M Coupe Buyers Guide

Thanks for the terrific listing by color and interior. To answer your question about the (10) cars with Special Paint. I have one. You list two with Dark Grey and Nappa Black interior. One with sunroof deleted. Mine is the other one with a sunroof. Special Paint order in 2000 was Steel Grey 400. A color not offered in 2000. Hope this helps. (VIN:WBSCM9349YLC61959)

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/1810236758.html
http://www.dotenauto.com/VehicleDetails/742964563

No affiliation just trying to help.

Here is some more information on http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=102

i emailed him because i was interested in it but i think the price is to high for the condition

Hello I have a few questions How many miles are on the odometer? Why are you selling the car? How would you describe your used car’s condition? Who was this vehicle bought from? Where was this car bought? What kind of oil do you use in the car? Are you willing to let me get this inspected independently?

113,000 miles
I’m buying a sedan probably CLS63
Exterior is near mint interior is good black leather needs new floor mats
I bought it from a small dealership on Willington 3 years ago they brought it up from the states
I take the car to Mr Lube 5w 30 I think Synthetic castrol
If your serious you can have the car inspected I think it needs new shocks in the front

Hope this helps, love the site

1999 BMW Z3 M COUPE *67k Miles*

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/1821034904.html

Checked this one out last week. Well used car, suspension is tired and clutch needs to be replaced. It’s a decent driver but nowhere near the great condition as described by the seller. A few scratches here and there, one tiny dent, sagging glove box and slight rocking seats.
I felt it was overpriced by at least $2-3K.
Nice site!

Congrats Jon on your new pick up

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=139

The listing price was 16,500

sorry about the huge link. Killer deal on a 4000 mile coupe. Didn’t see it on the listings page.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=283554691&dealer_id=65514963&car_year=2002&rdm=1281129798213&lastStartYear=1981&model=BMWMCOUPE&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2001&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=BMW&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=82001&advanced=&end_year=2002&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=950&standard=false

looks like it may be a scam. Thats the zionsville car right?

Mr. Martin,

First of all, thank you for the time and effort you put into this website.
I’ve been lurking and drooling over its pages for a couple of months now.

Thanks to your pages I’ve been re-introduced to the car I hope to eventually replace my 1974.5 mgb-gt with.

The first coupe I saw was sliver and was parked at a retirement village on Solomon’s Island, Maryland where I was participating in a memory walk to benefit alzheimers research.

Reading about your purchase (after 6 years – talk about patience!) and looking at the pictures, I can understand why you waited. The car looks incredible.

But for the actual impetus behind this post – I am headed to MY for the weekend and was doing a search to see what I might be able to look at during the trip and stumbled across a car I don’t see on your site yet.

http://www.hunterdonbmw.com/vehicle/details/WBSCN93421LK60135

carfax report –

http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=OHY_0&vin=WBSCN93421LK60135

It’s also listed here –

http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/bmw-m-cars361978462;_ylt=AlH7y88xxEZcjLm4nEJkLm3KVY54;_ylv=3?sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearub=2002&modelyearlb=1999&askpriceub=any&askpricelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&location=White+Plains%2C+NY+10601&listingtype=used&model=m&make=bmw&distance=200

and here –

http://autos.yahoo.com/used-cars/overview;_ylt=An8jPj1B9SRywNblPzcqCJzKVY54;_ylv=3?distance=200&location=White%20Plains%2C%20NY%2010601&sortcol=price&sortdir=up&modelyearlb=1999&modelyearub=2002&make=bmw&model=m&askpricelb=any&askpriceub=any&deliverymileagelb=any&deliverymileageub=any&listingtype=used

If I manage a closer look at the car on my way to NY this week, I’ll try to remember to post any significant findings and/or photos.

