Possible purchase opinions please

[sharadn]

I am looking at 2002 M3 and will be taking it in for a PPI on Friday. I have had BMWs for more than 10 years and do most of my own work so I have at least some idea of what to look for. All my previous cars have been regular 3 series and this is my first M3. I am well aware of the subframe cracking issue and this will be looked at. Mileage-91,349 Price 12500
All in all looks to be a decent car owned by an enthusiast with a history of owning M3. Has some minor body blemishes. New rear Michelin Pilot sports
I have attached the history report. It shows one accident. Please let me know what you all think
.WBSBR93442EX23060_History report.pdf

[sharadn]

Here is the Ebay listing:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-BMW-M3....m43663.l44720

[lmtfi]

Price seems high for a 2002 vert (going into winter).

VANOS bulletproofed? Subframe reinforced?

Post the PPI results. (Don't use a dealer or seller).

[sharadn]

I will look into these things during PPI. What number would you think?

[sharadn]

Does anyone know of a mobile welder in greater Baltimore/DC area that I could get a price for welding in the subframe reinforcements, if I need it and the deal goes through. Or a budget number at least. I have dropped the pumpkin and RR the rear end on my 98 328 vert, so I don't think the task would be above my capabilites.

[Benocehcap]

I had this car for a few years. Check out my thread for all u need to know.
Ur looking at possible 6 grand of just mechanical repairs.
Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jclausen]

No smg I hope

[sharadn]

No SMG. Manual which feels really good.
Benocehap: I do not think that this is the same car that you had. According to the car fax it was never on the east coast and the mileage is at 91,000 and not more than 150,000 as shown in your post. Also the interior on this one is black and yours looks like a brown/red color. I can't really see the color on yours but I can tell it is not black. If you meant that you had the same car ie: a generic 2002 M3 convertible that it one thing and it is something different than saying you had this exact same car for a few years. Maybe you can look at the VIN on one of your service receipts (if you still have them) to compare but it doesn't seem to me to be the "same" car, just another M3 of the same year and exterior color. Please reply if you see this.

[sharadn]

I looked at the build data from your post and it is definitely not the "same" car.

[harristweed]

Unless you can haggle to 10 or the PPI reveals nothing new or of grave concern, I’d keep looking

[sharadn]

I had the PPI performed. Some items were identified to pass MD safety inspection such as motor mounts and believe it or not one of the kidney grilles. The seller will pay for these items. Other issues were noted such as water in the tailights, loose side mirrors, cracked windshield cowling stuck visor mirror and other minor interior imperfections such as to be expected with the typical 346 interior. We negotiated a final price based on the results of the PPI and came to what I consider a very favorable number, which is significantly less that the Ebay asking price and quite close to the 10K mark. The shop said it was a good car which needed some TLC and needed to be driven more. They also suggested that I replace the Vanos bolts preemptively although at the moment it is working fine. There is no sign of any subframe issues whatever and when I asked about the rod bearings they could only say that they have not seen the problem and the pan would have to be dropped and this is never done during a PPI. This is something that I feel I can do if I want as the project is mainly labor and parts are not that expensive. So there you have it a noob M3 owner and thanks for all the input.

[Benocehcap]

No SMG. Manual which feels really good.
Benocehap: I do not think that this is the same car that you had. According to the car fax it was never on the east coast and the mileage is at 91,000 and not more than 150,000 as shown in your post. Also the interior on this one is black and yours looks like a brown/red color. I can't really see the color on yours but I can tell it is not black. If you meant that you had the same car ie: a generic 2002 M3 convertible that it one thing and it is something different than saying you had this exact same car for a few years. Maybe you can look at the VIN on one of your service receipts (if you still have them) to compare but it doesn't seem to me to be the "same" car, just another M3 of the same year and exterior color. Please reply if you see this.

Hi there,
Sorry to scare you like that, but when I said I had this car. I meant the same year convertible etc. but obvious mine was a different car. Carbon black with red interior.

There is some points you need to realize when buying this M3. It is a fabulous car. I loved it and still love it. But mine was some what a pain on the arse. But I was happy that every time I went to the dealership for repairs. They always had a loaner car waiting for me.

There were a recall by BMW for the rod bearing. So he must of had it done cuz BMW pays for that service. If he doesn’t have to paper work u must run the vin number to find out if indeed had it done.

The FSU is a bitch of a part on this model. This unit controls ur vents or air on the cabinet. I purchased two of them at the dealership and both of them failed. Them I was sick of it and decided to purchased this part on eBay for $30 and give it a go. The part was never fail to date.
It’s simple to fix or install this part urself.

I always did my inspection 1 and my inspection 2 at the dealership. This will cost u big. Just for the inspection itself. If you do what they recommend you to do that is failing on inspection 1-2 them ur bill will be astronomical big.

The EML light come on. they replaced the throttle rod first then the EML came back on again and they replaced the relay on the throttle.

Review mirror leaks acid and stops the automatic deem

Ur side view mirror will burn over time.

Ur rear bumper too metal strip will rust

Oil change 10W60 TWS only. U can do it urself

Now would I by this car all over again???

HELL YEAH!!!

Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sharadn]

Hi Benocehcap, thanks for the follow up, I appreciate it. I thought WOW how unusual is that, that someone else had the "same" car, but the world of bimmer enthusiasts can be small. BTW: What did you get when you finally sold your car? I have been working on bimmers for close to 15 years now, so going to the stealership will be means of last resort for me. There are some good indie shops in my area (greater DC) even though their prices are high they are lower than the dealer.The indie shop that did the PPI is highly regarded in our area and they spent almost 4 hours going over the car so I guess they were thorough. For the condition of the car and the price I would have had to wait a long time and look at many cars to do better. Plus it was close to me and I did not have to run all over creation looking for the perfect car. I know that the coupes are more desirable from a hard core perspective but I have always liked top down motoring. Can that get any better than an E46 M3 vert? And finally when you say "HELL YEAH" to buying another one (in spite of your issues) well I guess I did the right thing..................