E46 in 2025/26
Discussion
Hey everyone,
I’m currently in the market for an M3 and the E46 is my ideal choice, mainly because of the driving feel and the overall character of the car.
For those with experience owning or inspecting E46 M3s, I’d really appreciate any advice on what to look out for when buying one. I’m aware of the common points like subframe issues, VANOS problems, and cooling system wear, but I’d love to hear firsthand tips, things people often miss, or anything that’s a major red flag when viewing cars.
Any guidance or personal experiences would be massively appreciated! Thanks.
I’m currently in the market for an M3 and the E46 is my ideal choice, mainly because of the driving feel and the overall character of the car.
For those with experience owning or inspecting E46 M3s, I’d really appreciate any advice on what to look out for when buying one. I’m aware of the common points like subframe issues, VANOS problems, and cooling system wear, but I’d love to hear firsthand tips, things people often miss, or anything that’s a major red flag when viewing cars.
Any guidance or personal experiences would be massively appreciated! Thanks.
It’s the boot floor rather than the subframe, it’s quite difficult to see unless it’s on a ramp and someone who has experience on M3s looks at it.
Rust, in front wings, rear arches and sills.
Big end bearings.
VANOS & chain guides.
Head gasket.
Ive had my bootfloor done by Everything M3, 5 years ago cost £2k. There were lots of extras “while you’re there” that bumped it up, powdercoated subframe, poly bushes, brake pipes and suspension arms.
Big end bearings also done by EM3, inc engine mounts and PAS pipe, another £1500.
Vanos and guides was £1k.
Also had my diff serviced, another £1k.
Rust, in front wings, rear arches and sills.
Big end bearings.
VANOS & chain guides.
Head gasket.
Ive had my bootfloor done by Everything M3, 5 years ago cost £2k. There were lots of extras “while you’re there” that bumped it up, powdercoated subframe, poly bushes, brake pipes and suspension arms.
Big end bearings also done by EM3, inc engine mounts and PAS pipe, another £1500.
Vanos and guides was £1k.
Also had my diff serviced, another £1k.
out of all the scare stories - only the big end bearings are terminal and personally they would be the only thing that would concern me...
yes, boot floor cracking is bad news, but it won't drain your wallet and it won't stop you using the car until you can book it to have it done. The head gasket is bad news, but again, unless you continue to drive it like a total loon once the symptoms have reared their head, you can have it sorted in a week and be back to normal. It would be a great time to re-seal the VANOS at the same time...
Rust - front wings yes, but they are still available from BMW and provided you protect then properly before installation will last you another 20yrs. The sills and rear wings are more involved, but again, you can plan around them and won't kill the car, unless you leave it super late.
No one mentions the door seals - if they are hanging and have signs of DIY crappy attempts to re-glue them - sit down before you ask BMW for a quote on new ones... £500+ each and not available from anyone but BMW... Front scuttle panel rubber - NLA, cheap copies are £100+, door outer trim £500+ each...
They are brilliant cars - I have had one since 2001and it's still in the family, but go with your eyes wide open, and don't for a second think they are cheap motoring because they are relatively cheap to buy at £15k to £20k...
yes, boot floor cracking is bad news, but it won't drain your wallet and it won't stop you using the car until you can book it to have it done. The head gasket is bad news, but again, unless you continue to drive it like a total loon once the symptoms have reared their head, you can have it sorted in a week and be back to normal. It would be a great time to re-seal the VANOS at the same time...
Rust - front wings yes, but they are still available from BMW and provided you protect then properly before installation will last you another 20yrs. The sills and rear wings are more involved, but again, you can plan around them and won't kill the car, unless you leave it super late.
No one mentions the door seals - if they are hanging and have signs of DIY crappy attempts to re-glue them - sit down before you ask BMW for a quote on new ones... £500+ each and not available from anyone but BMW... Front scuttle panel rubber - NLA, cheap copies are £100+, door outer trim £500+ each...
They are brilliant cars - I have had one since 2001and it's still in the family, but go with your eyes wide open, and don't for a second think they are cheap motoring because they are relatively cheap to buy at £15k to £20k...
My personal opinion from owning and daily driving an e46 m3 is that mechanically there's nothing out of the ordinary that will cripple the wallet.
My personal pet hate is the rust that the cars tend to see, any that you go to view and have signs of rust i would personally walk away as anything on the exterior is hiding way worse underneath.