Sure hope you’re planning to continue the work on the site –

Hey Jon

Mark this one (http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=98) as SOLD

picked it up today

Thanks for all your help

Mr. Martin,

Additional info about the Hunterdon BMW coupe.
I sent them a message asking if it was still available and mentioned a possible side trip to their dealership on my way to Long Island tomorrow.
Received an email from them this morning and they report the car is still available and to quote the email, “the asking price is $16995.” Not sure if you want to add a contact email address, but I’ve been communicating with a Ms. Pattie O’Neal – pattie.oneal@hunterdonbmw.com, 908-236-6302

I’m not sure if my spouse will tolerate a 2 hour detour with only 1 hour remaining in our 11 hour trip tomorrow, but if so, I’ll have the camera with me.

Now if I can only suppress the urge to also visit the Boston Green Metallic in Chester NJ (another 20 minutes from Hunterdon) and the Evergreen beauty in Arlington, VA on the way home. . .

here is a pic jon

Mr. Martin,

I vistited Hunterdon BMW yesterday evening and was given the opportunity to test drive their car.
I am at my brother’s house in NY and am borrowing his computer for this post.

The car appears to be very clean and was reportedly received as a trade against a new car purchase. I wouldn’t be surprised if the car has seen a visit to their detail/wash station.

The odometer indicates 92143, but that was before the test drive.

The weather was overcast and the rain had slowed to an almost imperceptible drizzle. The temperature was in the upper 70’s and the roads were damp but not wet.
The engine started immediately and ran very smoothly. I let the engine warm up before leaving the lot and used the time to adjust the driver’s seat, and mirrors, and find other controls.

Pulling away from the dealership with a young salesman riding shotgun, I used the first leg of the prescribed test-drive route to gain some familiarity with the shift pattern and clutch.

Leaving the main road I was guided to a wonderfully twisty little two-lane road that follows the edge of a local reservoir, and if the car were mine . . . Let’s say for preservation of my driving license and the saleman’s employment, I behaved myself.

The car shifted as smooth as silk with definite engagement at each station. The engine responded quickly and appropriately to input from my right foot. The suspension was remarkable, and at a speed quickly exceeding the recommended speed for the turns we enjoyed, the car never lost its composure and seemed to beg for more.

The seat was comfortable (and that’s after spending 11 hours driving up from NC), and aside from the better appointments, the drivers position is similar to that in my MGB-GT

In the last leg of my dream drive I ran the tach up to a slightly higher (but still well below redline) level and the accleration was almost breath-taking. The car did not fail to impress myself or the salesman, who later admitted it was his first trip in the car also, and I can only imagine how impressive the car would be if I were a more capable of driving it to its potential.

My ability with words may fail miserably to adequately describe the car and the sensation of driving it, so let me put it this way – it was nearing 7:30 at the end of my visit, and my family and I hadn’t eaten since lunch. We visited a diner just down hte road fromthe dealership and enjoyed a very good meal with huge servings. We must have been about half-way through dinner before the adrenaline finally worked its way out of my system from the test drive.

Black on black is not my choice of colors, but for someone looking for that combination, I strongly suggest a visit to Lebanon NJ.

What I don’t know is the mechanical specifics – compression test results, undercarriage inspection, etc., and the salesman (I apologize for not remembering his name) was not sure how much documentation was supplied when they received the car to indicate a maintenance history.

I do know this. The days for my MGB-GT are numbered.

I have a dozen photos of the car and will be glad to share them if anyone would like to see them. It will be Monday before I get back to my ofice computer in NC.

Have a great weekend,

Michael

Jon-
I didn’t read these comments here, but I went up to see the Black Sapphire/Black 2001 M Coupe at Hunterdon BMW- it drove quite nicely, had no bodywork or paintwork that I can determine, is a clean one-owner car that doesn’t look like it has 92k miles on it.

Pending the insurance company bill, it’s mine. I haven’t been looking as long as you, but finding an S54 car for as cheap as this one, I couldn’t say no. And it’s being retailed at a BMW dealership, so you kind of know that it’s not going to be a POS. No one retails a 9 year old car on their front line if it’s not worthwhile.

