1st time E46 M3 buyer
Discussion
Hi guys,
I've been reading here a while and read a lot of FAQ's but was wondering:
How does your E46 M3 'feel' to you at 40-45 and 55-60-65k miles? Have you noticed any differences and if so does the engine feel a bit lazier or anything you'd like to comment on? Anymore issues at 65k then at 45k that you noticed?
I have a budget of 16k that I could be flexible with depending on the colour, mileage and spec but I'm really struggling to find
Coupe
Avis blue/ estroil blue / whatever blue is out there
45k miles or thereabouts
smg : only tried this one so far, not tried a manual but love my S2000 gear changes but fancy using smg
sat/nav
nearly loaded/ fully loaded for my price of 16k
I could spend 13k list price but I think I could go lower and get the exact spec as I want but the mileage is 65k and that worries me. OR I should be fine getting it for 12.5k as long as the car has been:
well maintained
decent service history
1200 mile service
all recalls done on it, con rod bearing, bushes etc
I'm just hesistant about spending 12.5k on a car that has 65k miles on it. I'd rather spend 15-16k with a car that has 45k on it.
What do you guys think? Cheers!
Koing
PS the E46 has always been my 'dream affordable' car and now that I have the money and the insurance is reasonable I can actually get one. Two years ago they wanted 3k for insurance so I got an S2000 as I didn't want to fork over 3k for insurance alone.
I've been reading here a while and read a lot of FAQ's but was wondering:
How does your E46 M3 'feel' to you at 40-45 and 55-60-65k miles? Have you noticed any differences and if so does the engine feel a bit lazier or anything you'd like to comment on? Anymore issues at 65k then at 45k that you noticed?
I have a budget of 16k that I could be flexible with depending on the colour, mileage and spec but I'm really struggling to find
Coupe
Avis blue/ estroil blue / whatever blue is out there
45k miles or thereabouts
smg : only tried this one so far, not tried a manual but love my S2000 gear changes but fancy using smg
sat/nav
nearly loaded/ fully loaded for my price of 16k
I could spend 13k list price but I think I could go lower and get the exact spec as I want but the mileage is 65k and that worries me. OR I should be fine getting it for 12.5k as long as the car has been:
well maintained
decent service history
1200 mile service
all recalls done on it, con rod bearing, bushes etc
I'm just hesistant about spending 12.5k on a car that has 65k miles on it. I'd rather spend 15-16k with a car that has 45k on it.
What do you guys think? Cheers!
Koing
PS the E46 has always been my 'dream affordable' car and now that I have the money and the insurance is reasonable I can actually get one. Two years ago they wanted 3k for insurance so I got an S2000 as I didn't want to fork over 3k for insurance alone.
I have just part ex'd my E46 M3 and it had 48000 on the clock. It had 20000 when i bought it and i cant say that i noticed any difference. I didnt get rid of it for any mechanical reason. I think going for as low milage as possible and a full service history is the way to go. When i got the M3 I went for low miles at the expense of toys - since we also were on a budget.
The only reason i got rid of it was that it was too cramped inside for a family car so the only obvious replacement was the M5! We looked at a lovely one - which was 2 years newer than the M3 with 10000 more miles - salesman couuldnt argue when i said it was a no brainer to buy it (especially when the mileage wasnt reflected in the price!!)
I didnt keep mine long enough so others will be better able to tell you but i think there might be some large services due about 60K.
Anyway good luck with looking - there are plenty out there so do look around.
The only reason i got rid of it was that it was too cramped inside for a family car so the only obvious replacement was the M5! We looked at a lovely one - which was 2 years newer than the M3 with 10000 more miles - salesman couuldnt argue when i said it was a no brainer to buy it (especially when the mileage wasnt reflected in the price!!)
I didnt keep mine long enough so others will be better able to tell you but i think there might be some large services due about 60K.
