Critique my for sale ad? 35is

[sunnydays]

Hey all,

I currently have my 35is for sale here and on auto trader, I have had some interest off this form but none off Auto trader as of yet. The ad has been live for 6 days and has had 300 views on auto trader but 0 calls as of yet.

Could anyone please advise on any improvements I could possibly make to this. It may well be a process of waiting a little bit for the right buyer, just found it odd to have so many views yet 0 calls?

Thank You!

 

[willgill]

I'd expect it's the lack of sat nav because the details, pictures etc.. are all excellent

 

[Pastry]

I'd expect it's the lack of sat nav because the details, pictures etc.. are all excellent

+1 Most will want Sat Nav on the flagship model or a significant saving to offset not having it.

 

[mr wilks]

Honest thoughts on the car / advert / price ? ( more than happy to remove / delete anything you aren't happy with )
Pics are great quality but for me there are too many .
Structure of advert needs work , forget the " car is , car has , car ..... )
just keep it simple but provide all information a possible buyer is looking for , ie year- miles - owners -
spec - service record then any extra points you feel the buyer needs to know about your particular car . Sounds daft but a buyer who perhaps isn't clued up may need to know its a 3.0 straight 6 with 2 turbos yet still sits in low(ish) tax band
Finally the price / nav conundrum ? Agree with Pastry totally , there is always a point when the price reaches a point of temptation a buyer will overlook certain spec criteria that he may be holding out for .
Also worth a scan over the last 2 forum 35Is sold within the past few months , one with nav , one without , pretty sure Will (WRS) car was up around £15500

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=97917

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=100731

 

[Z4M-2006]

Its too expensive......

Its a uninspiring colour combo and has poor spec.


The flagship model of any range needs to be fully loaded and have no downsides to get top money...

There was a 13 plate facelift 35is that recently sold on here for £18k,that had great colour combo and had great spec..

In comparison,yours needs to be around £15,500 to get serious interest,especially at this time of year.

 

[sunnydays]

I'd expect it's the lack of sat nav because the details, pictures etc.. are all excellent

I'd expect it's the lack of sat nav because the details, pictures etc.. are all excellent

+1 Most will want Sat Nav on the flagship model or a significant saving to offset not having it.

Thank you for the input guys, surprised Nav can have such an effect on this, but it seems like a lot of buyers favor this. I priced based on the last car on here going for £18k with Nav, how ever that car had 15k more miles than mine so I would have thought that was a fair offset?

Honest thoughts on the car / advert / price ? ( more than happy to remove / delete anything you aren't happy with )
Pics are great quality but for me there are too many .
Structure of advert needs work , forget the " car is , car has , car ..... )
just keep it simple but provide all information a possible buyer is looking for , ie year- miles - owners -
spec - service record then any extra points you feel the buyer needs to know about your particular car . Sounds daft but a buyer who perhaps isn't clued up may need to know its a 3.0 straight 6 with 2 turbos yet still sits in low(ish) tax band
Finally the price / nav conundrum ? Agree with Pastry totally , there is always a point when the price reaches a point of temptation a buyer will overlook certain spec criteria that he may be holding out for .
Also worth a scan over the last 2 forum 35Is sold within the past few months , one with nav , one without , pretty sure Will (WRS) car was up around £15500

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=97917

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=100731

Hi Mr Wilks,

Thank you for the detailed feedback, will update the structure of the advert and include the simple information as you have pointed out I have missed the basics such as it being a 3.0l twin turbo that squeezes in to the lower tax band.

I priced based off the last 35is which sold on here at £18k I beleive, it was fully loaded including nav how ever it had 15k more miles than mine, but also based on auto trader ads, the rarity of these cars imo makes them harder to price. What would you personally say is a realistic price to reach for? £15/16k would see me being cheaper than some DCT 35i cars with similar mileage, surely that would reflect this being underpriced?

Thanks

Its too expensive......
Its a uninspiring colour combo and has poor spec.
The flagship model of any range needs to be fully loaded and have no downsides to get top money...
There was a 13 plate facelift 35is that recently sold on here for £18k,that had great colour combo and had great spec..
In comparison,yours needs to be around £15,500 to get serious interest,especially at this time of year.

Hi,
The color is personal preference, but the spec its self aside from the missing Nav I would not say is poor? It has the premium hifi for example which seems pretty rare and is a good upgrade over stock. The 13 plate you referenced @ £18k also had 15,000 more miles on the clock than my car. At £15.5k it would actually be cheaper than several 35i models, surely this would be too low as reflected by market prices?

