Need Advice, 1M with suspect history

[JP-1M]

Originally Posted by GimmeanM

Just saw the pics too... That doesn't look like the factory trunk, right? Should be flat with the lip as a separate piece bonded on.

OP, are the paint blemishes on the trunk, or on the bumper? If it's just the trunk it may be safe to assume that it's not from an accident, but just having the trunk painted (albeit very poorly) while on the car.

By the way, as most of us jumped straight to a simple "walk away" answer this very important observation from GimmeanM should be acknowledged. Non-stock trunk adds to the "walk away" argument.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by JP-1M

By the way, as most of us jumped straight to a simple "walk away" answer this very important observation from GimmeanM should be acknowledged. Non-stock trunk adds to the "walk away" argument.

You could always replace a trunk lid.

I have bought from Carmax, as I mentioned in an earlier post. On the other hand, I don't think I would seek out a collectible car from them, something I wanted to keep that had value.

I would consider a relatively new car under warranty, with lowish mileage (like my 2 year old 135is convertible with 6500 miles, when I bought it from them) or an old cheap beater for a utility car that I'd run into the ground.

A $60,000 1M? Not so much.

[persianbmw91]

Originally Posted by JP-1M

By the way, as most of us jumped straight to a simple "walk away" answer this very important observation from GimmeanM should be acknowledged. Non-stock trunk adds to the "walk away" argument.

This is something I didn't pick up myself. How do you guys know the lid isn't oem?

[JP-1M]

Originally Posted by persianbmw91

This is something I didn't pick up myself. How do you guys know the lid isn't oem?

Once again credit goes to GimmeanM

Here's what he said: "Should be flat with the lip as a separate piece bonded on."

Have a look at mine.

[etr2016]

I would walk - and also request a refund of your transfer fee.

Since you were willing to invest $1k in a transfer, I would spend $300 on a paint depth gauge to make certain what was and was not painted.

[M3 Adjuster]

I took a quick look at the photos. Is it wrong that I cringe whenever I see a 1M at a place like Carmax?

What vehicle did someone trade a 1M for at a Carmax ? Was a used cayman GT 4 available or did they trade for an F350 super duty , and would I want a 1M owned by someone trading for a plebeian vehicle. At any rate I digress.

Congrats to GimmeanM for noticing the decklid has definitely been replaced.

Either the decklid is not a 1M part .. or if the part is the same as the 1 series then the repairer declined to replace the 1M trunk lid spoiler that is OEM.

The repair quality is poor and the repair was not back to OEM specs. That said, I agree the rest of the rear structure appears to be ok.

This appears to be a cheap repair done without insurance - which is part of why it would not be on carfax. Perhaps the original owner backed into something and it was their own fault and they didn't want to claim it. (?) If this was repaired by an insurance company the repair shop would have ( I hope !) Added the OEM spoiler as clearly the new and old parts look different. That or they have horrible attention to detail. Looking at the overspray that's fairly obvious that the repairer wasn't a top notch facility.

Personally I would have moved on at " Carmax."
Add in poor quality repairs not to OEM specs and the fact that the price is sky high I would request some serious concessions on pricing if I were to consider this vehicle.

EDIT: I realized how badly the interior of the subject car trunk area looks and took more photos. I also hadn't seen the price at $58,xxx.

Why Carmax feels they can ask $5k over MSRP for a vehicle with both incomplete and poor quality repairs is a wonder to me and only further cements my original position on Carmax.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by Gangplank

Contact your insurance agent. They can pull the real historical record on the car.

I don't think that guarantees anything. My daughter had a single car accident in our brand new family sedan. I paid $3K out of pocket to have it repaired/painted and never contacted our insurance agent (insurance rates for 18 year olds are already sky high).

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

Congrats to GimmeanM for noticing the decklid has definitely been replaced.

Either the decklid is not a 1M part .. or if the part is the same as the 1 series then the repairer declined to replace the 1M trunk lid spoiler that is OEM.

It's always possible the original owner removed the decklid after delivery (setting aside the paint irregularity). There was a guy on this board that removed his from his VO shortly after delivery because he preferred the look (can't find the thread now).


