RE: BMW M3 (E90): Spotted
Discussion
sold my E92 M3 6 months ago for a 991.1 GTS. Great car and truly miss it.
Yes there is low torque but revving and nailing a V8 to 9000RPM is a joy. Engine sounds superb also.
Needs to be DCT as manual isn't great. That's why the majority sold were DCT and also command a higher premium than manual. DCT just suits the engine better.
Does need better brakes. Standards just are not good enough for the wieght of the car. Still a cracking car....
Yes there is low torque but revving and nailing a V8 to 9000RPM is a joy. Engine sounds superb also.
Needs to be DCT as manual isn't great. That's why the majority sold were DCT and also command a higher premium than manual. DCT just suits the engine better.
Does need better brakes. Standards just are not good enough for the wieght of the car. Still a cracking car....
imy85 said:
I think it was later that than July/August 2008. You can see the cars i have listed are 2009 cars with 58 number plates?
August 2008 saw the first of the E0 LCI M3's. If you run the chassis number through www.bmwvin.com you'll see the production date. The ones I've looked up must have sat in a showroom for a long time.By the way, if you have the reg number, you can get the vin by starting the BMW warranty quote process here: https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/BMW/Login/Index Then put that vin into www.bmwvin.com
So Ebay item 232195412188 registered Feb 2009 was built Dec 2007!
Edited by BFleming on Thursday 19th January 17:56
Debaser said:
Is EDC worth having on one of these? What should a potential buyer look out for? Any sought after options?
I'm a year into a two year lease, but I'm tempted to get one of these as my next daily when I hand it back.
They work pretty well but a quality set of dampers like Intrax/Ohlins transforms them. The big items to check are actuators and in rare cases bottom end shells. Loads of information on cutters if you have a look. I'm a year into a two year lease, but I'm tempted to get one of these as my next daily when I hand it back.
HTH
Debaser said:
Is EDC worth having on one of these? What should a potential buyer look out for? Any sought after options?
I'm a year into a two year lease, but I'm tempted to get one of these as my next daily when I hand it back.
Not having driven a non-EDC car, I can't really compare the difference. All I can say is that it certainly gives me flexibility when I need it. The ride is pretty good for a car of this sort in Normal mode.I'm a year into a two year lease, but I'm tempted to get one of these as my next daily when I hand it back.
What to look out for? It can depend actually and some faults are well concealed until they actually manifest. Check the car has a consistent and thorough history. If you can find a car that has a good amount of receipts and the current owner can demonstrate to an extent that they have looked after the car then this is big plus in my book. You cannot skimp on maintenance with this car in my opinion. I personally don't take my car to the main dealer to get stuff done as I've been very unimpressed with them in the past. I use a local specialist in Bristol that has a good reputation and they have been great so far.
Apparently heated seats and Logic-7 hi-fi are desirable as options but I've not felt the need for either in my car.
Now, if you dig around you'll read a lot about throttle actuators and rod bearings failing. And yes, both can potentially fail. If your actuators fail then Rebuild.org.uk can replace them for you for £600 with a lifetime warranty on the gears. These often fail around the 50k mile mark. If they have been replaced by the standard BMW units then they will fail again. This is something to bear in mind.
Bearings. There is lots of info on the net about these but the opinions are often conflicting or contradictory with lots of armchair mechanics chiming in saying BMW should have done this way or that way and you should use this type of oil instead blah blah blah. What I would say as a guide is you can get the bearings replaced for around £1k. If the car is approaching 70k miles then factor in your budget to have this done soon.
Saloons are rarer than coupes so you may have to shop around for a little while before you find the right car but persevere because really good 'uns are out there. Good luck!
Baz Tench said:
I'm a great fan of manual M cars. My old e39 M5 and my present manual e46 M3 bear testiment to that. I'm open to the thought of the dct though, so I'll see how I get on - soon hopefully.
Objectively brilliant but missing a hell of a lot of involvement for me. I can see the appeal, especially for a daily, but if I was personally ever to even consider one I'd need to have another car that was manual too.As an aside, I couldn't notice any difference in shift speed with 8 speed ZF on the 640d I drove and the DCT M2 and M3.
On the e90, I wouldn't rule out owning one at some time in the future, the bottom of the market hasn't fallen that far from where it was 3 or 4 years ago. Interior looks much improved when it's not the all black affair.
Edited by Patrick Bateman on Thursday 19th January 20:10
BFleming said:
imy85 said:
I think it was later that than July/August 2008. You can see the cars i have listed are 2009 cars with 58 number plates?
