A Heavily Modified 2018 BMW M3 CS w/ 40k Miles for $69,500

Here is a heavily modified 2018 BMW M3 CS for sale (VIN #: WBS8M9C54J5L71940) in San Marino Blue (SMB). The listing on Earth Motor Cars states the vehicle has 40,265 miles. Please note: If the original listing link does not work, this car has probably sold. Per the attached CarFax report it states the vehicle has a clean title and has had 2 previous owners. $69,500 is the current asking price. Car is located in Carrollton, TX.

General Observations

This is one of the most highly modified examples I’ve come across and what a list of tasteful performance modifications does this car have throughout. Its previous owner clearly set the car up for track use. Per the listing with the selling dealer the modification list includes:

Active Autowerke Competition Midpipes
Active Autowerke Mad Max Rear 3 Can Valved
CTS Turbo Chargepipes
CTS Turbo J-pipe Throttle Body
CTS Turbo Cold Air Intake Set
SPL Rear Toe Links
SPL Rear Upper Control Arms
KW Height Adjustable Spring Kit
10mm Front Burger Spacers
15mm Rear Burger Spacers
Burger Tuning Extended Lug Studs
Motorsport+ CSL Yellow DRL LED Modules
Full Car Xpel PPF
Custom Autotecknic Interior Shock Green Trim
Front Ceramic Windshield Tint 40%
Full Ceramic Tint 5%
Stock ECU – No Aftermarket Tune
Recently CPO at 36k Miles

This example is equipped with the Executive Package and has the standard steel brakes. It also has the M-Performance DCT carbon fiber trim, M-Performance steering wheel carbon fiber insert, and the M-Performance floor mats. This is 1 of 209 San Marino Blue examples that were brought to the USA.

CarFax Report and Previous Accident

Going over the CarFax report it appears this car has been properly maintained its entire life. It’s been dealer serviced since new and was sold as a BMW Certified Pre-Owned vehicle on 02/18/2023 with 36,322 miles. The aforementioned 1 year warranty is still intact which is a great peace of mind to have when acquiring a used car. However, with its extensive modifications I would inquire with BMW what the warranty covers now the car has been modified extensively. If I were to guess the car was bone-stock when it was certified and once acquired by it’s last owner was then modified. I would verify this by inquiring with the selling dealer.

I do want to note there was an accident reported to the front-end of the vehicle with the first owner on 08/15/2019. To what extent, it does not state on the CarFax. If I were to guess it probably wasn’t in a major accident otherwise BMW would not have certified the car ~4 years later. Serious prospective buyers should ask the selling dealer if they have any records of what work was done to the car. If that wasn’t available I would take the car to a reputable body shop to have them inspect the car for body work and pay them for their professional opinion.

Exterior Condition

Exterior wise this car looks pretty much perfect. Going through the extensive photos the selling dealer has provided I’m not seeing any red flags. As I’ve stated before though, photos and inspecting in real life are two different things. I would always recommend viewing a car in-person to your satisfaction as photos cannot capture detail the human eye can. Paint looks flawless in photos. Panel gaps looks great and consistent throughout.

Modified BMW 763 M Wheels & Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2’s

Wheel and tire wise the car has a refinished set of OEM 763M forged wheels in silver. These are the original set of Orbit Grey 763M’s that came on the M3 CS. I know this because they are not engraved with the “M Performance” insignia on the outer lip that the two other colors (gold and black) available for the OEM 763M’s do.

Whoever owned this car clearly spared no expense. The wheels are wrapped in a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2’s which the M3 CS was tuned for. The car seems to be truly turn-key and ready to be driven and enjoyed.

Interior Condition

For a car with 40k miles the interior appears to be well kept and shows more like a car with far less mileage than indicated. The merino leather shows very little wear and tear. The Alcantara steering wheel also looks to be in great shape and possibly recently replaced as it shows in like-new condition.

If there was one thing that this car had that would be deemed as an “elephant in the room”, it would be its aftermarket Autotecknic interior trim in Shock Green. This is definitely a modification in acquired taste so if it’s not something to your liking I would see if it can be removed. If it required trim pieces to be replaced I would see if the car came with the stock trim. Those trim pieces can be costly to replace so keep this in mind if you need to budget for it.

One modification not listed on the dealer listing is the car has a set of aftermarket carbon fiber “seat backs” for the front seats as seen above. A nice subtle modification that I felt BMW should have offered through their M-Performance division, but didn’t. Depending on which brand these are, they are valued around ~$700-1200.

Things I’d Inquire About

Paint Protection Film (PPF)

As noted on the dealer listing, the car has a FULL body XPEL Ultimate PPF kit. I would clarify with the dealer if they mean EVERY panel is covered in PPF. If so, this is awesome as newer cars absolutely need the protection as newer paint is fragile. I’ve seen tracked cars without protection and the amount of pitting around the entire car was mind blowing. This particular car is built to be tracked so this is a nice bonus that can easily be valued at $5-10k depending on who you go to. Again, in my opinion, this is a MUST if you plan on tracking the car as tracked cars take on a higher level of punishment paint wise as you’re typically driving close to cars in front of you thus causing debris to constantly beat the paint up.

Maintenance and Service

It’s nice to know that only 4k miles prior the car was Certified Pre-Owned by BMW as mentioned above. I would like to believe the 196 point inspection BMW conducts absolves this example from any major issues or defects when it was certified so this is a promising sign. It should still have a remaining amount of warranty left which is a huge peace of mind to have when vetting a used vehicle. At that, one that is heavily modified. As mentioned above, because the car is heavily modified I would do your own due diligence to see what the warranty still covers with the existing modifications. Many times warranties are voided — in part or full — depending what has been modified. Per the listing, it notes the ECU has not been tuned and bolt-ons were the only thing modified, engine wise.

If I was a prospective buyer this is a car I would absolutely have a 3rd party inspection by a trusted BMW indie mechanic or by a BMW dealership. I would want to know what type of wear and tear the car has endured and what you’re getting yourself into and what issues you are possibly inheriting.

I would also ask the selling dealer if the stock parts are included in the event you want to return the car back to stock — in part or in full.

Great Value for Heavily Modified or High Risk?

One can say with the amount of modifications done to this car there is a huge value upside. Going over the modification list theres easily tens of thousands of dollars in modifications performed. At its current ask price of $69,500 it appears the listing dealer has it priced without taking the extensive and valuable modifications done to the car into consideration. For some, the modifications would devalue the car so I understand that. Traditionally bone-stock cars do the best value wise on the used car market. However, if you are looking to modify the car this can be a huge value buy. This is of course the car checks out, inspection wise. So depending on how you use the car it may or may not be a car for you. I personally like the car as it sits — minus the interior trim.

General Disclaimer

I’d like to first clarify that I am not connected to the seller or platform in any way. When purchasing any vehicle, I highly recommend doing your own due diligence before consummating a deal. My personal insights and opinions that I’ve shared through this post stem from my cautious perspective and carry no responsibility for the actual condition of the mentioned vehicle. I highly recommend arranging a 3rd party pre-purchase inspection with a trusted mechanic. I also recommend researching the vehicles history through a CarFax or an AutoCheck report.

Screenshots of the Original Ad

In the event the ad is taken down, below are screenshots of the original ad: