WTB: E82 128i Manual 12kish Budget

[yostuhfoo]

Originally Posted by drivejojo

I ended up getting that white/red M Sport from Ohio. I won’t pick it up for about a week, but very excited. The N51 doesn’t bother me or scare me. My wife has a 2008 128i convertible with the N51 and it has been great (knock on wood). That is the color combo I wanted, and though I prefer the N52 and no roof, these are getting harder to find. Best of luck to those still searching.

Congrats! What an awesome spec car. Please post photos in here once you get it!

[xxatticus]

2008 Sport 128i in Apine White for Sale in CA

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by xxatticus

2008 Sport 128i in Apine White for Sale in CA

Thanks for posting.
Anyone else find this a bit over-priced for the options, year, and miles?
Or should it encourage me in thinking I shouldn't worry about stacking miles on mine and just drive the hell out of it?
What would you pay for this one? Just curious.

He describes it as "leather" and then list it as SensaTech, etc.

For posterity:

Up for sale is my 2008 BMW 128i coupe. Finished in Alpine white over black leather and high gloss shadow line trim. Extremely nice condition inside and out. Drives and looks like a new car. Adult owned and maintained, not modified, raced or abused. Completely original. There is some minor wear on driver seat bolster, other than that interior is like new, non smoker, no pets, no funny odors. 2 new rear tires (could see if I could transfer the warranty) and the fronts have 80% life left on them. Front rotors and pads were replaced last month. As well as all ignition coils and spark plugs. This model comes with Sport package, 6 speed manual transmission, manual sport seats, high speed synchronization and features many nice options including hill assist, automatic air, aux, multifunction sport steering wheel, etc.
The car has been meticulously maintained by previous owners and I. I would not be selling it if I didn’t have too.

Clean CA title in hand ,Clean Carfax. Service records and Owners books and manuals. 2 keys. Truly one of the best, most fun cars I have ever owned.

Cash only. Not interested in any trades. Must have cash in hand to test drive.
Asking $10,600 but will consider reasonable offers. The car does not need a single thing.
Email me your name, phone number and a good time to reach out.

Thank you.

BMW 128I COUPE
161,XXX Miles
WBAUP93518VF45681
Production Date 2008-05-13
3.0 Liter Inline 6 Cylinder
6 Speed Manual Transmission
Color Alpinweiss 3 (300)
Upholstery Sensatecschwarz (kasw)


EDITIONS AND PACKAGES (to name a few)
S704A M Sport Suspension
S481A Sport Seats
S4ATA Interior Trim Finishers Black High gloss
S760A High Gloss Shadow Line
S521A Rain Sensor
S534A Automatic Air Conditioning
S403A Glass Roof Electrical
S520A Fog Lights
S840A High Speed Synchronisation

I'm thinking it's about a $6k car—basing this on what I'd be happy to get from my 2013 M-sport/stick/leather N52 LCI in maybe six-years when it reaches that mileage. That would put my cost of depreciation at about $1k per year for all the enjoyment it brings me. Not bad at all! If I could get what this person is asking then my depreciation curve is flat! Even better!

[jcrane82]

I think that car is worth at least $7k, maybe $8k. These are great cars that people are finally "finding". I bet the values will continue to increase from here.

[tracer bullet]

I'd guess it's actually the Sensatec, and typing leather earlier was a mistake.

[NorthernDancer]

I think 10,600 is reasonable. It should be totally rust free and tho mileage is high, it's a N51/or 2. I would want to see maintenance records. At that mileage, all the weak items should have been replaced.

[Ric in RVA]

Super clean, adult owned, ticks most if not all of the boxes. I bet he within 10% of his price.

These are simply not available when you "want" one and as long a a few people want them...and more and more every day understand why they should want one...they aren't going down in value.

What else could you possibly buy for $10k that ticks the boxes? Not much.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

What else could you possibly buy for $10k that ticks the boxes? Not much.

I still think with the equipment this car has that the price is what one with 90k-miles would sell for. This one has 70% more miles. At what mileage point do you pause and look for one with half the miles, regardless of price? Or how should mileage affect the price? My wife would kick me out of the house if her 2008 had not had heated seats!

KBB shows a $2000 hit going from 95k to 161k. Coincidently, they show a top range of under $6k for this car with its equipment.

[BikeNHV]

The mileage point is interesting. Quite frankly, there don't seem to be that many data points, so it's hard to judge.

Not that I plan to sell, but I do ponder the actual value of my car at 124k. Manual base car with 0 rust and careful maintenance, but by no means special or perfect. "It's worth what someone's willing to pay."

Mileage matters less as desirable cars get older, but at 8-13 years old I don't think these cars have achieved that status yet.

[BMWCCA1]

The standard "add" in KBB for automatic over manual transmission in our cars is over $2000. Almost 50% of the value of a 2008 with nearly 100k-miles according to "very good" in KBB. Now we, of all people, know what a joke that is. In fact I've said on nearly every older BMW I've bought that I'd be willing to pay at least $2k more for a manual when the truth is (other than the Year One I bought for my wife) I'd never consider an automatic. But high-mileage is a consistent and important aspect in determining value. But how do all feel about high miles? And how do you determine that delicate balance between a low mileage car with an asking price that's "out of the book" and a high-mileage car still attempting to get the same price as an "average" mileage car?

Just a thought in this thread which has really become an instructive guide for those looking for one of these.

[Ric in RVA]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

I still think with the equipment this car has that the price is what one with 90k-miles would sell for. This one has 70% more miles. At what mileage point do you pause and look for one with half the miles, regardless of price? Or how should mileage affect the price? My wife would kick me out of the house if her 2008 had not had heated seats!