August 2008 saw the first of the E0 LCI M3's. If you run the chassis number through www.bmwvin.com you'll see the production date. The ones I've looked up must have sat in a showroom for a long time.By the way, if you have the reg number, you can get the vin by starting the BMW warranty quote process here: https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/BMW/Login/Index Then put that vin into www.bmwvin.com
So Ebay item 232195412188 registered Feb 2009 was built Dec 2007!
Edited by BFleming on Thursday 19th January 17:56
I really struggle to believe 'much quicker' to be honest. I drove the 640d back to back with the M2 and F80 M3 and if there's a difference it's too small to matter. You pull the paddle and the gear is changed there and then.
Chris Harris mentions in his review of the M135i a few years ago (same ZF gearbox) that he initially thought it had a DCT gearbox because it was that quick, so it's not as if it's just mortals that think it's rapid.
Chris Harris mentions in his review of the M135i a few years ago (same ZF gearbox) that he initially thought it had a DCT gearbox because it was that quick, so it's not as if it's just mortals that think it's rapid.
I bought one in 2013 and absolutely loved my 7 months with it. Sold it as I separated from my fiancée at the time.
Personally much prefer the look of the E90 over the E92 from the side and rear, the higher waistline and the flared rear arches on the E90 IMO gave it a far more muscular stance.
I still miss mine, it was a complete one off spec wise, I have the email from BMW somewhere confirming it to be the only Melbourne red with platinum leather saloon produced. I'd have it back tomorrow if I could.
DCT vs Manual has been done to the death, I bought my DCT car without even driving one, having driven a manual coupe I I knew then I didn't want a manual or a coupe so DCT saloon it was
Sadly I sold it in 2013 for fear that it would lose much of its value when the F80 was released the following year. I sold it for the same price as the car in the OP with only 17000 miles, Service package and BMW warranty. I knew I should have kept it
Personally much prefer the look of the E90 over the E92 from the side and rear, the higher waistline and the flared rear arches on the E90 IMO gave it a far more muscular stance.
I still miss mine, it was a complete one off spec wise, I have the email from BMW somewhere confirming it to be the only Melbourne red with platinum leather saloon produced. I'd have it back tomorrow if I could.
DCT vs Manual has been done to the death, I bought my DCT car without even driving one, having driven a manual coupe I I knew then I didn't want a manual or a coupe so DCT saloon it was
Sadly I sold it in 2013 for fear that it would lose much of its value when the F80 was released the following year. I sold it for the same price as the car in the OP with only 17000 miles, Service package and BMW warranty. I knew I should have kept it
Edited by martin mrt on Thursday 19th January 21:41
Edited by martin mrt on Thursday 19th January 21:44
Edited by martin mrt on Thursday 19th January 23:07
big_rob_sydney said:
Too heavy. Never appealed due to the weight. Today its just a overweight old car, going for stupid money.
Having driven one of these and an E46 M3 back to back I couldn't disagree more. The E46 felt like a heavy tired old sloth by comparison. Now they are a car I just don't see what the fuss is about RWDan said:
BFleming said:
imy85 said:
I think it was later that than July/August 2008. You can see the cars i have listed are 2009 cars with 58 number plates?
August 2008 saw the first of the E0 LCI M3's. If you run the chassis number through www.bmwvin.com you'll see the production date. The ones I've looked up must have sat in a showroom for a long time.By the way, if you have the reg number, you can get the vin by starting the BMW warranty quote process here: https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/BMW/Login/Index Then put that vin into www.bmwvin.com
So Ebay item 232195412188 registered Feb 2009 was built Dec 2007!
Edited by BFleming on Thursday 19th January 17:56
BFleming said:
RWDan said:
BFleming said:
imy85 said:
I think it was later that than July/August 2008. You can see the cars i have listed are 2009 cars with 58 number plates?
August 2008 saw the first of the E0 LCI M3's. If you run the chassis number through www.bmwvin.com you'll see the production date. The ones I've looked up must have sat in a showroom for a long time.By the way, if you have the reg number, you can get the vin by starting the BMW warranty quote process here: https://www.bmw-warranty.co.uk/BMW/Login/Index Then put that vin into www.bmwvin.com
So Ebay item 232195412188 registered Feb 2009 was built Dec 2007!
Edited by BFleming on Thursday 19th January 17:56
Just out of interest I ran mine through that, build date 2011-06-15, car is a 61 plate first registered in september 2011 so guess mine sold fairly quick.
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