When buying a used E89 - concerns about CAT S/CAT N?

At that price it’s pretty much current selling price for non cat 23i..fwiw
 
B21 said:
At that price it’s pretty much current selling price for non cat 23i..fwiw
Click to expand...
Really? I thought it was lower, whenever I'm looking, 23i's in the 80-110k mileage are £7-10k. This one has much lower mileage. But then, maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?
 
The problem with any Cat marker is that the further removed you are from the event, the less you can be certain of.

I get it, cars can be written off for next to nothing these days - it may be fair - it may not be. It might be repaired perfect - it may not be.

At the end of the day, many people (me included) run a mile from these Cat cars, as we don't have the skills / knowledge / information to judge - that means they are harder to sell & worth less on the open market.

Choosing a Cat car over any other (there are loads of cars out there) is a financial choice that will have knock ons down the line.

So I avoid them.
 
Chanceschmerr said:
Thanks everyone, this conversation is exactly what I was hoping for - some different perspectives to understand the implications of considering a CAT car. I'm learning a lot!

I should note - the one I'm looking for in particular is a 2011 E89 s23i, 50k miles, asking £4800. CAT S as mentioned before.

I think it'd help if I provided my perspective going in to it:

The E89 that end up buying will have 3 possibilities, in my mind:
1. I'll drive it and maintain it while here in the UK. It really is the car for me, and maintenance, while not cheap, is reasonable. I import it to Canada after my posting is up, and I drive it until it either it reaches the end of its life, or I trade it in when getting a newer one. In either case - its value on parting doesn't matter to me.

2. I'll drive it, but it becomes a headache for me - tons of unforeseen issues with maintenance or repairs that end up costing me 3x-4x what i paid over the next couple years. I sell it before I move back to Canada, but don't really worry about what I get back in that case. I console myself with having learned a lot!

3. Everything's fine with it but something outside my control prevents me from keeping it - write off accident, war were declared, etc. Since I cant control it, I sell it for whatever I can get, and dont worry what I necessarily get for it.

So I guess in each case - the resale value doesn't mean too much for me, in part because I end up paying less up front for it (because of the CAT situation). From what i've read here, what's really going to matter is the current state of the car in totality, and with the formerly damaged area in particular - who did the repair, were OEM parts used, how much body damage was repaired (if any), etc.

In the end, the goal for me is a car that I drive as long as I can, limited by the life of the car, not by the resale value. So in that case, I get the impression that it should come down to the condition of the car now and my comfort level with any problems with it now.

Does that make sense? Feel free to tell me if I'm off my rocker :rofl:
Click to expand...
Sounds like a sensible approach and at that price I'm not sure you could go far wrong.
Checking the paperwork for the repair, and perhaps a little research into who did it, would be wise.

Cheaper than a good E85 with the same engine.
The engine is pretty bullet-proof.
Have a good read up on roof issues. They can be fiddly with all those sensors and microswitches, but I have to say that over the last couple of years, with the invaluable advice of @RobbiZ4, most jobs have become a bit less scary, though still potentially procey.
 
Chanceschmerr said:
Really? I thought it was lower, whenever I'm looking, 23i's in the 80-110k mileage are £7-10k. This one has much lower mileage. But then, maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?
Click to expand...
Street price of 23i that are SELLING is around £5k-£6k…I’ve seen a few sold recently for £4.5k-£5k…of course you can pay more for no good reason..there are some well specified 23i that are worth more but they are rare ..23i were mostly budget cars..
 
enuff_zed said:
Sounds like a sensible approach and at that price I'm not sure you could go far wrong.
Checking the paperwork for the repair, and perhaps a little research into who did it, would be wise.

Cheaper than a good E85 with the same engine.
The engine is pretty bullet-proof.
Have a good read up on roof issues. They can be fiddly with all those sensors and microswitches, but I have to say that over the last couple of years, with the invaluable advice of @RobbiZ4, most jobs have become a bit less scary, though still potentially procey.
Click to expand...
Thanks mate - I will be going over every scrap of info they have on the repair. Checking the body with a magnet too to check for body filla.

