1998 BMW M3 Sedan

The car has been sold.  Thanks for looking.

The car is a 3.2L 6 cylinder, 5 speed manual, 4 door.  It is Boston Green Metallic with the Magma Leather interior, commonly referred to as saddle.  The car has 110,000 miles currently.  The car has all the power options including the sunroof, but not the power seats.  They are manually adjustable and heated.  The car also came with the upgraded Harmon Kardon system, full on board computer as opposed to the ones that don't have all the functions, factory alarm, and cruise control.  The car is not a touring model.

I'm the second owner and have owned it for almost 5 years and have enjoyed every second in the car.  I am selling cause it's just about that time and I'm feeling the itch to purchase another vehicle.  If I could afford to keep this car and the new one, I would, cause this car is definitely worth holding on to.  But I can't do both.

Overall condition

The car runs really really well.    The transmission runs great with no grinding anywhere, however, it does have the notchiness that this tranny is known for though the synthetic fluids have helped it some.  The air conditioning and every accessory works as they should.  I haven't had any major problems with the car.  It has been a great experience.

The car is very fast and other friends and enthusiasts claim the engine seems more powerful than other stock M3s that they have driven.  I always get asked if I have put anything in the car in regards to performance modifications.  The car is completely stock except for upgraded shocks and brakes.  I've never 'chipped' it or put an intake.  Its pretty much the same as the day I got the car. I guess I was just blessed with a good example.  I've never tracked the car but spirited driving was what the car was meant for and so on occasion I would stretch its legs, so to speak.  The car has excellent grip in the corners.  I never 'peel out' or make any hard launches.  I take care of my cars.

The interior is nice.  The front seats are worn and so I would say 5-6/10.  The rear seats look great and I would say 9/10.  The dash looks great with no fading - 9/10.  The carpet and the door panels are nice as well  at 8/10.  I've always tried to keep the interior clean and condition the leather.

The exterior paint is nice, especially when the car is clean.  It's a very sharp color.  I've put more details of the body below.

Maintenance

I've always kept up with maintenance on the car, as I do with all my cars.  I was very religious with this car, after all it was my first BMW.  I took ownership of the car at 55k miles and have used synthetic fluids since.  Oil changes occurred at 3,000-4,000 mile intervals.  Valvoline fully synthetic oil for the engine, Redline D4 ATF for the transmission, Redline 75w90 gear oil for the differential, and ATE Super Blue brake fluid.  I've also performed the Inspection I and II at the appropriate times including drive belt changes, spark plugs, valve-cover gasket and seals.  The only other maintenance related items were the shocks/struts.  They were replaced with Koni Sport adjustable.  The ride is very nice now and not as hard edged as the Bilstein Sports were.  The rear shock mounts were also replaced with a modular JT Designs rear shock mount and the Z3 reinforcement plates are used as well.  The shocks and rear mounts were just replaced, perhaps 500 miles ago? The tires still have some tread left maybe about 50% all around.

Additions

I've added the factory X-brace for the extra rigidity and it did make a difference.  I've also replaced the factory stereo system.  The Harmon Kardon system is very poor.  I couldn't decide what to do but I knew the head unit had to go.  I replaced the head unit with a Sony in dash stereo with motorized LCD screen and added a 6 disc CD/MP3 changer, as well as a dvd player housed in the glove box.  I didn't ever get the chance to upgrade the speakers or the amplifier.  However it sounds much better than before and watching the occasional DVD when parked is nice.  I've also upgraded to Zimmerman cross drilled rotors and Pagid brake pads.  It was time to change the brakes and so why not upgrade.

The bad news

The car does have 110,000 miles on it and so the front of the car does have chips in the paint from road debris - highway driving in the south will do that to you.  I've never been in an accident but the rear passenger door has a dent caused by what I assume to be a parking lot incident.  I walked to the car one day and there it was.  No note and no explanation.  That was a very upsetting day.  It's not too bad and most people don't notice it until I tell them or you view the car from an angle. There are some small chips and dents in the paint on the sunroof.  This was on the car when I bought it.  Don't worry it's not hail.  If I were going to keep the car, then I would fix these things but I'm not.  So this is a good bargaining point.  Either I fix it before I sell the car, or you can get a great car at a great price.

Final Thoughts

I used the car mostly on the highways and it's always been a great ride.  The practicality of having 4 doors and a trunk when you need it is wonderful.  BMW created a great car in this M3 4door. It's a very nice car and as I said above, I would keep it but can't.

Come see the car and you won't be disappointed. Only serious buyers please.  I don't give joyrides.  Asking $14,500 or best offer. Contact Tommy at 214-878-5131.

Pictures

I apologize for the pictures.  I took them in the afternoon and so the sun is in the wrong place for taking good pictures.  Hopefully you can see all the detail you need.  I will update the pictures when the weather is better with shots of the front seats, engine bay, trunk, spare tire, wheels, brakes, etc.