Anyway good luck with looking - there are plenty out there so do look around.
ellejay said:
I have just part ex'd my E46 M3 and it had 48000 on the clock. It had 20000 when i bought it and i cant say that i noticed any difference. I didnt get rid of it for any mechanical reason. I think going for as low milage as possible and a full service history is the way to go. When i got the M3 I went for low miles at the expense of toys - since we also were on a budget.
The only reason i got rid of it was that it was too cramped inside for a family car so the only obvious replacement was the M5! We looked at a lovely one - which was 2 years newer than the M3 with 10000 more miles - salesman couuldnt argue when i said it was a no brainer to buy it (especially when the mileage wasnt reflected in the price!!)
I didnt keep mine long enough so others will be better able to tell you but i think there might be some large services due about 60K.
Anyway good luck with looking - there are plenty out there so do look around.
Cheers ellejay,The only reason i got rid of it was that it was too cramped inside for a family car so the only obvious replacement was the M5! We looked at a lovely one - which was 2 years newer than the M3 with 10000 more miles - salesman couuldnt argue when i said it was a no brainer to buy it (especially when the mileage wasnt reflected in the price!!)
I didnt keep mine long enough so others will be better able to tell you but i think there might be some large services due about 60K.
Anyway good luck with looking - there are plenty out there so do look around.
I'd rather get a lower mileage one then a higher mileage one. It's a bit of a pain to wait around for the right one :P but I'm not in a dire need to get one.
But still interested in what other PH'ers think, but cheers for your info!
Koing
Koing said:
ellejay said:
there are plenty out there so do look around.
It's a bit of a pain to wait around for the right one :P but I'm not in a dire need to get one. Koing
It will be interesting to hear what others have to say
Let us know how it goes.
ellejay said:
Koing said:
ellejay said:
there are plenty out there so do look around.
It's a bit of a pain to wait around for the right one :P but I'm not in a dire need to get one. Koing
It will be interesting to hear what others have to say
Let us know how it goes.
I'd prefer to stay away from silver and the phoneix yellow personally. The blue colours are my top picks. The carbon black or gun metal grey type of colour with red leather is my 2nd pick.
There are a lot more affordable now then 2yrs ago!
Indeed it'll be interesting to see what others comment on. Just weary because of the higher mileage ones more stuff could go wrong even with a few k in reserves for stuff when it does go wrong.
Koing
I think the key is to buy on general condition rather than the mileage.
When considering budget, also consider the most recent service / costs or factor in what and when your next bills are coming. Depending on use, the cost to run could be minimal for as many as 4 years (eg a car which has just had inspection service and is next due for oil service). Similarly, a car that appears cheap could be due for £2-3k of servicing, tires, brakes etc.
That may explain why prices seem to be all over the place at the moment.
I'll be putting up my 2002 SMG, (gunmetal grey, red leather, nav, sunroof, 51k, FBMWSH, 12k on indicator before inspection 1 required, 12 month MOT, 4000 mile old tires and front discs / pads) over the next few days... I married an American and it turns out that her US driving experience counts for nothing when trying to insure her in the UK... essentially the same as adding a learner driver to an M3's policy!!!
When considering budget, also consider the most recent service / costs or factor in what and when your next bills are coming. Depending on use, the cost to run could be minimal for as many as 4 years (eg a car which has just had inspection service and is next due for oil service). Similarly, a car that appears cheap could be due for £2-3k of servicing, tires, brakes etc.
That may explain why prices seem to be all over the place at the moment.
I'll be putting up my 2002 SMG, (gunmetal grey, red leather, nav, sunroof, 51k, FBMWSH, 12k on indicator before inspection 1 required, 12 month MOT, 4000 mile old tires and front discs / pads) over the next few days... I married an American and it turns out that her US driving experience counts for nothing when trying to insure her in the UK... essentially the same as adding a learner driver to an M3's policy!!!
426Hemi said:
How far can you push your budget.....£22500?
PM me if you are interested.
Sorry mate, too much for my blood but good luck with the sale!PM me if you are interested.
onedsla said:
I think the key is to buy on general condition rather than the mileage.
