Z4MC shopping

[gcochard]

Took a look at my first m coupe today,

http://www.bmwmdata.com/Scripts/Spec...79&eseries=E86

Anyway, the car was nice, but it's the first one that I've driven. You definitely get a feel for how small the interior space is when you hit your head on the roof when you get in. I also had to move the seat back when I sat down, I was RIGHT on top of the steering wheel. Someone at the dealership is a midget I guess.

So here's the autotrader listing:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=287887974



I don't know if I like the interior color that much, I would LOVE a red interior with a gray car, but the closest one is in las vegas, not about to fly out there to test drive a car I'm not gonna buy for a few months.

The dealer was not too pushy, I told the salesman I was out for the first time, and I didn't even need to tell him I would not be making any sort of decision today.


I might go look at this one soon:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=287689298

[inTgr8r]

good luck with the search.

[ManoSpeed]

Just a few tips as I was in your shoes 3 months ago.

Make sure you check the car fax records which should show a clear service history. Service history is the most important. It's better to get a car with a clean and clear service history with more miles than a car with dubious or undocumented service history.

My decision came down to the following:

1. 2007 BMW M Coupe black with 18,100 miles from an independent dealer with no service history showing up on the carfax report whatsoever and selling for $30,100.

2. 2007 certified BMW M Coupe blue with 21,300 miles from a BMW dealership with a detailed service history and selling for $36,600.

I ended up going with the certified M Coupe. The dealer sold it to me for $34,900 plus I got the extended maintenance package for $2,600. So my car is under warranty for the next 3 years and all the service is paid for as well.

Yes, I did end up paying more but I won't be shelling out thousands of dollars if my VANOS unit fails 2 years from now, plus all my service is paid for.

[dekaliber]

To add to what ManoSpeed posted:

Carfax reports can be a little spotty in what they record. In some cases, they don't record anything except registration. In others, they'll detail every single service visit. Autocheck is a good backup too and I would definitely check both before buying a car. I've seen accidents reported on Autocheck not caught on Carfax, and vice versa.

The authoritative source of service history is BMW TIS. Try to contact a BMW dealership with the VIN of the car that you're buying. From that, they should be able to ull up all of the service records regardless of where it's been serviced. You'll also get the official in-service date so you'll know when your warranty expires. Not all dealerships will do this for you, but they all can.

Less is more, especially for a new car. The 1200 mile service NEEDS to have been done to change out the break-in fluids and oil changes should be at least annual even for a low mileage car. Personally I'd avoid any cars that have seen service for clutch failures, warped rotors, or any indication that it had been driven hard by someone who didn't know what they were doing.

Typically, dealers like the ones you're looking at are getting these cars as lease returns through BWMFS from auctions. If you want to go the extra mile (I did), try to find someone with access to Manheim auction data and you can typically find 1) what the dealer paid for it at auction and 2) what condition it was in. The inspectors are very good at finding and noting small defects on the car, and obviously you'd want something that has seen as little repair work as possible to bring it back to resellable condition. Check out a sample report:

http://mmsc400.manheim.com/MABEL/ECR...US&SWO=5501343

Good luck, and definitely be prepared to travel for the right car if you're not limited to local searches by a trade.

[Nikki]

Good luck! I'm also looking and I've been searching all around the country for the right one. I thought I found it in Ohio but logistically it isn't working out so now I'm going to look at a red one in Vegas this weekend.

Besides checking Carfax I've also called dealers for service records. It's really a good idea because you can see every single thing that the car has been into the dealer for. Just seeing oil changes is a good sign!

[Swashplate]

I second all aforementioned. I have been teased with a couple Grey ones that are both a couple hundred miles away.

[gcochard]

Originally Posted by dekaliber

To add to what ManoSpeed posted:

Carfax reports can be a little spotty in what they record. In some cases, they don't record anything except registration. In others, they'll detail every single service visit. Autocheck is a good backup too and I would definitely check both before buying a car. I've seen accidents reported on Autocheck not caught on Carfax, and vice versa.

The authoritative source of service history is BMW TIS. Try to contact a BMW dealership with the VIN of the car that you're buying. From that, they should be able to ull up all of the service records regardless of where it's been serviced. You'll also get the official in-service date so you'll know when your warranty expires. Not all dealerships will do this for you, but they all can.

