I spent quite a few years compiling a list of sites that would hopefully cover nearly all currently listed M Coupes for sale. Fortunately, they all also apply to M Roadsters. Here it is in the order I see most potential:
My Favorite
These are the sites I visit most frequently as they tend to have the most turnover and overall listings.
- AutoTrader
Most of the people serious about selling their cars will post them on AutoTrader. Asking prices are generally a little bit on the high side. All the new listings are marked as such so it’s easy to find the changes.
- Google Craigslist Search – Bing Craigslist Search
If you’re going to find a “steal”, it will probably be on Craigslist. It also has the least informative listings and more potential for scams. Because Craiglook got shut down, I wrote a query for Google and Bing to search all Craigslist for me. The downside is that it sometimes links to expired or removed listings.
- Ebay Motors
Obviously the most turnover of cars and pretty good prices.
Forum Classifieds
Classified sections of car forums are one of the best places to look for a coupe for a number of reasons. Forum members tend to me more knowledgeable about their car and its maintenance requirements, they obviously have a passion for the car so it will probably be better taken care of than most, and other forum members will be familiar with the car to give second and third opinions about it. They are also sorted by activity date so the most recent listings will be on top.
- Bimmerforums Main Classifieds
You have to wade through a lot of 3-series and roadsters, but most of the best cars are listed here. I’ve tried a few different variations of searches to try and filter the listings but haven’t found anything that consistently gives me the results I want.
- Bimmerforums Z Classifieds
This section is meant primarily for parts, but some people post their cars here as well. Often times they are moved to the main classifieds, but to get the right roadster you have to find them before anyone else does.
- Bimmerfest
Unfortunately Bimmerfest does not categorize their classifieds at all so you need to wade through all the BMW listings.
- Roadfly
Roadfly usually has a pretty nice selection but seems to be priced higher than other sites. They also seem to charge for images so very few of the listings include photos.
- BMW CCA
M Roadster listings are usually sparse and prices generally much higher, but there have been exceptions over the years. Often times listings are not listed elsewhere though.
Other Classified Sites
These sites’ listings are generally covered by one of the above sites, but not always.
- Cars.com
Not a whole lot or turnover of cars and most are listed elsewhere. There are unique listings sometimes though and new ones are marked as “Newly Listed”.
- Carmax.com
They rarely have an M, but have had a couple in the past for great prices.
- Vehix.com
Basically worthless…but you never know.
- AOL Autos
Most the times the listings are duplicates of above sites, but not always.
- Trovit Cars
This site collects listings from a bunch of other sites. It’s not always accurate though and there are quite a few duplicates. It does include Automobile Magazine classifieds which do not pop up often but for some reason always seem to have great prices.
- Oodle
Similar to Trovit but sometimes has different cars. Sorry, but it looks like you have to search from Fort Collins, CO. I couldn’t figure out how to generalize my location.
- Ebay Classifieds / Kijiji.com
Local classifieds backed by Ebay has started having M Roadsters once in a while
Canadian Sites
I’ve heard of quite a few coupes going back and forth across the border, so it must be doable. If you’re willing to expand your search further, or if you’re from Canada, here you go.
So there it is, all my secrets and a few years worth of accumulation. If you have any sites to add to the list or need help customizing a search more specifically to you, please post in the comments.