Good to note about the roof issues - I'm not surprised that something with so many microswitches would have issues sometimes....
 
B21 said:
Street price of 23i that are SELLING is around £5k-£6k…I’ve seen a few sold recently for £4.5k-£5k…of course you can pay more for no good reason..there are some well specified 23i that are worth more but they are rare ..23i were mostly budget cars..
Click to expand...
I didnt realize that 23i was the budget model, but I guess they didnt start out the E89s with a smaller 2L engine until 2011.

Its because I was just ignoring anything smaller than the straight 6 engines haha!
 
Chanceschmerr said:
Thanks mate - I will be going over every scrap of info they have on the repair. Checking the body with a magnet too to check for body filla.

Good to note about the roof issues - I'm not surprised that something with so many microswitches would have issues sometimes....
Chanceschmerr said:
I didnt realize that 23i was the budget model, but I guess they didnt start out the E89s with a smaller 2L engine until 2011.

Its because I was just ignoring anything smaller than the straight 6 engines haha!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Don't worry when your magnet won't stick to the roof :rofl:

23i was the smaller engine, but not necessarily budget. I have found when looking at E85 and E89 that in a lot of cases people chose a smaller engine but then specced it higher.
 
Chanceschmerr said:
I didnt realize that 23i was the budget
Click to expand...
Budget is really the wrong word for the 23i, entry level would be better. The 23i with a little bit of persuasion of the right foot can be a wee bit nippy and from my experience very reliable, they can be found with the same extras and toys as the others. I had one for 8 years and it was brillant its new owner has taken it to the next level, if only I had a double garage.
 
Chanceschmerr said:
I didnt realize that 23i was the budget model, but I guess they didnt start out the E89s with a smaller 2L engine until 2011.

Its because I was just ignoring anything smaller than the straight 6 engines haha!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry too much about the budget comment. The last quoted "street price" turned out to be a high mileage car with a broken roof that was given to WeBuyAnyCar, so I suspect not very relevant to your situation or what you're looking for.

That said, there doesn't seem to be plenty of sub-100k mile 23i's for around £5-6k and with that car I wouldn't about the difference between 55-75k miles if it's in good condition.
 
tiglon said:
I wouldn't worry too much about the budget comment. The last quoted "street price" turned out to be a high mileage car with a broken roof that was given to WeBuyAnyCar, so I suspect not very relevant to your situation or what you're looking for.

That said, there doesn't seem to be plenty of sub-100k mile 23i's for around £5-6k and with that car I wouldn't about the difference between 55-75k miles if it's in good condition.
Click to expand...
Thanks mate- yeah cars from WeBuyAnyCar isn't really what I'm after :rofl:
 
4 'budget' 23i on AT under £5k..very nice Highline non budget one at £5.4k ..still no decent sound system or idrive

1 on Gumtree £5k

2 on ebay £5k


expect to pay less
 
 
 
 
  • Like
Reactions: B21
Every car I own has been bought as cat c , s, or n. My transporter, my e90 (daily) , other half’s daily, my Kawasaki. All salvege and did the repairs myself.
Inc my current z4.
 
In the UK here's my view of budget / well equipped / loaded FWIW

Budget

Most or all of the following

Cloth seats
Non MSport seats
No idrive
Basic 6 speaker system
No parking sensors
No cruise control
Basic bluetooth
No heated seats
No electric folding mirrors
Manual

Well equipped

Cruise control
MSport seats
Heated seats
Electric adjustment seats
Extended media Bluetooth
11 speaker with offboard amp
Parking sensors
Idrive
Comfort pack (rear mesh diffuser)
Msport bodywork
Msport steering wheel
Auto/DCT
DAB
USB support


Loaded

As above plus / or

14 speaker with offboard amp
Heated steering wheel
Extended storage pack
Extended lighting pack
Comfort access
Adaptive headlights
Adaptive dampers
Lumbar support
Extended leather
Rear Msport diffuser
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom