[ilytdxo]

Hi all, looking for your wise advice.

I have committed to buy a M-Package 6speed 2009 BMW E90 328xi (super hard to come by here - it's exactly the e90 I want with almost all the options I want) has 150000km for $9000 (I live in Canada).
It has one owner and records of maintenance. Nothing preventative but did all services and replaced parts as needed (i.e. rear shocks, sparks & coils, AC test + refill etc).
However, it does need a new Valve Cover Gasket and Oil Filter Housing. I looked around indie shops and this looks like a $1k fix.

I'm not very confident in big purchases. I'm a young adult with no debt on an honest wage for a living (I have a budget of $3300 a year for a car) and would love to drive this car but on the other hand saving money seems to be less stress for me.
Would like to hear your thoughts if I'm overpaying for such an old car.

Appreciate your thoughts and guidance!

(x-posted for optimal feedback!)

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

I would recommend to wait at least 6-12 months until new vehicles are in higher inventory. Used vehicles are going for way, way too much and is purely from supply/demand and not inherent value. You don't want to overpay for one of these cars.

If you need a car I would look for something cheap, reliable, and short-term (think Honda, Subaru, etc). Something that goes A to B. There always going to be another good E90 out there. The last thing you want to do is overpay for a beat up BMW.

Take your time, look carefully and do a thorough pre-purchase inspection. A well-cared for E90 will run very well. Sometimes people will dump their car because of a simple issue that they don't want to pay to have fixed but could be DIY'd, so don't discount that either if you're a handy individual. The PPI will help identify those things.

[neilvan]

An M-sport E90 in Canada are very rare especially with 6spd. If thats the options you want, you have to jump on it. Price seems a bit high but its not bad and considering the pandemic has pushed used car prices up it seems decent.

Go over the car and make sure its been taken care of

[ilytdxo]

Originally Posted by Welcome to NBA Jam

I would recommend to wait at least 6-12 months until new vehicles are in higher inventory. Used vehicles are going for way, way too much and is purely from supply/demand and not inherent value. You don't want to overpay for one of these cars.

If you need a car I would look for something cheap, reliable, and short-term (think Honda, Subaru, etc). Something that goes A to B. There always going to be another good E90 out there. The last thing you want to do is overpay for a beat up BMW.

Take your time, look carefully and do a thorough pre-purchase inspection. A well-cared for E90 will run very well. Sometimes people will dump their car because of a simple issue that they don't want to pay to have fixed but could be DIY'd, so don't discount that either if you're a handy individual. The PPI will help identify those things.

I'm 12 months in now and getting to tipping point of 'this is a waste of my time now.' I've driven many hours to see cars out of my city. I do eventually need a car and agree with you to find a car for cheap but I honestly don't want to buy a car just to dump it to buy another in some short time. Finding a cheap car is easier I suppose but same amount of work.

I wouldn't say it's a beat up BMW. The lady has owned it since new off the lot and has records of thousands of dollars worth of maintenance since ownership (maybe that is not saying much since it's over 12 years). Although, not much maintenance since late 2019 til now (COVID) other than oil change and tires. We've been in locked down pretty much for all of 2020.

[ilytdxo]

Originally Posted by neilvan

An M-sport E90 in Canada are very rare especially with 6spd. If thats the options you want, you have to jump on it. Price seems a bit high but its not bad and considering the pandemic has pushed used car prices up it seems decent.

Go over the car and make sure its been taken care of

I did my best to make sure its been taken care of. I went over the paper work and looked at all the common fault points I know of in the e90. I'm sure a water pump & thermostat will be coming soon for it.

I feel like I'm over paying... Not sure if it's because $9k is a lot of dough for me OR it's because I don't see this value in a 12 year old car. If money was no object I'd buy in a heartbeat. I've always wanted N/A 328 WITH M-package and the fact I found a 6spd is insane (I'd be fine with an auto).

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by iltydxo

I did my best to make sure its been taken care of. I went over the paper work and looked at all the common fault points I know of in the e90. I'm sure a water pump & thermostat will be coming soon for it.

I feel like I'm over paying... Not sure if it's because $9k is a lot of dough for me OR it's because I don't see this value in a 12 year old car. If money was no object I'd buy in a heartbeat. I've always wanted N/A 328 WITH M-package and the fact I found a 6spd is insane (I'd be fine with an auto).

