[elemenohpee]

I've been searching for a manual 228i and this one just came up at nearby dealer. Almost everything about this car is exactly what I'm looking for (m sport, track handling package, manual, low miles) except the body has a couple issues that are hard for me to ignore.

1. There's a dent on the trunk lid that also scratched through the paint a bit. I can live with the minor scratch, but the dent really bothers me.

2. The front quarter panel and a small part of the bumper is scuffed/scratched up. Looks like it scraped against another car and that most of it could be buffed out, but not sure.

Both these photos are before the dealer has tried to "clean it up".


If I buy this car I would definitely want to get these both fixed or at least significantly improved. Would I be crazy to buy this and then take a it to a body shop to have it repaired (guessing around $2k?)? Or, should I wait for one that doesn't need a thing?

[BrettKA7]

The trunk looks like it could be massively improved via Paintless dent removal. Of course, the paint damage would need to be touched up. Thankfully black is the absolute most forgiving color to touch up and likely no one would notice anything happened besides you and a potential next owner.

The fender is hard to tell from the one pic, it looks like just transfer from a garage or something. There could be dents and scratches below the transfer.

The 228i is a great car but please do not forget the N20 has the timing chain issue and must be changed at least every 70k miles to ensure it doesn't FUBAR the engine and turbo. How many miles are on this car priced below $20k?

[elemenohpee]

Originally Posted by BrettKA7

Thankfully black is the absolute most forgiving color to touch up and likely no one would notice anything happened besides you and a potential next owner.

This is actually Black Sapphire Metallic, so maybe a little harder to match?

Originally Posted by BrettKA7

The 228i is a great car but please do not forget the N20 has the timing chain issue and must be changed at least every 70k miles to ensure it doesn't FUBAR the engine and turbo. How many miles are on this car priced below $20k?

Yeah this has a 6/2015 production date, so hopefully the newer timing chain parts have reduced the issues. Never the less, that's also on my mind. The car has 30k miles on it, which is one of the lowest I've found.

[overcoil]

don’t think that front fender is a buff out.

That is a very pretty 228. I understand why your interested. But I’d hold off and find a car that is perfect.

[mb67]

$19,000 is right in the price range in your area, with 30,000 miles.

[High Desert]

Just bought a '15 228i xdrive f23 vert, for the wife, this past April. The front bumper had road rash and pitted. I pulled it and a local shop re-shot it (Black Sapphire Metallic) for $400. Black paint does not fade and it matched perfectly. I pulled a few door dings and it appears that your trunk would be no problem. A lot of detailers do it for under $100, the whole car. A little time with touchup paint and they are gone.

Turtle wax makes a 3 part kit for black cars, 1. clear coat rubbing compound, 2. polish, 3. Carnauba wax, all are black tinted. Works great for a starting point and to maintain.
A lot of body shops are giving estimates online-you may want to check with a few.

[chattanooga240]

Originally Posted by mb67

$19,000 is right in the price range in your area, with 30,000 miles.

This is not at all taking into account the rough economy at the moment.

OP, ask the dealer to work with whoever does their body stuff to get it fixed up. It will not cost them much to work out the trunk issues, that looks to be an easy PDR. The fender may run them a little more.

Those issues are going to make it harder to sell anyway, they are going to be better off getting those repaired. (if you show you are seriously interested, I would wager they would get serious about fixing those)

[Sportstick]

I'd buy it in your situation. Track package, manual, low miles is about as rare as a fact from the White House!

I'd figure out "how" to buy it, not "if". Negotiating for body work is a good idea noted above. If you don't like black, have it wrapped. But, this is an unbuildable car today as new. If it speaks to you, don't let it walk away.

[USA-RET]

Originally Posted by chattanooga240

This is not at all taking into account the rough economy at the moment.

OP, ask the dealer to work with whoever does their body stuff to get it fixed up. It will not cost them much to work out the trunk issues, that looks to be an easy PDR. The fender may run them a little more.

Those issues are going to make it harder to sell anyway, they are going to be better off getting those repaired. (if you show you are seriously interested, I would wager they would get serious about fixing those)

^
this.

Work out a deal with the dealership on the repair. Start out with them fixing it and you buying it at the advertised price....work up fro there (@ $250 increments. Stop the bidding where you feel uncomfortable and move on to something else.

I'm sure the dealership severely penalized the guy that traded it for that damage, so there is wiggle room on the price.