The usual spots for rust are all four arches, lower sill, door lock plates, the boot shut line and check the battery tray too.
The guys have mentioned the 'big' three. Rod bearings, vanos and HG.
Rod bearings if the car was a pre facelift before 53 plate will have had a recall done by bmw but general rule of thumb is expect to change them around 100k if no evidence of them being done.
If the cars not had them done I'd pay close attention to oil changes in the service book and make sure its not gone more than 8k without a change.
10w60 tends to degrade after 7k, so ideally if you stick with 10w60 pencil this in for oil changes.
As for vanos, you will hear this rattle occur, you can hear it while stationary, let the car warm up and hold the revs between 1500-2000 it will sound like marbles in tin can.
The headgasket isn't as well documented but I am aware that it does tend to go between cylinders 3-4. A leak down test prior to purchase will steer you right.
Other things to look out for on the e46 are general things, they're of the age where the suspension is well past it best so look fot shocks, arms and bushes to have been replaced.
The driveshafts have also started to have play within them, I know when I had mine a few years ago I got these changed and it was a bmw part only and they cost 900 for both sides.
For the rear carrier axel panel, commonly referred to as the subframe, it can not be properly inspected without dropping the rear subframe unless someone uses an endoscope, which few people will do.
If its not been replaced I would see it as a positive because you can address it properly with plates and a vince bar.
Most will have been plated but unfortunately this isn't enough they need the additional strengthening of the vince bar to stop them flexing.
Just to give you some figures
I'd expect to pay around 1600 for rod bearings and new engine mounts
Vanos - 1K with new guides
RCAP - 2-2.5k
My personal pet hate is the rust that the cars tend to see, any that you go to view and have signs of rust i would personally walk away as anything on the exterior is hiding way worse underneath.
The usual spots for rust are all four arches, lower sill, door lock plates, the boot shut line and check the battery tray too.
The guys have mentioned the 'big' three. Rod bearings, vanos and HG.
Rod bearings if the car was a pre facelift before 53 plate will have had a recall done by bmw but general rule of thumb is expect to change them around 100k if no evidence of them being done.
If the cars not had them done I'd pay close attention to oil changes in the service book and make sure its not gone more than 8k without a change.
10w60 tends to degrade after 7k, so ideally if you stick with 10w60 pencil this in for oil changes.
As for vanos, you will hear this rattle occur, you can hear it while stationary, let the car warm up and hold the revs between 1500-2000 it will sound like marbles in tin can.
The headgasket isn't as well documented but I am aware that it does tend to go between cylinders 3-4. A leak down test prior to purchase will steer you right.
Other things to look out for on the e46 are general things, they're of the age where the suspension is well past it best so look fot shocks, arms and bushes to have been replaced.
The driveshafts have also started to have play within them, I know when I had mine a few years ago I got these changed and it was a bmw part only and they cost 900 for both sides.
For the rear carrier axel panel, commonly referred to as the subframe, it can not be properly inspected without dropping the rear subframe unless someone uses an endoscope, which few people will do.
If its not been replaced I would see it as a positive because you can address it properly with plates and a vince bar.
Most will have been plated but unfortunately this isn't enough they need the additional strengthening of the vince bar to stop them flexing.
Just to give you some figures
I'd expect to pay around 1600 for rod bearings and new engine mounts
Vanos - 1K with new guides
RCAP - 2-2.5k
Thanks everyone.
The rust point is something I’ve heard a lot about. The common areas to check (arches, sills, boot shut line, battery tray, etc.) makes it much clearer. Sounds like exterior rust is basically a red flag for much worse underneath, so that’s definitely something I’ll take seriously when viewing cars.
What sort of price point should I be looking at when buying one of these? I’ve seen various examples ranging from around £13k up to £30k (especially for mint CS examples). I'm budgeting around 4-5K for the works needed to be done.
The rust point is something I’ve heard a lot about. The common areas to check (arches, sills, boot shut line, battery tray, etc.) makes it much clearer. Sounds like exterior rust is basically a red flag for much worse underneath, so that’s definitely something I’ll take seriously when viewing cars.
What sort of price point should I be looking at when buying one of these? I’ve seen various examples ranging from around £13k up to £30k (especially for mint CS examples). I'm budgeting around 4-5K for the works needed to be done.
I've got a 2005 E46 M3 SMG Convertible that I have owned since 2007, taking it from 8k to 108k miles.
