E46 M3 Real World Costs?
Discussion
Have had my E46 330ci for around a year now and always wished
I had held out for an M3, but now I am in the position to own one.
Just got a few questions regarding running cost between the two, have found the 330 very cheap to run really, gets anywhere from 25-35mpg about 300-350 miles to a tank on average (roughly the same as an M3 from what I have read?). Parts haven't been to bad either. Changed the whole front brake set up for around £400 including the calipers.
I understand that tyers etc will be more expensive on the M3, and the parts will probably be slightly dearer, but is it really twice the running costs as everyone keeps saying on the net?
I am looking at ones with other 100k miles on them (always buy higher mileage cars that have been looked after) so with over 100k it seems pointless keeping all the history with BMW or even paying a good Indy to do the work. I am handy with a spanner and not afraid to do jobs myself, have changed gearboxes etc on past cars. And always service my cars myself.
So if you are going to DIY as many jobs as you can yourself is there really that much difference between the 330 and M running costs? Have looked in to the price of certain things, and it doesn't seem so, but everyone on the net is saying its at least 2times the costs to run.
Am I missing something....?
I had held out for an M3, but now I am in the position to own one.
Just got a few questions regarding running cost between the two, have found the 330 very cheap to run really, gets anywhere from 25-35mpg about 300-350 miles to a tank on average (roughly the same as an M3 from what I have read?). Parts haven't been to bad either. Changed the whole front brake set up for around £400 including the calipers.
I understand that tyers etc will be more expensive on the M3, and the parts will probably be slightly dearer, but is it really twice the running costs as everyone keeps saying on the net?
I am looking at ones with other 100k miles on them (always buy higher mileage cars that have been looked after) so with over 100k it seems pointless keeping all the history with BMW or even paying a good Indy to do the work. I am handy with a spanner and not afraid to do jobs myself, have changed gearboxes etc on past cars. And always service my cars myself.
So if you are going to DIY as many jobs as you can yourself is there really that much difference between the 330 and M running costs? Have looked in to the price of certain things, and it doesn't seem so, but everyone on the net is saying its at least 2times the costs to run.
Am I missing something....?
Thank for your opinions guys!
Mpg isn't really an issue, it's more the fact that am doing 15 up 20,000 miles a year, which makes it quite off putting with the cost of the maintenance side of things,, as I won't get to use the extra preformance most of the time to make It worth it I don't think...
But I am wanting a new car and really struggling with finding a replacement for the 330 with an £8000 budget, but willing to go to £10000 for the right car... M3 suits the bill perfectly!!
Mpg isn't really an issue, it's more the fact that am doing 15 up 20,000 miles a year, which makes it quite off putting with the cost of the maintenance side of things,, as I won't get to use the extra preformance most of the time to make It worth it I don't think...
But I am wanting a new car and really struggling with finding a replacement for the 330 with an £8000 budget, but willing to go to £10000 for the right car... M3 suits the bill perfectly!!
Thanks again guys, some real food for thought...
My main reason for wanting an M3 is for a car that does everything well, that I could track a few times a year. But the situation with the boot floor on these is really off putting, even more so when considering putting one on a track...
But just now I would consider the 330 very cheap to run considering, so maybe an M3 wouldn't really be to bad, I don't use the car for commuting as such (use my van for work), but would use it from time to time when going to see jobs/meetings and the like.
Or the other option I have is get a mx5, e30 or e36 as a project/track car and keep the 330 as well. But can see that being more costly then just running an M3
My main reason for wanting an M3 is for a car that does everything well, that I could track a few times a year. But the situation with the boot floor on these is really off putting, even more so when considering putting one on a track...
But just now I would consider the 330 very cheap to run considering, so maybe an M3 wouldn't really be to bad, I don't use the car for commuting as such (use my van for work), but would use it from time to time when going to see jobs/meetings and the like.
Or the other option I have is get a mx5, e30 or e36 as a project/track car and keep the 330 as well. But can see that being more costly then just running an M3
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