[RizzyFizzy]

Hello! I wanted to lay out my current situation and see the forum's opinion. I just got my first job out of college making $55k and I am living at home for a few months before I move out into an apartment.


I was looking at 10k Honda Civics, but I told a family friend I loved BMWs and he said he knows his wealthy friend is selling a 2013 M Sport 335i Convertible and buying something new. I talked to the friend and he said he'd sell it to me next month for $10k since I'm a friend and he doesn't need a ton of money. If I don't buy it he's probably selling it for 17k-20k. It's got 71k miles and he takes care of it religiously.


It's already had it's 60k service. The Fuel Pump, water pump/thermostat, valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, and turbo wastegates are already replaced with manufacturer parts. Fuel injectors, front shocks, and a/c evaporator are OEM and in great shape. and He greases his bushings twice a month with white lithium and seals with Krytox quarterly.


My main issues is that I don't have a garage and I live in South Florida. For oil changes I'd drive to the nearby park and do them in the parking lot there on my own. Otherwise I have to take it into a shop. For detailing and washing I'd have to find a shop somewhere to do the cleaning. If it needs to go into the shop I'd take my mom's car to work for the day.

Based on all of that, what do you guys think? Never though I'd get this opportunity now but I love the car and I'd rather it over a Honda Civic even though it'd require more care. I like learning about stuff and learning how to take care of my car would just be another thing to learn.

[allinon72]

A friend of a friend is willing to hand over 10k to you? That's essentially what this is, and on its face sends up some red flags.

[scostu]

Originally Posted by RizzyFizzy

Hello! I wanted to lay out my current situation and see the forum's opinion. I just got my first job out of college making $55k and I am living at home for a few months before I move out into an apartment.


I was looking at 10k Honda Civics, but I told a family friend I loved BMWs and he said he knows his wealthy friend is selling a 2013 M Sport 335i Convertible and buying something new. I talked to the friend and he said he'd sell it to me next month for $10k since I'm a friend and he doesn't need a ton of money. If I don't buy it he's probably selling it for 17k-20k. It's got 71k miles and he takes care of it religiously.


It's already had it's 60k service. The Fuel Pump, water pump/thermostat, valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, and turbo wastegates are already replaced with manufacturer parts. Fuel injectors, front shocks, and a/c evaporator are OEM and in great shape. and He greases his bushings twice a month with white lithium and seals with Krytox quarterly.


My main issues is that I don't have a garage and I live in South Florida. For oil changes I'd drive to the nearby park and do them in the parking lot there on my own. Otherwise I have to take it into a shop. For detailing and washing I'd have to find a shop somewhere to do the cleaning. If it needs to go into the shop I'd take my mom's car to work for the day.

Based on all of that, what do you guys think? Never though I'd get this opportunity now but I love the car and I'd rather it over a Honda Civic even though it'd require more care. I like learning about stuff and learning how to take care of my car would just be another thing to learn.

Make sure you set up a repair bank account and put money in every month.

Enjoy the Bimmer!

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by allinon72

A friend of a friend is willing to hand over 10k to you? That's essentially what this is, and on its face sends up some red flags.

That's why I'm getting a full PPI before purchasing. He even recommended I do that and I'm going to make sure I'm not going to his normal mechanic.

The seller originally was offering advice on a 330i that I was looking at and what I should be aware of before buying a used BMW in terms of repairs and how to spot things on the car that show a bad previous owner. He's actually also the one that directed me to this forum to ask questions before buying.

He figured since he was selling his 335 soon he'd let me know when he was ready to sell it after purchasing his new car. He's well off and buying his new car cash.

Originally Posted by scostu

Make sure you set up a repair bank account and put money in every month.

Enjoy the Bimmer!

Great advice. Was planning on that from the get go. Thank you!

[scostu]

Originally Posted by RizzyFizzy

That's why I'm getting a full PPI before purchasing. He even recommended I do that and I'm going to make sure I'm not going to his normal mechanic.

The seller originally was offering advice on a 330i that I was looking at and what I should be aware of before buying a used BMW in terms of repairs and how to spot things on the car that show a bad previous owner. He's actually also the one that directed me to this forum to ask questions before buying.

He figured since he was selling his 335 soon he'd let me know when he was ready to sell it after purchasing his new car. He's well off and buying his new car cash.

Great advice. Was planning on that from the get go. Thank you!

Get the VIN# and plug it in to www.bvzine.com.... and you can see all the options in the vehicle.

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by scostu

Get the VIN# and plug it in to www.bvzine.com.... and you can see all the options in the vehicle.

Oh great idea! Hadn't thought of that.

I'm going to make sure I'm financially able to afford everything when I get an insurance quote and if it looks good I'll make sure to do this right after.

[scostu]

Also check tire tread depth.... might need new non run flat tires.

As the F30 platform went to EPS and was/is one of the worst suspensions on BMWs.

[Darth One]

You should buy it

[scostu]

A really good tire to go with...for Florida is the

https://www.firestonetire.com/tire/firehawk-indy-500

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by scostu

Also check tire tread depth.... might need new non run flat tires.