Best car I have ever owned and that's why I have kept it.
I've had no trouble with big ends, boot floor, VANOS or head gasket, but expect these might be in store at some point!
I had a rusty driver's side wing that rotted through on the top of the wheel arch, otherwise bodily sound.
Other than that it has been a joy to own with relatively low maintenance costs for the performance.
However, like any 20yr old car, it is starting to chuck me a few bills lately. In the last two years I have had to pay for:
New clutch
New SMG motor from Hack Engineering (https://www.hackengineering.co.uk/product/burkhart-engineering-smg2-hydraulic-pump-repair-kit-e46-m3/)
New Starter motor
New Powerflex rear suspension polybushings (I was getting terrible uneven rear tyre wear until this was done).
It's starting to throw a few electrical gremlins. The front head unit screen has very didgy pixels, the CD player has stopped working and the BM54 amplifier unit has stopped working resulting in just one Harmon Kardon speaker working. This is a common fault, all to do with dried out solder, fixable if you want but I am just going to replace with an OEM-looking version with CarPlay and DAB when I get round to it.
Mine was in for dual airbag replacement at my local main dealer this week, part of a global recall. It's on about its fourth set of airbags now! Whilst in they noted it had 70% wear on discs and pads, BMW quoting £1750 to replace them. That's the kind of job I will do myself at a significant saving, discs are not cheap however, regardless of where you obtain them.
It is due for brake pipe replacement too, which is a task for after Christmas. This has been an advisory on the last couple of MOTs but I want to attend to it before it becomes a failure. The 'official' way to do it is to drop the petrol tank as the factory pipes go over the top of the tank but this is expensive. You can route them around the tank for less cost, but less originality. I will see what quote my indie comes up with.
M3Cuttters is a great forum, as you have probably discovered. Likewise YouTube has lots of helpful owners.
Look for one that has been well maintained by a reputable indie and enjoy it. They are magnificent cars, the engine note never fails to disappoint on every single journey.
(On the SMG repair, I have a local 'BMW Specialist' that boasts that they only use genuine BMW parts, so wanted to charge me £3.5k in parts alone for an entirely new SMG pump. Everyone who knows these cars knows that is it the motor that fails, which is a replaceable component of the overall pump unit. They refused to replace just the motor, so I took my car elsewhere to a reputable M3 specialist who was willing to do the Burkhart motor replacement as noted in my link above. 12 months on it is running totally sweet. I cannot emphasise enough how much you need to get a good indie for one of these who will source appropriate parts. Ditto the starter motor issue I had. BMW will relieve you of about 600 quid for a new one, but some judicious searching of part numbers reveals that it's a third party part that you can get form Euros for about a third of that price. Having an indie who is willing to seek quality aftermarket parts is a big help).
Best car I have ever owned and that's why I have kept it.
I've had no trouble with big ends, boot floor, VANOS or head gasket, but expect these might be in store at some point!
I had a rusty driver's side wing that rotted through on the top of the wheel arch, otherwise bodily sound.
Other than that it has been a joy to own with relatively low maintenance costs for the performance.
However, like any 20yr old car, it is starting to chuck me a few bills lately. In the last two years I have had to pay for:
New clutch
New SMG motor from Hack Engineering (https://www.hackengineering.co.uk/product/burkhart-engineering-smg2-hydraulic-pump-repair-kit-e46-m3/)
New Starter motor
New Powerflex rear suspension polybushings (I was getting terrible uneven rear tyre wear until this was done).
It's starting to throw a few electrical gremlins. The front head unit screen has very didgy pixels, the CD player has stopped working and the BM54 amplifier unit has stopped working resulting in just one Harmon Kardon speaker working. This is a common fault, all to do with dried out solder, fixable if you want but I am just going to replace with an OEM-looking version with CarPlay and DAB when I get round to it.
Mine was in for dual airbag replacement at my local main dealer this week, part of a global recall. It's on about its fourth set of airbags now! Whilst in they noted it had 70% wear on discs and pads, BMW quoting £1750 to replace them. That's the kind of job I will do myself at a significant saving, discs are not cheap however, regardless of where you obtain them.
It is due for brake pipe replacement too, which is a task for after Christmas. This has been an advisory on the last couple of MOTs but I want to attend to it before it becomes a failure. The 'official' way to do it is to drop the petrol tank as the factory pipes go over the top of the tank but this is expensive. You can route them around the tank for less cost, but less originality. I will see what quote my indie comes up with.