Used cars are up a bit and M-package cars tend to pull a bit more since its desired. Main thing is 6spd; manual cars command the value since the enthusiast will pay for one.

Its only a 12 year old car and its under 10K for a luxury car, that isnt bad. There are cars 20 years+ and sell for way more but the 6spd is the reason its higher than most

[hassmaschine]

The price sounds fine to me (remember, that's $9k canadian, so like $7400 us).

is your $3300/yr budget for the purchase or maintenance? if it's maintenance - well, people do manage to spend that much, but I have no idea how. That is more than I've spent on maintenance/repairs for my entire ownership of my 330i. But you should still expect to budget something for maintenance.

Funny thing about used car prices - we got our X3 in December for like $12k. book value has risen to 15-16k, lol. Glad we bought it back then.

[e90yyc]

If it’s been well maintained and has the options you want (which happen to be rare AF in your case) and you can afford it, that’s really all you can ask for.

Maintaining it should be doable on your annual budget, unless you drive a ton and that figure includes gas and insurance in which case you’ll have very little left over.

I spend about $7 per day on maintenance (~$2500/year), and that’s on a car with over double the mileage of yours owned by a dumbass (me) who is obsessed with replacing parts until it’s a new car .

Good luck.

[mapleleaf1773]

I bought my 2011 328 xdrive 115k miles 6mt for $7k (US) this January. I had zero maintenance records but had a bmw shop look it over after I looked it over.

In any case, (Preventative Maintenance) I replaced (DIY) all my fluids, valve cover and gaskets, ecentric shaft sensor, ofhg, pulleys and tensioner, rear shocks and have a catalytic converter issue im trying to sort out, hopefully 02 sensor issue.

But like the OP, it was the exact car that I wanted with decent mileage, i'd go for it OP.

I just rolled 120,000 miles today. I have about $8,500 in it with doing ALL the work myself. I love the car. I wouldn't regret doing it again.

That being said, if your decently handy with a wrench all those maintenance items you can do for a fraction of the cost. If you can do this and your paying cash? You (OP) may be able to get it for 8k Canadian?

I'd seriously consider it

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

…$3300 …is more than I've spent on maintenance/repairs for my entire ownership of my 330i.

I’m calling Child Protective Services.

[TunafishE93]

The bible.

[marvinstockman]

Get a prepurchase inspection, and see what else is wrong.

See if the owner has a Carfax for the vehicle, which will tell you if the car has been wrecked, and, depending on where the service was done, it will give you service history.

Otherwise, I'd buy one. Try ebay for a pdf download of the Carfax.

[ppointer]

That’s a rare car - m-sport with MT. One owner? 90k miles? If I needed a car, that one fits my own spec and $9k USD is reasonable. Just my own opinion.

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by TunafishE93

The bible.

Where in Canada is zip code 90001?

actually, going by that - he'll end up under-paying by $1200 cad.

[MTL_E90er]

It does not really compare to the specs your wanted BMW has but I thought I'd share what I paid for my car a few years back.

I bought my 2011 323i with 140k kms in 2018 for 8000$. It has cold weather package and is a 6speed.

It needed some repairs but overall the car was and is still in great condition.

[ilytdxo]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Used cars are up a bit and M-package cars tend to pull a bit more since its desired. Main thing is 6spd; manual cars command the value since the enthusiast will pay for one.

Its only a 12 year old car and its under 10K for a luxury car, that isnt bad. There are cars 20 years+ and sell for way more but the 6spd is the reason its higher than most

Sure it isn't bad but I start thinking of other lux cars same class or similar that are a few years newer and same price. Yes if you can find that rare enthusiast. I normally would agree, but selling a 6spd here is difficult AF - no one wants one. Overall I'm struggling justifying the money - I think I need to put my happiness ahead.

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

The price sounds fine to me (remember, that's $9k canadian, so like $7400 us).

is your $3300/yr budget for the purchase or maintenance? if it's maintenance - well, people do manage to spend that much, but I have no idea how. That is more than I've spent on maintenance/repairs for my entire ownership of my 330i. But you should still expect to budget something for maintenance.

Funny thing about used car prices - we got our X3 in December for like $12k. book value has risen to 15-16k, lol. Glad we bought it back then.

For purchase - I hope to drive the car for four years at least (3300x4=$13200). X3 appreciating makes no sense to me haha

Originally Posted by e90yyc

If it’s been well maintained and has the options you want (which happen to be rare AF in your case) and you can afford it, that’s really all you can ask for.

