2000 Z3 - need price info stat

Long story, but the once "down the road" car for my wife has turned into "Let's look at that Z3! I made an appointment to drive it tonight! I'm really, really excited!!"

Going to a car dealer an hour before they close to look at a car and being really, really excited sounds like a recipe for a impuslive buy for too much money. So, #1, I'm really going to try to suggest that no matter what, we're not buying anything tonight. We need to do our homework. But, it's my wife. So....

If I get backed into a corner, what's a 2000 Z3, 2.5, 80,000 miles, 5 speed worth? Here it is:

http://www.schompbmw.com/used/BMW/2000-BMW-Z3-ce2b71d60a0a000200ceaf8c62c015ee.htm?useHistory=true

They're asking $12,534.

I think a Z3 would be great, but I've never even sat in one. KBB is on crack, saying it's worth $14,335 if buying from a dealer. Damn thing is 12 years old. I found one with lower mileage (50 something K) on ebay that sold for less than $10K. So I'm thinking their asking price is probably reasonable, assuming it can be had for less than that. But how much less?

Hope I don't need it tonight, but any insight is appreciated.

I don't think there's any way in hell i would pay $12.5k for that. Maybe... $8k.

My dad bought an '01 a year and half or two years ago with less mileage for about that.

Didn't keep it long. Sold for what was paid etc. Fun car, but ultimately not a good enough car to justify the parts prices when compared to the alternatives.

You can get an S2000 for that money.

I'd shoot to talk them down if you want it, or wait it out and find on for less.

Edit: The old man paid that price for one that had 45,000 miles.

Oh, there's no way in hell I'm paying $12.5K either. If that's a "no haggle price" or something, I'll drag her out of the place. From looking on ebay, getting it from a dealer, $8k sounds unrealisitc. Beyond that, I have trouble finding much clarity.

E36 M3 I didn't know they commanded dollars like that

Edit: It's a dealer . . . nvrmd

In reply to MG Bryan:

Thanks. Good info.

You can spend that much on an '84 Celica, so WTF do I know?

That price is in-line for a dealer, but I'd think that $9k would be a much better deal. If I were buying and the wife HAD to have it, I wouldn't pay more than $10k. It's just too easy to do much better by going with a private party sale.

EDIT: Seriously, that's M Roadster money in my neck of the woods:

http://houston.craigslist.org/ctd/2965416026.html

Maybe have a look at Edmunds TrueValue for the car?

http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/z3/2000/

fast_eddie_72 wrote: In reply to MG Bryan: Thanks. Good info. You can spend that much on an '84 Celica, so WTF do I know?

Personally, I'm an amateur at buy car and an expert at wasting money.

I agree with the suggestion that you max at $10k. There are plenty of those to be had. They're better with the 3.0L anyway.

Okay, just trying to get smart and looking on the internet.

There's no such thing as a 2.5 liter engine in a 2000 Z3, near as I can tell. So assuming it has six cylinders, like it says, it has to be a 2.8, right?

Wouldn't you think a dealer would know that? Or am I missing something?

fast_eddie_72 wrote: Okay, just trying to get smart and looking on the internet. There's no such thing as a 2.5 liter engine in a 2000 Z3, near as I can tell. So assuming it has six cylinders, like it says, it has to be a 2.8, right? Wouldn't you think a dealer would know that? Or am I missing something?

BMW are shiny happy people and the "2.3" was a 2.5L.

http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/new/reviews/2000/lhill_2000z3.html

http://www.insideline.com/bmw/z3/2001/follow-up-test-2001-bmw-z3-roadster-30i.html

My head is thinking they're 7,000-9,000 cars - but I tend to swim in the pit of the depreciation curve on cars- where a 5k car is big money.

the Z3 is a vert, it's spring, and it's a cult car...

Z3 specific parts can be pricy.. but the rest is E36.. and E36 parts are cheaper than you think.. cheaper some hyundai parts

Whew. That was pretty close. Got out with my checking account in tact. But it was a nice car. First time I've ever driven one. I liked it, but damn, that's 170 HP? What's it weigh, 5600 lbs? Didn't feel as fast as my MR2. Dunno. Maybe it was broken.

Winston wrote: That price is in-line for a dealer, but I'd think that $9k would be a much better deal. If I were buying and the wife HAD to have it, I wouldn't pay more than $10k. It's just too easy to do much better by going with a private party sale. EDIT: Seriously, that's M Roadster money in my neck of the woods: http://houston.craigslist.org/ctd/2965416026.html

I didn't need to see that.... I've been day dreaming about a S52 M Roadster STR build...

they can weigh up to 3100 pounds. They are no Miata, that is for sure... I used to see this complaint all the time on Bimmerforums on how BMWs are so slow off of the line. It's true.. they are not made for the stoplight grandprix

BoxheadTim wrote: Maybe have a look at Edmunds TrueValue for the car? http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/z3/2000/

I always go in brandishing this number, but I've never gotten particularly close to it. I honestly don't know who is buying their cars for Edmunds dealer TMV.

Now, trade-in TMV - each time I've traded a car, I've gotten well over the Edmunds trade number. In fact, when we traded my wife's Tundra, we looked at TMV and KBB, calculated the value, subtracted the repair quote we had for the substantial, inspection-sticker-precluding dent on the back, and went in with a number we were prepared to start at, and a lower number where we'd walk. After fighting tooth and nail to get the car we were buying to $1k over TMV, they started $1100 over the number we were going to start with. I wasn't mentally prepared, I think, and while I did try to get them to go up, I wasn't buying it, and neither were they.

Cars, at least around here, seem to trade much higher than TMV.

Same here, I haven't seen anything close to TMV for sale, either privately or from a dealer. Might still be a useful haggling tool though.

I beat Edmunds TMV at a dealer when I helped my Father-In-Law buy a Toyota Tacoma. However, I think we got a pretty good deal.

I use Edmunds TMV when buying/selling used cars as well. KBB seems to be on the high side, and I used TMV as the low end. Somewhere in the middle is where I target when selling (unless the car has value that doesn't factor into the usual methods of valuation).

Edmunds showed the TMV of our '07 MINI 'vert to be about $14.5K. Then we did some searching on various sites and couldn't find any cars for sale anywhere near that low... so we put it up for $16.5K. ...and got an acceptable offer within a week.