Buying mine was the absolute best decision ever. I could care less how “slow” this thing is in a straight cuz in the soul this car has and driving it in canyons is where this thing shines and to me that’s all I care about. Car like u said is not for everyone by any means tho 😂
the amount of posts i see on f80 bimmerpost of regrets switching from an e92. Cuz you just get used to the power within a few months and then its just straight up more boring than the e92. The only way i see it being worth it is if your e92 is bones stock and doesnt have mods to handle well or sound good. Cuz then its just a sloppy sedan with a muted engine and maybe the f80 is more enjoyablle stock to stock. With suspension tires and maybe some better brakes. Thing is truly fast on a track and so much fun. I always thought id take my dads miata out to get to drive manual again, but I never feel the need to, which made me realize that sound actually matters more to me than even having a manual, or really almost anything else
I bought a fully loaded 2011 E90 M3 DCT at $24k and 120k miles lol. Well maintained and no errors! I spent probably $10k in maintenance in the first year haha. Rod bearing service
Just brought my first m car today e92 m3 at 22 years old in Ireland which is crazy because of the price of the car €29,000 and road tax €1809 a year and insurance being €1890 a year. It was always the dream car and finally became possible after alot of hard work.
The very very short answer to this question is that if you have to ask whether or not you should buy a cheap E92 M3, the answer is almost certainly no. For context, I've owned a 2009 E92 in Interlagos Blue with a DCT for three years. It was my childhood dream car since I first saw it in 2007. Pictures of it were on the background of every electronic device i've ever owned, on every avatar picture, and on the walls of every room I've ever lived in. This was the car for me, and as any single 26 year old dude does, I maxed out my budget to buy one in the exact color I'd always lusted after. I'm 29 now and can more comfortably afford to care for the car, and I'm working my way through some much needed upgrades/repairs that I've neglected over the last few years. It is NOT cheap, but I absolutely adore the car. Nevertheless, the simple fact of the matter is that these cars are old now. Even low mileage examples like my own need parts and maintenance because of age, not mileage. There's no way around this. New issues are also coming to light as these cars continue to age, including the Vanos covers and injectors, which are also not particularly easy or cheap to fix. There will surely be more issues that appear over the years, and buying an E9x at this point means you best be ready to both stay "in the know" so that you know what to look for, and be ready to sign up for anything and everything that might be required to fix them. Another big component of the maintenance regiment for these cars now is the "while you're in there" phenomena. These cars have extremely tight packaging in both the engine bay and in the suspension, especially in the rear, and given the age and usually the mileage of these vehicles it's almost always worthwhile to replace multiple parts at a time when you have the car torn apart, which naturally compounds the costs astronomically. It's no small task both from a cost and labor perspective, even if (and sometimes especially if) you're doing the work yourself. The final thing I'll add is that owners are almost always going to want the nicer, more performance-oriented parts and upgrades considering it's a sports car. Nobody wants economy tires and brakes are their 400+hp fire breathing V8, and I don't blame them. But this naturally increases the cost spiral that I've become all too familiar with in my three years of ownership. Really, it's no joke. But should you buy one? My answer to people when they ask me about it is almost always no. There's just simply more value in other vehicles nowadays. You can get a significantly newer, lower mileage, more reliable, objectively superior car from other brands and from within BMW. To properly own and care for these cars is a labor of love at this point, and anybody with $33,000 burning a hole in their pocket should likely not sign up for what's required here. The only people that I do recommend these cars to are the ones that tell me the E92 is the car for them, but then really, they aren't asking the question in the first place. So no. You should not buy a cheap, or really any, E92 M3 at this point unless you can't live the rest of your life without having owned one like me. And in that case, you should absolutely buy one, and do it now, because I strongly suspect these will only continue to slowly creep up in value.
