[b1st]

So I found a 335 coupe that I really like and I'm pretty sure I'll be buying it but I had a few questions/concerns that you all can probably answer for me:

07 335 coupe, sport, manual, ~9000 miles

- All four wheels have pretty good curb rashes. How much would it cost to fix each of them? I don't have pics but each wheel has rashes along ~25% of its diameter. About 1/8th inch width, I guess pretty much your typical curb rash. One or two has noticeable road rash as well

- The inside of exhausts were very black. I don't usually pay attention to the inside of the exhausts but this kinda stood out. While I know they won't stay shiny for the car's life but it was almost completely black. Is this expected of a ~9000 miles 335? If not, what could be the issue?

- While test driving I noticed that the oil was low. The owner said it had been low before and he went to the dealer for a top-off. So this is the second time in ~9000 miles that the car was low on oil. Is this what you guys see with your rides? He's never changed the oil as he's been sticking with the BMW maintenance schedule.

Thanks.

[LEDZEP]

The curb and road rash probably just means that he is not a very good driver or can't park worth a damn. Could also mean though that he has been generally careless with the car. Check real carefully for dings and scratches. Search the wheel/tire forum here and you'll find some good advice on fixing that wheel damage.

Black in the tail pipes in inevitable, but also an indication of driving conditions. My wife drives all low speed town miles and I drive all highway. Mine are much cleaner...

The car does use or loose some oil, that's not too uncommon. Some burning of the oil will also contribute to the tail pipe blackness.

Sounds like a private sale? Ask him if you can take it to a nearby BMW dealer and have them read the diagnostics.

[devo]

Originally Posted by b1st

So I found a 335 coupe that I really like and I'm pretty sure I'll be buying it but I had a few questions/concerns that you all can probably answer for me:

07 335 coupe, sport, manual, ~9000 miles

- All four wheels have pretty good curb rashes. How much would it cost to fix each of them? I don't have pics but each wheel has rashes along ~25% of its diameter. About 1/8th inch width, I guess pretty much your typical curb rash. One or two has noticeable road rash as well

- The inside of exhausts were very black. I don't usually pay attention to the inside of the exhausts but this kinda stood out. While I know they won't stay shiny for the car's life but it was almost completely black. Is this expected of a ~9000 miles 335? If not, what could be the issue?

- While test driving I noticed that the oil was low. The owner said it had been low before and he went to the dealer for a top-off. So this is the second time in ~9000 miles that the car was low on oil. Is this what you guys see with your rides? He's never changed the oil as he's been sticking with the BMW maintenance schedule.

Thanks.

These clues should tell you a story. It doesn't appear that the owner took very good care of the car. The owner is either careless or inept that he can't park without repeatedly striking curbs.

If the oil was low when you test drove it, and, on another occasion, had to go to the dealer to top it, there's a good chance it has been driven like this for extended periods. If he cared about the car, he'd have oil on hand for top offs. How low was it?

Were the tips black on the outside or inside? Again, if it was on the outside, then he didn't care for the car well and let the road soot bake on those tips. If it's on the inside it could be just due to a rich mixture which is a result of a FI engine., or it's carbon from driving like Miss Daisy.

Lastly, I'm sorry but I would never allow 9000 miles before an oil change. It should have had at least one shortly after break in or at least at 5000-7500 miles, no matter what the manual says; especially for a turbo engine.

You don't treat a $45k+ car like this.

Unless you're stealing the car, run, don't walk away.

[b1st]

Thanks for your replies. LEDZEP, thanks+1

I fully agree that this guy has been and still is careless and knowledge-less about the car especially compared to the folks on this forum. When I first looked at the car, I had a very strong suspicion. The interior confirmed that suspicion. It was the dirtiest interior I've seen of any car in a while and this is on a 8 month old car! Talking to him for almost an hour reinforced that confirmation every 3 mins or so.