Saw this one on local CL today. It is listed as a Z3 coupe but the photos are of an M coupe

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/1902143070.html

Jon- An update from the weekend. RE: The Black Sapphire/Black 2001 at Hunterdon BMW. The deal is done, I’m picking up the car on Saturday. I’ve already arranged for insurance and everything else. I know I’m taking a big risk buying a car sans PPI. I’ll send you photos from my garage after it’s really mine.

Insurance wasn’t as bad as I thought- it cost less to insure this car than an ’04 Volvo V70R. Go figure.

Now I have to stock up on 10W60 oil and some other assorted bits.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=46894179&listingRecNum=7&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20005%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D21388%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId-yrId%26zc%3D80210%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26yrId%3D20142%26yrId%3D20197%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national

Jon- quick update on the car I recently purchased. I’ve had it for a little over a week now- no issues to report. My mechanic just went over the car fully- the only thing they could find was a brake hose that was routed incorrectly, and the rear wiper washer is leaking if you use the rear washer. Otherwise, a solid car. Did an oil change, air filter, going to do the rest when I have time. Interior is mint- some finish wear on the driver’s bolster, that’s about it. No cracks in the dash, leather is in excellent condition.

I’ve already put 1k miles on it!

I don’t know how to send you photos, you might have to email me so I can reply back with the pics.

I hope you’re enjoying your Steel Gray coupe as much as I’m enjoying mine!

1k miles already, u must really be enjoying it haha

i put about 800 km on mine and its a dream, its truly a head turner

how is your m coupe going Jon?

Hi, I saw an m coupe on this site that I may be interested in its a 2002 black with the red/black interior. Aparently it had a new motor installed by BMW and the owner is in Washington DC. I was wondering if anybody had an email or phone number for the owner. Thanks

Hey Jon, my screen name is Achtung Baby from the M coupe Bimmerforums. I drove from toronto yesterday to take a look at the 2001 Black Sapphire m coupe in Pittsburgh you have listed here for $22,000.

The car is in very poor shape and has not been taken care of at all. Front bumper is scraped and scratched heavily on the bottom and as well as the sides. Rear fenders and scrapped and dented, Rear bumper is hanging off on the one side someone either hit him or he backed into something. Interior is filthy and seats are scrapped up, both interior door panels are faded and discolored, plastic ///m decal on the drive side rocker is pealed off. Valve alignment has never been done. I could go on and on, such a shame seeing this car in this state. Being totally realistic this car needs anywhere between 4-6k in repair and maintenance.

If he said $15,000 for it I’d still have to think about it seriously, I really wanted no part of this car but out of curiosity I wanted to see what he realistically expected and he replied with he wouldn’t budge past $22,000.

You can safely remove this car from best deals category 🙂

I believe

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=192
and
http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=211

are the same car with more photos up from autotrader. I did not check out the car in person though

Adam :
Hey Jon, my screen name is Achtung Baby from the M coupe Bimmerforums. I drove from toronto yesterday to take a look at the 2001 Black Sapphire m coupe in Pittsburgh you have listed here for $22,000.
The car is in very poor shape and has not been taken care of at all. Front bumper is scraped and scratched heavily on the bottom and as well as the sides. Rear fenders and scrapped and dented, Rear bumper is hanging off on the one side someone either hit him or he backed into something. Interior is filthy and seats are scrapped up, both interior door panels are faded and discolored, plastic ///m decal on the drive side rocker is pealed off. Valve alignment has never been done. I could go on and on, such a shame seeing this car in this state. Being totally realistic this car needs anywhere between 4-6k in repair and maintenance.
If he said $15,000 for it I’d still have to think about it seriously, I really wanted no part of this car but out of curiosity I wanted to see what he realistically expected and he replied with he wouldn’t budge past $22,000.
You can safely remove this car from best deals category