it really is no joke. Ive spent close to 20k on the 120k mile car in ONE YEAR!! Granted that includes a wrap and exhaust. But everything else was maitenance. It had great maitenance when i bought it. Rod bearings, all cooling lines and hoses, injectors, fuel breather valve, and a few other issues were all taken care of by previous owners. It even came with an exhaust suspension, a big brake kit, and wheels. But 1 month in throttle actuators go out. 3k right there. Then an exhaust bracket breaks,. Then one of my FOUR 02 sensor fails and fails again within a month, turns out whoever installed the exhuast had the 02 sensor pointing up so that if i hit bumps it smacks the bottom of the car and broke almost instantly. So that was almost 700 dollars for that 02 sensor (cant wait for the other 3 to fail) not to mention paying a muffler shop to saw off that part of the exhaust and weld a new part on with the 02 sensor pointing the right way. Then my car started starting up slower, i go to replace spark plugs which is 600$ and turns out i need ignition coils at this milage too. 220 PER COIL. Ended up being 3k for plugs and coils. Now I got an exhaust coming and had to invest in jackstands floor jack, wrenches the whole kit and caboudle. Ive also had to flush most of the fluids which was another several hundred. Ive also had to replace my tires twice (1600 a set) and change oil once. This doesnt even include the two track days I did and the thousands upon thousands of dollars in gas especially in california. Just crazy to think back on, I would have never thought I would have spent more than 5k on maitenance in one year
coming from a motocross and karting background,, yes these cars are a pain in the ass sometimes but the reward you get from putting in the work to maintain the performance level is so worth it to someone with that itch for not only driving experience but the connection you get with the machine. no other cars out there give you the same level of driver feedback and respect for an engineered driving machine
Sure, here is the updated text: Oh man, if I had a dollar for every time I heard "this is a forever car," I would! Keep up the great work. My first BMW was an E46 when I was in my 20s, and I have owned a lot of non-BMW sports cars since then. Now I am in my mid-40s, but for the last six months, I have been back in a BMW M2CS, and I'm loving it.
If you aren’t tracking the car and expecting it to be the fastest car on the road an e93 m3 is an amazing experience to here the S65 rev out to 8400 rpm’s! There aren’t many cars out there that will give the same experience in a hard top vert.
Congrats!!! I got my E93 M3 as a weekend car last year. But I almost daily it because it’s so intoxicatingly and ADDICTINGLY fun! The sound with the top down is out of this world! Take good care of it!
@@jovaneghtesadi1494 This is my exact same situation. Bought it a year ago as a weekend fun car but can’t stay out of it and now the daily sits the majority of the summer.
Had my E90 M3 6MT since new, 2010, 140k miles. It is daunting to upkeep and maintain, but once its running well, you can't think of driving anything else.
How you feel about your E90 is exactly how I feel about my F80. It's just the perfect do all car for me, fits my kids car seats, the looks, comfortable, plenty fast with just bolt ons, all the features I need but not too much technology, a light car compared to todays standards, probably one of the few ppl that actually enjoy the sound of the S55, it's also been extremely reliable I'm reaching 115k miles, Iv had a couple dailys but I just always find myself reaching for my M3 keys can't help it. It's what makes me look forward to my long drive to work everyday and makes it not so miserable
I bought mine with 54k miles. It was lowered way too far on springs with stock dampers. Every bushing underneath was shot. Valve covers leaking all over. Engine mounts split in half. Plenty more. You said it man. These cars are a money pit to properly own. Doing your own work does help, but it gets exhausting.
Had a 2011 Competition Black on Red interior 6MT. Sold in 2016. Wish I hadn't sold it but commuting 90 miles round trip in California traffic and ga prices was not worht it to me. Looking back, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. lmao. Cheers to your build man. I'll have another some time soon!
I use to have a 08 E92 M3 6 speed. Melbourne Red w/ beige/tan interior. Paid 17k with a 65k mile motor VF supercharged (body had 110k miles) sold it for $31,500 a month later. Now i got a 15 M4 6 speed 83k miles paid $31k
I knew I wanted an e92 m3 but watching videos like this made me want it really bad. Had a buyer for both my e36m/e46m and once they sold I bought a nice frozen silver with a DCT and major maintenance items done. It’s only been a week and I have no regrets. Love the older gen m3s but I believe this is the best
The car always looks great. The oem wing looks great and it looks great without as well... Having both options is great. Gald you kept it and took it to the next level instead of selling. Great call on that.