I've had a few panels repainted on a few different cars. It should be close to impossible to tell with the naked eye if it's a good shop. Never seen anything like this 1M, so with the premium they are asking, I totally agree with others to walk away.

[M3 Adjuster]

I just realized how many other pieces are missing from the rear trunk area. Certainly the plastic panel, as well as perhaps some carpet sections.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

I just realized how many other pieces are missing from the rear trunk area. Certainly the plastic panel, as well as perhaps some carpet sections.

Look at all those curly hairs in the trunk; has someone been doing research for this thread?

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1447213

[persianbmw91]

its going to be an unequivocal pass on this one.

thanks everyone, hopefully this thread can help out whoever falls prey to the general listing for this on carmax next.

[JP-1M]

Originally Posted by persianbmw91

its going to be an unequivocal pass on this one.

thanks everyone, hopefully this thread can help out whoever falls prey to the general listing for this on carmax next.

How about pasting a link back to this thread in the VIN tracker spreadsheet? I personally am really interested to know how many clean (unmodified + undamaged) 1M are in the wild.

[carchrism5]

Keep looking, CarMax does not do a good job checking cars before taking them in and CarFax/AutoCheck are not accurate. I speak from specific experience on 1Ms at CarMax.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by JP-1M

How about pasting a link back to this thread in the VIN tracker spreadsheet? I personally am really interested to know how many clean (unmodified + undamaged) 1M are in the wild.

I agree.. if you haven't posted the VIN in this thread.. please do.. it might save the next prospective buyer..

[persianbmw91]

Carmax sent some pictures, it looks like the rear bumper is in fact oem. My plan is to see if they will get the price down closer to 55k. I have a no strings attached ability to return the car if it fails it's PPI. I plan to take it in for a $350 PPI that will include everything under the sun at BMW excluservice, and for another 75 normal PPI at RTT (these are the highest regarded shops in the DMV as far as I know) that'll hopefully come back with a clean bill of health. If not I'll have to return it.

[analogue]

Do what is best for you, and I know you said you intend to keep the car a long time, but remember that by creating this thread this car now has a history that could affect future value.

I've logged a note in the 1M Options Spreadsheet

I wouldn't doubt those are OEM parts and it could very well be the original bumper that was resprayed (poorly) due to scratches from parallel parking, etc.

The trunk spoiler is missing, but that could be due to someone adding and later removing something like the OEM performance CF spoiler.

[BartM3]

I think that if you are going to buy a car like the 1M at this price level, you would want it to be flawless. I know it would always bother me to know that something had happened to the rear section of my awesome 1M. It would be like trying to unring a bell... You saw it, you know it, and you will always know it...

And let's be honest, it's not like this is the only 1M in the world you can spend your hard earned cash on...

[LukeM3]

Grasshopper, listen to the elders, walk
Do not despair, many have been in your shoes
Follow the sunset as another 1(M) awaits

[champignon]

The price is too high; everyone gets that. Even a flawless 1M is only worth so much. At some point, you should be looking at a really nice Porsche, or something else.

There is a buzz that develops on certain cars, and one has certainly developed on the 1M. I have one, and I understand that. But it is only worth so much.

These cars are getting OLD. When cars get old they tend to develop flaws and blemishes. Sure, there are two or three grandma 1Ms out there that look like they just left Leipzig, but they are exceedingly rare, going to be hard to find, and are going to cost a LOT.

We don't know jack shit about this car in question other than that there appears to be an issue with the trunk lid +/- spoiler, and the paint quality, apparently just in that area. We know nothing about the engine, the transmission, the interior, the suspension, and most of the rest of the car.

I put several thousand into my 1M during the first year of ownership to get it up to "my" standards. It still is not perfect, but it is pretty good, and has about the same mileage as this particular, subject, car. I also put several thousand into my 2000 Z3M Coupe, which was a single owner car with relatively low mileage (<60K).