Maintaining it should be doable on your annual budget, unless you drive a ton and that figure includes gas and insurance in which case you’ll have very little left over.

I spend about $7 per day on maintenance (~$2500/year), and that’s on a car with over double the mileage of yours owned by a dumbass (me) who is obsessed with replacing parts until it’s a new car .

Good luck.

It's super rare! This is the only reason I'm so stuck on it. I think it's been as well maintained as one can ask for buying such an old car.

I also feel you so much on being obsessed w/ replacing parts. I get pretty anal about my stuff and their operation

Originally Posted by mapleleaf1773

I bought my 2011 328 xdrive 115k miles 6mt for $7k (US) this January. I had zero maintenance records but had a bmw shop look it over after I looked it over.

In any case, (Preventative Maintenance) I replaced (DIY) all my fluids, valve cover and gaskets, ecentric shaft sensor, ofhg, pulleys and tensioner, rear shocks and have a catalytic converter issue im trying to sort out, hopefully 02 sensor issue.

But like the OP, it was the exact car that I wanted with decent mileage, i'd go for it OP.

I just rolled 120,000 miles today. I have about $8,500 in it with doing ALL the work myself. I love the car. I wouldn't regret doing it again.

That being said, if your decently handy with a wrench all those maintenance items you can do for a fraction of the cost. If you can do this and your paying cash? You (OP) may be able to get it for 8k Canadian?

I'd seriously consider it

8500 including the price of the car!? I've done maintenance on my E46 (OFHG, VCG, intake boots, sway bar links, breaks - very DIYable) I dreaded the VCG - OFHG wasn't as bad. But I've look at the DIY on the e90 and it seems much harder than on the e46

Originally Posted by ppointer

That’s a rare car - m-sport with MT. One owner? 90k miles? If I needed a car, that one fits my own spec and $9k USD is reasonable. Just my own opinion.

I think I just might pull the trigger? ugh

[ilytdxo]

Originally Posted by MTL_E90er

It does not really compare to the specs your wanted BMW has but I thought I'd share what I paid for my car a few years back.

I bought my 2011 323i with 140k kms in 2018 for 8000$. It has cold weather package and is a 6speed.

It needed some repairs but overall the car was and is still in great condition.

I appreciate you sharing your purchase. How has your ownership been? maintenance costs? how much do you regret/love your purchase?!?!

[ppointer]

Well, if it was me I would be pulling the trigger on that car.

One concern you have is re-sale-ability because it is MT. I would not worry about that. Sites that do really well these days for MT-equipped cars include auction sites Bring A Trailer and Cars & Bids. Or you could list it at BMWCCA.org. True enthusiasts that want MT scour those sites. You'll have no trouble selling it when the time comes.

As point of reference, I listed my 2000 323it with 5-speed and 251k miles on BMWCCA, and had a full price offer within 2 hours. Not a super rare wagon, but all maintenance was up to date and my price was reasonable.

[ilytdxo]

Originally Posted by ppointer

Well, if it was me I would be pulling the trigger on that car.

One concern you have is re-sale-ability because it is MT. I would not worry about that. Sites that do really well these days for MT-equipped cars include auction sites Bring A Trailer and Cars & Bids. Or you could list it at BMWCCA.org. True enthusiasts that want MT scour those sites. You'll have no trouble selling it when the time comes.

As point of reference, I listed my 2000 323it with 5-speed and 251k miles on BMWCCA, and had a full price offer within 2 hours. Not a super rare wagon, but all maintenance was up to date and my price was reasonable.

Not sure if those sites are applicable to me since I live in Canada. But I will still concede to your point

[mapleleaf1773]

Originally Posted by iltydxo

8500 including the price of the car!? I've done maintenance on my E46 (OFHG, VCG, intake boots, sway bar links, breaks - very DIYable) I dreaded the VCG - OFHG wasn't as bad. But I've look at the DIY on the e90 and it seems much harder than on the e46

Yes $8,500 including the purchase of the car. I paid cash so no financing.

The vavle cover isnt hard on an e90, just time consuming 5 to 7 hours id say if its your first time. Its just alot of stuff to move / remove to get the cover off. Not hard really. The OFHG is super easy.

[rick100]

prices are very high now, if you could wait a few months or early next year they should drop quite a bit..

[Vivek.]

Just buy it.