They are special cars. Once sorted they will give smiles every day. Loved following this build. You do need to get the proper M3 steering wheel trim tho 🧐 (Perfect apart from that)
Great to hear that selling the car is not in the horizon. Of course is not a “smart” move have one as an only car, even as a second car, but I will have one someday and keep it forever.
This is why you get one, then get yourself a cheap $2k-$4k daily like a civic, tsx, rolla, crv, camry, etc. Just to keep the car as a weekend car to preserve it a bit more.
I had a 13 with the dct. I would not buy any with high miles or one thats not a 12 or 13. That being said, its still one of my favorite cars ive ever owned and you wont really get this experience with a newer bmw
in the 20s, 30s and 40s? Bro...i've seen 60k euros for 63k KM, e92 2013 Competition. Convert yourself to miles. u can find many in Europe with less than 100.000
im looking to buy one soon! its only expensive for people that pay for parts and labor 😂. find someone you can get parts for commercial price and do whatever work you can by yourself period. as a man you should at least know how to do your own brakes, oil changes and spark plugs.
This car sounds good and handles good but would never pay what they sell for not even close. They just too slow and it costs too much money to make them fast. Back in 2011 they were cool but now it’s basically just slow car with M logo. And I mean b58 can run 11’s with minimal expense. Not e9x M3. For that reason they just not worth that. And don’t even start about e30’s that’s classic car it’s completely different topic.
This is a rich man tinker toy restoration project box , your average Joe and poor man on a budget is a hard pass , not to mention if you had to pay for the labor cost alone to do all that work if your are not mechanical incline to so or otherwise…
Thanks for watching!
LINK TO E92 M3 REBUILD SHEET:
tinyurl.com/2h5ktwdw
MLT oil filler caps out of stock!!!! 4-6 weeks from 6/18/24
Buying mine was the absolute best decision ever. I could care less how “slow” this thing is in a straight cuz in the soul this car has and driving it in canyons is where this thing shines and to me that’s all I care about. Car like u said is not for everyone by any means tho 😂
Dude I just bought a salvage one too, I just depleted all the oil for an oil change but I can’t wait to turn it on 🔥🔥
Couldn't* care less
Its the mixture of luxury, beauty, sport, and just the geometry, I mean look at the body just a beautiful car all together.
the amount of posts i see on f80 bimmerpost of regrets switching from an e92. Cuz you just get used to the power within a few months and then its just straight up more boring than the e92. The only way i see it being worth it is if your e92 is bones stock and doesnt have mods to handle well or sound good. Cuz then its just a sloppy sedan with a muted engine and maybe the f80 is more enjoyablle stock to stock. With suspension tires and maybe some better brakes. Thing is truly fast on a track and so much fun. I always thought id take my dads miata out to get to drive manual again, but I never feel the need to, which made me realize that sound actually matters more to me than even having a manual, or really almost anything else
Owned mine since 2014 around 28K miles. 100K miles later still running strong 💪.
I bought a fully loaded 2011 E90 M3 DCT at $24k and 120k miles lol. Well maintained and no errors! I spent probably $10k in maintenance in the first year haha. Rod bearing service
Just brought my first m car today e92 m3 at 22 years old in Ireland which is crazy because of the price of the car €29,000 and road tax €1809 a year and insurance being €1890 a year. It was always the dream car and finally became possible after alot of hard work.
what do u do for work if u dont mind me asking
The very very short answer to this question is that if you have to ask whether or not you should buy a cheap E92 M3, the answer is almost certainly no.
For context, I've owned a 2009 E92 in Interlagos Blue with a DCT for three years. It was my childhood dream car since I first saw it in 2007. Pictures of it were on the background of every electronic device i've ever owned, on every avatar picture, and on the walls of every room I've ever lived in. This was the car for me, and as any single 26 year old dude does, I maxed out my budget to buy one in the exact color I'd always lusted after. I'm 29 now and can more comfortably afford to care for the car, and I'm working my way through some much needed upgrades/repairs that I've neglected over the last few years. It is NOT cheap, but I absolutely adore the car.