When considering budget, also consider the most recent service / costs or factor in what and when your next bills are coming. Depending on use, the cost to run could be minimal for as many as 4 years (eg a car which has just had inspection service and is next due for oil service). Similarly, a car that appears cheap could be due for £2-3k of servicing, tires, brakes etc.
That may explain why prices seem to be all over the place at the moment.
I'll be putting up my 2002 SMG, (gunmetal grey, red leather, nav, sunroof, 51k, FBMWSH, 12k on indicator before inspection 1 required, 12 month MOT, 4000 mile old tires and front discs / pads) over the next few days... I married an American and it turns out that her US driving experience counts for nothing when trying to insure her in the UK... essentially the same as adding a learner driver to an M3's policy!!!
Yes very good reminder on the condition, if it needs tires, brakes, pads, Inspection II done etc it'll be most costly and yes I'll keep this in mind when buying one.When considering budget, also consider the most recent service / costs or factor in what and when your next bills are coming. Depending on use, the cost to run could be minimal for as many as 4 years (eg a car which has just had inspection service and is next due for oil service). Similarly, a car that appears cheap could be due for £2-3k of servicing, tires, brakes etc.
That may explain why prices seem to be all over the place at the moment.
I'll be putting up my 2002 SMG, (gunmetal grey, red leather, nav, sunroof, 51k, FBMWSH, 12k on indicator before inspection 1 required, 12 month MOT, 4000 mile old tires and front discs / pads) over the next few days... I married an American and it turns out that her US driving experience counts for nothing when trying to insure her in the UK... essentially the same as adding a learner driver to an M3's policy!!!
Thats crazy about the insurance
Koing
Koing,
My 2005 M3 has just clicked over to 63,000 miles and feels as good as it did with 40k miles on the clock. I've had it serviced by BMW and still maintain the warranty etc. I've had nothing go wrong with it and apart from an appetite for rubber and fuel, it's fantastic.
Buy on condition and service history, and don't get hung up on mileage. Many of the better cars out there have higher than average miles. Given the choice of a 30k mile 5 owner car or a 60k mile 1 owner car, I know which one I'd be taking. Bear in mind that the Inspection 2 will cost almost £1k and is due somewhere between 45k and 55k miles depending on how the car has been driven.
Look for service history and any accompanying paperwork. It must have had the running in service at approx 1200 miles and certainly before 1700 miles for it to be considered for purchase. Ignore anyone who says otherwise. If the car still has BMW warranty, then that's an added bonus. Check for signs of accident damage, but bear in mind that owners regularly have front bumpers/wings/bonnet repainted as they're prone to chips and most M3 owners are proud of their cars.
For your budget you should get a nice facelift car (March 2003 onwards)with decent spec. SatNav is a must for resale, even if a £200 tomtom is better! HK and Bluetooth are also nice to have.
There are plenty out there, so happy hunting.
Matt
My 2005 M3 has just clicked over to 63,000 miles and feels as good as it did with 40k miles on the clock. I've had it serviced by BMW and still maintain the warranty etc. I've had nothing go wrong with it and apart from an appetite for rubber and fuel, it's fantastic.
Buy on condition and service history, and don't get hung up on mileage. Many of the better cars out there have higher than average miles. Given the choice of a 30k mile 5 owner car or a 60k mile 1 owner car, I know which one I'd be taking. Bear in mind that the Inspection 2 will cost almost £1k and is due somewhere between 45k and 55k miles depending on how the car has been driven.
Look for service history and any accompanying paperwork. It must have had the running in service at approx 1200 miles and certainly before 1700 miles for it to be considered for purchase. Ignore anyone who says otherwise. If the car still has BMW warranty, then that's an added bonus. Check for signs of accident damage, but bear in mind that owners regularly have front bumpers/wings/bonnet repainted as they're prone to chips and most M3 owners are proud of their cars.
For your budget you should get a nice facelift car (March 2003 onwards)with decent spec. SatNav is a must for resale, even if a £200 tomtom is better! HK and Bluetooth are also nice to have.
