Thoughts on this e46 M3

Thoughts on this e46 M3

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lord trumpton

Original Poster:

7,415 posts

127 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
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Just looking for some opinions on this e46 M3 that i've seen on the bay.

Looks a nice example and one I might bid on - what would you say is a realistic price to expect to pay/win?

From research all the boxes about potential issues seem to be covered

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152338046439?ssPageName=...


pvogue

634 posts

115 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
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Could go for anything on there!

SebringMan

1,773 posts

187 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
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That looks lovely and seems to be a nice combo.

That said I would still want to see it in the flesh. Yes it low mileage but parts for these are not cheap. In the advert I must admit the guy seems to have nailed a number of aspects on the head mind you.

Is there no way you can go and inspect the car or even have a friend go up nearby?

If it is as good and as immaculate as it looks I'd say £11k is a fair price, maybe a little more. But as said, I'd want to see it first.

Edited by SebringMan on Friday 2nd December 22:30

duff

984 posts

200 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
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It looks clean enough but it's a 5 owner SMG convertible with 1 month MOT. Not worth anywhere near £11k imo.

robbiekhan

1,467 posts

178 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
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duff said:
It looks clean enough but it's a 5 owner SMG convertible with 1 month MOT. Not worth anywhere near £11k imo.
Number of owners doesn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things if the car has been maintained to a high standard. With cars like this the turnover is quite high usually anyway. many folks buy one, run it for a year then move on once they get the first big bill, or realise they don't want to have to put up with the trials and tribulations an E46 M3 brings at this sort of age.

I am the 5th owner of my car, but the last 3 owners drove it very little going by the service and MOT history, and mechanically it has been pampered very well throughout its life. I think I'm the only owner who has put big miles on it and driven it regularly, and it's not even a commute car! So it's worth keeping this in mind when looking at all the details.

Having said that, the one posted on eBay raises a few questions, like why are the rear wheels not the correct rear wheels? It's got the front alloys on the back, the proper rear wheels are more concave with a deeper track.

Also the colour combination isn't the most desirable, so if you think you will be selling it on years down the line, then one with red leather contrast would be the more desirable option, as would a manual gearbox. Also I notice the AC button isn't turned on, does the AC work? the AC should be left on at all times, and temp modulated by the HVAC. If it's not been used for months on end, then I bet some of the AC pipework seals may have perished and need seeing to as they dry up and go brittle due to not being used. Also bacteria builds up inside.

lord trumpton

Original Poster:

7,415 posts

127 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
robbiekhan said:
duff said:
It looks clean enough but it's a 5 owner SMG convertible with 1 month MOT. Not worth anywhere near £11k imo.
Number of owners doesn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things if the car has been maintained to a high standard. With cars like this the turnover is quite high usually anyway. many folks buy one, run it for a year then move on once they get the first big bill, or realise they don't want to have to put up with the trials and tribulations an E46 M3 brings at this sort of age.

I am the 5th owner of my car, but the last 3 owners drove it very little going by the service and MOT history, and mechanically it has been pampered very well throughout its life. I think I'm the only owner who has put big miles on it and driven it regularly, and it's not even a commute car! So it's worth keeping this in mind when looking at all the details.

Having said that, the one posted on eBay raises a few questions, like why are the rear wheels not the correct rear wheels? It's got the front alloys on the back, the proper rear wheels are more concave with a deeper track.

Also the colour combination isn't the most desirable, so if you think you will be selling it on years down the line, then one with red leather contrast would be the more desirable option, as would a manual gearbox. Also I notice the AC button isn't turned on, does the AC work? the AC should be left on at all times, and temp modulated by the HVAC. If it's not been used for months on end, then I bet some of the AC pipework seals may have perished and need seeing to as they dry up and go brittle due to not being used. Also bacteria builds up inside.
Ive received some more pics from seller; of the rear wheels as I thought the same, however they are correct with the correct 255 tyres on. They have the deeper bolt lug holes too. Must be a trick of the light or something.

Apparently the AC works just fine - He said he had been cleaning the car for the photos and maybe turned it off whilst cleaning the dash.

I agree on the gearbox - I do prefer a manual but do get on well with the SMG; especially as its a convertible - seems to suit the less focussed drive compared to the manual coupe.

I'm sure the red leather would sell better, but too much of a garish contrast for me; I like the black on black. I would love the cinnamon leather though

robbiekhan

1,467 posts

178 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
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Definitely not a trick of the camera! Look at this photo:



Compared to the proper rear wheel:



You can see they are the fronts on the rear on the auction image!

lord trumpton

Original Poster:

7,415 posts

127 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Must be non genuine rears then, as they have deeper lug holes for the bolts on the rears. I see what you mean though, the concave on the spokes is more pronounced on the genuine items

Plus, the ebay car has 255 tyres on the rears and if they were actually the narrower fronts then the sidewall wouldn't look right.

I'm going for non OEM copies on the rear. I seem to remember CSL reps have a similar issue - the concave is less pronounced - probably due to the OEM wheels being forged alloy and copies being cast and not as strong.