CSL Buying Advice

[Craig J]

Thanks to you all for the input.
I do love the SB vs SG debate. Reminds me of the FIA when red cars were always the fastest!

[E30M3SE]

Craig, are you only looking at cars at dealers, as there are a few cars currently for sale privately at around the the £23k mark.

[CraigMillwardCroft]

How many of the slower SG ones are left

[Craig J]

Not particularly focused on dealers and have spoken to a few of the owners of the private cars for sale at the moment. Didn't help that I put my back out at the weekend (again!) and after looking at 2 on Saturday I had to call off on the Sunday. What I am learning is that these are true high performance and highly tuned cars and therefore lots of research and patience might well be required to find the right car.

[Craig J]

I should also add that the more I learn about them the more I wonder about their suitability for my intended usage. I want to use one as an everyday car for a cross country (great roads) 30mile round trip commute. I am concerned about the potential running costs and the reliability risk. What are other people's experiences? I'd rather know now rather than stretch to buy one and then find it's just too much (I already have a motorsport addiction for that!). I guess that's where a CS or standard m3 is less risk. I'm worried i must be getting old and sensible!

Originally Posted by Craig J

Not particularly focused on dealers and have spoken to a few of the owners of the private cars for sale at the moment. Didn't help that I put my back out at the weekend (again!) and after looking at 2 on Saturday I had to call off on the Sunday. What I am learning is that these are true high performance and highly tuned cars and therefore lots of research and patience might well be required to find the right car.

[Streetwise Hercules]

You want to watch those 30 mile round trips. Brutal!

[andye30m3]

I'm not sure a CSL would cost all that much more than a standard M3 to run, less if you include devaluation, there has been a couple of 100k mile csl's up for sale at £20k recently so even reasonably high millage doesn't stop them selling.

I'd have thought consumables and servicing will cost much same as the standard M3. The expensive parts of the CSL seam to be the trim and all of the carbon bits so as long as you don't go knocking these bits off I expect the CSL can be run for reasonable money.

Looking at what my car has cost me over the year and what it cost the previous owner it wouldn't have been any cheaper to run a standard M3.

[shimmy]

From my years of ownership and day to day driving, the only circumstances. would say I would not look forward to day to say driving of a CSL would be possibly city driving in the winter (so you can't put the window down).

It's not the best vehicle for passengers either day to day

Otherwise 30 miles a day cross country, get it bought!

[Craig J]

Originally Posted by Streetwise Hercules

You want to watch those 30 mile round trips. Brutal!

You've not seen me drive

[Yanto]

Originally Posted by Craig J

Not particularly focused on dealers and have spoken to a few of the owners of the private cars for sale at the moment. Didn't help that I put my back out at the weekend (again!) and after looking at 2 on Saturday I had to call off on the Sunday. What I am learning is that these are true high performance and highly tuned cars and therefore lots of research and patience might well be required to find the right car.

I also have a fooked back (2 slipped discs, twice in 4 years) and the seats are mega for it