£5-8k. E46 330Ci vs E46 M3?
Discussion
Captain Bongo said:
Has anyone mentioned the rear subframe issues on the E46 M3? I have been looking at them on a similar budget so read up on a few other forums. By all accounts a large number of early M3s are getting cracked rear subframes which can be very costly. Apparently BMW will usually fix as long as the car is sub 100k miles and under ten years old. Problem is that £8k puts you right on the edge of this....
Yes there is a lot on this on M3 cutters.Buy one under 10 years old, and have it checked/ fixed at BMW. Once 10 years old pay £295 and have it resin injected. Sorted
I've had both the 330 and the M3. If you've got the M itch then it's the only choice, you'll only wish you had otherwise.
Running costs on the M are obviously higher, but I wouldn't say it was wallet breaking. Even main dealer servicing wasn't too bad, as they are older now you get discounted servicing, I was paying £65 an hour. Considering the performance of the car, I'd say they're actually a bit of a bargain.
Running costs on the M are obviously higher, but I wouldn't say it was wallet breaking. Even main dealer servicing wasn't too bad, as they are older now you get discounted servicing, I was paying £65 an hour. Considering the performance of the car, I'd say they're actually a bit of a bargain.
nsi said:
Some very sensible advice, cheers fella.
PS - I feel honoured that your first post on PH was to help me. Cheers matey!
Absolutely no problem mate PS - I feel honoured that your first post on PH was to help me. Cheers matey!
If any of my comments help at all ill be chuffed to bits.
The one thing I didn't mention about M3 vs 330 was the noise in the car. The M3 is absolutely phenomenal sounding but for a daily drive with the kind of mileage your doing I would say the noise could drive you nuts and this was the deciding factor for me in choosing the 330 (I'm getting old don't you know LOL).
I was always going to buy a convertible and as a weekend car I could see the appeal of the M3 but going to work and back the noise in the cabin after 10 miles was just to much for my sensitive old ears
. It made me think why on earth people order M3 cabs with upgraded sound systems, pointless I would say but then again I so want the M badge back in my life LOLOnedesi said:
Absolutely no problem mate
If any of my comments help at all ill be chuffed to bits.
The one thing I didn't mention about M3 vs 330 was the noise in the car. The M3 is absolutely phenomenal sounding but for a daily drive with the kind of mileage your doing I would say the noise could drive you nuts and this was the deciding factor for me in choosing the 330 (I'm getting old don't you know LOL).
I was always going to buy a convertible and as a weekend car I could see the appeal of the M3 but going to work and back the noise in the cabin after 10 miles was just to much for my sensitive old ears. It made me think why on earth people order M3 cabs with upgraded sound systems, pointless I would say but then again I so want the M badge back in my life LOL
I do a 40 mile round trip to work in mine, and its not noisy at all cruising along at sensible speeds. I would say its the most comfortable car Ive had too.If any of my comments help at all ill be chuffed to bits.
The one thing I didn't mention about M3 vs 330 was the noise in the car. The M3 is absolutely phenomenal sounding but for a daily drive with the kind of mileage your doing I would say the noise could drive you nuts and this was the deciding factor for me in choosing the 330 (I'm getting old don't you know LOL).
I was always going to buy a convertible and as a weekend car I could see the appeal of the M3 but going to work and back the noise in the cabin after 10 miles was just to much for my sensitive old ears
. It made me think why on earth people order M3 cabs with upgraded sound systems, pointless I would say but then again I so want the M badge back in my life LOLDoes anyone service their M3 themselves? Looking at Inspection list 1 and 2 it doesn't really seem like much work.
Some beauts like
"Check air conditioner operation. "
"Check central locking/double lock. "
"Replace M-Mobility System sealant cartridge every 3 years. " - AKA change tin of tyre weld
Obviously some people would rather a car with a stamp in, but surely £500 to change the oil and a few filters is the "M tax"? Some are ten years old, if I had one I would certainly service it myself.
Some beauts like
"Check air conditioner operation. "
"Check central locking/double lock. "
"Replace M-Mobility System sealant cartridge every 3 years. " - AKA change tin of tyre weld
Obviously some people would rather a car with a stamp in, but surely £500 to change the oil and a few filters is the "M tax"? Some are ten years old, if I had one I would certainly service it myself.
