Got a good car, want an M3, talk me out of it please
Discussion
jazzdude said:
Will an M3 be a big mistake at my age? Is this a mid life crisis thing? Will the speed, noise and hard suspension lose their appeal quickly? Need the back seats by the way.
I sold my E46 M3 convertible to a 51 yr old chap a few weeks ogo! Age is irrelevent,if you want one get one.
Appreciate all the comments, and yes it should be a no brainer, as I agree with you all.
A couple of things that are still making this a dilemma for me.
1. The car in question is 10 years old, has 87k miles, and a complete service history, including the important 1200 mile one. It is in great shape and seems to have recently had an Inspection II service, brake pads, tyres, RTAB, MOT done and the dealer is willing to put anything else that a PPI pops up done also in the deal. It ticks the boxes but is the fact that it is a still a 10 year old performance car going to be a concern to anybody? The fact that they are now fraction of their original price, is that for a good reason? I can afford the running costs, but does anyone think that these cars now past their sell by dates, or is there life still left in them?
2. Here where I live M3's, and most other large engined performance cars are not selling. Talking to people, cars like these have been on forecourts for months on end. A friend of mine has been trying to sell his M3 (coupe) for nearly 8 months, has dropped it to 75% of the price of other similar specced cars here, and he has not had a call. People are all going for cars up to 2.0 litres instead, 320i's for example, because they look the same yet are a lot cheaper.
I worry that if I swap my 2008 Audi 2.0T for the 2002 M3, that I will be stuck with it. The dealer seemed like he was taking my arm off when I suggested the swap.
My head is battering my heart.
Would you still scratch that itch or would this put you off?
A couple of things that are still making this a dilemma for me.
1. The car in question is 10 years old, has 87k miles, and a complete service history, including the important 1200 mile one. It is in great shape and seems to have recently had an Inspection II service, brake pads, tyres, RTAB, MOT done and the dealer is willing to put anything else that a PPI pops up done also in the deal. It ticks the boxes but is the fact that it is a still a 10 year old performance car going to be a concern to anybody? The fact that they are now fraction of their original price, is that for a good reason? I can afford the running costs, but does anyone think that these cars now past their sell by dates, or is there life still left in them?
2. Here where I live M3's, and most other large engined performance cars are not selling. Talking to people, cars like these have been on forecourts for months on end. A friend of mine has been trying to sell his M3 (coupe) for nearly 8 months, has dropped it to 75% of the price of other similar specced cars here, and he has not had a call. People are all going for cars up to 2.0 litres instead, 320i's for example, because they look the same yet are a lot cheaper.
I worry that if I swap my 2008 Audi 2.0T for the 2002 M3, that I will be stuck with it. The dealer seemed like he was taking my arm off when I suggested the swap.
My head is battering my heart.
Would you still scratch that itch or would this put you off?
OK I've done similar things in the past.
I moved from a newish (still under warranty) Renault Sport Clio to my Mercedes, because I'd wanted one for quite a while. I did so, because I felt the Mercedes would be fun to own in subtle, quiet ways that wouldn't wear off on me after 6 months. The Renault was a quick thrill and not really all that good as a long termer (good car though). The Mercedes works in that respect and I don't mind caring for its foibles as it enters middle/old age. I'll be keeping it for quite some time.
Your considering swapping an Audi for an M3... and I think that this might prove troublesome. With a "product design" head on, those Audi cabriolets are jewel-like in their build. They have a care in their construction that the BMW doesn't. Sure the BMW has a terrific engine, and I may be considering adding an M3 to my own fleet fairly soon, but I think you'll miss the subtleties of the Audi. You'll be getting a significantly older car and you might not connect with it, so you'll run the risk of maintenance on a much older car than you currently have, for little benefit.
I'd wait, and wait until the E93 M3 comes into reach. (I might do the same... just can't be sure).
I moved from a newish (still under warranty) Renault Sport Clio to my Mercedes, because I'd wanted one for quite a while. I did so, because I felt the Mercedes would be fun to own in subtle, quiet ways that wouldn't wear off on me after 6 months. The Renault was a quick thrill and not really all that good as a long termer (good car though). The Mercedes works in that respect and I don't mind caring for its foibles as it enters middle/old age. I'll be keeping it for quite some time.
Your considering swapping an Audi for an M3... and I think that this might prove troublesome. With a "product design" head on, those Audi cabriolets are jewel-like in their build. They have a care in their construction that the BMW doesn't. Sure the BMW has a terrific engine, and I may be considering adding an M3 to my own fleet fairly soon, but I think you'll miss the subtleties of the Audi. You'll be getting a significantly older car and you might not connect with it, so you'll run the risk of maintenance on a much older car than you currently have, for little benefit.
I'd wait, and wait until the E93 M3 comes into reach. (I might do the same... just can't be sure).
fozzymandeus said:
OK I've done similar things in the past.
