What would you have done differently? I'm in the process of researching buying an M3 (1997-1998 Sedan) and would like to know the pros and cons of getting one of these cars.

I think that I might have really really waited for an Estoril. The color is just awesome, but it will be much harder to find a 4 dr in Estoril.

It is probably the most sought after color these days.

There is some post like +-3 posts from yours about buying a used M3...check that out.

The overall key is patience though; don't bust a nut on the first one you see. That was a bad way to put it, but you get the point. Really sit back and think about it and get friends opinions...guys and girls. This is important...dont' forget whom you are trying to impress.

Objective opinions from outsiders are really helpful.

I get so impatient that I start to feel like compromising my list of wants in an M3. The 4door manual combo is just not that common. I see them listed in other areas of the country, but I think you need to test drive and stuff before spending 20k on a car.
As for color I'd take an M3 in any except for yellow(no offence to their owers, just a little too flashy for me). That blue is nice. Of course all M3's look like a million bucks IMO.

Estoril is nice, but IMHO nothing compares to Cosmos when it is clean. Of course it is just so damn tough to keep it immaculate when one lives in the real world (read: not Florida, Cali, Texas, or other like climate ;) ), that I know I would buy a bullet and rent a gun if my M3 were black. :banghead:

I will say this: Estoril at night can be a bit outrageous in the right lighting, where it can shine an almost flagrant purple:

(big pics)

http://www.rimpro.com/m3/cmt/c4.jpg

http://www.rimpro.com/m3/cmt/c9.jpg

Sammy - Do not, under any circumstance, allow your impatience to compromise your search. The right is is out there, it;s just sometimes a matter of allowing it to find you.

i really like dakar , but my cosmos looks awesome when clean

CMT, those pictures are awesome:thumbsup: Is that Boston? My girlfriend is visiting there right now and of course she says it's beautiful.

I live about 20 minutes north of Boston in North Andover. The first pic was taken in Andover center, home of the IRS, and the second was right outside my front porch. :D

Boston is nice, but right now with all the construction it can kind of stink on ice. :(

I am going to reiterate what has been said numerous times...dont' let impatience get the best of you.

I am a firm believer in test driving anything you like first and then getting professional mechanics to come out and look at it. This is a large investment.

HUGE POINT: If you want a manual now, that won't change if you get an auto...don't make the mistake of buying an auto if you really want manual. Tranny swaps are damn expensive and many people do them. Buy this thing right the first time. I dont' like the theory of, well, it doesn't have the following things on it but I can alway sdo it later if I really need to. That gets you into trouble.

Nothing is more important than the manual vs. auto decision though. Go to bimmerforums.com and roadfly.org and hit up their classifieds. Lots of good cars there.

All M3's are driven hard...very few people buy them not to drive hard, so you have to accept that, but hopefully people on forums at least have a history on the forum and you can read their past posts...in addition we're mostly fanatics.

If you notice all previous posts of a seller is about racing and going 100+ mph...maybe find another car. So, if you can find a car from forums...it could be a good choice.

The only thing i would do is find an M3 with a warranty. You never know when you'll be paying your friendly neighborhood dealer to fix a problem that would cost you an arm or leg.

hmm...i would have gotten black inside instead of Dove Grey... Dove looks so damn good when clean, but gets dirty quick... thats about it though, i love my car...

CMT>

I'm oozing over your pics man... post some in your gallery... :)

Sammyzuko>

I think I actually got an M3 that's close to perfect for me:

- No traction
- No cruise
- No sunroof

Things I would change:

- I'd drop the leather and get Alcantera (sp?), no two ways about it.
- I'd drop the electric seats and get manual ones, over the top IMO.
- I'd get electric rear vents. The manual ones are useless. I'm going to retro-fit electrics.

I think that's about it...

Originally posted by M3AN
CMT>

I'm oozing over your pics man... post some in your gallery... :)


Well sir, let me assure you the sentiment is 100% returned. Simply for the fact of your wonderfully unattainable engine. :D Seriously - I have been in E36 M3s with everything from 400-600 crank HP, but I have never had the pleasure of riding in a true Euro. Someday.

I also agree with the anti-Dove Grey vader sentiment. Mine were so bad that I covered them with Wet Okole seat covers, which were supposed to be a temporary solution, but now I have no idea what to do. Right now I think my only option is a re-dye. :(

I bought an aftermarket warranty for my M3...but if you buy a warranty on a car older than 4 years...it gets stupid expensive...and not worth it I dont' think.

Most CPO's are almost out of warranty even on 97-98's...so warranty isn't going to be an option for you probably. If you can find a CPO that is almost up, it is a good bet because that person probably had anything serious taken care of already.

If I had to buy again......

-I would probably have bought an "M3" specific color (Estoril or Dakar)

-I would not have got the luxury package. I wish I had vaders and I never move my seats so who cares if they are power.