The engine was a quart low on oil. It filled up to the min bar:

|---|----------|---|
****
Min___________Max

It said: +1 Quart. So my guess is he's driven a quart low on oil for 3000 miles total or so?

I guess I've rationalized to myself that this car's been like this for 9000 miles and not 30k miles so he couldn't have done _that_ much damage. A little, probably, but there's enough factor of safety built into these machines that this car would perform as well as and be as dependable as the more cared-for car for the first 100k miles of its life. Surely the majority of BMW drivers are at this person's level and will follow the factory maintenance schedule and most bimmers survive just fine. Am I kidding myself?

Why do I still want this? Well, I'm now driving a rented auto 2.5L Altima right now thanks to the minivan driver that totaled my 330. It's been pretty difficult to find a car I want: 335 coupe, manual, premium, sports and I don't have the patience to wait 2-4 months for a car. The price is pretty good but what I haven't mentioned is that the rear bumper was cracked due to another of his many negligences. His asking price reflects this. He offered to take the car to a local BMW dealership for a pre-purchase inspection and also to a collision center that I trust for the estimate for bumper replacement. If the (negotiated price + bumper replacement cost + wheel repair cost + dent removal + alignment + oil change + 1k or 2 for my personal factor of safety) > the market price, I WILL run.

Again, I appreciate your input and I'm not trying to defend my pending decision in any way. Keep them coming. You guys know more and have more experience about these cars than I so I want to make sure that my assumptions and rationalizations are, well, rational and correct and not emotional.

[b1st]

Oh, another question. When I lifted the storage cover in the trunk, there was nothing there. He claimed that was the first time that he had ever lifted that cover and the car therefore must have come without anything stored in there. True? Hmm, maybe I should go to the dealer with him tomorrow but I hate to miss work.

[normtrum]

Maybe the dealer would be willing to fix the wheels for you? It's worth asking. The black crap in the exhaust come off. Mine does anyways.

[pokerface]

storage cover? There's no spare in there.. just a hidden cubby hole. The tools can be found to the right-hand side. A small tray that could be lifted to reveal some basic tools.

[mike fab]

My 335 Coupe is for sale. Buy mine. I've actually taken care of it.


If you don't buy mine -- don't buy that one. That sounds like a car I wouldn't even waste my time to take it for a test drive. All the warning signs are there. Busted bumper. Curb rash on 4 wheels. Low oil? And your still considering it?


If you don't buy mine, do yourself a favor & don't buy the one your looking at.

[b1st]

Mike, I've seen your car. Excellent condition and all the options I want except that I don't really want a black car. My last car was black and it was a pain to keep it clean. This car I'm considering is montego blue. Well, maybe you can convince me

Can you PM me with the following?

- Why you're selling
- When you've purchased and the build date
- VIN number
- Current mileage
- What you've done to take care of the car so far, aka maintenance history
- Your phone number
- Your "bottom price"

I have financing lined up and will be able to pick up the car with a cashier's check in hand by the next weekend if we can work out a deal.

[HyperM3]

B1st,
Dont treat this car like an irrational relationship. You see this sexy girl that you want to date and you think about things that really bother you but in your head you sweep them under the carpet. You keep sweeping things under the carpet you dont like because you keep seeing how sexy she is. One day, theres going to be so much swept under the carpet that youre going to trip and trip hard. Then all that stuff you didnt like will show its true colors full force and youll be knee deep in a shitty relationship.

Theres tons of sexy coupes out there, dont settle.

[ElRedOne]

Walk, better yet, RUN away. That much curb rash in 9,000 miles is a flag, as are all the other issues you mention. My take is that it's been used and abused like a cheap toy. At that milage and age, it should border on pristine.

[Couch]

Originally Posted by ElRedOne

Walk, better yet, RUN away. That much curb rash in 9,000 miles is a flag, as are all the other issues you mention. My take is that it's been used and abused like a cheap toy. At that milage and age, it should border on pristine.

