High Mileage CSL's

I'm thinking of buying a CSL the reason being that I'm looking for something special that I can take on long continental trips i.e to SPA / Ring / LeMans. It also needs four seats as I have children and I want to able to use the car at the weekends. I'm quite tempted by some of the higher mileage track prepared cars that have come up for sale as they seem good value in the low £20's.

Whats the general view on these cars, do they suffer from mechanical problems from a fair amount of track use? Is there particular things to look out for?

[thegingerninja]

So long as they are serviced well, M3's will do big miles. Tracked cars tend not to worry me that much since most drivers will "over service" them, also tracked cars generally get maintained regardless of cost - if there is a tiny bit of play / wear in any parts they get replaced, whereas a road car owner might leave it until next time? Only a genralisation of course, but it's something to bear in mind.

[shimmy]

Welcome

good question.

I have a 70k mile CSL that has done a fair few track miles over my 4-5 yr ownership and maintained regardless of cost.

I'd say that the most important thing whichever car you have is to establish that it has been serviced regularily and that it has been maintained otherwise by the book.

Most have like mine been BMW serviced and then indeoendant maintained on stuff other than warranty work.
Regarding warranty if the car is over 60k miles to get a BMW warranty you will need proof of BMW service history and the cost is about double standard but worth having stil IMHO
At 60k miles I reckon you will have had some of these replacents done.
1. Clutch
2. Gearbox
3. Diff
4. Steering rack
5. Subframe Cracking (free BMW fix)

along with minor ones like RTaB, fr wishbone and bushes, coils, exhaust rubbers, maybe front wheel bearings, obviously the more it's tracked or the worse it's maintained the more likely the are to have been done.

My choice and still my gut feel at 60k miles on a tracked car is to do a volutary upgrade of coilpacks, plugs, water pump, oil pump, filters. And sensors.

Last but not least like all cars lots of heat can cause problems with head gaskets so make sure on buying you get a compression test on high mile cars as the gasket betwen cylinders can get eaten away with the heat.

Hope this doesn't scare you as the ownership exoerience is superb and overall great value for money. Not many cars for £20k that seat 4 and do a 7.50 Ring lap, compete with GT3s and sound superb with ace build quality.

Thanks for the quick and very helpful replies, I will tell you how I get on..

[Yanto]

Originally Posted by shimmy

Welcome

good question.

I have a 70k mile CSL that has done a fair few track miles over my 4-5 yr ownership and maintained regardless of cost.

I'd say that the most important thing whichever car you have is to establish that it has been serviced regularily and that it has been maintained otherwise by the book.

Most have like mine been BMW serviced and then indeoendant maintained on stuff other than warranty work.
Regarding warranty if the car is over 60k miles to get a BMW warranty you will need proof of BMW service history and the cost is about double standard but worth having stil IMHO
At 60k miles I reckon you will have had some of these replacents done.
1. Clutch
2. Gearbox
3. Diff
4. Steering rack
5. Subframe Cracking (free BMW fix)

along with minor ones like RTaB, fr wishbone and bushes, coils, exhaust rubbers, maybe front wheel bearings, obviously the more it's tracked or the worse it's maintained the more likely the are to have been done.

My choice and still my gut feel at 60k miles on a tracked car is to do a volutary upgrade of coilpacks, plugs, water pump, oil pump, filters. And sensors.

Last but not least like all cars lots of heat can cause problems with head gaskets so make sure on buying you get a compression test on high mile cars as the gasket betwen cylinders can get eaten away with the heat.

Hope this doesn't scare you as the ownership exoerience is superb and overall great value for money. Not many cars for £20k that seat 4 and do a 7.50 Ring lap, compete with GT3s and sound superb with ace build quality.

dont forget alternators

[mattCSLnut]

Originally Posted by Yanto

dont forget alternators

... or the occasional VANOS going "Pete Tong"

[shimmy]

I hate these threads