VWAUDI said:
Does anyone service their M3 themselves? Looking at Inspection list 1 and 2 it doesn't really seem like much work.
Some beauts like
"Check air conditioner operation. "
"Check central locking/double lock. "
"Replace M-Mobility System sealant cartridge every 3 years. " - AKA change tin of tyre weld
Obviously some people would rather a car with a stamp in, but surely £500 to change the oil and a few filters is the "M tax"? Some are ten years old, if I had one I would certainly service it myself.
As long as you have access to a ramp so you can get the car in the air to check RTAB, diff, etc bushes then I suppose you could do it yourself.Some beauts like
"Check air conditioner operation. "
"Check central locking/double lock. "
"Replace M-Mobility System sealant cartridge every 3 years. " - AKA change tin of tyre weld
Obviously some people would rather a car with a stamp in, but surely £500 to change the oil and a few filters is the "M tax"? Some are ten years old, if I had one I would certainly service it myself.
A top budget of 8k will probably get you a more leggy M3. If you can afford the extra servicing costs (and they are expensive) then I'd try and get a well looked after M3.
In saying that, you already have an Evo, I'd probably be tempted to use that for my driving thrills and get a better example of the 330Ci (to go against the "Petrolhead" ethos slightly!)
In saying that, you already have an Evo, I'd probably be tempted to use that for my driving thrills and get a better example of the 330Ci (to go against the "Petrolhead" ethos slightly!)
VWAUDI said:
Does anyone service their M3 themselves? Looking at Inspection list 1 and 2 it doesn't really seem like much work.
Some beauts like
"Check air conditioner operation. "
"Check central locking/double lock. "
"Replace M-Mobility System sealant cartridge every 3 years. " - AKA change tin of tyre weld
Obviously some people would rather a car with a stamp in, but surely £500 to change the oil and a few filters is the "M tax"? Some are ten years old, if I had one I would certainly service it myself.
You've missed off the major reason why its expensive - the valve clearances are inspected at each inspection service. This is the reason why its so expensive compared to even an M5, not because it has M tax. It's pretty labour intensive as a result.Some beauts like
"Check air conditioner operation. "
"Check central locking/double lock. "
"Replace M-Mobility System sealant cartridge every 3 years. " - AKA change tin of tyre weld
Obviously some people would rather a car with a stamp in, but surely £500 to change the oil and a few filters is the "M tax"? Some are ten years old, if I had one I would certainly service it myself.
My friend recently bought one, albeit a vert.
He did about 350 miles on the way home and average 29mpg at about 75/80mph. His is a manual.
I had a look over it and it needed 2 new tyres (he noticed this) and new discs/pads all round.
The combined cost of these items is roughly £1200 not including fitting. Thats based on £700 for BMW OE discs & pads and £250 per rear tyre.
Its a very nice car and I knew it would be expensive to run but I didnt realise that you'd be charged almost a grand if you had the discs & pads changed all round by a garage.
Madness!
He did about 350 miles on the way home and average 29mpg at about 75/80mph. His is a manual.
I had a look over it and it needed 2 new tyres (he noticed this) and new discs/pads all round.
The combined cost of these items is roughly £1200 not including fitting. Thats based on £700 for BMW OE discs & pads and £250 per rear tyre.
Its a very nice car and I knew it would be expensive to run but I didnt realise that you'd be charged almost a grand if you had the discs & pads changed all round by a garage.
Madness!
Fox- said:
You've missed off the major reason why its expensive - the valve clearances are inspected at each inspection service. This is the reason why its so expensive compared to even an M5, not because it has M tax. It's pretty labour intensive as a result.
My mistake. It appears that the BMW tools to do this are expensive, but it can be accomplished on a DIY basis.I am determined to get a BMW 'vert for my next car, and am torn between E36 M3 and E46 330i, both manual but the E36 is surely a better drive, but the E46 more modern and nicer to look at.
Edited by VWAUDI on Wednesday 22 February 06:57
nsi said:
I've also had a look at some comparative stats from Parkers:
* Per Parkers Guide
21mpg for the M3 looks scary compared to 31 for the 330Ci, is that really right? Parkers only quotes a single MPG figure, which I therefore assume (hope!) must be a combined figure and that the motorway figures will be better.