Nevertheless, the simple fact of the matter is that these cars are old now. Even low mileage examples like my own need parts and maintenance because of age, not mileage. There's no way around this. New issues are also coming to light as these cars continue to age, including the Vanos covers and injectors, which are also not particularly easy or cheap to fix. There will surely be more issues that appear over the years, and buying an E9x at this point means you best be ready to both stay "in the know" so that you know what to look for, and be ready to sign up for anything and everything that might be required to fix them.
Another big component of the maintenance regiment for these cars now is the "while you're in there" phenomena. These cars have extremely tight packaging in both the engine bay and in the suspension, especially in the rear, and given the age and usually the mileage of these vehicles it's almost always worthwhile to replace multiple parts at a time when you have the car torn apart, which naturally compounds the costs astronomically. It's no small task both from a cost and labor perspective, even if (and sometimes especially if) you're doing the work yourself.
The final thing I'll add is that owners are almost always going to want the nicer, more performance-oriented parts and upgrades considering it's a sports car. Nobody wants economy tires and brakes are their 400+hp fire breathing V8, and I don't blame them. But this naturally increases the cost spiral that I've become all too familiar with in my three years of ownership. Really, it's no joke.
But should you buy one? My answer to people when they ask me about it is almost always no. There's just simply more value in other vehicles nowadays. You can get a significantly newer, lower mileage, more reliable, objectively superior car from other brands and from within BMW. To properly own and care for these cars is a labor of love at this point, and anybody with $33,000 burning a hole in their pocket should likely not sign up for what's required here. The only people that I do recommend these cars to are the ones that tell me the E92 is the car for them, but then really, they aren't asking the question in the first place.
So no. You should not buy a cheap, or really any, E92 M3 at this point unless you can't live the rest of your life without having owned one like me. And in that case, you should absolutely buy one, and do it now, because I strongly suspect these will only continue to slowly creep up in value.
I fully agree. If you have to ask, then the answer is always no.
it really is no joke. Ive spent close to 20k on the 120k mile car in ONE YEAR!! Granted that includes a wrap and exhaust. But everything else was maitenance.
It had great maitenance when i bought it. Rod bearings, all cooling lines and hoses, injectors, fuel breather valve, and a few other issues were all taken care of by previous owners. It even came with an exhaust suspension, a big brake kit, and wheels. But 1 month in throttle actuators go out. 3k right there. Then an exhaust bracket breaks,. Then one of my FOUR 02 sensor fails and fails again within a month, turns out whoever installed the exhuast had the 02 sensor pointing up so that if i hit bumps it smacks the bottom of the car and broke almost instantly. So that was almost 700 dollars for that 02 sensor (cant wait for the other 3 to fail) not to mention paying a muffler shop to saw off that part of the exhaust and weld a new part on with the 02 sensor pointing the right way. Then my car started starting up slower, i go to replace spark plugs which is 600$ and turns out i need ignition coils at this milage too. 220 PER COIL. Ended up being 3k for plugs and coils. Now I got an exhaust coming and had to invest in jackstands floor jack, wrenches the whole kit and caboudle. Ive also had to flush most of the fluids which was another several hundred. Ive also had to replace my tires twice (1600 a set) and change oil once. This doesnt even include the two track days I did and the thousands upon thousands of dollars in gas especially in california. Just crazy to think back on, I would have never thought I would have spent more than 5k on maitenance in one year
coming from a motocross and karting background,, yes these cars are a pain in the ass sometimes but the reward you get from putting in the work to maintain the performance level is so worth it to someone with that itch for not only driving experience but the connection you get with the machine. no other cars out there give you the same level of driver feedback and respect for an engineered driving machine
Sure, here is the updated text:
Oh man, if I had a dollar for every time I heard "this is a forever car," I would! Keep up the great work. My first BMW was an E46 when I was in my 20s, and I have owned a lot of non-BMW sports cars since then. Now I am in my mid-40s, but for the last six months, I have been back in a BMW M2CS, and I'm loving it.
