[bagger]

(note: hopefully this is an ok thread - please let me know if not -- noob here).

I have been hunting for a manual vert for summer cruising. One of the very first ones I came across was this one:

2005 BMW M3 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2005 BMW M3 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

It appears to be rather immaculate, but what's a fair price for this? 33k for a vert seems high to me based on my (limited) research. I have seen other ones with less than a handful of owners and mostly stock for like ~25k.

Thanks.

 

[mooninite]

The price looks fair when I did an autotrader.com search. Looks like prices are going up.

 

[Alan]

Get a PPI. The results drive the value.

 

[bagger]

For sure will get a PPI. One thing I'm just struggling with is understanding the difference between the ebay one and this one:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/f87bd539-8ff6-47a4-91e0-5234543cd910/

Model years are different, 18" vs 19", both have an aftermarket exhaust. Someone in another thread said they saw this one in person and it was clean.

So what could explain the large price diff between the two? I've been researching and hunting for a month, but keep scratching my head when trying to figure this out.

Thanks.

 

[elfer]

I can't speak for US pricing specifics but I'd say that condition (both cosmetic and mechanical) and maintenance history will generally make a bigger difference in values at 20 years old on a collectable performance car than model year or extras .

 

[bagger]

Thanks, @elfer - that makes sense to me. This is my first time around buying an older car like this.

 

[elfer]

Thanks, @elfer - that makes sense to me. This is my first time around buying an older car like this.

Then of course there's whether the seller has priced it to sell or whether he's holding out for that one person who'll pay his asking price. The difficult thing, as ever, is telling a great car priced to sell from a poor car priced optimistically.

 

[bagger]

Well I bought one today. Not the original one in this thread, but an 04 vert mystic blue / grey interior / blue top. Mechanically it's been well serviced and when I get it shipped home we'll start off with an inspection 2 (odometer at 68k miles) and take it from there. Cosmetically it for sure needs some love and I'm already making a list of all the things to fix / replace / refresh / renew. My credit card is about to be on fire.

Can't wait until it shows up next week to get the party started and have it all ready to go for the short Chicagoland summers. Thanks for the tips and look forward to learning some things along the way.

 

[Bali]

Congrats on the M3!
Might be the lighting, but it looks more like Orient Blue Metallic.

 

[bagger]

Thanks! It's Mystic Blue. It's just a crappy picture the seller took for me with barely any sunlight left. But it's my favorite picture of it so far due to the "sold" sign on it. I love fixing things up that need some love, and I'll have a million before and after photos for this one. I'll be sure to share one when it's a bit more "photo worthy" in the coming months.

 

[Gray M3 Ragtop]

Well I bought one today. Not the original one in this thread, but an 04 vert mystic blue / grey interior / blue top. Mechanically it's been well serviced and when I get it shipped home we'll start off with an inspection 2 (odometer at 68k miles) and take it from there. Cosmetically it for sure needs some love and I'm already making a list of all the things to fix / replace / refresh / renew. My credit card is about to be on fire.

Can't wait until it shows up next week to get the party started and have it all ready to go for the short Chicagoland summers. Thanks for the tips and look forward to learning some things along the way.

View attachment 969881

Beautiful car! Love the color combination. My ‘04 cabriolet is silver grey with black interior.

 

[Alex323Ci]

Well I bought one today. Not the original one in this thread, but an 04 vert mystic blue / grey interior / blue top. Mechanically it's been well serviced and when I get it shipped home we'll start off with an inspection 2 (odometer at 68k miles) and take it from there. Cosmetically it for sure needs some love and I'm already making a list of all the things to fix
View attachment 969881

congrats! 👍🏻
so is this one a manual or SMG?
also seeing the earlier cabrio price how much different in price did you snag this one for (if not to personal).

 

[bagger]

Thanks! This is a manual. The very first cabrio that I posted about varies wildly in price if you watch it on ebay and the like - that's for sure.

The mystic blue one I got I think I got a fairly good deal on, and I have the spreadsheet to prove it was fair. But, of course, everyone thinks they got a decent deal, hah!

I picked mine up and I'll be 24k in or so after dealer stuff, shipping from FL to IL, and IL taxes and registration. Sale price of the car itself was $21,500. I always figured I'd be 30-35k deep to get a super clean & sorted one (which is what we all want). So after addressing the various blemishes and an inspection 2, I'm sure I'll get to that 30-35k number no problem in a couple months - but it will basically be showroom new looking at that point.

If anyone is currently in the market for a lowish mileage vert, or interested in selling theirs - I have a pretty well curated list of all the ones I've been tracking for the last couple of months. Happy to share the sheet with anyone who wants a snapshot of that market across the US - just DM me.

I'm super excited for it to arrive later this week and get going. Gonna go OEM+. It's completely stock right now, which is great to build on.

 

[Alex323Ci]

alrighty, manual and semi low miles is the way to go.
looking forward to more pics when it arrives