E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE - 2004

[SebringMan]

Cliff J said:

Thank you, I'm not sure our choice is the general consensus within the M3 community, but there you go lol

I was going to say, it's brave saying that on a forum where it's 3 pedals or nothing. But I quite like the SMG format over a stock manual, and it's fun albeit in a different way, yet still involving.

If you haven't had it done definitely get the CSL SMG rev match/shifting update done. It will transform the car and vastly improve the shifting. If you pay someone to do it for you it will be about the best £100 you spend on the car. I did not want to stop driving mine after I had it done.

A lovely spec indeed! I almost went with a similar car to yours, except it was a pre-facelift with red leather seats. The issue for me was that despite it being less miles than my Coupe it wanted alot of cash throwing at it. This possibly a relay or SMG pump motor fault and that's before I touch the wheels being shot, tyres being cheapos, leaking and worn most of the way around, shot discs and some love to the paintwork. It's a shame as the guy gave it a service and spent a small fortune in getting it new bushes etc.

Best of luck with the car. It looks good in the pictures. They are a lovely thing. I hope yours is not too costly to own.

SuperVM said:

Very nice OP! I sold my E46 M3 coupe over the weekend, gutted

Damn, that was only for a short while! It sounds like you enjoyed the car mind you.

It is a shame really. I sometimes sway between selling mine or not TBH. The car is lovely as a package but it's not the cheapest thing to run from a maintenance POV as you know with my thread. That and the miles will only stuff the value with it being pushed even more into daily duties ; my commute is now 15 miles a day from being around 6 miles a week! But then I know a modern will depreciate anyway...

[Cliff J]

el romeral said:

Looks superb. Those arches are well filled.

Thank you. They’re not done with yet though, there’s still room to go wider and a touch lower.

[Cliff J]

SebringMan said:

Cliff J said:

Thank you, I'm not sure our choice is the general consensus within the M3 community, but there you go lol

I was going to say, it's brave saying that on a forum where it's 3 pedals or nothing. But I quite like the SMG format over a stock manual, and it's fun albeit in a different way, yet still involving.

If you haven't had it done definitely get the CSL SMG rev match/shifting update done. It will transform the car and vastly improve the shifting. If you pay someone to do it for you it will be about the best £100 you spend on the car. I did not want to stop driving mine after I had it done.

A lovely spec indeed! I almost went with a similar car to yours, except it was a pre-facelift with red leather seats. The issue for me was that despite it being less miles than my Coupe it wanted alot of cash throwing at it. This possibly a relay or SMG pump motor fault and that's before I touch the wheels being shot, tyres being cheapos, leaking and worn most of the way around, shot discs and some love to the paintwork. It's a shame as the guy gave it a service and spent a small fortune in getting it new bushes etc.

Best of luck with the car. It looks good in the pictures. They are a lovely thing. I hope yours is not too costly to own.

SuperVM said:

Very nice OP! I sold my E46 M3 coupe over the weekend, gutted

Damn, that was only for a short while! It sounds like you enjoyed the car mind you.

It is a shame really. I sometimes sway between selling mine or not TBH. The car is lovely as a package but it's not the cheapest thing to run from a maintenance POV as you know with my thread. That and the miles will only stuff the value with it being pushed even more into daily duties ; my commute is now 15 miles a day from being around 6 miles a week! But then I know a modern will depreciate anyway...

Mine just had a £2500 SMG overhaul, I was told it’d also had a software upgrade but can’t find it on the reciept, except for “reprogramme gearbox values”. It blips on downshift using the paddles, is that any part of it or standard feature?

[C70R]

matthias73 said:

C70R said:

As the owner of a (bargain) 330ci Sport Coupe, I wouldn't hold your breath. There are still a LOAD of cars out there, so getting "good money" means that the car needs to be absolutely exceptional (low miles, great spec/combo, fsh etc.).
I paid £1800 for my current Coupe, with <100k miles and decent spec. They have a while to go before the price starts climbing out of the 'mire.