+1, the low oil and curb rash on all 4 is unacceptable. Slight curb rash on one or 2 could be okay, but on all 4! It's ridiculous.

[flush01]

Originally Posted by b1st

Mike, I've seen your car. Excellent condition and all the options I want except that I don't really want a black car. My last car was black and it was a pain to keep it clean. This car I'm considering is montego blue. Well, maybe you can convince me

Can you PM me with the following?

- Why you're selling
- When you've purchased and the build date
- VIN number
- Current mileage
- What you've done to take care of the car so far, aka maintenance history
- Your phone number
- Your "bottom price"

I have financing lined up and will be able to pick up the car with a cashier's check in hand by the next weekend if we can work out a deal.

black > montego blue

[b1st]

Guys,

I appreciate your thoughtful replies. I've cooled off about this car. HyperM, excellent analogy! The car sure was sexy even with its obvious short comings. I've driven a few 335s before and this car didn't drive any differently.

The seller did take the car to the body shop and they quoted $960 for the bumper replacement, which sounds a lil cheap to me. The dents removal was quoted $250 and I'm guessing wheels cost about $100 a pop to repair. Alignment ~= 120, detailing ~= 250, Oil change ~= 120 --> total $2100 to bring it to the shape consistent with its age and mileage. $1000 for inconvenience (doing all that repair right after purchasing the vehicle, not being able to drive) and $2000 for the risk of buying an uncared for and possibly abused car: sums up to $5000 under market price for this car. The seller will probably think it's a lowball offer. Assuming market value of $40k for a well-cared for car with similar options, would anyone buy this for $35k? I'll be sleeping on it for a few nights.

[ElRedOne]

NO! $35K is indeed better than $40K, so it's a $35K mistake rather than a $40K mistake. Still a mistake, nonetheless. Keep looking; a $40K, or even a $35K car, shouldn't be a fixer-upper.

[alexckma]

ummm, for an extra 5000, a new one does sound a lot better (yes it would be bare bone stock, which is still better than an unintentionally smoked exhaust, and full of rashes). I recently just fixed up a rash my sister put on the car. the price was 250 + taxes... think before you buy

You are looking at a very careless driver. Depending how bad the rashes are, it can mean a lot more.

To be ABSOLUTELY honest with you, I would get a 330Ci (if I wanted the coupe) 2005 model well taken care of, and keep the change rather than have that.

Better yet, take the car to a local bmw dealer and have them check it up.

[bartman32]

sounds scary to me. You know the guy neglicted the car. Its not just dust and dirt but pounding into curbs with the wheels. Who knows what damage that did to the alignment. That on top of low oil with only 9K miles sounds pretty scary to me! In all honesty if you were just ignorant how bad would a car be after 8 months? If you really didn't care and didn't know how to drive/park it would probably look more like the car you are looking at. Sorry to be so down on it but my feeling is yeah the rental might be a pain but you want a good car. If you are having problems with it in a few months you'll be wishing you spent just a little more time to find the right one rather than taking the first one.

Just my $.02!

[cpd12345]

Slightly off topic but.....

Back in 2002 I was looking at a 325ci at a dealership. It was advertised w 10K miles for $34,000.

I went to look at it. First thing I noticed - the car had 15K mi, not 10K mi. The dealer said that the dealership owner had been driving it.

There was an empty cigarette box on the passenger floor seat.

There were a ton of small scratches behind the door handle. The dealer said that was from the prior owners ring hitting the sheet metal when he opened the door (what?)

I opened the door, in the door jamb there was a ton of this white residue. No explanation from the dealer.

Long story short, the dealer said he would fix all the scratches, dings, and scraped wheels. And on top of that I negotiated him down to $28K from $34K.

Know what? I still didn't buy the car - just didn't feel right.

Even if you get a good deal, you will always ask yourself "why did that guy give me such a good deal?"

[alexckma]

it must be a certified series....