Less is more, especially for a new car. The 1200 mile service NEEDS to have been done to change out the break-in fluids and oil changes should be at least annual even for a low mileage car. Personally I'd avoid any cars that have seen service for clutch failures, warped rotors, or any indication that it had been driven hard by someone who didn't know what they were doing.

Typically, dealers like the ones you're looking at are getting these cars as lease returns through BWMFS from auctions. If you want to go the extra mile (I did), try to find someone with access to Manheim auction data and you can typically find 1) what the dealer paid for it at auction and 2) what condition it was in. The inspectors are very good at finding and noting small defects on the car, and obviously you'd want something that has seen as little repair work as possible to bring it back to resellable condition. Check out a sample report:

http://mmsc400.manheim.com/MABEL/ECR...US&SWO=5501343

Good luck, and definitely be prepared to travel for the right car if you're not limited to local searches by a trade.

Thanks for that info, I didn't know about autocheck, I'll have to run my m3 against that when i'm ready to start checking the coupes out. My carfax came back with almost no info on my m3. It's definitely been in an accident though, it has a DOT-R fender on the front left, and there's bondo on the right rear. I was young and hasty when I purchased it. The coupe will be a totally different purchasing experience for me.

[r4gs]

i'm going to request a printout of my car's service records just for keepsakes this weekend at my local dealership. had it checked prior to purchasing, and as far as i could tell (carfax, maintenance record, dealership maintained, overall condition), i guess i bought as pristine a cpo car as i possibly could (with the exception of my peeling front bumper issue that was finally resolved in full). was a one owner non-lease privately owned in full, no accidents, 1200 mile service done, 12693 miles on the clock, full cpo and everything was in near brand new condition.

Originally Posted by Nikki

Besides checking Carfax I've also called dealers for service records. It's really a good idea because you can see every single thing that the car has been into the dealer for. Just seeing oil changes is a good sign!

i just did my own oil change last weekend, so it definitely WON'T show on carfax. i guess i've got receipts of the oil purchased as proof? seems rather difficult to showcase the quality of a vehicle that's been privately taken care of as opposed to being serviced at the dealer (which for inspection I, i'll have done either at the dealership or a certified indy).

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by r4gs

i just did my own oil change last weekend, so it definitely WON'T show on carfax. i guess i've got receipts of the oil purchased as proof? seems rather difficult to showcase the quality of a vehicle that's been privately taken care of as opposed to being serviced at the dealer (which for inspection I, i'll have done either at the dealership or a certified indy).

Yeah, it really is helpful to see mainly if there have been any issues with the car. It will show anything that was fixed at the dealer so for example: fuel line leak, brake rotors replaced, rattle reported from passenger side. So anything the previous owner(s) brought the car into the dealer for will show up. It's good to do in addition to a carfax to see what minor/major issues and repairs the car has had and which have been fixed vs which ones have not.

[r4gs]

Originally Posted by Nikki

Yeah, it really is helpful to see mainly if there have been any issues with the car. It will show anything that was fixed at the dealer so for example: fuel line leak, brake rotors replaced, rattle reported from passenger side. So anything the previous owner(s) brought the car into the dealer for will show up. It's good to do in addition to a carfax to see what minor/major issues and repairs the car has had and which have been fixed vs which ones have not.

being a fussy owner, i've brought my m coupe in for the most minor of issues! this weekend i'm popping by just to have them replace my driver's side air-conditioning vent cos they'd dented it while replacing my driver's side cupholder. but yes, service records + carfax does give a pretty clear picture of the condition of a used car.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by r4gs

being a fussy owner, i've brought my m coupe in for the most minor of issues! this weekend i'm popping by just to have them replace my driver's side air-conditioning vent cos they'd dented it while replacing my driver's side cupholder. but yes, service records + carfax does give a pretty clear picture of the condition of a used car.

Yeah and it's great to see if the prior owner was fussy! I'd love to buy a car from someone that cared for it that much.

[Finnegan]

I don't put that much trust in Carfax or any of those tools as a definitive answer. Why? My buddy has a car that was in an accident and 8 months later it doesn't show in either Autocheck or Carfax. I've run my own cars as well and those tools have missed repairs that insurance paid for after an accident. Any by no means do they report well on service done to the car--even if it's done at the dealer. It's a tool but not the tool for car buying.

Pretty sloppy actual stuff but a great propaganda campaign--er marketing--by Carfax. I think they've sold the public on the idea they're the "gold standard" blah blah. (Now with their "value tool" they're trying to be Blue Book/Black Book/Edmunds as well and dictate the value of cars directly as "the definitive source". Pretty sketchy if you ask me....)

