Just Bought 2008 E90 M3

[BimmerSixDeuce]

I've been looking for about 6 months and finally found what I'm looking for. Jerez Black sedan, well maintained with under 64K on the clock. Problem is it is in Colorado (at a Lexus dealer) and I am in Maryland and don't have the time to go to CO. They sent me a bunch of pictures and told me the car is "not perfect not rough." It was daily driven. Which I understand for a 10 year old car - I don't expect perfect.

After calling the BMW dealer and indy shops that were listed in the Carfax, I found that it has had the cooling system replaced, throttle body actuators, 6-7K oil changes, etc. That it was driven for most of its life by the 3rd owner who was a mid-40's woman who never tracked the car (I will be the 4th owner). Seems well maintained mechanically. It was daily driven and has some rock chips etc. The windshield seal is totally cracked and the windshield will be replaced by the dealership (Safelight). They will also take care of shipping so one less thing I have to deal with.

Going to sell my ZHP Coupe and use the Mazda 3 as my daily/winter car. I plan on hanging around mostly in the DIY section and look forward to learning a lot about this car from all the knowledgeable forum members.

[cmyE93M3]

Congrats on the buy, looks pretty good! I have a Jerez black which is a 2011 E90 M3. The service history sounds reasonable, would be worth looking into doing the rod bearings as a precautionary, I did mine this fall with about the same miles as yours and it needed it.

Enjoy and welcome to the M club of ownership.

[IB M]

Congrats - welcome to NA V8 bliss.

CO cars typically have little to no rust even if daily driven through winter as it is so dry / low humidity. Rock chips are common however on CO cars.

What's your ZHP spec? Should be a quick an easy sale if it's in good condition.

[hungryhippo]

How much was it? I plan to be selling a very similar car soon.
Shipping must be close to $2k.

[Montaver]

Congrats! You will love it. That looks like a clearbra line across the middle of the bonnet, it may not be as chipped as you think. A good paint correction and detail will go a long way.

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by hungryhippo

How much was it? I plan to be selling a very similar car soon.
Shipping must be close to $2k.

I think I got a good value. It was just under $25k shipped. We split the shipping cost at $800 each. Price obviously played a large role (plus the right color options mileage maintenance) in why I feel comfortable buying sight unseen. East coast prices seem to be a bit higher.

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by IB M

Congrats - welcome to NA V8 bliss.

CO cars typically have little to no rust even if daily driven through winter as it is so dry / low humidity. Rock chips are common however on CO cars.

What's your ZHP spec? Should be a quick an easy sale if it's in good condition.

Thanks for the input. The ZHP is 2005 coupe in silver gray metallic on black carbon fiber cloth seats. Good condition with 123K miles. A couple of bumper scratches. I just did the valve cover gasket and spark plugs. Cooling system has been done. Planning on doing brakes and rotors in the next few weeks. There is also a slight leak from the oil filter housing gasket.

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by cmyE93M3

Congrats on the buy, looks pretty good! I have a Jerez black which is a 2011 E90 M3. The service history sounds reasonable, would be worth looking into doing the rod bearings as a precautionary, I did mine this fall with about the same miles as yours and it needed it.

Enjoy and welcome to the M club of ownership.

Thanks! I plan on doing the rod bearings at some point once my car coffers fill back up. I'll probably drive it only 5000 miles a year.

[jiggz]

Congrats on the M3. I see some PPF so the front end much be in pretty good shape?

I too came from a ZHP - it's a pretty natural progression IMO. Welcome to the forum

[94jedi]

Congrats and welcome! Similar to mine except slicktop and 6spd. Definitely do rod bearings. I did mine at 76k and it was time. Treat your car well and it will reward you with many smiles per mile!

Interesting, I also had a ZHP...2 cars ago though; well, 3 if you count a quick stint w/ an e46 M3. The ZHP was really a lot of fun. A great daily to really drive and not worry too much about it.

[njdrive]

Congrats!! 6spd or DCT ?

[IanMan]

Originally Posted by njdrive

Congrats!! 6spd or DCT ?

Hyperdrive.

Congrats OP. I own a 2008 as well. I love the 2008's. Best bang for the buck and your looks really well taken care of. Do the LCI trunk, rod bearings, and your diff and trans fluids. Expect for a throttle actuator to go out in the meantime as well.

[hungryhippo]

Nice, sounds like a good deal

[bimmergixxer]

Congrats on your purchase and I love the colour.

[TomHudson]

Beautiful car, and wonderful colour.

Since it’s a 2008, a good polishing to get small scratches out will do wonders to make that colour pop!

Enjoy!

[wfdeacon88]

Originally Posted by TomHudson

Beautiful car, and wonderful colour.

Since it's a 2008, a good polishing to get small scratches out will do wonders to make that colour pop!

Enjoy!

good point. Any recommendations on a DIY paint correction *lite* for amateurs? I assume a decontamination, plus a light polish will do wonders, but ive never taken the chance because I assume it's too much of a task for someone with no experience and I don't have 8 hours to spend on it these days

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by 94jedi

Congrats and welcome! Similar to mine except slicktop and 6spd. Definitely do rod bearings. I did mine at 76k and it was time. Treat your car well and it will reward you with many smiles per mile!

Interesting, I also had a ZHP...2 cars ago though; well, 3 if you count a quick stint w/ an e46 M3. The ZHP was really a lot of fun. A great daily to really drive and not worry too much about it.

Mine's also 6spd - same with the ZHP. I love the ZHP and it pains me to get rid of it. Basically I'm trading daily driving the ZHP for shared duty between the Mazda 3 and M3.

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by TomHudson

Beautiful car, and wonderful colour.

Since it’s a 2008, a good polishing to get small scratches out will do wonders to make that colour pop!

Enjoy!

Thanks! There are some great shops around here for paint correction/detailing etc. I'll see what it looks like in person then decide what I'm going to do.

[BOOF-M3]

OP definitely needs a set of eyes on the car before purchasing. OP, what city in Colorado is the car in?

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

OP definitely needs a set of eyes on the car before purchasing. OP, what city in Colorado is the car in?

It's at Stevinson Lexus of Frederick. If anyone nearby would be willing to check it out for me it would be MUCH appreciated. Even if just to let the dealer know that I have some local representation.

BTW BOOF, I tried to PM you but your mailbox is full.

[94jedi]

Originally Posted by wfdeacon88

good point. Any recommendations on a DIY paint correction *lite* for amateurs? I assume a decontamination, plus a light polish will do wonders, but ive never taken the chance because I assume it's too much of a task for someone with no experience and I don't have 8 hours to spend on it these days

Wash, decontamination, wash/rinse, then claybar, wash rinse then buff (buff being an ambiguous term)/polish finally wax/seal.

I learned through trial and error that a "light" paint correction can be achieved w/ a harbor freight DA (or a Torq 10FX like I have) an orange hex logic pad and something like chemical guys VSS or V32-v38 line of "polishes". Finish w/ a white pad w/ V38. On BMW paint, as long as it's not that bad, that combo should work very well. For true paint correction though, you prob need to step up to Meg's 105/205 microfiber pads, and a more powerful DA.

Watch a couple of vids online from AMMONYC, Obsessed Garage, and Chemical Guys, Pan The Organizer etc. they all have great tutorials. It is time consuming but well worth the effort.

[InnerBlueSkies]

Congrats my friend, had an 11 that I unloaded a couple years ago and recently picked up an 08. Mileage at about the same range as yours.