[morphomeman]

Yeah, it is weird that the dealer did not do the repairs before trying to sell the car. Absolutely do not buy it unless they either do the repairs or lower the price by the cost ($1500?).
Overall, I would be very suspicious of any dealer who tried to sell a car in such bad cosmetic shape. Who knows what condition the mechanicals are in? If the same as the exterior, walk away unless you get a deal.

[4Hockey4]

This it ? had 2 owners already

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=278328725

Not saying this one, odd color combo. But year newer, and way less mileage. Not sure about track package etc. only slightly more, and maybe moves more on $$. (with savings, you could always add performance items yourself) I personally wouldnt buy a car that needs painted if possible.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=277960167

[Rayscott]

I have a detailing business. Those areas of concern are not hard to fix. If you really like the car and the price, go for it. Sticks are hard to find.

[Maynard]

I'd get a PPI, or budget in the cost of a clutch/pressure plate. If the previous owner(s) shifted like they drove, it has taken some abuse. This setup (MT, TrkPckg, especially if moonroof deleted) would also suggest possible track time, which would also be hard on wear parts like clutch and brakes. But if it passes PPI and doesn't have more serious collision damage (no frame misalignment) then I'd second the opinions to go for it.

[Rollo`]

That is a unicorn, especially these days. I would negotiated the repair into the price and absolutely buy it. I let several track package cars go this spring and when I had to make a purchase there was 1 left in the whole country on the internet and it was slick top with no premium pkg. I didn't even try to find a manual with track package. I ended up with an m-sport auto. I was only looking at 2017 and newer cars but I can't imagine that combination is much easier to find in a low mileage 228.

[PeanuKeeyes]

That dent is sizable, however, if you’re set on owning for the long term, then you’ll sort it out when you want to and nobody will care in the meantime.
I’m biased — I personally think this combo 2er is the best, I’d scoop that thing up in a hurry ... but it’s not for everyone. Most people who get the n20 will be jealous of the N55’s sound and durability. I don’t blame them, it’s a fabulous motor. The N20 with the options you’re looking at however is a sacred middle ground that is easily worth 17-19k. Nothing else will come close except for maybe a GTI.

If you care about resale and burning rubber: N55
If you care about lightness and usable (Floorable) ratios as a daily: N20 — it’s just fun all the time. Expect 20mpg avg if you’re constantly spirited.

My verdict: negotiate 17,500.
If the rear damage or anything else is in the Carfax as an accident, try going even lower... but do buy it we need more 4-banger 2er enthusiasts

[AndDown]

I had an E46 Orient Blue that I scraped my front wheel lip against a metal post; it was pushed inwards with paint scrapes from the post. I had a dent removal specialist pull it back into shape and he was also able to buff it out. Think it cost me about $125 took him about 1½ hrs.

[elemenohpee]

Thanks everyone for help. The dealer got back to me with a video of the car after they addressed the fender and the trunk. It's a night and day difference. From the video you can't even tell anything happened to the fender. It looks like all the paint came off really well. The dent is still there, but they hadn't tried PDR on it yet. I'm going to take another look tomorrow have a PPI done. If it's as good as it looks in the video and the PPI doesn't show any other issues, I'll probably be purchasing this.

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by elemenohpee

Thanks everyone for help. The dealer got back to me with a video of the car after they addressed the fender and the trunk. It's a night and day difference. From the video you can't even tell anything happened to the fender. It looks like all the paint came off really well. The dent is still there, but they hadn't tried PDR on it yet. I'm going to take another look tomorrow have a PPI done. If it's as good as it looks in the video and the PPI doesn't show any other issues, I'll probably be purchasing this.

Good decision. Good luck wth it.

[GoldfishRT]

As somebody who waited a VERY long time to finally find the right spec at the right price, I hope it all works out for you! They're fantastic for a sporty daily driver. Love mine more and more every day.

[elemenohpee]

Picked it up today and loving it so far!

Originally Posted by 4Hockey4

This it ? had 2 owners already

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=2783287254538#listing=277960167[/url]

Yep that's the one. It looks pretty bad in that photo, but it's actually great in person. I'm honestly not too concerned with it already having two owners. You never know, but that's just something you learn to live with when buying preowned. This car checked all boxes for me and is pretty much exactly how I would have ordered it.

[PeanuKeeyes]

Man, those are the nicest recent style OEM wheels they make IMO. Good looking ride

[PDM5]

Originally Posted by PeanuKeeyes

Man, those are the nicest recent style OEM wheels they make IMO. Good looking ride

Great pickup OP! Enjoy it!

Couldn't agree more on the wheels. I wish the pre-LCI 240s came with those wheels!