check condition and operation of the clutch and tranny, visual inspection for any oil leaks/fluid leaks, and if it is a one owner car I think it would be paramount to get in touch with him.
If she is a strong car, then I see no harm in picking it up for some light use. I drove an E34 M5 a month or so ago that had been treated well it's entire life, and even at 138K on the clock it drove like a brand new car. There is some risk for you because of the mileage, but worst come to worst I am sure you could flip the car and resell it for more than $15k. Happy hunting!
Thanks Jerry. It is a decent dealer, supposed to be a one owner car, not sure what it was traded in for though, it was from another dealer. I think someone bought it form that dealer, but could not get the money together so they are trying to move it here.
He said he had all the service records, but until he viewed them he could not tell me if they were done at a BMW dealer.
I will run a carfax, I think if you do the "fancy" car fax report you can view the previous owners, I guess I could call him/her at that point.
I will post here when I find out more!
Jack
As someone pointed out, be careful of what salesmen say. The only time they are lying is when their lips are moving! . I would want to scrutinize the paperwork. The fact that it is coming from another dealer is a negative for me. And there is no CPO (BMW warranty), it is only good for up to 6 years/100k miles IIRC. Aftermarket warranty is the only way to go if you can get one (check AAA as well as warranty companies). Still at that price, it is worth doing some investigation.
Regards,
Jerry
__________________
'01 Black/caramel
Dinan Stage 3 suspension, SS jet coated headers, ESS SC kit, open brake ducts, Hamann front splitters, TEC cupholder, U.S.(Euro style) tilt/slide armrest, 6k HID fogs, 6k super white low beams, V1/Stealth1, dual head LI, 2.65 diff w/40% lockup/2x dynamic, compact spare, Euro trailer hitch, Mocal oil cooler, ACS type rear spoiler, Rogue custom SSK and tranny mounts, ST 355 BBK (fronts), BP sway bar brackets, Bluetooth retrofit
__________________
Ashok
2002 E39 Carbonblack/Caramel M5 (best car I ever owned)
2005 E60 Blue Onyx/Caramel/Light Figured Ash M5 (worst car I ever owned)
2007 E90 Montego Blue/Black Alpina D3 (sublime) Let me tell you what SMG stands for...
I am a little worried about the price, but I will find out what I can about the car and make a decision then.
These cars should run for 3 or 400k miles if maintained properly, the maintenance is the key I guess.
Electric gremlins worry me, but they should not appear on a 5 year old car, high mileage or not.
I appreciate the comments guys, feel free to leave opinions and or advice.
I looked at a supposedly clean, stock M3 in Chicago this weekend, a 97 M3 with 74k miles. Turned out it had a tranny switch and had been running Nos. I found this out after driving 200 miles and leaving a deposit. I cancelled everything, thought I could trust the owner, naive me I guess.
The vin was clean, only when I ran the vin decoder did I figure out the tranny swap, and a forum like this had info on the Nos, the idiot posted his pre and post nos times. Admitted to lying when I caught him out but said he would not disclose the info to next buyer either.
All I can say is Karma...
Anyway, I guess my point is I will be very careful about this car!
I
Quote:
Originally Posted by Munky
The mileage isn't necessary a problem at all - mine has done over 130k now with no major problems for 100k miles (normal VANOS things first 30k!)
What would be worrying is the price, I hope mine is 'worth' more than that
. I would want to scrutinize the paperwork. The fact that it is coming from another dealer is a negative for me. And there is no CPO (BMW warranty), it is only good for up to 6 years/100k miles IIRC. Aftermarket warranty is the only way to go if you can get one (check AAA as well as warranty companies). Still at that price, it is worth doing some investigation. 
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