E92 M3 valuation and appreciation

pinking

Hi guys, been looking into the e92 bmw m3 now for a while and from what I've read, the car is not only reliable if its been looked after, but also is on the verge of going up in value. Obvs you don't buy a car for it to make money, but am I right in thinking if I dropped 15k on an m3 that in 3 years time it would probably be worth around the same money? Minus the thousands spent on fuel and oil..

Also, does anyone know of any issues to watch out for with these cars other than rod bearings?

e92 M3 for €15k?

pinking

Augeo wrote: »

e92 M3 for €15k?

yep, although mileage is high. Could probably stretch to €18/19k for lower mileage spec but lower mileage could also mean that the essential works around 50k miles have not been done

vintagevrs

Can you show an example of an e92 M3 for 15k?

pinking

vintagevrs wrote: »

Can you show an example of an e92 M3 for 15k?

I would but I can't post links, it was a private seller on facebook so probably a bag of nails. I'm more asking about the appreciation value of them, will they go up in price over the next few years? I'm setting my hopes up to buy one at the start of next year, probably more around the 18k mark or more if I can save up a little extra

TherapyBoy

If you’re looking to buy something like this that will specifically appreciate in value you’re best looking for something that puts it above other similar models. An exceptionally clean, limited edition, garaged, regularly maintained, only driven to mass on sunny summer weekends example owned by a car enthusiast who has owned it for all of its 12,500 mile covering life is what you’re looking for. It might take a bit longer to find & cost you a bit more but you’re more likely to get something extra back when you sell it on later.

vintagevrs

pinking wrote: »

I would but I can't post links, it was a private seller on facebook so probably a bag of nails. I'm more asking about the appreciation value of them, will they go up in price over the next few years? I'm setting my hopes up to buy one at the start of next year, probably more around the 18k mark or more if I can save up a little extra

I presume on UK plates? Vrt on one is prob 7 or 8k.

listermint

In short no.

Don't buy one of these if you want to lose no money.

Simply put . They will need maintenance not just oil. If you are going into this with the mindset of it costing you nothing in ownership then you are not the right owner for BMW performance. I personally owned an E46 M3 and sold it for very close to what I paid for it over 3 years but there was alot of money put into it preventative maintenance and it was up there with the cleanest in the country in terms of being original unabused.

chalky_ie

You would need to do very little mileage on an already pristine example to not lose any money in the next 10 years, I would think. I also believe VRT to be over 9k at the moment for an 08 E92 M3, based on info I've seen on another forum. You would also probably have to do rod bearings when you bought it to be safe, that's 2k or so straight off the bat.

You probably wouldn't lose a ridiculous amount of money when selling vs the price you paid at 15k, if you looked after it well and put good money into maintaining it.

pinking

listermint wrote: »

In short no.

Don't buy one of these if you want to lose no money.

Simply put . They will need maintenance not just oil. If you are going into this with the mindset of it costing you nothing in ownership then you are not the right owner for BMW performance. I personally owned an E46 M3 and sold it for very close to what I paid for it over 3 years but there was alot of money put into it preventative maintenance and it was up there with the cleanest in the country in terms of being original unabused.

Was your m3 expensive to own then? Id be comfortable paying 1k a year in upkeep, but compared to newer hot hatches in the same price bracket I feel like the m3 will hold its value much better.

listermint

pinking wrote: »

Was your m3 expensive to own then? Id be comfortable paying 1k a year in upkeep, but compared to newer hot hatches in the same price bracket I feel like the m3 will hold its value much better.

For someone not handy with tools or really interested in doing preventative maintenance. Yes.

I had the rear sub frame reinforced per poor BMW design and also rear differential rebuilt for chatter. 1k per year will probably be ok for low mileage and nothing high mileage on it. But all it takes is one thing to go funny on an M3 and you are 1200 out of nowhere.

McCrack

Petrol and tyres will be a killer on these

They have probably bottomed out now, 18/19k should get you a good one

Re appreciation.. Possibly. The last of the N/a engines

MarkN

Ran one of these for a year and a half. Tyres mad money, insurance (was ok back in 2009 but probably mad now), tax obviously. Petrol will easily be €100 a week if you drive it daily.

Service costs were a bit dearer than normal.

I sold it for €52,000 in 2009, they’re still going for around half that 10 years on. I doubt you’ll get one for 15-18 unless it’s a CAT D or something.

millington

15k for a VRTd E92 M3? Be interested to see it, they're 20k+ for a good one.

Values on E92s have been stable for a couple of years but they are not easy to sell. In fact some at the minute have been advertised for the guts of a year. Even if the value drops, it won't depreciate at the rate of an ordinary car though. It could go up, who knows!

They are extremely expensive to maintain properly, and even moreso if there are any major failures such as an engine. A set of brakes all round will set you back a grand for example.

cpoh1

If you have to worry or even think about maintenance costs on something like this then the car is not for you.

1k is conservative as a maintenance budget, service, tyres and minor fixes will run past that let alone some of the bigger ticket items that will inevitably come your way.

If you want to keep a car like that pristine you need to budget for an annual detail and proper clean underneath also, nothing performance is cheap to run unless you buy something like a golf R.

Leonard Hofstadter

They are an utterly fabulous car to drive, and that engine is just in a completely different league to anything else I've ever sampled.

They're quite reliable (as M cars go) so long as the rod bearings have been done, but even so they won't be cheap to run - those engines are very fond of petrol if you're even remotely enthusiastic with the accelerator pedal (which you will be, because there is a truly spectacular noise) and there is the M tax on everything.