BMW M3 – The Carmax Unicorn Blog

September 30, 2022September 30, 2022

Quick Hits – Three BMW Three’s

With the novel done on my Mercedes S600 sale it’s time to get back to blogging about cars. And as much as I wanted to get one unicorn on the page (honestly it’ll be the ONLY post for September – pitiful blogger!) I stumbled on a couple similar cars that may be of interest, so without further delay here’s three BMW convertibles just in time for fall motoring.

This hot red coupe is a 2012 BMW M3 with the venerable V-8. It’s a hard top convertible with a dual-clutch transmission. BMW made the M3 with a V-8 from 2007-2013 – models before and after were all six cylinders. The M3 coupe pulls low-to-mid four second 0-60 mph sprints, but the hard top convertible’s several hundred pound additional weight unfortunately puts this M3 at five seconds flat. More later on why that’s okay with me.

The M3 interior is nondescript and yet comfortable and purposeful as with all BMW 3-series. Cupholders are crappy extensions from the dash and guarantee spillage on the transmission tunnel and passenger door. Seats have the usual Pop Tart holder seam between the legs.

There are three reasons to advocate the E9X series BMW M3. The biggest is the motor above. It’s a naturally aspirated 4.0 liter V-8 rated at 414 horsepower @ 8300rpm! The second is the hardtop convertible. Drop the top and you can hear that raucous engine wail. Top up it’s a fairly civilized coupe – just a few shakes and rattles over bumps although not bad at all. The third is – I own the one below and absolutely love it. Can’t say enough good things.

I have amateurish phone videos of me trying to wind out the gears in my M3. The YouTube video below is not me – it’s too well done. It captures the raw thrust and racket of the V-8. Makes me giggle.

This pretty red M3 sold new for maybe $65,000 a decade ago and is now here in Norcross, Georgia for $34,998. It’s a bit high in mileage – I paid $7,000 more for my 2013 and it had only 34,000 miles. If I wasn’t a procrastinator I would have shared yesterday a 2012 M3 for $32,998 with I think 37,000 miles. That would have been a steal except it sold today. I can share with you that I’ve put 5,000 miles on my M3 in five months as a daily driver and two road trips and it has not been back to CarMax for a single major repair. I bought MaxCare, though, and I’ll do my best to break it….in.

Stock # 22081850 VIN # WBSDX9C50CE784737

January 7, 2019

Quick Hit – Cheapest M3…and a Better One For $7,000 More.

CarMax tends to sell a lot of BMW (E90) M3’s in the upper $20k and lower $30k range, usually in higher numbers and higher mileage than I’d prefer for unicorns. Right now they have 50 M3’s for sale all the way up to a 2018 for $69,000. But these two caught my eye – a high-mileage 2008 for only $22,998, the cheapest M3 I’ve seen them sell, and a low mileage 2009 for $29,998. Here’s the Motor Trend review of the E90 M3 from back in the day.

The 2008 is a hard top convertible and an automatic, the most plentiful, cheapest configuration you’ll find at CarMax. It’s high mileage at 81,000 miles, and on other car forums (fora?) folks moan that used M3’s are often beat all to hell, but as always, I say “who cares?!” as long as you buy the MaxCare bumper to bumper warranty. Don’t care how trashed the mechanicals are as long as they are covered for another 50,000 miles.

This one has some wear and tear but the seat bolsters are fine – as with my 2001 BMW 3-series they are the first to go with big butts sliding into the driver’s seat. It’s about the engine (8,400 rpm red line!) and the handling and the braking. Find this two owner car here in San Jose – if the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred.

This single-owner 2009 M3 is neither a hard top convertible nor an automatic, and really low miles for a 10 year old car. The body lines are tight and neat, uninterrupted like the hard top convertible. And with MaxCare I think you can get another five years and ridiculous 100,000 miles of coverage – drive the snot our of it worry free. Find this one here in Memphis. 2009 M3 $29,998 33k Memphis

May 21, 2018June 7, 2018

Good Things Come in Pairs – Nice BMW M3 Unicorns (E93)

2012 M3 CarMax carries BMW M3’s regularly, and even has six today in my unicorn range, but they are usually higher mileage and pre-2010 cars. Lots of them are the hard-top convertibles. Stumbled on a pair that are a little newer and a whole lot less mileage than normal. The 2012 in Salisbury, Maryland is particularly low mileage for a CarMax M3 – and not moving at all. Also a 2011 in Dulles, Virginia with slightly higher mileage. The 2011 is listed with the SMG transmission – thought BMW changed over to a different double-clutch automatic by then but defer to BMW pros on that. The 2012 is not far from me and the 2011 is at my local CarMax – go see my favorite rep Si Sultan if you want either one!

2012 BMW M3 $32,899 34k

2011 BMW M3 $30,998 42k