There are plenty out there, so happy hunting.
Matt
MattOz said:
Koing,
My 2005 M3 has just clicked over to 63,000 miles and feels as good as it did with 40k miles on the clock. I've had it serviced by BMW and still maintain the warranty etc. I've had nothing go wrong with it and apart from an appetite for rubber and fuel, it's fantastic.
Buy on condition and service history, and don't get hung up on mileage. Many of the better cars out there have higher than average miles. Given the choice of a 30k mile 5 owner car or a 60k mile 1 owner car, I know which one I'd be taking. Bear in mind that the Inspection 2 will cost almost £1k and is due somewhere between 45k and 55k miles depending on how the car has been driven.
Look for service history and any accompanying paperwork. It must have had the running in service at approx 1200 miles and certainly before 1700 miles for it to be considered for purchase. Ignore anyone who says otherwise. If the car still has BMW warranty, then that's an added bonus. Check for signs of accident damage, but bear in mind that owners regularly have front bumpers/wings/bonnet repainted as they're prone to chips and most M3 owners are proud of their cars.
For your budget you should get a nice facelift car (March 2003 onwards)with decent spec. SatNav is a must for resale, even if a £200 tomtom is better! HK and Bluetooth are also nice to have.
There are plenty out there, so happy hunting.
Matt
Agree with above but mine was run-in serviced at 1910 miles. I bought it as the third owner, the second owner bought it as AUC from a Sytner Sheffied. The run-in over-run is not a problem in this situation as Sytners who sold the car as AUC had 'inspected' the car and certified it as OK. Double checked this with BMW CS. Also I got a good trade in offer on a Z4M a few months ago for my car at Elms Cambridge which SPECIFICALLY checked for the running in service.... The point is that a late run-in can be OK, if this 'inspection' was done, or the car is an AUC. My 2005 M3 has just clicked over to 63,000 miles and feels as good as it did with 40k miles on the clock. I've had it serviced by BMW and still maintain the warranty etc. I've had nothing go wrong with it and apart from an appetite for rubber and fuel, it's fantastic.
Buy on condition and service history, and don't get hung up on mileage. Many of the better cars out there have higher than average miles. Given the choice of a 30k mile 5 owner car or a 60k mile 1 owner car, I know which one I'd be taking. Bear in mind that the Inspection 2 will cost almost £1k and is due somewhere between 45k and 55k miles depending on how the car has been driven.
Look for service history and any accompanying paperwork. It must have had the running in service at approx 1200 miles and certainly before 1700 miles for it to be considered for purchase. Ignore anyone who says otherwise. If the car still has BMW warranty, then that's an added bonus. Check for signs of accident damage, but bear in mind that owners regularly have front bumpers/wings/bonnet repainted as they're prone to chips and most M3 owners are proud of their cars.
For your budget you should get a nice facelift car (March 2003 onwards)with decent spec. SatNav is a must for resale, even if a £200 tomtom is better! HK and Bluetooth are also nice to have.
There are plenty out there, so happy hunting.
Matt
Mine is still under warranty, and all its details are on the BMW computer, no quibble raised when recent VANOS noise was investigated...turned out to be alternator. I checked at that time is was fully covered and it is.
I knew about the 1200 mile service when I bought it and did check this all out VERY carefully
Good luck finding one, and take your time.
I drove 3 before settling for this one. It had 20K on it when I got it 3 years ago, now 46K and only the alternator needed work so far. SMG is awesome!!
Edited by Davidonly on Thursday 31st December 10:28
Got my 53 plate cab at 48000 miles it has done 62000 miles now and nothing has gone wrong. i have BMW warranty also. Get the MK4 satnav (the one with the DVD drive in the boot) the business audio looks crap. If the car has HK fine but don't seek it out. Try to get an 03 model with the LED taillights. They look better although they can be retrofitted it is expensive.
Go on condition. i searched for ages to find Estoril blue and champagne leather. I travelled all the way from Essex to Bristol to view a 30k example. The guy said it was in excellent nick, well all things are relative but it had been badly treated. I almost bought to to remove it from the hands of a retard but in the end i got one with 48k that was in really good condition.
