Should I Pull the Trigger

krattzz1

Hey guys, a friend of mine who owns a car show purchased a 2005 BMW M3 convertible with 21000 miles and he knows I'm looking. My question is do,you think 24k is reasonable and what about a BMW warrenty or an off brand warrenty? It's a beautiful car and tempting so what would you do?

kyfdx

krattzz1 said:

Hey guys, a friend of mine who owns a car show purchased a 2005 BMW M3 convertible with 21000 miles and he knows I'm looking. My question is do,you think 24k is reasonable and what about a BMW warrenty or an off brand warrenty? It's a beautiful car and tempting so what would you do?

That sounds like a nice car, and extremely low miles. Most of the M3 enthusiasts are looking for coupes, though. It's pretty hard to appraise an 11-yr-old car without seeing it, though. Really nice examples tend to go in the low $20Ks.

With an E46 BMW, it's all about owner maintenance. Especially on an M3. I doubt you could get a warranty on that car that would be worth the cost. If you are worried about repair costs, an old M3 is not the way to go. It will be maintenance intensive. They are fun to drive, and very fast, but also get about 12 MPG, around town.

isellhondas

If a person is concerned about maintenance and repair costs a BMW is not the way to go!

Ask me how I know. Actually the same would apply to any European car!

texases

BMW won't offer a warranty, and many/most aftermarket warranties aren't worth the cost, or are worthless. As for price, if it's in excellent shape Edmunds puts retail at $21k. But the low miles concern me - has all the maintenance been done, both by the miles and by the months specified? You can bet the cooling system components are ripe for replacement (radiator included).

I would pay for an excellent independent mechanic to give it a thorough pre-purchase inspection. And I'd start saving for the maintenance and repair costs.