Thanks

 

[mr wilks]

I didn't mention the red 35is as imo it was sold a little too cheap & the other 2 i have linked are much closer to your actual car with regard miles / year / spec .
Without your dissecting minutely your car /pricing its worth considering the overall market that you are in .
Very niche cars , very small marketplace for trading & we know (those who watch the market that is ) that many cars can sit for months on end for seemingly no apparent reason .
Your white / black combo is pretty safe imo , never going to wow like valencia or estoril but imo should give you a wider audience than red / cream :?
I suspect its simply a case of waiting for the right buyer to appreciate what you have ( could take months as it did with Wrs & Samuir's cars) but the price attached must be keen enough to not put potential buyers off .
A final perspective you may not have considered & i am happy to delete if you wish , the 35is is only available with DCT & most like your own have adaptive ride , both factors that pushed me away from purchasing one over a 35i especially when the price difference in the two was considered other potential buyers may think the same ?

 

[SteveSmith]

Really difficult to price in my opinion. Ultimately it comes down to what you can afford / willing to let it go for / how quickly you need to sell.

In my opinion, someone seeking out a 35is will want iDrive / Sat Nav, it’s not just for Sat Nav, it’s all the other media / iPhone / music integration that it comes with that makes a huge difference.

I’d potentially get rid of the Black Grills as well. I like them but I can imagine a lot of potential buyers may not.

 

[eff1guy]

Do you have any extended warranty on it with BMW? What about the service history, is it full BMW and possible for a potential buyer to take out the extended warranty if they wish to? It was high on my list because these cars cost the earth when they go wrong.

 

[Dav the wheel nut]

Its a uninspiring colour combo

Yes, I think buyers would prefer something different like.................erm..............fiery orange :wink:

 

[sunnydays]

I didn't mention the red 35is as imo it was sold a little too cheap & the other 2 i have linked are much closer to your actual car with regard miles / year / spec .
Without your dissecting minutely your car /pricing its worth considering the overall market that you are in .
Very niche cars , very small marketplace for trading & we know (those who watch the market that is ) that many cars can sit for months on end for seemingly no apparent reason .
Your white / black combo is pretty safe imo , never going to wow like valencia or estoril but imo should give you a wider audience than red / cream :?
I suspect its simply a case of waiting for the right buyer to appreciate what you have ( could take months as it did with Wrs & Samuir's cars) but the price attached must be keen enough to not put potential buyers off .
A final perspective you may not have considered & i am happy to delete if you wish , the 35is is only available with DCT & most like your own have adaptive ride , both factors that pushed me away from purchasing one over a 35i especially when the price difference in the two was considered other potential buyers may think the same ?

Thanks for the clarification, yep that makes perfect sense. I understand that some owners may wish for the manual 35i based on what you have said as well. Based on the current market and information we have what would you say would be a safe price for my car?

Really difficult to price in my opinion. Ultimately it comes down to what you can afford / willing to let it go for / how quickly you need to sell.
In my opinion, someone seeking out a 35is will want iDrive / Sat Nav, it’s not just for Sat Nav, it’s all the other media / iPhone / music integration that it comes with that makes a huge difference.
I’d potentially get rid of the Black Grills as well. I like them but I can imagine a lot of potential buyers may not.

I have the original chrome grills as stated in the ad, so that should not be an issue. Did not realise Nav was such a big want, I didn't want it or need it so didnt strike me at the time.

Do you have any extended warranty on it with BMW? What about the service history, is it full BMW and possible for a potential buyer to take out the extended warranty if they wish to? It was high on my list because these cars cost the earth when they go wrong.

The car has the warranty that came with it when I purchased it, 3/4 services are BMW, one is an Indy.

Its a uninspiring colour combo

Yes, I think buyers would prefer something different like.................erm..............fiery orange :wink:

I have had more interest in it with it being White than Fiery Orange, wrapped cars don't sell for sure lol.

 

[SteveSmith]

Just replying to your comment re “staying in the ad about Grills”... what do you do when looking at cars? I flick through the pictures and I’ll read the advert based on liking what I see. If I see black Grills (which a lot of people hate) then they may not even read the advert and make a judgment on the type of owner who likes the black Grills.

As stated, it’s not just the nav, I barely use the Nav, but I use (and enjoy!) the iDrive entertainment on every drive. I would discount any e89 without it.

