E46 M3 at Carmax!!

"AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)" (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 09:51 • Filed to: None

pic not of actual car. Carmax hasn't posted any photos yet

http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car/…

DISCUSSION (25)

The World of Vee > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 10:07

25k?

It better be the nicest e46 ever for that money. I'd rather get one off auto trader. Carmax is great if you want something common or something reaaalllyyy obscure. But not those kinda sorta obscure models.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 10:12

If it's Laguna Seca Blue, it's worth it.

As Du Volant > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 10:13

Wonder how much the warranty costs.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 10:15

Wish it had 2 more doors

Party-vi > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 10:16

With Carmax you can buy the warranty, which is the only way I'd ever chance buying an E46 M3.

The World of Vee > Party-vi
02/18/2015 at 11:16

I wouldn't bother with the warranty. I see plenty of cars on autotrader in the 10-15k range. So this car is at least 7-10k overpriced and on top of that you'd have to buy a warranty which would probably be another 3-5k.

If you're not technically inclined then you can get the same warranty carmax offers privately through the company for roughly the same price and you can pocket 10k to mod it to your heart's content.

Party-vi > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 11:19

I'm not sure if the aftermarket warranties will cover modifications to the vehicle. Plus I think the point of Carmax's warranty is that it is very comprehensive. I'm not sure because I've never purchased a vehicle with the Carmax warranty. Still, I would feel more confident buying from Carmax than a private seller.

AJ Feldman (alecmets2011) > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 11:29

show me an e46 m3 with 50k miles for those prices

do tell, seriously

The World of Vee > Party-vi
02/18/2015 at 11:30

that's the point I'm trying to make, no warranty will cover mods...but as someone who's bought a car with a cm warranty it's not through carmax it's through a third party (name escapes me at this exact moment) which offers warranties to anyone they deem has a car in decent enough shape to get the warranty. So you're essentially paying 10-15k more just for the carmax name, which is extremely silly because cars from Carmax, while inspected, can be just as defective as a private car.

911e46z06 > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 11:35

I'm with Vee. I paid 17k for my '04 with 60k. Minty-perfect except for a dent on the bumper. For 25k-ish I'd much rather have something like this:

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/485286…

In related news, just have a mechanic look at it before you buy to make sure it's a good one. Mine's been crazy reliable.

The World of Vee > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 11:43

It's 60, not 50 but that's splitting hairs. I know it's an SMG but the point remains that it's out there.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

Also if you go up to about 16k/17k there's plenty of them advertised in the 50-70k range with manual, which implies that 15k is a pretty easy figure to bargain to. My mileage range for a used car of that vintage that I'd be comfortable with is anything under 90k or over 110k. My rationale is under 90k I can be assured it hasn't had it's 100k service and I can mentally add that money into the price of the car, over 110k I know it has (if I'm looking at reputable cars) and i can use that to subtract from the price of the car.

Party-vi > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 11:44

You're not paying an additional $15k for the Carmax markup. It's a 51k mile E46 M3. That is low mileage and if it's in good condition I don't see any reason why the price would be too much.

The World of Vee > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 11:47

for example. THIS would be a prime example of the right E46 at the right price. White, 6 sped, reasonable miles. We all have opinions on converts, and I tend to stick with coupes, but if I'm cruising sure.

Kinja'd!!!

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

The World of Vee > Party-vi
02/18/2015 at 11:49

because the difference between 50k and 70k in a car of that vintage is negligible. If it's been serviced properly then the higher mileage will not detract from the car, but attract. A lot of these cars were weekend toys and then sold off to people who didn't wanna service them. If you look solely at mileage then you'll end up overpaying on something that's probably not as good condition as it's counterpart.

Party-vi > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 11:55

A difference of 20k miles is not negligible at all. For these cars 20k miles is probably 3-4 years of driving wear and tear. 20k miles is probably 3-4 oil changes and a set of tires. If I had the choice I would always pick the lower mileage example for the same price, provided everything else was equal.