I too checked out this car…What a shame. It almost made me sick. It would need a completely new paint job. For a low miles one owner, nothing could have prepared me for what I walked into. Cat hairs and claw marks on it. DISGUSTING inside. Crumbs from 2001. A really good detail could have solved that. There were multiple dents in the passenger side door. All of this he said he never even noticed. He must have ran into 20 parking curbs. Bumper was trashed in the front. Would have needed totally redone. He has probably hit every curb in pittsburgh with his wheels. All four totally thrashed. He said he would get them redone, but it would just happen again due to the wheels sticking out past the tires (it never crossed his mind to STOP HITTING CURBS!) It pulled a little to the right when driving. He said the clutch had been replaced (wow, must have been a TERRIBLE driver with only 52000 miles). I got him down to 20k. But I wasn’t looking to pay anywhere near that after seeing it. If I knew that it only needed a paint job, then fine. But I can’t imagine what lurks below. It took me a minute to find the hood release as this was the first one I’ve looked at. He had no idea where it was, which was scary to me. The engine bay was filthy. The car had tree branches and leaves in every crevice.

Everything did seem to work on it though. Seat heaters, gauges, lights, wipers, heating, A/C, stereo. So I think for the right price, this is still a viable purchase. But like the previous commenter said, 15k is about where the car is due to the known work needed. I’d be changing every fluid in that thing immediately. I would guess it needs a suspension refresh, spark plugs, air filters, the whole 9 yards.

Hey Jon,

update on http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=208

The seller listed the incorrect mileage, its not 90k km its 124k km

and he also dropped the price to 20k OBO

http://www.maxbimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137447 (he included picture but those are the pictures from when he bought the car)

Hi Jon,

It’s been a couple of months since my last post, but I’m still lurking and my MGB-GT still wants to an M-coupe when it grows up.

New email address – finally established internet access at home last weekend, but I digress.

With all of the information that you have accumulated, AI wonder if you’ve considered keeping track of the cars known to be “lost.” In case you are interested, I’ve stumbled across two cars today that are being offered on an insurance salvage website.

Here are the links –

https://www.iaai.com/Vehicles/VehicleDetails.aspx?auctionID=9482809&itemID=10177892&RowNumber=0#anchorLoginDetails

https://www.iaai.com/Vehicles/VehicleDetails.aspx?auctionID=9476530&itemID=9924978&RowNumber=1#anchorLoginDetails

It doesn’t help my patience seeing 2 evergreen cars available.
And that 2002 Estoril with less than 5K on the clock. . . oh my!

Still drooling and dreaming and thoroughly enjoying the site,

Mike

Hey,

I figured I’d post this one up here since it hasn’t been added yet

seems like a very nice car

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=281486823&dealer_id=65394087&car_year=1999&rdm=1288555769000&model=BMWMCOUPE&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1998&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&lastBeginningStartYear=1981&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&sownerid=53501008&showZipError=y&make=BMW&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=newsortbyprice_DESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&sort_type=priceDESC&address=44109&advanced=&end_year=2002&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=1070&standard=false

@Jon Martin

I must have completely missed it, sorry about that.
Do you have pictures of the last m coupe made the white/ white and black one

Thanks again for the great site, it is very informative and easy to use.

Chris

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=216

This car has been sold. Just got an email from the seller.

I just purchased http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=204 with a sale price of $26,000.

@Matt Oh, and it had 39,665 on the odometer.

Hi Jon
Just sold the 2000 Dakar Yellow car in Carlsbad,CA (thanks for the kind words about the car..the buyer found it here). $23,000 selling price. I will miss it, but it’s gone to a good home in Nor Cal….My next adventure a Ferrari 308GTB (finally below $30K)
Keep up the good work
Mark

Not affiliated

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2049540796.html

Also thanks for the site I purchase the imola m coupe sold oct 13, in Chandler AZ.

I wanted to let you know that this car has been sold:
http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=131

I asked about it and got an email 2 weeks later stating it was already sold

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=228

This one is sold.

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=235

This car started as black but was in a major accident and was repainted with that ridiculous blue/silver color scheme. That’s also why the headlights are Ebay cheapos. Salvage title.

A little digging found this: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=729334 and this http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1213350

Seller is asking for $13,000

According to the bimmerforums thread, this car has been sold for an undetermined amount
http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=82

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1470267

I’m raking the market to find my Coupe so I have been emailing just about everyone in my price range! I was emailed pictures for this posting: http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=223

It IS a black interior, looks clean too.

