Looked at an '01 m3 CB/black fully loaded this afternoon at a local used car dealer, 02/01 build date, 40k miles, So Cal car. Asking $41k.

1. Should the doors have the VIN etched on them anywhere?
2. There's a BMW orange warning label by the door sills (both) that stated "side airbags not operational". Why? Is it possible they deployed because of an accident and weren't replaced?
3. Parts are missing from the tool kit. Something about 14" and narrow, and the tow hook. Can they be purchased from the dealer?
4. Where the door strikes the jamb (by the latch) there are a few scratches. Possibly an accident, or just maybe a misaligned door?
5. Is BMW bumper to bumper coverage 4/50k for this MY? When should inspection 1 and 2 be performed?

Overall the car seemed very clean, and the previous owner installed A/C Schnitzer 19" wheels, SSK, shift knob, and exhaust. Any cause for concern with higher mileage, early production M3's? What should I look for to ensure that the vehicle hasn't been in a accident? Thanks for any help.

hmm, i can't answer all your questions, but yes, 4 year 50k miles is the bumper to bumper warranty on the 01 model, on e46's, i am pretty sure that they do not have vins anymore on the body parts (doors, fenders, hood, trunk, etc...) they do on e36's, but i don't recall them on e46's...

Side airbags not operational? wtf? did u ask the seller why? That's a sign that it coulda been in an accident.

1. As far as I know, there should be a VIN on all body parts.

2. Could be, but I think the side airbags can also be deactivated by the dealer at the owners request.

3. A missing tow eye is a sign that there was an unexpected issue at some time. Could have been a simple flat or a wreck, do a carfax and ask the previous owner.

4. Scratches around door/body areas could be a sign of previous damage. Check the gaps around the door when closed, they should be even. A newish car, living under a warranty should be perfect. Anything broken, wrong or out of place is a sign of neglect or damage.

If you can, find out what BMW dealer it was purchased from and go get the service history and previous owner info from them.

As far as signs of repair, look at the gaps where the bumpers meet the body of the car and notice the variation of paint color, drips, overspray, cracks or deep scratches. Do any of the wheels look much cleaner/newer than the others, does the oxidation on the brake rotors/calipers match all the way around? Is the top in perfect alignment? Are the tires evenly worn and of the same type? Take the spare out of the trunk and look for any sign of use. If so, find out why. Crawl under the car with a flashlight, are any areas bent, stuffed with grass or dirt, look new as opposed to everything else? If you not 100% confident you can do your own assessment go to a nonaffiliated bodyshop (read: A shop that has never delt with the car dealer) and have them survey the car. $50-$100 now could save you a million in headaches later.

You might also want to test drive a brand new M3 vert at a BMW dealer to discriminate any strange behaviors.

dude that is way too many miles for a 41k m3. You could easily find an 01 maybe 02 m3 with under 20k miles for that much.

Well, it hasn't been easy to find M3's loaded w/ NAV for that price. Actually, I'm thinking of making an offer of $37k. Is that a better deal? Should I offer lower, or should I walk?

Thats sorta true. Although i dont think 01 nav is worth it at all. Honestly, i would walk away from a car with that many miles and modded.

I agree with Potpie. Before I bought my M3 I was looking around for used ones, and yours seems to be pretty high priced considering the mileage. Also, the car is already modded, which should be a big turnoff to you bro

Well. called the local dealer to get some info on the car. Service advisor say the car seems well maintained, and there's no outstanding service work that needs to be done. He remembers the car and said it seemed pretty clean.

Couple of things...
E46 M3's do not have spare tires. They have the M-mobility system. (Air compressor w/sealant in case you have a flat.) The M-mobility system is where the spare would be, under the trunk floor. And right next to that is where the M3's have their tow hooks. Check it out for yourself. As for the missing 14" slot... I don't think any US cars have anything there.

Dealer should be able to tell you about the side airbags.

As for the scratches- some E46 M3's had a fitmet issue with the door seals. Find out if it was replaced under warranty by the dealer.

Pricewise, 2001-2003 prices are still up there. You can find cars in great condition, but the prices haven't come down too much.

Good luck!

Ok, I'll check for the tow hooks there. Are aftermarket accessories really a negative when buying used? I figure I'll swap the 19" Schnitzer w/ 19" OEM (someone's gotta be willing to do that). Anyone think offering $37k is a bad idea? Thanks for all the help, info, and advice form you guys.