13 E92 M3 DCT. 115k miles.( 1,500 miles of track beating ) no major issues. 👌🏽
I just bought a DCT e93 with 57k miles and I cannot wait for it to arrive. Hope to enjoy it as much as you do🗣️
If you aren’t tracking the car and expecting it to be the fastest car on the road an e93 m3 is an amazing experience to here the S65 rev out to 8400 rpm’s! There aren’t many cars out there that will give the same experience in a hard top vert.
Congrats!!! I got my E93 M3 as a weekend car last year. But I almost daily it because it’s so intoxicatingly and ADDICTINGLY fun! The sound with the top down is out of this world! Take good care of it!
@@jovaneghtesadi1494 This is my exact same situation. Bought it a year ago as a weekend fun car but can’t stay out of it and now the daily sits the majority of the summer.
@@jovaneghtesadi1494thanks! I plan on it! Looking forward to it arriving😃
Had my E90 M3 6MT since new, 2010, 140k miles. It is daunting to upkeep and maintain, but once its running well, you can't think of driving anything else.
Just picked up a E90 M3. Best car ever and plan on keeping forever.
How you feel about your E90 is exactly how I feel about my F80. It's just the perfect do all car for me, fits my kids car seats, the looks, comfortable, plenty fast with just bolt ons, all the features I need but not too much technology, a light car compared to todays standards, probably one of the few ppl that actually enjoy the sound of the S55, it's also been extremely reliable I'm reaching 115k miles, Iv had a couple dailys but I just always find myself reaching for my M3 keys can't help it. It's what makes me look forward to my long drive to work everyday and makes it not so miserable
We bought our 2012 E93 M3 in LeMans blue over a year ago for $26,000 it has 77k miles now in 2024. We love it!
I bought mine with 54k miles. It was lowered way too far on springs with stock dampers. Every bushing underneath was shot. Valve covers leaking all over. Engine mounts split in half. Plenty more.
You said it man. These cars are a money pit to properly own. Doing your own work does help, but it gets exhausting.
Had a 2011 Competition Black on Red interior 6MT. Sold in 2016. Wish I hadn't sold it but commuting 90 miles round trip in California traffic and ga prices was not worht it to me. Looking back, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. lmao. Cheers to your build man. I'll have another some time soon!
I use to have a 08 E92 M3 6 speed. Melbourne Red w/ beige/tan interior. Paid 17k with a 65k mile motor VF supercharged (body had 110k miles) sold it for $31,500 a month later. Now i got a 15 M4 6 speed 83k miles paid $31k
I knew I wanted an e92 m3 but watching videos like this made me want it really bad. Had a buyer for both my e36m/e46m and once they sold I bought a nice frozen silver with a DCT and major maintenance items done. It’s only been a week and I have no regrets. Love the older gen m3s but I believe this is the best
Go for it!
The car always looks great. The oem wing looks great and it looks great without as well... Having both options is great. Gald you kept it and took it to the next level instead of selling. Great call on that.
*Never getting rid of mine! 2013 Competition!!*
They are special cars.
Once sorted they will give smiles every day.
Loved following this build.
You do need to get the proper M3 steering wheel trim tho 🧐
(Perfect apart from that)
What do u think of modernizing ur E92 M3? Like wireless phone charger, custom gauge like id4motion, or like an android auto like a tablet
I'm glad you got rid of the sunroof, 10/10!
Cant beat the E92M3 feeling/looks combo, worth the money ! Just chrome delete those side markers and its 💯🥶 looking !!
Love this. Have missed the boat on these a few times, waiting until it wouldnt be my only car. My coyote is plenty fun while i wait
Own a E90 M3 DCT but would love to add a single hump manual E92.
I just put a deposit down on a 20k mile Lci example. The amount of maintenance isn't any less as for the better part of its life it's been sitting.
This video has just solidified that I should purchase one of the 3 E9X variants.