M3Cuttters is a great forum, as you have probably discovered. Likewise YouTube has lots of helpful owners.
Look for one that has been well maintained by a reputable indie and enjoy it. They are magnificent cars, the engine note never fails to disappoint on every single journey.
(On the SMG repair, I have a local 'BMW Specialist' that boasts that they only use genuine BMW parts, so wanted to charge me £3.5k in parts alone for an entirely new SMG pump. Everyone who knows these cars knows that is it the motor that fails, which is a replaceable component of the overall pump unit. They refused to replace just the motor, so I took my car elsewhere to a reputable M3 specialist who was willing to do the Burkhart motor replacement as noted in my link above. 12 months on it is running totally sweet. I cannot emphasise enough how much you need to get a good indie for one of these who will source appropriate parts. Ditto the starter motor issue I had. BMW will relieve you of about 600 quid for a new one, but some judicious searching of part numbers reveals that it's a third party part that you can get form Euros for about a third of that price. Having an indie who is willing to seek quality aftermarket parts is a big help).
Edited by Shooter McGavin on Wednesday 19th November 10:30
Personally I would go Manual over SMG. Great great cars, I went the other way and paid top price for best car, low owners lower miles, full preventative maintenance history last 9 years, and bought from the best in the business, Barney at the Hero Motor Company, he preps his cars, subject to sellers approval, the best way. Going the other way I was put off by paying 15k/17k with higher mileage 70k plus and the big 3 not done yet or inspected.
Was also in for Airbag recall, they did a VHC, and they were astounded in the condition of the underneath and brakes, and its condition overall. Was reassuring, after paying the most!
Great choice, enjoy your new car. Some really good Indies on these.
Was also in for Airbag recall, they did a VHC, and they were astounded in the condition of the underneath and brakes, and its condition overall. Was reassuring, after paying the most!
Great choice, enjoy your new car. Some really good Indies on these.
Edited by JJ77 on Wednesday 19th November 12:39
Shooter McGavin said:
I've got a 2005 E46 M3 SMG Convertible that I have owned since 2007, taking it from 8k to 108k miles.
Best car I have ever owned and that's why I have kept it.
I've had no trouble with big ends, boot floor, VANOS or head gasket, but expect these might be in store at some point!
I had a rusty driver's side wing that rotted through on the top of the wheel arch, otherwise bodily sound.
Other than that it has been a joy to own with relatively low maintenance costs for the performance.
However, like any 20yr old car, it is starting to chuck me a few bills lately. In the last two years I have had to pay for:
New clutch
New SMG motor from Hack Engineering (https://www.hackengineering.co.uk/product/burkhart-engineering-smg2-hydraulic-pump-repair-kit-e46-m3/)
New Starter motor
New Powerflex rear suspension polybushings (I was getting terrible uneven rear tyre wear until this was done).
It's starting to throw a few electrical gremlins. The front head unit screen has very didgy pixels, the CD player has stopped working and the BM54 amplifier unit has stopped working resulting in just one Harmon Kardon speaker working. This is a common fault, all to do with dried out solder, fixable if you want but I am just going to replace with an OEM-looking version with CarPlay and DAB when I get round to it.
Mine was in for dual airbag replacement at my local main dealer this week, part of a global recall. It's on about its fourth set of airbags now! Whilst in they noted it had 70% wear on discs and pads, BMW quoting £1750 to replace them. That's the kind of job I will do myself at a significant saving, discs are not cheap however, regardless of where you obtain them.
It is due for brake pipe replacement too, which is a task for after Christmas. This has been an advisory on the last couple of MOTs but I want to attend to it before it becomes a failure. The 'official' way to do it is to drop the petrol tank as the factory pipes go over the top of the tank but this is expensive. You can route them around the tank for less cost, but less originality. I will see what quote my indie comes up with.
M3Cuttters is a great forum, as you have probably discovered. Likewise YouTube has lots of helpful owners.
Look for one that has been well maintained by a reputable indie and enjoy it. They are magnificent cars, the engine note never fails to disappoint on every single journey.