On an earlier post I guessed at 730d = 37, 33Ci = 35 and M3 = 30. Is that realistic? Where can I proper motorway MPG figures for each car?
Cheers
My E46 M3 with the cruise set to 80-ish returns a consistent mpg of high 29s. My commute to work sees it return 25mpg with a mix of mostly back roads and a short bit of dual carriageway. | Model | Urban | Combined * | Motorway | Insurance Group | Power | 0-60mph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 730d | ?? | 34 mpg | ?? | Grp 45 | 227bhp | 7.6s |
| 330Ci | ?? | 31 mpg | ?? | Grp 35 | 227bhp | 6.3s |
| M3 | ?? | 21 mpg | ?? | Grp 44 | 338bhp | 5.0s |
* Per Parkers Guide
21mpg for the M3 looks scary compared to 31 for the 330Ci, is that really right? Parkers only quotes a single MPG figure, which I therefore assume (hope!) must be a combined figure and that the motorway figures will be better.
On an earlier post I guessed at 730d = 37, 33Ci = 35 and M3 = 30. Is that realistic? Where can I proper motorway MPG figures for each car?
Cheers
Note that the 18" tyres are an odd size though so cost quite a bit more than the 330 18" tyres IIRC.
Go with the M3, you'll be disappointed if you're in the position of affording either and you go with the less wild option. They're amazing cars that give SO much driver satisfaction, yet can cruise along quite happily with the auto lights, wipers and cruise doing almost everything for you. I can't think of another car that does so much at this price point.
having owned several versions of both -
1 - 330ci if you just want a good cruiser, but not really a fast fast road car, but lovely to drive everyday - -mpg 24-26 ave, motorways 31 mpg
2 - M3 needs a bit of winding up - 330ci can feel quicker lower down the rev range, but ave 21 mpg, with 26 ave on a trip to south of france. Love the LSD, brakes are rubbish but good value at the moment...
For me an M3 coupe is a brilliant car, a 330 gives you a lovely everyday car and good running costs....some of the e46's M3's are starting to look a bit chavy with add ons, which doesnt help anyone bar halfords....
1 - 330ci if you just want a good cruiser, but not really a fast fast road car, but lovely to drive everyday - -mpg 24-26 ave, motorways 31 mpg
2 - M3 needs a bit of winding up - 330ci can feel quicker lower down the rev range, but ave 21 mpg, with 26 ave on a trip to south of france. Love the LSD, brakes are rubbish but good value at the moment...
For me an M3 coupe is a brilliant car, a 330 gives you a lovely everyday car and good running costs....some of the e46's M3's are starting to look a bit chavy with add ons, which doesnt help anyone bar halfords....
ortontom said:
having owned several versions of both -
1 - 330ci if you just want a good cruiser, but not really a fast fast road car, but lovely to drive everyday - -mpg 24-26 ave, motorways 31 mpg
2 - M3 needs a bit of winding up - 330ci can feel quicker lower down the rev range, but ave 21 mpg, with 26 ave on a trip to south of france. Love the LSD, brakes are rubbish but good value at the moment...
For me an M3 coupe is a brilliant car, a 330 gives you a lovely everyday car and good running costs....some of the e46's M3's are starting to look a bit chavy with add ons, which doesnt help anyone bar halfords....
I'd pretty much agree with this, for day to day normal driving a 46 330 is a nicer place to sit and looks a bit flashier on the surface. An excellent all rounder. My e36 evo is an older, cheaper looking car and in normal day to day driving feels a bit clunkier, noisier and more rattly by comparison. If you do want to go very, very fast on occasion though, the 330 will feel far less focused and more sluggish. That said ive noticed a lot of m3 drivers really dont seem to know how to place the power on the road properly and end up thinking the performance is similar as a result.1 - 330ci if you just want a good cruiser, but not really a fast fast road car, but lovely to drive everyday - -mpg 24-26 ave, motorways 31 mpg
2 - M3 needs a bit of winding up - 330ci can feel quicker lower down the rev range, but ave 21 mpg, with 26 ave on a trip to south of france. Love the LSD, brakes are rubbish but good value at the moment...
For me an M3 coupe is a brilliant car, a 330 gives you a lovely everyday car and good running costs....some of the e46's M3's are starting to look a bit chavy with add ons, which doesnt help anyone bar halfords....
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