I didn't spot a Veyron, I spotted a state trooper!

[G]

wow nice cars guys.

[SilverRex]

is there any other good BMW M3 finds? would 40k CAD do it including all applicable taxes/fees

[2002civic]

the only problem is the 2 month wait time for bmw service in calgary and the morons that work there

[bobby_lu]

M6 wheels look sexy!

[rage2]

Originally posted by SilverRex
is there any other good BMW M3 finds? would 40k CAD do it including all applicable taxes/fees

It'll be tough to find a good condition car at that price. Benyl and I looked at about 150 different cars, about 20 in person (friends in the states) at that price range too, and found absolutely nothing. All were garbage, crashed, not straight, problems, etc. We ended up paying a bit more for much higher quality cars. Then again, we were looking for cabs and SMG.

You should be able to find a mint 01 non SMG coupe at that price.

[SilverRex]

Originally posted by rage2

It'll be tough to find a good condition car at that price. Benyl and I looked at about 150 different cars, about 20 in person (friends in the states) at that price range too, and found absolutely nothing. All were garbage, crashed, not straight, problems, etc. We ended up paying a bit more for much higher quality cars. Then again, we were looking for cabs and SMG.

You should be able to find a mint 01 non SMG coupe at that price.

so how much did it run you for cab + sMG? 45kCAD?

wow, going thru 150 units and viewing 20+ one really needs the time to make it worth while, not just money.

[DepTrotter]

who needs an sti and an m3, what a hog :p

[schocker]

There are a couple ok 02's for that price if you really search around, it is just they will likely lack options and have higher mileage as I have been searching for m3's along with s2k's to find something to get, the sweet spot for m3s though is around 35k us

[SilverRex]

Aside from bringing the car in for inspection, do you really have to depend on your own knowledge and judgement in order to figure out what cars shitboxes and what is good? can not the complete inspection detect the slightest of defect?

Otherwise it would suck if you know nothing about cars and end up a piece of crap.

Is it a bad idea to bring a BMW car to a BMW dealership for inspection?

[nismodrifter]

Originally posted by benyl
It is strange that no one has come up with an aftermarket solution. I think that it probably has to do with the fact that BMW dealers in the US don't charge for this service. VW/Audi guys have something called a VAGCOM that allows you to do some of the programming yourself (I think).

yeah with VAGCOM you can adjust a TON of stuff right down to engine settings. It also lets you do logging of a lot of things. Definately a great tool.

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/index.html

Very nice cars!!!

[benyl]

Originally posted by SilverRex
Aside from bringing the car in for inspection, do you really have to depend on your own knowledge and judgement in order to figure out what cars shitboxes and what is good? can not the complete inspection detect the slightest of defect?

Otherwise it would suck if you know nothing about cars and end up a piece of crap.

Is it a bad idea to bring a BMW car to a BMW dealership for inspection?

We both had ours inspected by BMW before purchasing. It is a good idea.

The reason we got 2003.5 is because of the Engine warranty. I don't know about rage2's car, but I have engine warranty until September 2009. Some of the 2002 cars expire this fall and early next year.

[SilverRex]

Originally posted by benyl



We both had ours inspected by BMW before purchasing. It is a good idea.

The reason we got 2003.5 is because of the Engine warranty. I don't know about rage2's car, but I have engine warranty until September 2009. Some of the 2002 cars expire this fall and early next year.

did you purchase your car thru a dealership? or was it private

[Evo prec]

Originally posted by SilverRex
Aside from bringing the car in for inspection, do you really have to depend on your own knowledge and judgement in order to figure out what cars shitboxes and what is good? can not the complete inspection detect the slightest of defect?

Otherwise it would suck if you know nothing about cars and end up a piece of crap.

Is it a bad idea to bring a BMW car to a BMW dealership for inspection?

the only thing i can stress would be do your research. find out as much as you can about the problems and recalls.

It is probrally the best idea to bring a bmw to a bmw dealership to get inspected. Because when you take it for inspection they will either pass it or fail it and most of the time the technician doing the inspection will make numerous comments about the car. Because in the end if you take it to BMW and they pass it and comment that the car is in good condition and something goes wrong that they inspected i am pretty sure they would almost be liable for it.

[00CivicSi]

[rage2]

My engine warranty is good till June/09.

I've heard lots of horror stories of guys importing cars from the states sight unseen, so with that in mind we both got our cars fully inspected at BMW dealerships, as well as seen in person and test driven by my brother (I actually test drove benyl's car on my last day in Chicago). I test drove 4 different M3's after I picked my car up and they all had weird issues. Some felt sloppy, one had a cracked rear subframe, and the others the bumpers and stuff just didn't line up right at all.

The original car I wanted was a Black (not carbon black) M3 Cab SMG with Dinan S1 package with less miles and for less money than the car I bought. Once my brother saw it in person, turns out every single piece up front (bumper, hood, covers) didn't line up, and one of the fog lights wasn't even wired in. Shitty repair job. From the pictures, the car looked mint and I was actually really excited to get that one.

I can tell you right now that I would NOT recommend this process unless you see the cars in person. It's shocking how many POS BMW's there are out there. Oddly enough, used Benz's are in great shape down there, rarely any accidents, but importing one is a whole different process in itself that's an even bigger hassle. You're better off paying a bit more money for an already imported M3 where you can see it in person here.

[SilverRex]

Originally posted by rage2
My engine warranty is good till June/09.

I've heard lots of horror stories of guys importing cars from the states sight unseen, so with that in mind we both got our cars fully inspected at BMW dealerships, as well as seen in person and test driven by my brother (I actually test drove benyl's car on my last day in Chicago). I test drove 4 different M3's after I picked my car up and they all had weird issues. Some felt sloppy, one had a cracked rear subframe, and the others the bumpers and stuff just didn't line up right at all.

The original car I wanted was a Black (not carbon black) M3 Cab SMG with Dinan S1 package with less miles and for less money than the car I bought. Once my brother saw it in person, turns out every single piece up front (bumper, hood, covers) didn't line up, and one of the fog lights wasn't even wired in. Shitty repair job. From the pictures, the car looked mint and I was actually really excited to get that one.

I can tell you right now that I would NOT recommend this process unless you see the cars in person. It's shocking how many POS BMW's there are out there. Oddly enough, used Benz's are in great shape down there, rarely any accidents, but importing one is a whole different process in itself that's an even bigger hassle. You're better off paying a bit more money for an already imported M3 where you can see it in person here.

wow, good advice

[schocker]

Originally posted by rage2
snip

that is some good advice for sure. i am going to get a ton more pictures of the car i am looking at then will make sure to look it over very well and drive it before handing over any money.

[rage2]

Originally posted by schocker
that is some good advice for sure. i am going to get a ton more pictures of the car i am looking at then will make sure to look it over very well and drive it before handing over any money.

Well you can't really do that either haha... unless u feel like sticking around for a few days before coming home. You need to pay and get the title stuff sorted out and faxed to the border, where you'll have to wait 3 business days before you can import the car lol.

[benyl]

They will not let the car out of the country until a lien check has been done. 72 hrs...

Canada will turn you back if you try to skip the US side.

[rage2]

And if you get a car with a lien... you won't get a title for 30 days. Without the title, you can't import. Just ask any of the 100 cars parked near sweetgrass waiting for their titles! (including a beyonder and his porsche ).