I'll second BMWTIS or going to CPO route. I'll also recommend a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) by a good indie shop, and using your own eyes and carefully checking the car yourself (body, suspension, etc.) if you buy private party. (Original suspension parts don't usually have bar-codes or paper part number tags....) If you can meet the original owner that's a big plus in my book. What do his/her other cars look like? What kind of vibe does the owner give off? Are they knowledgeable about the car?Talk about tracks, autox, and other things. What does the owner say? (You'd want to know if they're a track junky with the car you're about to buy.) What condition is the oil in (nasty dirty or clean)? Do they have all the paperwork on the car--all service history? Do they warn about driving the car gently until it warms up? You get the idea....

None of those things are "guarantees" but they round out the picture if you're not going the CPO route.

[dekaliber]

Originally Posted by r4gs

being a fussy owner, i've brought my m coupe in for the most minor of issues! this weekend i'm popping by just to have them replace my driver's side air-conditioning vent cos they'd dented it while replacing my driver's side cupholder. but yes, service records + carfax does give a pretty clear picture of the condition of a used car.

IMO, the less the dealer (or anyone) touches your car, the better.

That said, if they f-ed up your car while "fixing" it, they better pay for it!

[wzjra]

Originally Posted by cliffhopper

Took a look at my first m coupe today,

http://www.bmwmdata.com/Scripts/Spec...79&eseries=E86

Anyway, the car was nice, but it's the first one that I've driven. You definitely get a feel for how small the interior space is when you hit your head on the roof when you get in. I also had to move the seat back when I sat down, I was RIGHT on top of the steering wheel. Someone at the dealership is a midget I guess.

So here's the autotrader listing:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=287887974



I don't know if I like the interior color that much, I would LOVE a red interior with a gray car, but the closest one is in las vegas, not about to fly out there to test drive a car I'm not gonna buy for a few months.

The dealer was not too pushy, I told the salesman I was out for the first time, and I didn't even need to tell him I would not be making any sort of decision today.


I might go look at this one soon:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r_id=287689298

For the BSM M coupe you're planning on checking out, the trunk's M badge is on the wrong side and the fender m badge looks a bit off.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by wzjra

For the BSM M coupe you're planning on checking out, the trunk's M badge is on the wrong side and the fender m badge looks a bit off.

Good catch! Something's fishy...

[r4gs]

Originally Posted by dekaliber

IMO, the less the dealer (or anyone) touches your car, the better.

That said, if they f-ed up your car while "fixing" it, they better pay for it!

i am quite firmly of the opinion that the quality of service + maintenance at the dealership (bmw of san antonio for me) isn't exactly high and i'd second finnegan's description of going with an enthusiast owner who really knows his stuff and takes great care of the cars he drives. if it wasn't for my original warranty running out and my cpo warranty kicking in, i'd definitely never visit the dealership unless i absolutely have to. i have my own trusted mechanic locally to help with anything i'm mechanically inept with, and so far diy's have been informative, fun and unique experiences in tweaking my m coupe to my exact liking. mucho thanks to everyone who's been so helpful on zpost!

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by Nikki

Good catch! Something's fishy...

The fender badges were notoriously crooked from the factory.

[gcochard]

Originally Posted by wzjra

For the BSM M coupe you're planning on checking out, the trunk's M badge is on the wrong side and the fender m badge looks a bit off.

Very good catch, I probably would not have noticed.

I'm only considering this car because it's so close to me.

[mousitch]

Originally Posted by epbrown

The fender badges were notoriously crooked from the factory.

WHS ^
Both my M cars had crooked badges.Blame Bubba

[Nikki]

Still, the rear M badge being on the wrong side is not good!

[CalRick]

Perhaps the previous owner had the car de-badged, and then he (or the dealer or auction house) did a sloppy job of re-badging it for sale. In any case, it is something to check into before deciding.

[dekaliber]

Originally Posted by Nikki

Still, the rear M badge being on the wrong side is not good!

Seems like a common enough mod. I'm pretty sure inTgr8r's car has the M on the right, and I saw an Interlagos coupe at the track that had their badge relocated to the right side as well.

But yeah, debadging seemed like a common thing to do on these cars too, so it's always possible that they just didn't stick it back on right (they never do). My Z4 was debadged in the back and the dealer I traded it into put it back on, and I could definitely tell that it wasn't in the right place.