As the F30 platform went to EPS and was/is one of the worst suspensions on BMWs.

Originally Posted by scostu

A really good tire to go with...for Florida is the

https://www.firestonetire.com/tire/firehawk-indy-500

Great point. It's actually an E93 not an F30 though. I'll bookmark that link for tires and see where I can get them nearby.

Originally Posted by Darth One

You should buy it

Most likely will with such an amazing community here.

[scostu]

Originally Posted by RizzyFizzy

Great point. It's actually an E93 not an F30 though. I'll bookmark that link for tires and see where I can get them nearby.
.

Ahhhhhh.... Nice!

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by scostu

Ahhhhhh.... Nice!

[scostu]

Post pics!!

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by scostu

Post pics!!

I will for sure!

[scostu]

Check ....https://x-ph.com/

For upgrades..... forum sponsor.

[chassis]

I recommend not buying it. A $10k Honda has a different repair cost requirement over time than a $10k BMW. You mention not having repair or maintenance facilities at your convenient disposal. A comment has been made that the offer being made to you sends up red flags. Consider that passion may be entering into this decision to a greater extent than is beneficial.

[Efthreeoh]

If you want an E9X for the Roundel, then get an N52.

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by chassis

I recommend not buying it. A $10k Honda has a different repair cost requirement over time than a $10k BMW. You mention not having repair or maintenance facilities at your convenient disposal. A comment has been made that the offer being made to you sends up red flags. Consider that passion may be entering into this decision to a greater extent than is beneficial.

It's not that I don't have many facilities at my disposal. There's a great BMW mechanic right by my house that offers good rates and discounts for local residents. I already did the research on them, called, and looked at reviews of people that have worked with them. Did you see my comment on why he's selling it to me at 10k and how it even came up? I met him at first just asking about BMW advice on a different car and he gave me some great stuff. I told him the one I was looking at sold off before I could secure it and he said he'd be fine with selling me his. He himself said never to purchase a car without a PPI and he's fine with me going to a mechanic that isn't his normal one for a PPI before I do any purchasing. He's going to sell it for 17k otherwise, I'm just fresh out of school looking for a car and he'd be fine with passing his on since he's buying a new car.

I know a Honda is much less, and probably the most financially reasonable thing. I've always been a car guy though so I understand that passion might be seeping into this more than it should. Thank you for reminding me of that it's good to re evaluate on my own. I'll sleep on everything a couple more days.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

If you want an E9X for the Roundel, then get an N52.

What's a Roundel? Not familiar with that. And why an N52? Aren't those less reliable?

Originally Posted by scostu

Check ....https://x-ph.com/

For upgrades..... forum sponsor.

I'll check it out! Not sure how I feel about aftermarket parts or tuning but maybe in the future.

[K9Leader]

Originally Posted by RizzyFizzy

What's a Roundel? Not familiar with that. And why an N52? Aren't those less reliable?

The Roundel is the BMW blue-and-white logo. N52s are generally more reliable - less expensive stuff to go wrong (no turbos, no HPFP) - but still have lots of expensive stuff that can go wrong. It sounds as though you are doing the things necessary to determine if you want to go with the BMW, and it could work out fine . . . or it could be a moneypit. Just go into it knowing that.

[RizzyFizzy]

Originally Posted by K9Leader

The Roundel is the BMW blue-and-white logo. N52s are generally more reliable - less expensive stuff to go wrong (no turbos, no HPFP) - but still have lots of expensive stuff that can go wrong. It sounds as though you are doing the things necessary to determine if you want to go with the BMW, and it could work out fine . . . or it could be a moneypit. Just go into it knowing that.

Ah I understand. Thank you very much. I guess it's not just for the Roundel. I've always been a car guy from since I was really young. I just grew up without the time or resources to get into it more than knowing car specs, watching car shows on TV, racing games etc. I love how BMWs look and feel to drive. I didn't plan on getting one soon because I didn't want to take out a loan on a 25k+ car even though I could afford the maintenance (I hate debt), but I can definitely do 10k for something I'd really love.


The first thing I asked about were the turbos and fuel pumps on the car. Turbo wastegates already replaced and fuel pumps replaced with manufacturer parts.

[colorado.e9x]

Smiles per mile will be well worth it over a civic if you're financially stable enough to afford the maintenance, repairs, and of course the upgrades It sounds like you are, so that's good.

I'm fairly certain you're gonna get it so welcome to E90 Post!

[fastboatster]

Yeah, can't hurt to get a PPI first, worst case you'll just lose the money spent on PPI. That said, I'd not necessarily go for a relatively low mile e90 (esp with n54). 70 kmiles is where a lot of stuff is still kind of fine and will pass the PPI, but will start going out in the next 10 or 20 kmiles. Think of water pump/thermostat, oil pan and various other leaks, wastegate rattles, injectors and hpfp - they all might be okay now but hit you hard in the next 10 or 20 kmiles. I'd look for something with higher miles where all these items have been replaced already, that'll give you a lot more trouble-free miles. Lastly, even though it's a 2013 335i convertible, I'd not be paying 10k for this if it's not a manual and has a lot of the original failure-prone stuff not replaced.