In summary these are brilliant cars. i would not hesitate to buy another or indeed a whole fleet of them. Fast, comfortable, reliable and a really nice aggresive stance. Once you drive one for a length of time you will realise the amount of design and engineering that went in to them.
Go on condition. i searched for ages to find Estoril blue and champagne leather. I travelled all the way from Essex to Bristol to view a 30k example. The guy said it was in excellent nick, well all things are relative but it had been badly treated. I almost bought to to remove it from the hands of a retard but in the end i got one with 48k that was in really good condition.
In summary these are brilliant cars. i would not hesitate to buy another or indeed a whole fleet of them. Fast, comfortable, reliable and a really nice aggresive stance. Once you drive one for a length of time you will realise the amount of design and engineering that went in to them.
Edited by ac427 on Thursday 31st December 12:15
Edited by ac427 on Thursday 31st December 12:15
Lots of great advice already offered in this thread, but I'll chip in ...
The Inspection II is a big bill so I would have to factor that into any decision/price for a M3 that was going to need one soon. Hopefully it won't cost me too much to keep it serviced for the next long while because the next service in 10k time is just oil+filter and then an Insp 1 around 15k after that.
)
--
Edited for typos
Koing said:
How does your E46 M3 'feel' to you at 40-45 and 55-60-65k miles? Have you noticed any differences and if so does the engine feel a bit lazier or anything you'd like to comment on? Anymore issues at 65k then at 45k that you noticed?
Mine is on nearly 57K miles now and still feels good. After having its big Inspection II service about 5000 miles ago I could really notice the difference, it felt like it had more midrange torque and also sounded different at tick over.The Inspection II is a big bill so I would have to factor that into any decision/price for a M3 that was going to need one soon. Hopefully it won't cost me too much to keep it serviced for the next long while because the next service in 10k time is just oil+filter and then an Insp 1 around 15k after that.
Koing said:
smg : only tried this one so far, not tried a manual but love my S2000 gear changes but fancy using smg
sat/nav
nearly loaded/ fully loaded for my price of 16k
That's a healthy budget, you should get a nice one for that I think. I test drove a few but I couldn't get on with the SMG and the scare stories of the cost if it goes wrong (rare I believe) worried me. sat/nav
nearly loaded/ fully loaded for my price of 16k
ellejay said:
The only reason i got rid of it was that it was too cramped inside for a family car
Aye, the back seats aren't much good for regular use. The fronts are good though. shillers said:
Low miles and FSH should be the main requirements - They are always the first questions asked when buying or selling.
Low mileage is nice but an M3 that has already had all the common problems sorted out is not without its benefits. We all know about the snapped springs, faulty alternators, wishbones and RTABs needing replacing relatively early in these car's lives. I would be several grand better off if I hadn't had to get all these replaced out of my own pocket. MattOz said:
My 2005 M3 has just clicked over to 63,000 miles and feels as good as it did with 40k miles on the clock. I've had it serviced by BMW and still maintain the warranty etc. I've had nothing go wrong with it and apart from an appetite for rubber and fuel, it's fantastic.
Buy on condition and service history, and don't get hung up on mileage. Many of the better cars out there have higher than average miles. Given the choice of a 30k mile 5 owner car or a 60k mile 1 owner car, I know which one I'd be taking. Bear in mind that the Inspection 2 will cost almost £1k and is due somewhere between 45k and 55k miles depending on how the car has been driven.
Look for service history and any accompanying paperwork. It must have had the running in service at approx 1200 miles and certainly before 1700 miles for it to be considered for purchase. Ignore anyone who says otherwise. If the car still has BMW warranty, then that's an added bonus. Check for signs of accident damage, but bear in mind that owners regularly have front bumpers/wings/bonnet repainted as they're prone to chips and most M3 owners are proud of their cars.
For your budget you should get a nice facelift car (March 2003 onwards)with decent spec. SatNav is a must for resale, even if a £200 tomtom is better! HK and Bluetooth are also nice to have.