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=238

That car is going for $26,995. It is the same owner as the blue/silver one, but not the same car

Hi Jon, love the site. i live in canada and am on my own search for a coupe. was wondering i you knew if all of the coupes that were sold in canada came with headlight washers? thanks and keep up the great work.

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=235

The salvage title was from a large front-end collision. It has the wrong steering wheel with no airbag so it has warning lights lit up.

I bought the imola red 00′ out of fort collins nov.19, Aside from the door issue and various small scratches, the body was nice. Interior was in excellent condition, just missing the trunk mat and original sub box. I was planning on m6 style wheels but otherwise factory. It drove beautifully. Thanks for posting it. Turned out to be a fantastic deal

Hi Jon,

I just wanted to thank you for your diligence on this great M Coupe site. I just bought this coupe: http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=239 . I am actually in the process of driving it 1400 miles from Houston back to my home in Pittsburgh. I’m at a hotel 400 miles from home for the night. The car is utterly stock and in great condition. The only cosmetic blemishes are a ding on one rim, an abrasion on the drivers seat, and a deteriorated volume knob on the stock radio. Mechanically, I think it only needs tires, a glovebox fix, and maybe the rear suspension bushings done. With your help, I got what I feel is a good deal on the car, paying the seller her asking price of $20,500. The information on this site helped me to be patient and wait for a low mileage cream puff to come along, and then pounce on it with confidence that I was getting a fair deal.

Yours,
Mark Lange

Jon,
I didn’t notice in your comments about http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=230 mention of moderate to severe collision damage to the front left side on 9-23-04. I also see repeated reports of electrical checks. I pulled the carfax on this vehical when I was shopping earlier. Just thought you might like to know

Mark Lange

Talked to seller. Car was rolled. Front and roof repaired. Bodywork/paint done, but needs other exterior bits(kidneys, markers, etc.) Purchased from auction, only 27xxx miles.

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=112

This car is currently having engine troubles (never had bearing issue fixed) and seller refuses to allow car to be inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase. Seller’s name is Jawad Awan and lied about the build date and purchase information. Major red flags with this one.

Hi,

Congratulations for your Web site; it is exactly what I was looking for… I live in Canada and am an avid BMW (and vintage Porsche) fan: I presently own a 2011 X5 (it’s my third one) and I drove for two years a Z4 M Coupe, which was a blast to drive. I tested (once only) a Z3 M Coupe and also loved it (but that was 10 years ago…). I am now thinking of buying an M Coupe this spring and have done a little research; your Web site is and will be particularly useful for that. I am hesitating between a 2000 Z3 and a 2007 Z4 that I found advertised here in Canada, and I was just wondering if you had any ideas or suggestions, such as: do you think a Z3 has a better chance than a Z4 of keeping its value on a long-term basis?
Regards,
Eric

@Jon Martin
Thanks for your comments Jon, and I agree with you. The 2000 Z3 MC I am interested seems to be in top shape, it has no sunroof and its mileage is relatively low (about 50,000 miles – up here in Canada our sport cars usually hibernate during the winter months!). The S52 engine has been upgraded with a Shark injector software, cold-air intake and Remus exhaust which, according to the seller, adds around 20 HP… Is that upgrade good or bad?

The Coupe in Dallas at the BMW dealership is sold . It was the same one listed before by the owner here . It was a really good one and someone from Seattle got it on Saturday and I was about to put a cash on it and was disappointed that it was already taken .

Too bad its going out of state .

You may need to create an APP to send out an reminder each time a new car is added . I would have take this , Has I seen it on Saturday ….

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=254

Have you looked at this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BIMMER-ENTHOUSIAST-ONLY-/180608171517?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2a0d15fdfd

The fenders look like they were replaced with non m coupe fenders….odd because seller claims all body panels match…

Just dropping by to give a heads up, sorry if its a repost

This one sold as well for $14000 as I negotiated to $12000 and some one else got it for more. My bad luck stream continues 🙂

http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listing.aspx?ListingID=278