KBB shows a $2000 hit going from 95k to 161k. Coincidently, they show a top range of under $6k for this car with its equipment.

I wouldn't wipe my @ss with Kelly BB it is that worthless. (And probably way to scratchy!...if I could actually find on old book)

If the list of maintenance wasn't there. Sure....but adult owned and anything it needed it got done. Buy with confidence. Drive it cross country.


WHAT ELSE COULD YOU BUY THAT TICKS THE BOXES FOR $10000? I'm waiting!!!

[jcrane82]

For reference, I bought my '08 128i Sport 6MT sight unseen about 3 years ago for $6800 (plane ticket to Atlanta and drove home to Milwaukee). It had 125k miles at the time of purchase. It did not have maintenance records as well. I think I purchased a 128i at the bottom of depreciation, and the prices have been slowly climbing since.

Mileage doesn't really bother me, but I am also mechanically inclined and can fix anything. A lot of people aren't though, so I can understand why someone wouldn't want to buy a 10 year old BMW without records.

As time goes on, condition (mechanically and cosmetically) will be the winning factor. Another example, about 1.5 years ago I sold my '98 M3 sedan 5MT with 203k miles for $9500. Lots of people think that at 200k miles the car is worthless, but this was a Florida car that was near mint. Also had great compression numbers and lots of performance modifications for the occasional track day. And that M3 I bought 2 year earlier sight unseen from Tampa Bay for $6800 (plane ticket down, drove home to Milwaukee).

Time is going to keep raising these car's value. Plain and simple. BMW's new marketing plan is making our current cars go up in value, assuming you have a well-spec'ed car.

My point is that condition trumps all, including mileage.

[BikeNHV]

Originally Posted by jcrane82

My point is that condition trumps all, including mileage.

Agreed, and will be more true as time goes on.

Unless there's something about the car that becomes too much of a headache as age/mileage goes up.

Engine is solid, and even if it dies, a low-mileage junkyard N52 is cheap. Can even use it as an excuse to upgrade to 30i spec.
Trans is a non-issue.
Suspension/steering/brakes can be made better than new with 35i/M/aftermarket parts.
Interiors seem to hold up well.
Rust - I've never seen a 1 series with body rot. My northeast car is almost unreasonably clean underneath.
Electronics?

[Thunderguts]

Originally Posted by BikeNHV

Electronics?

This is the only thing that worries me about keeping this car long-term. It was not a huge-selling model, but at least we share most mechanical bits with the E9x so mechanical parts should be available for the next 20-30 years. Electronics are the known unknown. I'm hoping a cottage industry develops to create emulator modules for the electronics when they crap out. Will we be able to get an OEM footwell module in 20 years - sketchy. Will someone build a plugable emulator replacement - I hope so.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

WHAT ELSE COULD YOU BUY THAT TICKS THE BOXES FOR $10000? I'm waiting!!!

Not arguing with you. Just trying to help out those using this thread in their searches.

But, to answer your rhetorical question: Umm, it's no big secret what I paid for my 2013 M-sport 6MT with 88k-miles on it—since I purchased it off of this site! So: Five-years newer, LCI, M-sport, Premium package, 72,000 fewer miles, real leather (some of it ), heated seats, power seats, and a few other items y'all don't seem to value at all (Nav, Comfort Access, H/K) but I find invaluable. Maybe $2,000 more than the car in question. The car I bought had been listed for-sale here for several months. And I even told the seller I was paying $1,000 more than I should but that it was going to a good cause! That was just over six-months ago.

If nothing else, use this as a data point within this thread of purchase tips. The right car is worth waiting for.

[Thunderguts]

Just saw this one today: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

Wow! Nice price! I'd want to make sure the underside isn't rusted to hell. As long as the dealer doesn't seem super sketchy, I'd buy this all day long.

[NorthernDancer]

Originally Posted by Thunderguts

Just saw this one today: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

Wow! Nice price! I'd want to make sure the underside isn't rusted to hell. As long as the dealer doesn't seem super sketchy, I'd buy this all day long.

Looks absolutely stunning for the price. The 3+3 nuts on top for the struts show no evidence of rust. Never seen those 2 extra cut outs on rear bumper but they look OE.

[Suprgnat]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Looks absolutely stunning for the price. The 3+3 nuts on top for the struts show no evidence of rust. Never seen those 2 extra cut outs on rear bumper but they look OE.

They're for the rear luggage rack.

From the vin decoder: "S3AR Preparation rear luggage rack"

[BMWCCA1]

This one is priced more realistically than the one in California. Roughly same equipment, a few less miles but at least this one has heated Sensatech seats. And it has the rare 2009 "Year One Of The 1" badge.

I remember those rear-bumper bike carriers . . . and never want to see another one!

[jcrane82]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

...... And it has the rare 2009 "Year One Of The 1" badge......

I thought only 2008 model year cars received the "Year One of the One" trim around the ignition button? Or maybe it is any E82 that was built in calendar year 2008? So that would include some early 2009 cars?

[NorthernDancer]

Originally Posted by jcrane82

I thought only 2008 model year cars received the "Year One of the One" trim around the ignition button? Or maybe it is any E82 that was built in calendar year 2008? So that would include some early 2009 cars?

You are correct

[Thunderguts]

Wow, I learn something new about the 1 all the time. There was a 120 page leather-bound book sent to Year of the 1 owners. I just happened to find a reasonably priced one on eBay.