Miles/Ownership

Ranger_Vet68 · 07-09-2023, 04:05 PM

Question. I'm looking to purchase an 05 or 06 M3, and I wanted to get some opinions on two subjects. 1. How high in miles would you go? I'm looking for an M3 with at most 65k on it. 2. Ownership. How many owners would you prefer before purchasing a car? I'm looking for up to two owners.

Thank you in advance for all your help.

chassis · 07-09-2023, 04:15 PM

Preowned car buying rule #1: buy the newest, lowest mileage car in your price range that meets your transportation needs. Corollary: fewer owners is better.

If you are debating on model years, go with an 06.

I prefer to be the second owner. 65k miles on an 06 is less than 4k miles per year, so it was a garage queen for the most part. However it could have seen high mileage in a short period of time. Do you have miles vs year in the carfax?

A 65k mile 13 year old high performance German car carries a caveat emptor label on it imo.

TboneS54 · 07-09-2023, 05:03 PM

Miles are pretty meaningless with a car like the e46 m3 at this point. A high mileage Uber maintained example is better imo than low mileage with little done over the years besides basic fluids.

Buy the best car, not the lowest mileage one. Need to see it in person, and probably get a PPI to really know how the car is

Ranger_Vet68 · 07-12-2023, 04:38 PM

That is my thinking as well. I just wanted to get some other opinions.

Thank you.

DanG · 07-12-2023, 06:13 PM

E46 M3 is a very expensive it maintain. One of the problems is that the values need to be manually adjusted at a cost of $1,000 each time. I sadly sold mine because the maintenance costs was running $5,000-6,000 each year.

kevin @ eas · 07-12-2023, 06:53 PM

Under 65k and 2 owners is going to be up there price wise. We have seen quite a few at our shop north of 200k and still running well. Maintenance records I would say are more import than miles. A plus if the big 3 are done already, subframe, rod bearings and vanos. Generally speaking lower miles is better, but if you find one with higher miles but properly serviced I wouldn't steer clear.

Oldgixxer · 07-13-2023, 06:18 AM

I learned a very expensive lesson many moons ago,NEVER buy a used German performance luxury vehicle thats out-of-warranty,unless you have limitless maintain/repair funds and/or are skilled enough to handle anything that breaks/needs diagnosis/replacement. There are few exceptions to the rule,ymmv

Ranger_Vet68 · 07-19-2023, 04:21 PM

Oldgixxer, based on your comment, what would you recommend?

07-09-2023, 04:05 PM	#1
Ranger_Vet68 Private First Class 29 Rep 170 Posts Drives: 2003 Z4 3.0i E85 Roadster Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Miles/Ownership Question. I'm looking to purchase an 05 or 06 M3, and I wanted to get some opinions on two subjects. 1. How high in miles would you go? I'm looking for an M3 with at most 65k on it. 2. Ownership. How many owners would you prefer before purchasing a car? I'm looking for up to two owners. Thank you in advance for all your help.
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07-09-2023, 04:15 PM	#2
chassis Colonel 8241 Rep 2,519 Posts Drives: 9Y0 Cayenne S Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Einbahnstraße iTrader: (0) Garage List 2020 Porsche Cayenne S [7.69]	Preowned car buying rule #1: buy the newest, lowest mileage car in your price range that meets your transportation needs. Corollary: fewer owners is better. If you are debating on model years, go with an 06. I prefer to be the second owner. 65k miles on an 06 is less than 4k miles per year, so it was a garage queen for the most part. However it could have seen high mileage in a short period of time. Do you have miles vs year in the carfax? A 65k mile 13 year old high performance German car carries a caveat emptor label on it imo.
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07-09-2023, 05:03 PM	#3
TboneS54 YNWA 1207 Rep 917 Posts Drives: '04 M3 6MT, '11 M3 DCT, '22 X7 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: SoCal iTrader: (2)	Miles are pretty meaningless with a car like the e46 m3 at this point. A high mileage Uber maintained example is better imo than low mileage with little done over the years besides basic fluids. Buy the best car, not the lowest mileage one. Need to see it in person, and probably get a PPI to really know how the car is __________________ /// 2004 Silvergrey M3 · Coupe · 6MT · Slicktop · zero options /// 2011 Jerez/Bamboo E90 M3 · DCT · Slicktop · IG: @na.s54
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07-12-2023, 04:38 PM	#4
Ranger_Vet68 Private First Class 29 Rep 170 Posts Drives: 2003 Z4 3.0i E85 Roadster Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	That is my thinking as well. I just wanted to get some other opinions. Thank you.
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07-12-2023, 06:13 PM	#5
DanG Major General 11521 Rep 7,175 Posts Drives: 2018 M2 AW DCT Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2018 BMW M2 [8.01]	E46 M3 is a very expensive it maintain. One of the problems is that the values need to be manually adjusted at a cost of $1,000 each time. I sadly sold mine because the maintenance costs was running $5,000-6,000 each year. __________________ BMWCCA member Puget Sound Chapter
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07-12-2023, 06:53 PM	#6
kevin @ eas General 3090 Rep 22,309 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW M4 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Anaheim iTrader: (22)	Under 65k and 2 owners is going to be up there price wise. We have seen quite a few at our shop north of 200k and still running well. Maintenance records I would say are more import than miles. A plus if the big 3 are done already, subframe, rod bearings and vanos. Generally speaking lower miles is better, but if you find one with higher miles but properly serviced I wouldn't steer clear. __________________ Kevin S. \| european auto source (eas) email: kevin@europeanautosource.com · web: https://europeanautosource.com· tel 866.669.0705 · ca: 714.369.8524 x31 GET DAILY UPDATES ON OUR BLOG · FACEBOOK · YOUTUBE · FLICKR · INSTAGRAM
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07-13-2023, 06:18 AM	#7
Oldgixxer Captain 2085 Rep 848 Posts Drives: nothing fast Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: The Lowcountry,SC iTrader: (0)	I learned a very expensive lesson many moons ago,NEVER buy a used German performance luxury vehicle thats out-of-warranty,unless you have limitless maintain/repair funds and/or are skilled enough to handle anything that breaks/needs diagnosis/replacement. There are few exceptions to the rule,ymmv __________________ -'24 X5MC,'22 430i -'09 Busa,'05 GSXR-1K(GT28R turbo)'00 Busa(GT3582) Gone but not forgotten: -'22 X3MC,'20 M550i,'18 X2,F30 328xi,'07 E63 AMG (1st W211 63 in the 11s),997 C4S Cab,CLS55 AMG,E55 AMG,C55AMG
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07-19-2023, 04:21 PM	#8
Ranger_Vet68 Private First Class 29 Rep 170 Posts Drives: 2003 Z4 3.0i E85 Roadster Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Oldgixxer, based on your comment, what would you recommend?
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