In the market for a CSL

[Steve B]

[quote=0836whimper;145364]Good luck with not immediately handing over your wallet after the first test-drive !/quote]


Exactly what I did lol

[martin770]

Originally Posted by don52b

Hi All and thank you for the welcome.

Chris - well at the moment I am just using my m3 as normal - I think I will at some point sell it or chop it in for a CSL if someone wants to trade down. It has a full rear chassis floor rebuild under goodwill from BMW main agents and they did a great job. And it has been faultless.

I did go and see Nick and he was great - he is also looking for something that may come up that suites my requirements.

I was also thinking along the porsche 996 turbo route ? Does anyone on here have any feelings on this car or driven them ?

I was between a 996 turbo and CSL for ages, Test drove them both and just enjoyed the whole CSL experience
Then it was confirmed on my first track day when i blew the doors of a 996 turbo.......Never looked back

[CraigMillwardCroft]

Originally Posted by don52b

Thanks Yanto - yeah I have seen Mark's CSL - I am looking for something a little less pristine and more used. I would feel bad about pounding down the m40 with a car in that kind of condition. Each stone chip would hurt.

It is a nice car don't worry about the stone chips, mine was in top condition when I brought it, did two days at Circuit de Bretagne my mate went half off if front of me a covered my car in stones, but itis what they are made for.

[Ben]

e12 M535i?? that's even rarer than a CSL. Tell us more please!

[Neil M]

Hi Don and welcome to the mad house, 4 mile commute! in a CSL! you've got to be kidding?
6/12 months of that and you'll be fitting a new engine, 10 mile minimum got to have time to warm up and start breathing, before it's switched off again.
You'd certainly go through some batteries.

Carry on with the bike in the interest of ecology, it would compensate for the rest of us. If you want one then by all means buy one, just please don't do the commute in it!

[KPNUTZ]

Simple solution to that Neil, take the CSL (long) route to work and back, possibly setting off that bit earlier when the roads are clear

[don52b]

These CSL's seem to be less prone to mistreatment and modification other than driving them hard - I found it really hard to find a decent m3 whereas I suppose in a way a CSL if it has the basics right and isn't accident damaged then it will probably require less searching...but rarer. How many did all of you look at before you decided on the one you have and what was it that put your off buying the ones you turned down ?

The e12 is something I found locally it really is in a state in terms of paint work and non structural rust but its cool, it passed its MOT and is good mechanically. I just love that deep chin spoiler and the shark nose.

Also what is the deal with the boot floor - do these also crack and are BMW a little bit more sympathetic in putting it right as it is a bit of m power history ?

[Neil M]

Hi Don in answer to you question, I viewed 3, I was beginning to suffer from Questoritice with them all merging into one, before mine came along, this was 12 months ago when there were cars to be viewed, back in the day when NJ had 4 or 5 examples down on farm, for sale.

I was determined not to rush into buying, so I set a fixed criteria; low in terms of owners, moderate mileage preferably under 50K, but paramount was an impeccable service history.

Then after almost 12 months of looking my patience was rewarded and I had the privilege of repatriating an originally Northern example back to where it belonged.

The Boot Floor issue is symptomatic of all e46's, not just the CSL however as we rarely discuss the more mundane M's, it does tend to come up quite often as an issue.
The CSL being more of a Hard Core drivers car, it does tend to get it's legs stretched from time to time especially if going sideways, lateral 'G' is a great inducement for stress fractures.
BMW's extended warranty takes care of most of these unforeseen happenings.

[0836whimper]

Originally Posted by don52b

How many did all of you look at before you decided on the one you have and what was it that put your off buying the ones you turned down ?

The main reason you might look at fewer CSL's than most cars is the numbers are so low. Especially now. I did a bit of searching, but one came up from an owner on here - so enthusiast owner - with a great (searchable on here) history and stack of recent warranty work, all wheels refurbed, spotless interior and right price (mileage based mainly). I also had to factor the opportunity cost of not buying it and then not being able to take it on an upcoming two week French road trip (worth a lot !!!). Don't let some track days put you off, it is what they are for and most are under warranty.
A test drive tends to seal the deal and I..ahem...bought the first one I looked at...

Originally Posted by don52b

Also what is the deal with the boot floor - do these also crack and are BMW a little bit more sympathetic in putting it right as it is a bit of m power history ?

I would either want to see evidence that it's been fixed, or recently been inspected by a tech who knows their stuff (most take them to Gareth of Elms BMW, Cambridge) and given the all clear. The dealer down the road not used to looking might not find any issues. Nearly all are fixed FOC under warranty/goodwill by BMW, like mine.

[sjb]

If you have some mechanical knowledge (which it's obvious you do) anyway then that takes a major chunk out of the worry. And as others have said they are appearing to be getting thinner on the ground at the moment.... sometimes you've got to sacrifice one or two things to get your dream otherwise you do run the risk of missing the boat.......

I wouldn't worry about going for the first one you see either, I am another one that did just that! in my opinion I had to make sure I didn't miss the boat as even only back at the beginning of the year it was obvious they were going to start appreciating in price and desirability. You have to weigh a few things up, in my opinion it was only a case of mine maybe being a tad overpriced (back then!) but I got a nice chunk knocked off anyway

Don't miss that boat