Carfax checks out clean, commercial lease. Talked to service advisor and they said ther's no VIN on the actual door, only VIN and info on the driver's side door jamb.

commercial lease? i'd def stay away

Originally posted by potpie
commercial lease? i'd def stay away

If that means it was leased for use by a bunch of people :95, then I would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

Personally, I think a commercial lease doesn't have to necessarily mean it's a bad thing. It has the potential to be a bad thing, I suppose. However, it could mean it was lease by the owner of a business under the business name for tax purposes. I need to talk in depth to the service advisor or tech to see if it's been well maintained by one person.

Originally posted by beowoulf
If that means it was leased for use by a bunch of people :95, then I would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

I highly doubt that it was a commercial lease and a bunch of people drive it. I mean you really think a pizza shop would use an '01 M3? Chances are the guy owned a business and bought it through the company for tax purposes or something. Why dont you ask the dealer for the previous owners number and you talk to him about the car?

Yeah, it's not necessarily a bad car. And e46 m3's, at the dealer auction's are still bringing full book and above, in most cases

I know my dad has used a commercial lease on his personal car and calls it a "company car." Something to be inquisitive about, for sure, but I wouldn't discount the car just yet...

What build dates are the M3's that have the amazing exploding S54s? I know they were '01's, but which '01's?

Steve

they were '02's... 10/01-12/01 build dates were recalled for the bearings on the connecting rod. 11/01 was the "infamous" month, with failures several times more likely.

It has a 100k warranty. If the engine hasn't blown by 100k, I doubt it's going to blow because of this engine problem...

- John

Originally posted by rayster

Pricewise, 2001-2003 prices are still up there. You can find cars in great condition, but the prices haven't come down too much.


It seems the asking prices are still up there... but no one is selling their cars.

Look at Roadfly.org. The same sad lot of cars has been sitting there all summer. There's a new one being offered at $2200 of MSRP in California (high demand market).

I love the people that quote in their ads that they paid $5k over sticker, like this will boost the value of their car :confused:. I think the market it probably going to adjust pretty soon, once the 2004's are on the streets.

- John

I'm looking to pay $38-41k, and will be making the purchase soon. Still need to sell the '97 M3 sedan, but that won't affect when I pull the trigger. Just waiting for the right car at the right price.

i wouldnt fear the commercial lease... i guarantee u it was just a company car.... def trade the ac's for the oem 19's... i would go for it at 37k, they might laugh at u though...

I was thinking the same thing about the wheels and ACS shift knob. Offered them $37k, but they replied that KBB retail is $42 for that car. I said who pays KBB retail? And then told them they had my # if they're ready to sell. Anyway, if I'm talking about the $41k+ range, my options open up dramatically.

like i said earlier, right now, the market on e46 m3's, at the auction's they're all bringing above wholesale book. But we see a lot of these cars still on roadfly, and they haven't even been sold yet, been sitting on the site for the past 3 months. Same with ebay.

But i've seen some e46 m3's on ebay end at a decent price, so keep an eye out on there daily to see what gets added.

On another note, i saw an e39 m5 and i looked at the rear doors, it said rear airbags not operational. I still wanna know why it said that.

Have u considered trading the current car in when you go buy the e46 m3?

It is probably because that particular car did not have the side airbag option.

<<iwannadinanm3>>
I guess I can go to the dealer and see if he'd give me a fair price for my car.

<<M3325>>
Also, I think you can have the airbags disabled because you plan on carting around kids in child seats.

i think 37k is a hard push for a fully loaded 01... if you look you will see that the only 01's going for around 36-38k are smurf blues that were most likely demos when bmw issued em to all the dealers way back when.

hmmm, i see. I thought the front's are standard. Yet in the rear airbags, those are optional to be ordered, and i thought u said that the side airbag's are not operational, not the rear side airbags. See how much they'll give ya though for your M

2pak: "i think 37k is a hard push for a fully loaded 01"
Even for one with 40k miles?:dunno

granted 40k miles is a lot.... it is fully loaded though... theyre asking 41k, i would say 38,500 is decent offer... in reality its all about what they took the car in for... they're simply not going to take a loss on it, they'll wait for an uneducated sucker to buy it before that happens.

I think I'll pass on this one, as I have my eye on an '02 w/ 25k miles. I'm assuming less headaches with less miles, but we'll see...:rolleyes: Also, if an '02 can be had for ~$40k, an '01 with nearly double the miles isn't worth $38k. But hey, like you said, maybe someone else is willing to grab it.