How easy is it to steal a E90 M3?

[ee90]

Just a thought I had in my mind. I recently purchased a new to me E90. It is being shipped across the country. But I have been thinking of driving it back. Still 50/50 on it. I have insurance on the car so not a huge deal if it does get stolen.

But with the big increase in car thefts is there any concern with these being stolen or are they not desirable cars to steal?

Saw a lot of old posts on these cars being pretty easy to steal.

Just wanted to get some feedback

[NiBe]

This could be interesting to watch

[jdamore]

Originally Posted by ee90

Just a thought I had in my mind. I recently purchased a new to me E90. It is being shipped across the country. But I have been thinking of driving it back. Still 50/50 on it. I have insurance on the car so not a huge deal if it does get stolen.

But with the big increase in car thefts is there any concern with these being stolen or are they not desirable cars to steal?

Saw a lot of old posts on these cars being pretty easy to steal.

Just wanted to get some feedback

The news was saying Canadians were told to leave their keys by the front door so, I guess if you live in Canada its easy. lol

Its been fixed but, you used to be able to plug into the OBD and program a new key on the spot. I suppose with a flipper it would be easy if you get near the fob.. that applies to any car with a fob though.

[ee90]

Originally Posted by jdamore

The news was saying Canadians were told to leave their keys by the front door so, I guess if you live in Canada its easy. lol

Its been fixed but, you used to be able to plug into the OBD and program a new key on the spot. I suppose with a flipper it would be easy if you get near the fob.. that applies to any car with a fob though.

Yeah haha they were told that in Toronto. Thankfully I don’t live there.

Mine is a 2011 model would it be fixed?

[ee90]

Originally Posted by NiBe

This could be interesting to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAn5...kPickingLawyer

Hopefully no thief will go through all of that effort when they could just steal a brand new Honda or Toyota. Probably way easier to chop them up for parts or sell as is than a M3. Plus I have a manual which is already a good anti thief device in North America lol

Guess my best options if I do decide to drive it back home are to buy a dashcam, and sleep at good hotels and not motels.

[Reddevils7]

Originally Posted by ee90

Hopefully no thief will go through all of that effort when they could just steal a brand new Honda or Toyota. Probably way easier to chop them up for parts or sell as is than a M3. Plus I have a manual which is already a good anti thief device in North America lol

Guess my best options if I do decide to drive it back home are to buy a dashcam, and sleep at good hotels and not motels.

How long is the drive? I shipped mine in an enclosed trailer from Washington State to Midwest

[ee90]

Originally Posted by Reddevils7

How long is the drive? I shipped mine in an enclosed trailer from Washington State to Midwest

About 45 hours. Roughly 4500km (2800 miles). I was going to get it shipped but then again I’ll never have a opportunity like this to drive my car back home and get used to it and see the sights. So I’m just weighing the pros and cons. For sure would be way safer, cheaper and less miles on the car but I’d be worrying about the truck driver causing damage to it. I’m pretty paranoid lol

[Reddevils7]

Originally Posted by ee90

About 45 hours. Roughly 4500km (2800 miles). I was going to get it shipped but then again I’ll never have a opportunity like this to drive my car back home and get used to it and see the sights. So I’m just weighing the pros and cons. For sure would be way safer, cheaper and less miles on the car but I’d be worrying about the truck driver causing damage to it. I’m pretty paranoid lol

I also thought about driving. It was 2300 miles for me. But I wanted to do maintenance on mine before I drove it even though it was low milage

[NiBe]

Originally Posted by ee90

Hopefully no thief will go through all of that effort when they could just steal a brand new Honda or Toyota. Probably way easier to chop them up for parts or sell as is than a M3. Plus I have a manual which is already a good anti thief device in North America lol

Yes, you are right I did not mean it as 100% relevant to your case but it is interesting video in my opinion.

I did 2400 km two weeks ago (not in M3), two full days of driving and it is not fun by any means. If I would be you I would use shipping if possible. Becasue as Reddevils7 says it is a good idea to do a big maintenance right after purchase before you start using the car. You don't know the car yet and things could go wrong on such a long drive and it would not be the best first experience with the beautiful car you just bought. Btw congrats excellent choice!

[ee90]

Originally Posted by NiBe

Yes, you are right I did not mean it as 100% relevant to your case but it is interesting video in my opinion.

I did 2400 km two weeks ago (not in M3), two full days of driving and it is not fun by any means. If I would be you I would use shipping if possible. Becasue as Reddevils7 says it is a good idea to do a big maintenance right after purchase before you start using the car. You don't know the car yet and things could go wrong on such a long drive and it would not be the best first experience with the beautiful car you just bought. Btw congrats excellent choice!

Yes for sure. That is another issue especially because this car is still on the original rod bearings. I’m going to sleep on it and think about it before I do anything.
And thanks!

[quiksi]

Originally Posted by ee90

Yes for sure. That is another issue especially because this car is still on the original rod bearings. I’m going to sleep on it and think about it before I do anything.
And thanks!