^ Yep, I'd go along with pretty much all that. Personally I wasn't bothered about the SatNav because it's rubbish and the TV is analogue which means it doesn't even work now everywhere has gone digital. Having said that, I did later buy a complete OEM Sat Nav retrofit just to make the car more complete. I've never gotten around to actually fitting it though. (Indecisive, me? Buy on condition and service history, and don't get hung up on mileage. Many of the better cars out there have higher than average miles. Given the choice of a 30k mile 5 owner car or a 60k mile 1 owner car, I know which one I'd be taking. Bear in mind that the Inspection 2 will cost almost £1k and is due somewhere between 45k and 55k miles depending on how the car has been driven.
Look for service history and any accompanying paperwork. It must have had the running in service at approx 1200 miles and certainly before 1700 miles for it to be considered for purchase. Ignore anyone who says otherwise. If the car still has BMW warranty, then that's an added bonus. Check for signs of accident damage, but bear in mind that owners regularly have front bumpers/wings/bonnet repainted as they're prone to chips and most M3 owners are proud of their cars.
For your budget you should get a nice facelift car (March 2003 onwards)with decent spec. SatNav is a must for resale, even if a £200 tomtom is better! HK and Bluetooth are also nice to have.
) --
Edited for typos
Edited by Jake. on Friday 1st January 12:37
Boughtmy 02 cab 4 years ago at 28k miles, now on 48k. Never broke down or let me down, but it has been looked after properly.
Sat nav is great if you have the MK4 DVD version. I did 3000+ miles across europe last year & the nav was faultless, though it looks dated now compared to the touchscreen versions.
Get one with the extended BMW warranty if you can, BMW have never ever quibbled about replacing/sorting any issues with my car.
SMG was a must for me, & is great to use (BMW warranty helps as you can drive it as intended without worrying about big bills).
Other than the running in service, which is a must, just buy what you like the look/feel of. If you like Phoenix yellow & LSB leather, no nav & 18"s, go for it.
They are great cars, just get a good one, even if it means spending a bit more than you had planned.
Sat nav is great if you have the MK4 DVD version. I did 3000+ miles across europe last year & the nav was faultless, though it looks dated now compared to the touchscreen versions.
Get one with the extended BMW warranty if you can, BMW have never ever quibbled about replacing/sorting any issues with my car.
SMG was a must for me, & is great to use (BMW warranty helps as you can drive it as intended without worrying about big bills).
Other than the running in service, which is a must, just buy what you like the look/feel of. If you like Phoenix yellow & LSB leather, no nav & 18"s, go for it.
They are great cars, just get a good one, even if it means spending a bit more than you had planned.
Koing said:
Cheers for all of your input guys!
Now I'll look at cars with 50-55k miles as long as the car is in good condition, and has had it's Insp II service and other wearables done, cheers!
Koing
Koing, here is a shamless plug for my car. The pics are pretty poor due to the conditions but it's a very good example.Now I'll look at cars with 50-55k miles as long as the car is in good condition, and has had it's Insp II service and other wearables done, cheers!
Koing
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1429046.htm
Edited by Rawhide on Saturday 9th January 18:40
To be honest, 50-60k is nothing for these cars, my mate has a CSL which has clocked 135k and another one has a convert which has done 157k, as long as these cars are maintained properly you can take them to the moon and back. Just make sure the history adds up and items like bushes, springs, brakes etc will need replacing and if you can bu from an enthusiast.
Im in the process of buying one, but looking for one thats over 85k and has been looked after regardless of cost.
As for the 1200 service, this would not matter to a car that done over 100k as its only a service where they replace the old oils when the vehicle is new and in the early stages of being run in.
All the best.
Im in the process of buying one, but looking for one thats over 85k and has been looked after regardless of cost.
As for the 1200 service, this would not matter to a car that done over 100k as its only a service where they replace the old oils when the vehicle is new and in the early stages of being run in.
All the best.
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