Potential E46 M3 Purchase - Advice

[hopz121]

Hi all,

I am interested in a E46 M3 that is for sale at a well respected independent dealership.

It's a 1 owner from new car and has 88k on the clock.

It's not cheap for a car with 88k but looks to be in excellent condition inside and out.

I have looked around the car and I think it's going to need disc's and pads which dealership has said they may do if we come to a deal.

The alloys have recently been fully refurbished and the tyres are all branded and has decent enough tread.

My only worry with the car is any issues underneath the nice exterior. I did an MOT history check last night and found a few potential issues.

On the last 2 Mots (March 2014 & March 2015) the same problems have popped up also the car had an inspection 1 done in Feb 2015 which I would have thought would have sorted/highlighted the issues below before its last MOT.

1. Front Brake Pipes Corroded (Advisory)
2. Engine Management Light on (Advisory)
3. Disc's pitted or corroded (Advisory)

Disc's don't worry me as they will
Probably be changed before I pick up the car.

Front brake pipes would need checking I'm
guessing these are the ones going into the master cylinder.
Will I be able to see these without the car on a ramp?

My main worry is the EML light would this worry you? I would have thought the inspection 1 service would have sorted out the issue and it would not have come in for an MOT with it on again!

The car will get a full MOT before it goes out and also comes with a 1 month any issue warranty with them and then a 3 month warranty after with an external company (I think).

I have not asked the dealer about this yet so they may have sorted out the above issues prior to sale and they may not be an issue. I just don't want to have issues with the EML on a new (to me) car.

It is also worth noting the car has only done 1600 miles between the last 2 MOT's.

Any help would be great

Thanks

Ash

 

[no fit state]

I had one at about those miles. The EML light on should be sorted by the garage before sale. Sounds like the discs will be sorted and the corroded pipes issues I'd like to evaluate myself and if bad enough get the garage to also sort before sale.

I can tell you that at those miles mine needed new front wishbones and you do want to enquire about any investigation into boot floor cracks or any repair to that area.

 

[lotus791]

Normal stuff on a older car .... I have a friend selling a really nice one 2004 carbon black , that was spoiled like a child , near Southend on Sea .

If it's premium money they are asking it should be left requiring nothing .

 

[simonlpearce]

Agreed this is all common stuff on an ageing car. Discs as you say are nothing for concern. Pipes can be replaced for a few hundred quid and you could even do a deal with the garage to have them done before buying. The EML light could be anything from a dicky sensor to something more severe. Only real way to tell for sure is to put it on a code reader and check for yourself. You can buy one for about £50 or so from ebay then download a phone app to read them via bluetooth. Would be useful to have anyway with any BMW. Guess the only problem could be whether the dealer has cleared the codes which may not show back up until its driven some.

I would also be making sure its had the boot floor/subframe checked and repaired by a reputable garage. Otherwise would budget yourself around £700 - £2000 to have it sorted.