new here...thinking of trading in the M3 for an H3 (thoughts?)

[Rocky Mts]

I'm in the same situation of trading a sports car for an SUV. I have a two-seater convertible that I bought while still living in Louisiana. A great car, but not practical in terms of cargo space or drivability in a snowy climate. There's also the fact that I've become an avid off-roader (and hiker) since I moved to Colorado and would like my own 4x4, rather than being a passenger in someone else's Jeep or Xterra. So, the choice isn't really that hard. I just wish I could afford both.

[bender]

socal: a brake job on an e46 M3 is like $3,000 and a clutch replacement is ~$1,700-2000. the S54 engine cannot be worked on by an indie shop and even at the dealer the BMW tech has to be S54 engine certified to touch it. even the oil for my M3 cannot be found anywhere but the dealer. a regular oil change is about $75-100. this is just routine stuff!!!

jersey guy: KBB trade-in value on my car is ~$27,705 so i hope that i can get maybe $28,500 since that would mean i would only have to roll in about $2,000 (and still have a lower monthly payment than i do now). they told me mid-20s over the weekend but they guessed as they don't put BMWs on their lot.

my hope is that if i tell them i am ready to buy with $28,500 or i walk (and i do really walk) then they will change their tune since all salespeople would rather make some money than no money.

[bender]

well said all of you and thank you. the dealer is supposed to call me with a figure for my M3 tomorrow...they needed to check with their BMW wholesalers. i will only do the deal if they give me darn close to what i owe. the car's market value all over is mid to low $30K and per edmunds.com my trade-in value should be around $30K. if they say mid-$20Ks then i walk and hope they contact me to better the deal. i don't mind rolling in $2-3K but $5K+ is not gonna cut it and i'd try to sell the car myself.