(On the SMG repair, I have a local 'BMW Specialist' that boasts that they only use genuine BMW parts, so wanted to charge me £3.5k in parts alone for an entirely new SMG pump. Everyone who knows these cars knows that is it the motor that fails, which is a replaceable component of the overall pump unit. They refused to replace just the motor, so I took my car elsewhere to a reputable M3 specialist who was willing to do the Burkhart motor replacement as noted in my link above. 12 months on it is running totally sweet. I cannot emphasise enough how much you need to get a good indie for one of these who will source appropriate parts. Ditto the starter motor issue I had. BMW will relieve you of about 600 quid for a new one, but some judicious searching of part numbers reveals that it's a third party part that you can get form Euros for about a third of that price. Having an indie who is willing to seek quality aftermarket parts is a big help).
You’re absolutely right. I suppose the safest route really is to go for a car that’s been properly documented and clearly looked after by someone who’s cared for it. The trouble I keep running into is that as these cars get older, it’s becoming harder and harder to find examples that have genuinely been loved and had all the preventative work done. More often than not it feels like people are trying to move them on just as the big costs start to crop up (and I'm going into this, budgeting for that), so they don’t end up footing the bill themselves.Best car I have ever owned and that's why I have kept it.
I've had no trouble with big ends, boot floor, VANOS or head gasket, but expect these might be in store at some point!
I had a rusty driver's side wing that rotted through on the top of the wheel arch, otherwise bodily sound.
Other than that it has been a joy to own with relatively low maintenance costs for the performance.
However, like any 20yr old car, it is starting to chuck me a few bills lately. In the last two years I have had to pay for:
New clutch
New SMG motor from Hack Engineering (https://www.hackengineering.co.uk/product/burkhart-engineering-smg2-hydraulic-pump-repair-kit-e46-m3/)
New Starter motor
New Powerflex rear suspension polybushings (I was getting terrible uneven rear tyre wear until this was done).
It's starting to throw a few electrical gremlins. The front head unit screen has very didgy pixels, the CD player has stopped working and the BM54 amplifier unit has stopped working resulting in just one Harmon Kardon speaker working. This is a common fault, all to do with dried out solder, fixable if you want but I am just going to replace with an OEM-looking version with CarPlay and DAB when I get round to it.
Mine was in for dual airbag replacement at my local main dealer this week, part of a global recall. It's on about its fourth set of airbags now! Whilst in they noted it had 70% wear on discs and pads, BMW quoting £1750 to replace them. That's the kind of job I will do myself at a significant saving, discs are not cheap however, regardless of where you obtain them.
It is due for brake pipe replacement too, which is a task for after Christmas. This has been an advisory on the last couple of MOTs but I want to attend to it before it becomes a failure. The 'official' way to do it is to drop the petrol tank as the factory pipes go over the top of the tank but this is expensive. You can route them around the tank for less cost, but less originality. I will see what quote my indie comes up with.
M3Cuttters is a great forum, as you have probably discovered. Likewise YouTube has lots of helpful owners.
Look for one that has been well maintained by a reputable indie and enjoy it. They are magnificent cars, the engine note never fails to disappoint on every single journey.
(On the SMG repair, I have a local 'BMW Specialist' that boasts that they only use genuine BMW parts, so wanted to charge me £3.5k in parts alone for an entirely new SMG pump. Everyone who knows these cars knows that is it the motor that fails, which is a replaceable component of the overall pump unit. They refused to replace just the motor, so I took my car elsewhere to a reputable M3 specialist who was willing to do the Burkhart motor replacement as noted in my link above. 12 months on it is running totally sweet. I cannot emphasise enough how much you need to get a good indie for one of these who will source appropriate parts. Ditto the starter motor issue I had. BMW will relieve you of about 600 quid for a new one, but some judicious searching of part numbers reveals that it's a third party part that you can get form Euros for about a third of that price. Having an indie who is willing to seek quality aftermarket parts is a big help).
Edited by Shooter McGavin on Wednesday 19th November 10:30
Totally agree with you on the value of a good indie too. That’s exactly the kind of thing I’m wary of. One garage telling you the whole pump needs replacing for thousands, while a proper specialist solves it for a fraction of the price by just swapping the actual failed motor.
Found this example: https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2005-bmw-e46-m...
Seems to have had a full engine rebuild at 109K miles from Mr Vanos who I've read are fairly reputable with M cars. Along with some gearbox works later on.
Found this example: https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2005-bmw-e46-m...
Seems to have had a full engine rebuild at 109K miles from Mr Vanos who I've read are fairly reputable with M cars. Along with some gearbox works later on.
