2005 E46 BMW M3 Convertible

[Go Around Thrust]

Hi guys,

Im pretty much ready to purchase above M3 from a dealer. Its a got 89000 miles but has a full service history with red leather sat nav 19s and all the other good stuff. Just wondering what to look out for with the service history etc when I go to see the car. Should the clutch have been changed by then? And if not will I be changing it before long do you think?

Just wondering what the experienced M3 owners on here have experienced with regard putting money into an M3 that has close to the 100k mile mark.

Kind Regards

Go Around Thrust

[housen]

how much is it ?

[Nedzilla]

It all depends how the car has been driven to be honest.I have heard of cars which have had the clutch changed at around 70k miles and others that have done double that and are still on the original clutch.

89k miles does seem quite a bit higher than usual for a 2005 car so it has probably spent quite a bit of time on the motorway in which case the clutch should be fine for a while yet.

[Go Around Thrust]

Guys its 10 grand. I feel that provided the service history is up to it theres a lot of car there for 10 k dont you think? Im paying extra for a warranty not sure which company it is though, do any of you have any experience with buying warranties on these machines?

Go Around Thrust

[Yanto]

Would've thought it had. Remember that they're expensive cars new with expensive running costs. Blowing all your budget to get a high miler/newer car without a slush fund for parts/repairs/service is false economy. If £10k is your budget, Maybe see if you can still get a car that you can put a BMW extended warranty on for £9K and keep a bag of sand for unexpected bills?

[gaz1234]

M power

[duff]

A late conv - I take it it's SMG? The mileage wouldn't bother me, I'd like to see plenty of receipts though. £10k seems a good price, personally I'd not bother with a warranty. Most of the expensive things on these are consumables (Tyres, brakes, bushes etc), an inspection 2 serice is £600+. Not sure if HGF affected later cars or not, something that can occur at 100k miles.

Have a search on here and M3cutters as there are loads of threads on what to look for on these cars.

[benzito]

duff said:

A late conv - I take it it's SMG? The mileage wouldn't bother me, I'd like to see plenty of receipts though. £10k seems a good price, personally I'd not bother with a warranty. Most of the expensive things on these are consumables (Tyres, brakes, bushes etc), an inspection 2 serice is £600+. Not sure if HGF affected later cars or not, something that can occur at 100k miles.

Have a search on here and M3cutters as there are loads of threads on what to look for on these cars.

thats a good point re:warranty. The only thing though (assuming its an smg) is gearbox problems which could set you back a bit. I think these issues are way over-rated however, would be a good idea to see exactly what work has been done already but for a 2005 model I would assume it has the latest smg software, etc anyways. GL with your purchase - you'll never look back!

[Go Around Thrust]

Guys/Gals made a mistake on the price. 11500 in fact. Thanks for your valued inputs and if anyone thinks of anything else please let me know. Im looking at the car Tuesday and have a deposit put down.

As you guys/gals rightly say the miles do not bother me as long as the service history looks good and the car looks and drives well. Im not a complete fast car virgin I have previously owned an STI Subaru and a type R Integra but havent had anything worth mentioning for a couple of years.

But I have wanted an M3 for quite a while now!

Cheers

[MMT]

Cracks in the chassis where the sub frame is fastened. Plenty of threads about this on m3cutters and a buying guide.