I moved from a newish (still under warranty) Renault Sport Clio to my Mercedes, because I'd wanted one for quite a while. I did so, because I felt the Mercedes would be fun to own in subtle, quiet ways that wouldn't wear off on me after 6 months. The Renault was a quick thrill and not really all that good as a long termer (good car though). The Mercedes works in that respect and I don't mind caring for its foibles as it enters middle/old age. I'll be keeping it for quite some time.
Your considering swapping an Audi for an M3... and I think that this might prove troublesome. With a "product design" head on, those Audi cabriolets are jewel-like in their build. They have a care in their construction that the BMW doesn't. Sure the BMW has a terrific engine, and I may be considering adding an M3 to my own fleet fairly soon, but I think you'll miss the subtleties of the Audi. You'll be getting a significantly older car and you might not connect with it, so you'll run the risk of maintenance on a much older car than you currently have, for little benefit.
I'd wait, and wait until the E93 M3 comes into reach. (I might do the same... just can't be sure).
Nice post thanks.I moved from a newish (still under warranty) Renault Sport Clio to my Mercedes, because I'd wanted one for quite a while. I did so, because I felt the Mercedes would be fun to own in subtle, quiet ways that wouldn't wear off on me after 6 months. The Renault was a quick thrill and not really all that good as a long termer (good car though). The Mercedes works in that respect and I don't mind caring for its foibles as it enters middle/old age. I'll be keeping it for quite some time.
Your considering swapping an Audi for an M3... and I think that this might prove troublesome. With a "product design" head on, those Audi cabriolets are jewel-like in their build. They have a care in their construction that the BMW doesn't. Sure the BMW has a terrific engine, and I may be considering adding an M3 to my own fleet fairly soon, but I think you'll miss the subtleties of the Audi. You'll be getting a significantly older car and you might not connect with it, so you'll run the risk of maintenance on a much older car than you currently have, for little benefit.
I'd wait, and wait until the E93 M3 comes into reach. (I might do the same... just can't be sure).
One of reasons I know about the cars being stuck on the forecourts is that last summer when I sold a 2008 RR Vogue SE, I considered the M3 as the right change I needed (as I had hankered after one for years)and looked at a few then.
But I then did the very sensible thing, I bought the Audi for all proper reasons, great value used for its young age, fully speced with all the toys, superbly refined and well built, and reasonably cheap to maintain and run, as a response to the terrible current economic climate. Yes it will depreciate but it seemed the right thing to do and I felt one should not be frivolous in these difficult times.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Grass greener syndrome?
I went from a 308cc on a 10 plate to a Boxster S on a 52. I also got a 407 that supposedly is for my day to day running. So far they've both done 2000 miles in the 6 months I've had them.
Go for it, you won't regret a thing as soon as you're driving off in your BMW. I'm not really a big fan of the 3 series in general but I think the E46 M3 is a stunning car and one of those shapes that won't be forgotten.
Get one bought!
Go for it, you won't regret a thing as soon as you're driving off in your BMW. I'm not really a big fan of the 3 series in general but I think the E46 M3 is a stunning car and one of those shapes that won't be forgotten.
Get one bought!
In the past, I subscribed to what i felt was the sweet spot of car ownership so I haven't bought a car that's more than 3 years old or with more than 40k miles before. It was the combination of current tech at half the price that i went for. So trying to get my head around the 10 years age and 87k is the thing here.
Buying it and running it is not the issue, but trading in newish car reliability for older, more tired components, if that is the case with these, is a concern.
Buying it and running it is not the issue, but trading in newish car reliability for older, more tired components, if that is the case with these, is a concern.
jazzdude said:
In the past, I subscribed to what i felt was the sweet spot of car ownership so I haven't bought a car that's more than 3 years old or with more than 40k miles before. It was the combination of current tech at half the price that i went for. So trying to get my head around the 10 years age and 87k is the thing here.
Buying it and running it is not the issue, but trading in newish car reliability for older, more tired components, if that is the case with these, is a concern.
Yep!Buying it and running it is not the issue, but trading in newish car reliability for older, more tired components, if that is the case with these, is a concern.
Also, if a dealer suggests a straight swap, basically you're writing him a cheque for £2000 in the value differential. By your own admission these cars are hanging around on dealer forecourts at the moment, so their values are still dropping. Maybe if you waited a little while you'd get one with so much left in financial reserve that you could afford to buy yourself a smart daily driver too.
It rattles
It's pretty thirsty when you're pressing on
Expensive to run as the parts can be M specific
Looking dated unless you get a car that look nice, i.e. no tired paint and flaky alloys
I think it has a rough ride - though the new BM sports (non M) with run flats are worse
Sounds absolutely amazing
I think it will excite you in a way that the A4 can't
I think you should buy one!
It's pretty thirsty when you're pressing on
Expensive to run as the parts can be M specific
Looking dated unless you get a car that look nice, i.e. no tired paint and flaky alloys
I think it has a rough ride - though the new BM sports (non M) with run flats are worse
Sounds absolutely amazing
I think it will excite you in a way that the A4 can't
I think you should buy one!
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