Help please E46 M3

Help please E46 M3

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Discussion

MarlonM

Original Poster:

141 posts

224 months

Sunday 22nd June 2008
quotequote all
Hi there guys

I have a Mitsubishi Evo 8, which I use for everyday driving.

Having looked throught the classifieds/autotrader etc, I really fancy an E46 M3, it was always a car I would like to buy to run everyday. I am looking to sell the Evo.

My mileage will be circa 8-9k per year, the bulk of that on the motorway, and I would like the SMG gearbox.

My budget is circa £15k, and would be looking at a 2002 or 2003 car. I am quite new to M3s and have a few questions:

1. What should I look for when buying one of these cars?
2. What kind of mpg can you expect on a motorway run being driven quite gently at circa 70mph?
3. What are the servicing costs for an oil change and Inspection 1 and 2?
4. Is circa £15k a realistic budget for a nice private sale, will I be buying a shed?
5. Just HOW important is the 1200 mile oil change service? I guess it invalidates he warranty if not completed, but on a 2002 car without a BMW warranty, is this a problem?
6. I quite like the cabrio, but does it suffer badly from flex/scuttle shake?

Many thanks for any advice!