[/quote]
I bought with 30k miles on mine, but if you are looking at above 100k miles cars and CS in particular, I would go this one, the manual is what separates the CS, rare and will appreciate, but this 1 of 1 Mystic Blue looked after by Darragh at Everything M3’s is a better bet than this collecting cars car that will probably hit low 20’s by auction end.
https://www.autostoresales.co.uk/bmw-e46-m3-cs
CasioPasio said:
Thanks everyone.
The rust point is something I ve heard a lot about. The common areas to check (arches, sills, boot shut line, battery tray, etc.) makes it much clearer. Sounds like exterior rust is basically a red flag for much worse underneath, so that s definitely something I ll take seriously when viewing cars.
What sort of price point should I be looking at when buying one of these? I ve seen various examples ranging from around £13k up to £30k (especially for mint CS examples). I'm budgeting around 4-5K for the works needed to be done.
I would always say buy based on condition especially with the age of the E46, if you're buying one to drive there's no point buying one with low mileage imo. I would look for the ones around 100k which will have already encountered most of the common issues. £11 - 15k still seems to be the sweet spot, I constantly look to add an E46 alongside my V10 but the search goes on for now. The rust point is something I ve heard a lot about. The common areas to check (arches, sills, boot shut line, battery tray, etc.) makes it much clearer. Sounds like exterior rust is basically a red flag for much worse underneath, so that s definitely something I ll take seriously when viewing cars.
What sort of price point should I be looking at when buying one of these? I ve seen various examples ranging from around £13k up to £30k (especially for mint CS examples). I'm budgeting around 4-5K for the works needed to be done.
I know someone has mentioned manual above but its down to preference, I dont particularly find BMW manuals any good, unless a coolerworx is added. I did quite like flat shifting the smg in settings 5/6
Also be aware that having the big end bearings replaced is not necessarily a once in a lifetime job. My car is early 2003 pre facelift, the shells were replaced on a recall at 25k miles in 05. I had them replaced again at 131k miles and they were showing wear, not terrible but wouldn’t last forever. Interesting to know if the demise of the engine at 108k miles on the collecting cars CS had anything to do with the late running in service. IIRC, later 2003 cars were not subject to the recall, so maybe it had given a hard life, not warmed up properly, who knows.
You asked about cooling system, only issues I’ve had were the water pump bearing failing. Also replaced the thermostat,viscous clutch, fan blades, belts and tensioners as precautionary maintenance.
Also note the very last cars registered after 23rd March 2006 are subject to the highest VED band, doesn’t bother some but would P me off.
You asked about cooling system, only issues I’ve had were the water pump bearing failing. Also replaced the thermostat,viscous clutch, fan blades, belts and tensioners as precautionary maintenance.
Also note the very last cars registered after 23rd March 2006 are subject to the highest VED band, doesn’t bother some but would P me off.
quote=village24]
I would always say buy based on condition especially with the age of the E46, if you're buying one to drive there's no point buying one with low mileage imo. I would look for the ones around 100k which will have already encountered most of the common issues. £11 - 15k still seems to be the sweet spot, I constantly look to add an E46 alongside my V10 but the search goes on for now.
I know someone has mentioned manual above but it’s down to preference, I dont particularly find BMW manuals any good, unless a coolerworx is added. I did quite like flat shifting the smg in settings 5/6
[/quote]
I bought with 31000 miles and in the £ dirty thirties, and driving it, only reason I buy cars. Done 5000 miles in 5
months, great memories of my previous car bought new in 2003. I agree the manual not the best out there but want the engagement and not the SMG replacement/repair costs and never liked it in 2003, would imagine I would hate it now after Ferrari & Porsche systems
I would always say buy based on condition especially with the age of the E46, if you're buying one to drive there's no point buying one with low mileage imo. I would look for the ones around 100k which will have already encountered most of the common issues. £11 - 15k still seems to be the sweet spot, I constantly look to add an E46 alongside my V10 but the search goes on for now.
I know someone has mentioned manual above but it’s down to preference, I dont particularly find BMW manuals any good, unless a coolerworx is added. I did quite like flat shifting the smg in settings 5/6
[/quote]
I bought with 31000 miles and in the £ dirty thirties, and driving it, only reason I buy cars. Done 5000 miles in 5
months, great memories of my previous car bought new in 2003. I agree the manual not the best out there but want the engagement and not the SMG replacement/repair costs and never liked it in 2003, would imagine I would hate it now after Ferrari & Porsche systems
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