-I think I would like the cold weather package for driving in the winter.

Other than that, my car is perfect!!!!

wouldnt change a thing.

low miles.

completely stock.

sport package 95 obd1 dakar 5 spd.

complete maintenance records.

clean title and accident history.


I waited 2 years for the right car to come up for sale.

I agree with others when they say take your time finding one. I almost ended up with a Fern Green/Magma coupe (looked great), but didnt get the money together in time! Of course a week or two later I came across a Estoril/Dove Grey which was the color combo I really wanted. Only thing I occasionally think would be nice is a rear spoiler, but thats no biggie. New tires would have been nice also! :banghead:

Would have waited for an Avis (sorry to counter all these Estoril folks - but that is my second choice) Techno is a real PITA, but looks like a jewel when spotless!

Sammy:

The big stuff already mentioned -- patience, know what you want, etc. I'm going through the same thing now, looking to replace my green/magma coupe.

Props to whoever mentioned that beautiful combo on this thread.

My two things:

1. I would have educated myself PRIOR to purchase -- I learned most of what I know after I bought. Seems like you got that one covered.

2. If I was doing it again, I would have negotiated keyless entry into my negotiations with the dealer. Important to me on a car this beautiful.

Edgy

I would have tried for a better price off this Dakar car. but i love the color and I wish it had less miles. but its running great.

Don't Think I will ever buy an M3.
I just find other car's that I seem to like alittle bit better.
So if I bought my m3 again I wouldnt do it again and I would end up with the 944 again:)

I think if I was thinking practical on a cost/proformance/comfort world I would buy a volvo 240. It simply cannot be beaten for all round usage and cost of modification.

A 4 Door manual would have been pretty cool, then again a Supra TT would have been fun too but not as practical.

Originally posted by 97BLKM3COUPE
A 4 Door manual would have been pretty cool, then again a Supra TT would have been fun too but not as practical.

You live near me when I am not at college. (I live inbetween Dayton and Lebanon ohio) S0nik lives near me as well.

There is actually a HUGE M3 community here here in Dublin/Columbus OH. Purple99M3, and several others on Bimmerforums are in Dublin/Columbus too.

E36 and E46 M3's are not rare here at all, which is too bad. Still a fun car none-the-less.

I would've ...

- Waited until 2003 for the DVD Nav.
- Grey Steel.
- 18" wheels, later I would sell these and gotten aftermarket 19s.

That's all.

Wait, be patient, your M3 will find you.

Get the color you want. CMT said about the astoril being almost bright purple in the bright sun and I think that's one of the things I love most about my car is the almost Irredecence of the astoril blue. Plus, it's such an odd color. There are so many black or white or red cars out there and the M3 just screams...
NOTICE ME!!!!!!

So, back to my point...take your time and you'll be happier than if you just go out and get the first one that comes along.

Good luck!

Just got a 95 Avus Blue M3 from Atlanta w/ only 45k miles. Was wondering if anyone knew of some quality places to take M3s for service? I live about 20 miles south of Boston but willing to drive

also.... its petty i know, but the lack of an armrest in the car sucks and are apparently hard to find. any suggestions?

Originally posted by robbymac7
also.... its petty i know, but the lack of an armrest in the car sucks and are apparently hard to find. any suggestions?

My suggestion would be "it's easy to learn to live without one... especially when you've got both hands on the steering wheel!". :D

Armrests... aren't they for old ladies? Mine is without one but my friend has one in his 325is and I don't really like it... it serves little purpose and gets in the way more often than not.

And they're too expensive IMO.

$0.02

Originally posted by robbymac7
Just got a 95 Avus Blue M3 from Atlanta w/ only 45k miles. Was wondering if anyone knew of some quality places to take M3s for service? I live about 20 miles south of Boston but willing to drive

Autobahn Performance in Natick - Ask for Chip.

Also, these guys rock as well:

http://www.3dautoworks.com/

thanks for the info. you've got a beautiful car there. how well does it handle itself in these brutal boston winters and what kind of snow tires(if any) do you have?

listed according to importance
auto vs. manual
2dr/4dr
color
If you can satisfy those three your car will otherwise be fairly well equipped
mine was equipped with the upgraded computer and cd changer, but no cruise control
I would have preferred a red m3 and fold down rear seats

I almost let my patience get to me... originally, I had ALWAYS wanted Dakar. I was searching for months, and kept coming up with either ones with 120k+ miles, or were way too expensive. My second choice was Avus, and I began giving up on Dakar. I went to look at an Avus in Washington, DC and almost jumped the gun on buying it. The next night I was bored so I was browsing ebay, and saw this Dakar in NJ, emailed the dealership it was at, went to look at it, and bought it later that week. Aside from the whole motor warranty and that big fiasco (sp?) the car has been a dream. Heres a pic from what it used to look like, to what it looks like now...