 

[sunnydays]

Just replying to your comment re “staying in the ad about Grills”... what do you do when looking at cars? I flick through the pictures and I’ll read the advert based on liking what I see. If I see black Grills (which a lot of people hate) then they may not even read the advert and make a judgment on the type of owner who likes the black Grills.

As stated, it’s not just the nav, I barely use the Nav, but I use (and enjoy!) the iDrive entertainment on every drive. I would discount any e89 without it.

Yep fair point! I know exactly what you mean about the type of owner who likes black grills lol. And the I drive entertainment is a fair point as well. I just feel kind of stuck as a lot of my previous cars have sold very quickly.

 

[Nictrix]

Time of year has got to be a big factor also.

 

[mr wilks]

I didn't mention the red 35is as imo it was sold a little too cheap & the other 2 i have linked are much closer to your actual car with regard miles / year / spec .
Without your dissecting minutely your car /pricing its worth considering the overall market that you are in .
Very niche cars , very small marketplace for trading & we know (those who watch the market that is ) that many cars can sit for months on end for seemingly no apparent reason .
Your white / black combo is pretty safe imo , never going to wow like valencia or estoril but imo should give you a wider audience than red / cream :?
I suspect its simply a case of waiting for the right buyer to appreciate what you have ( could take months as it did with Wrs & Samuir's cars) but the price attached must be keen enough to not put potential buyers off .
A final perspective you may not have considered & i am happy to delete if you wish , the 35is is only available with DCT & most like your own have adaptive ride , both factors that pushed me away from purchasing one over a 35i especially when the price difference in the two was considered other potential buyers may think the same ?

Thanks for the clarification, yep that makes perfect sense. I understand that some owners may wish for the manual 35i based on what you have said as well. Based on the current market and information we have what would you say would be a safe price for my car?

I don't think you are too far away with your ask & its simply a matter of formulating the ad & maybe enticing a buyer with some pics taken somewhere more inspiring ?
Id be reluctant to go below £16k ask price so soon unless desperate to shift it . i think between £16250 / £17250 is a realistic pricepoint to achieve , the car appears to require zero spend whatsoever in the coming year so worth adding that to your listing . Id drop under the £18k to a £17500 ask / £17750 maybe ?
ive no doubt at some point in the very near future you may actually wonder why you sold as for me there really is very little to get close to the twin turbo 89s if you match the year/ miles / spec & performance stats with opposition

 

[Z4M-2006]

Its a uninspiring colour combo

Yes, I think buyers would prefer something different like.................erm..............fiery orange :wink:

Or neither...


Greys,reds and blacks always sell well on sports cars.... Valencia looks great on the E89 shape.

White is what it is.... A colour that became trendy again for a while.

 

[mr wilks]

Just replying to your comment re “staying in the ad about Grills”... what do you do when looking at cars? I flick through the pictures and I’ll read the advert based on liking what I see. If I see black Grills (which a lot of people hate) then they may not even read the advert and make a judgment on the type of owner who likes the black Grills.

As stated, it’s not just the nav, I barely use the Nav, but I use (and enjoy!) the iDrive entertainment on every drive. I would discount any e89 without it.

Yep fair point! I know exactly what you mean about the type of owner who likes black grills lol. And the I drive entertainment is a fair point as well. I just feel kind of stuck as a lot of my previous cars have sold very quickly.

I didn't want to mention the grills specifically as it may offend the owners of "normal" 89s but as its been raised more than once ive tried the black grills in my own car & each time i look at pics when they were fitted think doh ! " ive changed it to look like a 20i 23i 28i.30i " get the silver grills back in , they look so much better than any other combination & just are the ones for a flagship model

 

[eff1guy]

The car has the warranty that came with it when I purchased it, 3/4 services are BMW, one is an Indy.

No mention of warranty in your AT ad, how long left, is it with BMW?

 

[Zoomer]

I would get rid of the 0-60 , power and tax bands as they are all covered by the piston heads performance data. Then I would reword the add to show what optionional equipment and things you have added after your the base spec. Inc service history , tyre types and how tread depth, possibly change some of the pictures to show miles till next sevice and current mileage, plus drivers seat base and side bolster as that always shows the or set wear and any warranty

Having said this the car looks very good indeed and if am sure there will be other people who just don't want the sat nav, but you need to allow for that in the price

GLWTHS

 

[Wrs]

I'd suggest taking some photos at a different location + of the onboard computer menus i.e. oil, service, brakes etc showing they are not due until X miles. GLWS