E85 3.0si buying help

[EintrachtAdler]

Hello All!

I'm in the market for a manual E85 3.0si and was hoping to get some insight from all your knowledge.

I'm seeing several different mileage and price point combinations and am hoping you guys could help give me a deal of what the market is and what a good deal is. Something I always focus on when I buy a car is it's depreciation because I typically will never own a car more than 3 years so I can drive something new and exciting, so I like to make sure what I buy and the price I buy it at will maximize realistic resale value when I go to sell. A lot of people talk about how amazing this car is and never wanting to sell it and maybe that will be the case for me too! Cars I have previously owned were an R56 Mini Cooper S, a Ford Fiesta ST, a Subaru BRZ and an Alfa Romeo Giulia.

I am buying out of area as I live in Montana, so I don't have the greatest idea of service history and all but once I narrow down on one, I'll do a ppi.


Option 1

2008 3.0si in black with 43k miles for $14.5k

Two owner car and the most recent owner did all his own work and was garage kept. Does have M sport seats.

Needs new tires. Black is my least preferred color.

Option 2

2008 3.0si in gray with 41k miles for $15k

Two owner car. Has new tires and recently replaced rear shocks/mounts and valve cover gasket. Top can currently only be operated manually.

Doesn't have M sport seats.

Option 3

2006 3.0si in silver with 71k miles for $14k

Four owner car and third owner owned it for 15 years and treated it well before his Z4M and newest owner has only owned it a short period but doesn't like the suspension harshness. Has the M sport seats.

Option 4

2006 3.0si in red with 102k miles for $14k

Is certainly one of the flashiest colors and has the M sport seats.

Option 5

2006 3.0si in silver with 146k miles for $7k

Definitely an exterior that looks worse within 15 feet and the passenger window regulator and top motor need fixed. Also doesn't have the M sport seats.

Option 6

2007 3.0si in blue with tan seats with 55k miles for $18k

This would be my dream build except for it not having the M sport seats. It is gorgeous and the saddle brown seats go great with the blue exterior, but I just don't know if there would be enough resale value down the line to compensate for the premium being charged.

Option 7

2007 3.0si in silver with 101k miles for $12k

Is sold at a dealer but the carfax actually has a very thorough service record. Does not have the M sport seats.

Option 8

2006 3.0si in silver with 59k miles for $14k

Also sold at a dealer, but has a decent carfax service history. Does not have the M sport seats.


So which would you all choose? Obviously if money was no object, I would go with that blue one, but though blue would be nice, for some reason color is not too big of a determining factor for me with this car and I feel like if I really want it blue, I can wrap it but this way it would give me time to maybe realize what color I like it in. So basically I'm between the higher mileage cheaper options or the lower mileage more expensive options. Which group do you guys think will be a better store of value given what I would pay for it? Part of me feels like the lower mileage ones just in case I want to keep it awhile and because it may turn more and more into a classic car, especially the si, but is that $15k price point reasonable if I do sell in 3 years. Just thinking out loud. Looking forward to all your help!

[jwolf]

Most cars with the sport seats also probably have the sport suspension. The low miles and good history matter, but for me it is how clean and rust free the car is that makes the sell. I love working on cars, but any rust just kills the vibe. Some on the subframe in the rear is common on even good cars. The top lifts are on their last legs on all e85 cars. The rubber seals are about gone due to age. Then they leak. Just know that you will most likely be doing top repairs if that has not been done.

[chickdr]

Why not make an offer on the blue car you like? You may be able to source some sport seats later. 18k seems way out of line considering the others on your list. 14-15k seems like the right price.

[rho123]

Originally Posted by chickdr

Why not make an offer on the blue car you like? You may be able to source some sport seats later. 18k seems way out of line considering the others on your list. 14-15k seems like the right price.

I would agree. For that asking, you could get a E86 instead.

[zoomnad]

I just bought 08 Zsi for $17,800, sport seats, M suspension clean Car Fax with only 41k! They are not around here, or they have a lot of miles on them. Did I pay too much for the car, YEP, but unfortunately that is the going rate nowadays. Before the Z, I had a VW GTI that I paid $15,775 four years ago. I just sold it for $16K! When the bottom drops off in the used car market, and it will, just make sure you are not upside down on a loan, if you borrow money! OR wait until.....

