A '97 M3 luxury (automatic) has suddenly come into the picture as an option for me.. and at a good price..

its a 1997, M3, automatic with 28k miles on it. (5 years at 28k only.. very low mileage!)

Anything I should know about them?

I know the auto is a 6.7sec or 6.4sec 0-60 whereas the stick is 5.7 (but this is auto only...)

I will look at it this weekend.

Anything I should look for, anything I need to know about it?

Good and Bad.

Thanks,

PCH

why are you buying an automatic M3? to most sports car lovers, it was a sin of BMW to put an automatic transmision into such a motorsport bred high performance car. Driving a stick in general is more fun, and obviously performance is better. i agree its a great deal, but an automatic is a bit sketchy in my book. but if your heart is set on buy the automatic, i agree that it sounds like a good deal.

this m3 just sorta appeared. It just happens to be an auto.. but I agree.. m3 should be stick only.. But if I can get it at a great deal, it may be worth it in auto still.

-PCH

ugh... auto.

how low of a price are we talking here? because you know, it might be worth shelling out the extra money for M3 with a stick instead of settling for an auto.

the other problem is since the car is 5 years old.. theres no way to get an extended warranty or service plan.. It's pretty much buy and hope for the best.

I have also talked to a dealership with a stick 97 m3, a little less in price as well.. but colors are green on black... havent seen it yet though..

I'm just a bit worried that if i get a 5 year old car, theres no warranty, and by the time its paid off its 10 years old and whats the value of resale by then? etc etc

decisions decisions :)


At least there's this forum for q/a and info!!

-PCH

Whadda mean no extended warranty.... I've seen 96 M3's that were CPO.

You can purchase a warranty from an aftermarket firm. (Not BMW) Your local dealer may be able to give you a reference.

As far as a 10 year old M3, that car isn't going to depreciate in value as quickly as most cars do.

Automatic - Hey I'm all for it, call me lazy as I get older, but I'm sick of shifting. That car will perform very nicely as an automatic.

So if the price is right, go treat yourself to a great car.