AJ Feldman (alecmets2011) > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 11:57

There actually is a difference between 50k and 60k miles with these cars. At 60k, either BMWs Service II or III (can't remember which off the top of my head) is due. That's a $2500-$3000 service that many forum members see as a requirement for these cars.

If someone is selling their E46 with 60k, it's likely they haven't done that service yet and would need to be done soon. So you can pretty much add the total of that service to the total price of the car.

Obviously, that same service would need to be done eventually on the 50k mile car, but with how much I drive, 10k is a year and a half of time

I researched E46s for 2 straight years before I bought my Mustang. Anyone on any E46 or M3 forum would say go for the 50k mile car that you can get with a warranty

P.S.: Only uninformed idiots buy an E46 M3 with SMG. A smart cars trans is better than that one

AJ Feldman (alecmets2011) > Party-vi
02/18/2015 at 11:57

Someone gets it

The World of Vee > Party-vi
02/18/2015 at 11:59

As a former "M" guy and lover of that generation of Bimmer (I sold my e39M5 a few years back), I can confidently say that you're GROSSLY overestimating how much 20k miles is in the grand scheme of things. the E46 and E39s were meant to be driven and driven often and the people that tended to buy them back then weren't just chasing a badge and actually took good care of them. The things you listed are so low on the totem of problems, an oil change or two? Tires? These are all consumables and things that the owner is expected to do.

BUT the real crux of your post is that yes, I'm not disagreeing that lower mileage is preferable, all else equal....but the difference is almost 10 thousand dollars. You really going to tell me that's equal?

The World of Vee > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 12:04

I bought my E39M with 30k miles on it, granted it was only 3 years old when I bought it (first big boy purchase lol) but I'm acutely aware of just how important the servicing schedule is on M cars.

But the point of contention still remains, this 50k mile car is going to be almost 30k when the warranty is factored in. If you get a 70k car for 15k and even if the warranty is 3/4k and the Service III isn't done yet (2k or you can do it yourself for much less) you're still talking of a difference of TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

The particular listing I said I'd choose, because I'd NEVER choose an SMG, states that it's up to date on service with records from his local BMW dealer. So even if you got the same exact warranty carmax sells (which remember you can) you're looking at under 20k vs under 30k for roughly equivalent cars.

Party-vi > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 12:07

Taking the M3 posted by OP, $25k is not off the mark for the mileage shown, assuming it's in good condition.

You can definitely get a less expensive example in possibly the same condition (assuming the Carmax M3 is in very good condition), but the while intent of the post was NPOCP. I'd still say NP. Plus anyone paying $25k for that M3 isn't going to go beat on it every day - that's what the $15k M3s are for, like you said.

The World of Vee > Party-vi
02/18/2015 at 12:11

That's your opinion, but I'd still take the 1 owner 70k M3 with full service records over the 3 owner 50k M3.

The World of Vee > 911e46z06
02/18/2015 at 12:13

I posted this as a counter.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

70k miles yes, but 1 owner and full service history vs the Carmax's 3 owner (I'd assume a service history)

Is it really, truly, undeniably, unquestionably 10k LESS of a car? Or is carmax inflating the price based on their reputation?

AJ Feldman (alecmets2011) > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 12:15

There's one problem with your selection: it's a convertible

Convertible e46s go for significantly less than the coupes

Find me a coupe

Party-vi > The World of Vee
02/18/2015 at 12:17

Aight.

The World of Vee > AJ Feldman (alecmets2011)
02/18/2015 at 12:18

I'm not going to keep splitting hairs with you man. If you're going to keep trying to rationale that a 25k 3 owner 50k mile M3 is a great deal just because it's on carmax, then there's no point. I know these engines, I know these cars pretty darn well and I've shown that similar cars can be had for roughly 10k less. You're right that coupes cost a bit more, but that's like 1k to 2k more, again on autotrader there are examples of coupes in the 17k range.

If I'm not tracking my car, a convertible is a pretty cool cruiser. But to each their own.