[Our03z4]

Get a coupe not a roadster, I've had both and by far the coupe is my favorite. I have one in the blue with the saddle leather. Great color combo imo. If you get one in the 100k mile range you'll need to do a lot of maintenance items. Suspension will need replacement, new cooling system should be done on any mile car at the age they are as they are a ticking time bomb. Disa, valve cover and some other gaskets too. All easy on this car and won't break the bank.

Coupes are holding value well, I haven't lost anything off the purchase price in the last 3 years. Huge difference in numbers made and handling is impressive thanks to the stiffer body. The coupe still turns heads, people act like they are seeing more exotic than it is. My wife, who couldn't care less about cars even likes the way it looks.

If you get a roadster get one in red, best looking color on those and it doesn't look outdated. Make sure to get a face lift model, the rear lights are a much better improvement. Stay away from 05 and prior models as they WILL have sticky steering issues.

I've had 146k miles on my roadster and sitting at 104k miles on my coupe with minimal fuss. Pretty reliable cars for being German. Just keep them maintained and you'll enjoy them.

[wdb]

3.0si is one of the hidden gems in the BMW lineup of the period. Downsides: electric steering (which didn't really bother me), some tramlining on highways, no LSD. Upsides: stupendously fun and reliable engine and drivetrain, 200 pounds less weight over the front wheels compared to an M which translates into stellar front end response, very stiff body structure even in the roadster (it was designed as a roadster from the start -- coupe came later) which makes them a very tossable car. And you'll get 30+ MPG on highways! I was hard pressed to get down to 20MPG when hooning it. In contrast the M was more than happy to drop below 15MPG in similar situations, and never got above 25MPG anywhere.

The ride can be a bit flinty especially with 18" wheels. "Ditch the runflats" is a mantra on this forum. Get regular tires and a patch kit. AAA card doesn't hurt either. The ride will still be "sporting" though.

Don't worry as much about mileage as you do maintenance. Properly maintained the N52 will go for a long, long, time. Look for stuff like valve cover gasket being serviced, oil filter housing gasket (OFHG) replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, water pump replaced, other cooling system items replaced as well.

Sport seats are really nice. I added them to my 3.0si. I got lucky and found a set though; they aren't all that easy to locate. If you need something besides black, even harder. There's value in getting sport seats in the car to begin with.

You haven't mentioned if you're looking at manual or automatic. The manual gearbox is a gem. I think folks are pretty happy with the slushbox too, and I'm not aware of there being reliability issues with either.

[Our03z4]

Originally Posted by wdb

3.0si is one of the hidden gems in the BMW lineup of the period. Downsides: electric steering (which didn't really bother me), some tramlining on highways, no LSD. Upsides: stupendously fun and reliable engine and drivetrain, 200 pounds less weight over the front wheels compared to an M which translates into stellar front end response, very stiff body structure even in the roadster (it was designed as a roadster from the start -- coupe came later) which makes them a very tossable car. And you'll get 30+ MPG on highways! I was hard pressed to get down to 20MPG when hooning it. In contrast the M was more than happy to drop below 15MPG in similar situations, and never got above 25MPG anywhere.

The ride can be a bit flinty especially with 18" wheels. "Ditch the runflats" is a mantra on this forum. Get regular tires and a patch kit. AAA card doesn't hurt either. The ride will still be "sporting" though.

Don't worry as much about mileage as you do maintenance. Properly maintained the N52 will go for a long, long, time. Look for stuff like valve cover gasket being serviced, oil filter housing gasket (OFHG) replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, water pump replaced, other cooling system items replaced as well.

Sport seats are really nice. I added them to my 3.0si. I got lucky and found a set though; they aren't all that easy to locate. If you need something besides black, even harder. There's value in getting sport seats in the car to begin with.

You haven't mentioned if you're looking at manual or automatic. The manual gearbox is a gem. I think folks are pretty happy with the slushbox too, and I'm not aware of there being reliability issues with either.

I'll add to your post that you can also get a tuning app out of Russia that makes the slushbox shift much more quickly. I got it for mine and it made a massive difference. Has three levels, I leave mine on Stage 2 and use Stage 3 during AutoX.

[Efthreeoh]

Option 1. Simply because of miles, price and M-Sport seats.

[chickdr]

Such a lengthy post and no return to see what was said and reply? Strange. Oh. He started another thread about the same buying scenario.....