Hey guys, help me with a purchase dilemna

[abrickley]

alrite, i was originally going to purchase a G35 coupe when i came home from school in december. i love the car, its gorgeous, and i can totally purchase it.

on a whim i looked up some cars on craigslist when i came across a 2002 M3, 50k miles with an SMG gearbox for 30k. 30k!!!! the miles are largely attributed to the guy visiting his gf in LA (1k round trip pretty much all highway) and is funny because that would chaulk up the majority of my miles.

so here is my dilemna, which car?

a black M3 hardtop with SMG tranny for 30k BUT it has 50k miles.

or a 2004 G35 coupe with a 6 speed and little to no miles (brand new or less than 5k)

also, i posted here because i want to hear your thoughts on the M3 with this many miles. how do you think it fares? does BMW offer some sort of extended warranty? I would definetely take this car into a dealer to have it looked over before handing over any money, but driving around a high mileage car with no warranty scares me.

thanks guys

 

[CarbonReptile]

That's a very tough decision. I have to go with the G35 in this case. Don't know about the extended warrantee. I believe the original owner had to have purchased the extended warrantee befor the 50000 mile limit was hit. In addition, I believe the extended warrantee is non-transferable. Bottom line...it's too much of a risk with such a nice car.

 

[flashinthepan]

I voted for the M3 "before" I read the post,

I may sway to the G35 instead of an M3 out of warranty, but at that point I get a new 330Ci.

Hey I like all choices !!

 

[abrickley]

hey whats the warranty on the car like? is the engine separate? i know something has like a 5year 50,000 mile warranty. is that everything?

 

[bahnstormer]

u're comparing based on price, but the 2 cars are very different. the m3 is a better car in terms of well, everything really =]

but u do have that nice infiniti service program =]

i vote M3 just b/c its the better performer

 

[abrickley]

o no doubt the m3 smashes the g35 in EVERYTHING, but its a car with 55k miles and no warranty is what i am worried about. should i?

 

[Tom]

An SMG M3 with that high miles was probably driven pretty hard or used as a daily grinder. Make sure you check out all the service records and note if all oil changes were done on time. It wouldn't hurt to do a carfax just to make sure the title is clean and it wasn't involved in an accident.

Other than that, $30k for an M3 is a pretty good deal.

 

[Big Daddy]

50k on any BMW is minor. Have you checked the value of the two cars according to NADA, Blue Book and Edmund's? I would lean toward the BMW, I mean this is a BMW board. I agree with bahnstormer, the BMW is a better car all around. The handling of an M car is wonderful, and the torque gives you a feeling of real power. Which one is going to be more fun to drive and worth more in end. the BMW. Ok buy the M3!

 

[abrickley]

alrite thanks guys he has all the service records and everything and like i mentioned, said that 90% of the 50k is highway from SF to LA. which isnt hard to believe considering thats a 1k roundtrip, and he has only had the car 2 years.

my main concern was the mileage, 55k is a lot, but i didnt know bimmers, and it sounds like it shouldnt be bad.

sweet

 

[Kin]

50k miles in 2 years seems a lot to me. If I can only choose between the two, I would go for a G35. But for the prices of G35, I rather pay a little more for a new 330ci or 330 zhp.

$30k for a 2002 M3 is a cheap price, consider the new M3 cost around $60k+, but there must be a reason for the owner to sell it at such a cheap price. Check carefully, don't just buy it because it is a M3.

 

[abrickley]

the guy said he got a great deal on an e55 and im guessing since the car is out of warranty he is going to give it up.


ya im definetely going to tred lightly, ideally i would bring the car into BMW and have them look the WHOLE thing over and get back to me.

 

[flashinthepan]

the guy said he got a great deal on an e55

Now we talkin' !!!

I love those E55's....luxury with a wicked monster under the hood !! I dont blame him.

 

[Average Jae]

you might be able to buy an extended warranty. lexus offered it when we bought a rx300. it was like 2 grand for it, and said that if we wanted one later, it might cost a bit more but not by much.

i'd look into that before deciding on the car, but if you can purchase an extended warranty, then hell i'd drop 32 or even 33k for a 2002 m3.

as for being weary of the high milage, shouldn't you be more worried about low milage cars? because you know those have been driven to the ground every time they took it out for a spin. (if it hasn't, wth is wrong w/ the owner?? they don't deserve such a fine machine, if they won't take full advantage of it. go w/ a buick if yer gonna be lame.. imo ^^;;

 

[K-rock]

Easy, save your money for awhile, buy a new M3; 0 miles.

 

[MrElussive]

The M3 is easily the better performer and the better driver's car. You just have to decide whether you want that better performance or a brand-new car. I own a G35 Coupe 6MT and the engine is a beast (has a bit more torque than the M3 motor) and the Brembo brakes kick ass (great performance, no brake fade), but when it comes to handling and taking the turns hard, a BMW is second to none.

 

[flashinthepan]

The M3 is easily the better performer and the better driver's car. You just have to decide whether you want that better performance or a brand-new car. I own a G35 Coupe 6MT and the engine is a beast (has a bit more torque than the M3 motor) and the Brembo brakes kick ass (great performance, no brake fade), but when it comes to handling and taking the turns hard, a BMW is second to none.

Mr E-

I like the G35's, what are the Differences between the G35 coupe's and the 350Z's..if any ??

 

[Average Jae]

z- two seats, few more ponies, 286? faster, but harsher total sports car. cheaper, altho they have different trims and the higest one maybe priced higher than the g?

g - four seats, few less ponies, 280, not as fast but more refined and luxurious.

i'd take the g.. i actually would've had it not been for the dealership mucking things up.. ie broken side view mirror for over 2 weeks after i put the deposit down.. so i couldn't even test drive it.

sorry mr. e, but not a fan of the gold brembos.. why couldn't they get a red cover?

 

[Average Jae]

Easy, save your money for awhile, buy a new M3; 0 miles.

keep saving... is the 50k miles worth another $30k? that's a toughie..

 

[CarbonReptile]

I think you should probably pick one of the following options (ordered by my preference):
1. Keep saving for a new M3.
2. Purchase a 330ci fully loaded for about $36,000.
3. Only purchase the used M3 if you can get an extended warrantee.

 

[BMWdude]

Are you guys out of your mind? 50k is nothing. My my friend's Dodge Caravan has 180k and he only had slight tranny problems, but that is it... and that is on a DODGE!!!