I've been lusting after an E36 M3 lately, that despite my apprehensions, I keep checking and re-checking on CL.
My apprehension about this car is a re-paint in the non OE color and it has an aftermarket stereo system. I know for a car of its age, a repaint isn't uncommon, but that's just something that always turned me off from cars.
That got me thinking; what things 'ruin' a used car for you or atleast give you pause? Whether founded or unfounded (most likely in my case), what say you, GRM?
Any kind of aftermarket alarm system.
A repaint. Give me E36 M3ty original over any respray.
Lancer007 wrote: Any kind of aftermarket alarm system.
I made this mistake once. It will never happen again.
Never buy a car that has been lowered. Ever.
An aftermarket alarm on an e36 would scare me less than the factory alarm.
I dont mind aftermarket alarms. Fun afternoon of chasing wires and seeing how much bullE36 M3 you can remove, laughing at the PO the whole time.
6pack of beer, some tunes, a friend to share your discoveries with, and it's a good time.
Unless buying a dedicated project car, race car, or offroad vehicle, I buy as stock as possible. Unless buying from a source of known quality, scca racer etc.
Modifications done by others scare the living berkeley out of me.
Knurled wrote: Never buy a car that has been lowered. Ever.
+100
wearymicrobe wrote:Knurled wrote: Never buy a car that has been lowered. Ever.+100
Disagree. Be smart and put it on a lift beforehand, no issues if you're educated in what you're looking at.
If its deviated too far from stock.......Im out. Also "lady driven" scares the ever loving crap out of me.
nicksta43 wrote: A repaint. Give me E36 M3ty original over any respray.
^This.
No title. Especially bikes. See an unusually low price on CL, investigate, "no title", move on.
Automatic transmission. Oh, that's not what you meant.
Substandard respray. Paintwork by itself doesn't bother me, but if the work is poor quality on something so easily seen, I have to wonder what other sins are being hidden.
Rust. I no longer will deal with it on anything.
Cars owned by smokers. Bad enough I'm married to one.
mr2peak wrote: Disagree. Be smart and put it on a lift beforehand, no issues if you're educated in what you're looking at.
I've yet to see a lowered car "in the field" that hasn't had a long life of deferred maintenance and hackjob repairs. Or maybe that is "repairs".
wearymicrobe wrote:Knurled wrote: Never buy a car that has been lowered. Ever.+100
that depends (at least for me) …. it all depends on the quality of the parts used … the overall appearance of the car (is it too low ? are there scrape marks on the nose ? etc …)
what kind of paper trail does the owner have for the work done ? what kind of use was the car put to ? was it a stance douchebag, or was it an autocross ? is it easily put back to OEM ? (i.e. does he have the original parts)
ddavidv wrote: Cars owned by smokers. Bad enough I'm married to one.
that would (has been) a deal breaker for me … the car and the significant other
Rust. Price can make up for anything else.
rust and bad repaints
No title (unless it's going to be a race car). DMVs aren't going to make you a title for a car or truck you just bought.
If a car has a quality repaint, that probably saves you money, especially if you're going to keep it for a while. We can also start getting our cars wrapped, and I don't think the public has much knowledge about it yet.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Unless buying a dedicated project car, race car, or offroad vehicle, I buy as stock as possible. Unless buying from a source of known quality, scca racer etc. Modifications done by others scare the living berkeley out of me.
This. I learned a lot by buying my Golf, not all "SCCA" cars are built equally. If in doubt, bring an expert. 
.
Buying a car from a friend with questionable mechanical ability. Remember kids, trust but verify!
I won't buy a heavily modified car unless it was built by someone I know and trust. I'm ok with light mods like an exhaust or suspension, but I have to kno and want those particular parts.
No title/paperwork is an instant no go for me, along with any paint or body work. Lately I've been unwilling to buy a car that I can't easily go see, so something within a few hours drive of me. I've had bad past experiences buying cars out of state.
"Cold air intakes", Body kits, CF hoods, aftermarket taillights. If a car has a aftermarket hood and or bumper I always assume it's been in a collision, most of these things are hideous anyhow. Cold air and tail lights generally first thing tackled by someone who has no business spinning a wrench. Who knows what they butchered in the process.
evildky wrote: "Cold air intakes", Body kits, CF hoods, aftermarket taillights. If a car has a aftermarket hood and or bumper I always assume it's been in a collision, most of these things are hideous anyhow. Cold air and tail lights generally first thing tackled by someone who has no business spinning a wrench. Who knows what they butchered in the process.
A lot of people put "Altezzas" on their car because they broke a taillight and those were loads cheaper than a single OEM taillight.
Similarly, I know people who saved money at the bodyshop by having them not bother putting badging back on. So debadged to me means wrecked and repaired as cheaply as possible.
You guys are picky!! I've bought everything listed in this thread except for the CF hood.
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