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid61/p8863cef7a3875c439607aac8ec717cd8/fc24efe8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid91/p527b5ecde0e4495e83a9e7cb3620e297/fa65ee26.jpg

I am perfectly happy with my purchase. If i changed anything, it would be to purchase a used car from a private buyer and save on state taxes. Where as the dealer charges you a percentage of the purchase price. Buying from a another owner in IL, teh max tax price is 1500 or 2000 bucks, doesnt matter if its an M3 or a 360 modena.

when i 1st looked for an m3, i was looking for a 2 dr manual silver m3...

if i had to buy a m3 again, i would take a lil patience instead of rushing into buying an m3. after a couple weeks, i found better deals, in probably better conditions. i could of offered the seller a lower price than he wanted... and waited a week for him to agree with me, but instead i lowered it to just a little bit less...

Obviously the transmission, body style and color are the major considerations. Mileage, condition and price would be next IMO.

I would recommend the Cars.com listings because you can zero in on the exact car you are looking for according to all your criteria, easily. I would make the search area the entire country because a long drive would be well worth it for the car you want, not to mention a lot of fun anyway. Or, for $1000 you can have it delivered to your doorstep.

My last recommendation would be to find a BMW Certified Preowned car. It's not so much that it's a great warranty (it only covers the major items) but the car has to pass a long certification inspection where any problems should be fixed prior to that car being certified. It also qualifies for much better financing or leasing than you could normally get without the CPO program.

That's what worked for me. It's the first used car I've bought in many years and it's worked out very well. I found mine 180 miles from home, but I would have gone much further for the car I wanted.

I don't really have any complaints about my purchase.. because I waited a long time for "the one" and when I saw her.. I just knew... I had been car shopping for about 6-8 months before I finally found her... I looked at many 98 and 99's in my price range ($25K) w/ around 60K+ miles.. but when I showed up.. it wasn't as "immaculate" as they had described in their ads... so instead of giving in and saying "I'll never find one that fits exactly my needs since its a used car thats 4 yrs old by now" I waited...

I wanted either Cosmos black (this is what I got), Titanium Silver, Alpine white or Techno Violet... nothing wrong w/ the other available colors.. it just wants my style... I'm not very flashy.. and the red, yellow or estoril (although they all look great) is a bit too flashy for my own personal taste...

came across a 99 w/ only 36K, it was garaged and maintained meticulously, its only flaw was it had bald tires.. and flaw to the owner.. it was a 2 door and he had a baby on the way.. so his wife said he needed to get rid of it and get some sort of car w/ "easier access" to putting in and taking out the child seat.... he wanted 27K but I bargained him down a little... I guess maybe I could have bargained harder since he HAD TO sell cuz of the baby.. but other than that... no regrets..

i'll second that opinion (or third? or fourth? i lost count) about taking your time.

M3s are extremely rare where i live, so when one practically fell in my lap, i spooged and jumped on it. great for sellers, bad for buyers. i got lucky, nothing major wrong with the car, but it could have turned out for the worse because i hadn't really done my homework before buying.

i got the car first and then started learning about it by visiting forums like this. Sammyzuko it is good that you are doing the learing part first, then making a buying decision. that's probably the biggest thing i'd change if i had to do it over again.

btw, i gave this thread 5 stars :beer:

Hmmm... Well, I have only owned the car for two months, but here goes. At first I thought that getting an auto tranny was not good (mostly because I heard so many people bashing them on this site), but this auto tranny is very nice. It's a 5 speed, same grear ratio as the stick, it down shifts for you, and shifts at the right times when racing around. It's really responsive and really quite nice. Plus when I am in traffic, not having to clutch is soooooo great. I do sit in traffic quite a bit when I head down to LA (once a week or so) for datacenter trips (I'm a senior systems engineer for a .com) so, yes, the auto is absolutely great then. So, I'm still a little on the fence with this whole auto/manual issue. I like them both, but for now, the auto is perfect for me and my current driving habits.

I do love the color of my car (the green paint and tan interior go so well together), but if I had to choose color again, I'd go with Estoril! No 4 door action for me, either. I like the convertible, I'd get it again if given the choice. Living in a climate favorable for convertibles (Santa Barbara, CA) has a lot to do with that choice! So, that could change if I move to a place with more or harsher weather conditions. Not planning on it anytime soon, though. :)

This car was owned by my friend's uncle, and he had too many toys, plus I needed a new car, so it all just worked out. I had not even really shopped around at all, but this car seemed like a gem, so I swooped on it. 23.5K w/ 67K miles, and in amazing condition. I car faxed it and got the full vehicle history report. Thankfully it all came up good. So, at present, I wouldn't change anything, but maybe after owning this car for a while I will feel differently. Possibly ready for a change? Who knows...