Just because you bought the car doesn’t automatically make it a ticking time bomb for bearing failure

[nick3753]

I’d be hesitant to drive any car that’s new to me a long distance (unless it was brand new or a rental car). You just don’t know how reliable the car is yet (not that a brand new car or rental can’t have issues). Theft wouldn’t really be the concern. Also, no spare tire either, so keep that in mind.

[ee90]

Originally Posted by nick3753

I’d be hesitant to drive any car that’s new to me a long distance (unless it was brand new or a rental car). You just don’t know how reliable the car is yet (not that a brand new car or rental can’t have issues). Theft wouldn’t really be the concern. Also, no spare tire either, so keep that in mind.

Yup I am keeping that in mind as well. I have a roadside tow package also got a quote for U-Haul truck and trailer just in case
Car came with extra tires so I’ll be bringing tools and a small jack if I do decide to drive it back

[ee90]

Originally Posted by quiksi

Just because you bought the car doesn’t automatically make it a ticking time bomb for bearing failure

I know but there’s still a risk for it. Especially when driving it across the country.

[o_g]

They seem to go after SUV's or CUV's. 12 - 14 year old sedans are not high on the demand list. SRT or Hellcat Chargers would be another story.

My close neighbour had 2 virtually new SUV's stolen from their driveway. One was a brand new Escalade, and then an insurance provided rental Tahoe / Yukon.

Another family friend also had a few-month old Yukon stolen from their driveway.

I was discussing with another friend, who is a car guy, and has a Hellcat Challenger (6-MT) and a SRT Grand Cherokee. The Challenger is kept in a garage with a steering wheel lock, as is the Grand Cherokee.

My M3 is 13 years old, and is a manual. The average thief is not interested in that. Our other car is an Ioniq 5. No one is interested in that either, as they would need to spend 3-hrs charging the damn thing!

I was looking at an older E63 estate in Vancouver, and if I were to pull the trigger, I would get it shipped for sure.

Originally Posted by ee90

Just a thought I had in my mind. I recently purchased a new to me E90. It is being shipped across the country. But I have been thinking of driving it back. Still 50/50 on it. I have insurance on the car so not a huge deal if it does get stolen.

But with the big increase in car thefts is there any concern with these being stolen or are they not desirable cars to steal?

Saw a lot of old posts on these cars being pretty easy to steal.

Just wanted to get some feedback

[Andy1M3]

OP you can find a thread I posted about my car getting stolen here: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2030033

TL;DR Thieves stole my 2022 RAM and 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee in one night. Luckily the M3 was in the garage. A couple of weeks later I was doing work in the garage and left the M3 in the driveway. I had the same mindset as above - it isn't a new car, it's manual, not really a big market for export, etc... but it was stolen. This was in Montreal, in a nice neighbourhood.

I had out of province plates on all the vehicles at that time, and the police informed me that they will target those cars more than others. This is because other provinces will not require the TAG or equivalent system for insurance purposes.

[ee90]

Originally Posted by Andy1M3

OP you can find a thread I posted about my car getting stolen here: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2030033

TL;DR Thieves stole my 2022 RAM and 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee in one night. Luckily the M3 was in the garage. A couple of weeks later I was doing work in the garage and left the M3 in the driveway. I had the same mindset as above - it isn't a new car, it's manual, not really a big market for export, etc... but it was stolen. This was in Montreal, in a nice neighbourhood.

I had out of province plates on all the vehicles at that time, and the police informed me that they will target those cars more than others. This is because other provinces will not require the TAG or equivalent system for insurance purposes.

Thanks for this info. Definitely scary, best I could do is lock it and have a dashcam. I am not staying in one spot for more than a night I will be gone the next morning. Maybe I will avoid the main cities and stop before. On the outskirts. But then again if they want it, they are going to get it.

Do you know how it was stolen?

Edit: Just saw your post looks like they were able to read the key's data? I will order a airtag and a faraday box as well. Just to be on the safe side.

[MTiz]

I drove my high mileage E46 M3 from Maryland to California (2900 miles) with all my stuff packed in it when I moved in 2022. Recently drove my F80 M3 1000 miles from Phoenix to Sacramento taking the scenic route. A good road trip in your dream car is something you can't be beaten. Your car won't be stolen, I wouldn't stress about that.

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by Andy1M3

I had the same mindset as above - it isn't a new car, it's manual, not really a big market for export, etc... but it was stolen. This was in Montreal, in a nice neighbourhood.

Booo. This is not what I wanted to hear. All the mental armour I erected around my worse fears evaporated quickly just now

[BP709]

BMW theft is quite rare IMO. Without stealing the key or having very advanced software to attempt to clone a key after breaking in it’s likely not happening. I bought my e90 M3 in california and drove it all the way back to Texas without thinking twice about it. It being stolen wasn’t even in the back of my mind.

[amrazM]

theives arent looking at these cars im gonna be honest.