This is a good review and great advice to potential buyers...👍🏽🏁
Got to love the E9X universal phone holder 👌
Anyone ever think it's weird the door trims are different on the driver side to the passenger
Great to hear that selling the car is not in the horizon. Of course is not a “smart” move have one as an only car, even as a second car, but I will have one someday and keep it forever.
been a dream car for a while tbh
I love how they look and sound but man that inside just looks cheap to me for the price you pay, how is it ?
6:15 Matthews Township Parkway and Monroe Rd... nice ice creams to the right, Dynamic auto tune to the left... :P
This is why you get one, then get yourself a cheap $2k-$4k daily like a civic, tsx, rolla, crv, camry, etc. Just to keep the car as a weekend car to preserve it a bit more.
Nothing but straight facts the whole video
I had a 13 with the dct. I would not buy any with high miles or one thats not a 12 or 13. That being said, its still one of my favorite cars ive ever owned and you wont really get this experience with a newer bmw
in the 20s, 30s and 40s? Bro...i've seen 60k euros for 63k KM, e92 2013 Competition. Convert yourself to miles.
u can find many in Europe with less than 100.000
Im litterly saving up for buying a E92 M3 Manual. And i really want to import from USA because its cheaper there and bring it home to Sweden :D
love the e92 but where the 1 been??
Chillin, I’ve been driving it!
172,000 on my e90 manual… it’s been a labor of love on second set of throttle actuators 🙂↕️
What car was more fun on twisty roads, the m3 now or the 135 when you had the twin turbo setup?
M3
U live in Charlotte NC!?!? This road looks so familiar I used to take this road to work at Carmax off of independence
Yes!
The beast M/// F8x series💎👑😁
I’d love to get your opinion on the e92 m3 and e46 m3
So for the1M clone are we getting the carbon roof, the metal quarters, and the m3 subframe in a 3 part video series???
Yes! I’m not touching the car until fall though. Just enjoying driving it right now!
Have you thought about powder coating the strut brace to match the valve covers?
Good idea 👍
Great review! It’s super helpful to know how a high-mileage E92 M3 holds up. We sent you an email, take a look.
Awesome dude, I really enjoy your videos 👍 from Sweden
Glad you like them!
Haven't watched the video yet.
But to answer the question, yes.
Do you see any oil consumption with the car ?
Do the breaks not work in that unit?
Got mine with 130k, and everything does need to be replaced.
Good looking car man love it 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
im looking to buy one soon! its only expensive for people that pay for parts and labor 😂. find someone you can get parts for commercial price and do whatever work you can by yourself period. as a man you should at least know how to do your own brakes, oil changes and spark plugs.
Great breakdown thank you !
I would only put all the money into maintenance rather than exterior mods.
E92 is my goat this car has a soul the G80 is nice but it just doesn’t have IT iykyk
How do you guys feel about the M550i?
Had a E60 550iM for 2 years. Loved it and wanted more of the same. Bought a E90 M3, had it for over 10 years now and not planning to sell.
If you have a cheap mindset with this gen M3 then I’d advise to buy something else. Parts and maintenance is not for the faint of heart.
This car sounds good and handles good but would never pay what they sell for not even close. They just too slow and it costs too much money to make them fast. Back in 2011 they were cool but now it’s basically just slow car with M logo. And I mean b58 can run 11’s with minimal expense. Not e9x M3. For that reason they just not worth that. And don’t even start about e30’s that’s classic car it’s completely different topic.
No, they shouldn't buy one, because that leave more options for me to choose from, lol 😊
This is a rich man tinker toy restoration project box , your average Joe and poor man on a budget is a hard pass , not to mention if you had to pay for the labor cost alone to do all that work if your are not mechanical incline to so or otherwise…
not even 1 minute of video and at least 3 rolling stop signs... xD
Why would anyone buy a car with 220 pounds of torque? That m3 should have NEVER left the factory without a turbocharger. Smb.
Drive one you will change your mind
@@vincentjones7800 I would NOTA. TRUST ME. Not interested. Smh. I have however blown the doors off of COUNTLESS ones.
@@1SIK335 and? it's not all about speed, maybe one day you will get this.
@@ben2155 BAHAHHA what else IS there? This is a PERFORMANCE sedan!! I have NO interest in circle track racing.