Does anyone here really know that this car couldn't be made right for a similar amount of money? No we don't, because we really don't know much about this car. A lot of what is being assumed is that it is a POS because it came from Carmax. Granted, they do sell a lot of POS cars, especially ones with fancy marques, but not everything they sell is a turkey. I know this from personal experience, and very much enjoy my very low mileage 135is convertible bought from them, which is a real keeper in my stable.

Again, the price is too high. Is it a piece of dog shit as most of us seem to be assuming in our posts here? Hard to tell, might actually be a decent car, with a little bit of money put into it.

[persianbmw91]

Originally Posted by champignon

The price is too high; everyone gets that. Even a flawless 1M is only worth so much. At some point, you should be looking at a really nice Porsche, or something else.

There is a buzz that develops on certain cars, and one has certainly developed on the 1M. I have one, and I understand that. But it is only worth so much.

These cars are getting OLD. When cars get old they tend to develop flaws and blemishes. Sure, there are two or three grandma 1Ms out there that look like they just left Leipzig, but they are exceedingly rare, going to be hard to find, and are going to cost a LOT.

We don't know jack shit about this car in question other than that there appears to be an issue with the trunk lid +/- spoiler, and the paint quality, apparently just in that area. We know nothing about the engine, the transmission, the interior, the suspension, and most of the rest of the car.

I put several thousand into my 1M during the first year of ownership to get it up to "my" standards. It still is not perfect, but it is pretty good, and has about the same mileage as this particular, subject, car. I also put several thousand into my 2000 Z3M Coupe, which was a single owner car with relatively low mileage (<60K).

Does anyone here really know that this car couldn't be made right for a similar amount of money? No we don't, because we really don't know much about this car. A lot of what is being assumed is that it is a POS because it came from Carmax. Granted, they do sell a lot of POS cars, especially ones with fancy marques, but not everything they sell is a turkey. I know this from personal experience, and very much enjoy my very low mileage 135is convertible bought from them, which is a real keeper in my stable.

Again, the price is too high. Is it a piece of dog shit as most of us seem to be assuming in our posts here? Hard to tell, might actually be a decent car, with a little bit of money put into it.

I sent the message today that I would be passing. They did drop the price to 57k (and offered 28k on my m235i which has had 0 interested buyers no with 1,700 tax deduction). But I paid more attention yesterday and there is glue residue all over the roof and under the front lip. My theory is that this car was wrapped for 7 years, when pulling the vinyl it ripped paint off, and they just did a quick fix. Bizarre that a 1m owner would do this.

I came to the elders for advice, and received sage wisdom. Thanks everyone.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by persianbmw91

I sent the message today that I would be passing. They did drop the price to 57k (and offered 28k on my m235i which has had 0 interested buyers no with 1,700 tax deduction). But I paid more attention yesterday and there is glue residue all over the roof and under the front lip. My theory is that this car was wrapped for 7 years, when pulling the vinyl it ripped paint off, and they just did a quick fix. Bizarre that a 1m owner would do this.

I came to the elders for advice, and received sage wisdom. Thanks everyone.

Or it may have been wrapped for a shorter period, if that is what happened. There have been at least several wrapped 1Ms we have seen pictures of that were posted in this forum, over the years. There has also been at least one that was totally repainted a non-standard color, with videos posted of the extensive process done on that car.

Carmax anonymizes the process that could happen between an enthusiast seller and buyer of a specialty car like a 1M. For that reason alone I would tend to stay away from any sort of exotic car purchase through them, especially if the car is older and no longer under warranty.

But, and this is a huge "but," it needs to be remembered that any older specialty car purchase is a crap shoot, and no matter how good the documentation, and no matter how good a spiel the seller gives you, no such transaction is 100% guaranteed. Even PPIs are fallable, and most of them are very marginal and not to be trusted.

[etr2016]

What did they say about it having the trunk from what appears to be a 135?

[persianbmw91]

Originally Posted by etr2016

What did they say about it having the trunk from what appears to be a 135?

"We can't take anymore off the asking price."

If they had included the warranty it would have been harder to fight the impulse. I'll just hope the M2 Competition cools this market a bit. (unlikely)