I'm aware they are fully in the mire. It's great for parts.

When I say good money I'm suggesting 3-4k for an immaculate 330 vert or clubsport.

Lurking on the e46 Facebook pages is an interesting experience. Lots of people trying to sell their 316 for top money and getting offended when people offer less.

Lots of dreamers in E46 circles, that's for sure - but find me an owners' group where that isn't the case...
For £4k, I'd be expecting something with low miles/FSH, late/facelift, probably an Individual, and definitely festooned with options (HK, sunroof, bum-warmers etc.).
My car was £1800 because it was silver and pre-facelift (the latter being a preference for me), but it ticks all of the other boxes - just goes to show what's out there for people who are prepared to wait/haggle.

[SuperVM]

SebringMan said:

Damn, that was only for a short while! It sounds like you enjoyed the car mind you.

It is a shame really. I sometimes sway between selling mine or not TBH. The car is lovely as a package but it's not the cheapest thing to run from a maintenance POV as you know with my thread. That and the miles will only stuff the value with it being pushed even more into daily duties ; my commute is now 15 miles a day from being around 6 miles a week! But then I know a modern will depreciate anyway...

Yeah, I only bought it in April, but some rather unexpected house related bills came my way in the meantime. With a bit of luck I'll have another in the summer.

Cars are meant to be enjoyed, this whole buying a car as an investment thing is the death of the hobby. Once upon a time we could buy E36 M3 Evos and E39 M5s cheaply and enjoy them. Now everyone is so concerned about future values that a lot of these cars just sit there unused. Just enjoy yours and don't worry about the miles. Alternatively, if I was commuting 15 miles a day, I'd run or cycle it and save the M3 for the weekends.

[SebringMan]

C70R said:

Lots of dreamers in E46 circles, that's for sure - but find me an owners' group where that isn't the case...
For £4k, I'd be expecting something with low miles/FSH, late/facelift, probably an Individual, and definitely festooned with options (HK, sunroof, bum-warmers etc.).
My car was £1800 because it was silver and pre-facelift (the latter being a preference for me), but it ticks all of the other boxes - just goes to show what's out there for people who are prepared to wait/haggle.

This will shock you then:

https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/bmw-e46-330-c...

As will this:

https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/bmw-e46-330ci...

The Blue one looked more honest to me, but both were nice examples, nicer than most E46s I have seen for quite some time. They also defy the PH values by quite a way.

[DonaldTrump]

Cars like various other things in life are worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for them. I personally couldn't see myself parting with nearly £12k for a 330 vert but obviously there are people out there who would.

[anonymous-user]

DonaldTrump said:

Cars like various other things in life are worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for them. I personally couldn't see myself parting with nearly £12k for a 330 vert but obviously there are people out there who would.

I absolutely HATE your username.
Now back on topic, I wouldn´t pay that much personally but I can understand people who would. This particular car had an Individual Paint which looks just stunning (not always the case) plus its ULTRA low mileage. I think they treat this more like an investment than a "real" car.

[Cliff J]

C70R said:

Lots of dreamers in E46 circles, that's for sure - but find me an owners' group where that isn't the case...
For £4k, I'd be expecting something with low miles/FSH, late/facelift, probably an Individual, and definitely festooned with options (HK, sunroof, bum-warmers etc.).
My car was £1800 because it was silver and pre-facelift (the latter being a preference for me), but it ticks all of the other boxes - just goes to show what's out there for people who are prepared to wait/haggle.

As I said before, I had no interest with my 120k 330ci convertible until I dropped the price to £3999, and then I had a whole load of offers around the 3.5k figure, and of course the obligatory offer of a 6000bhp Toyota Starlet with a blown engine in mint condition except for the rust and dents!
Mine also had 11 previous owners to me, but it just needed the right person at the right time and plenty of patience, even though the car is gone I still feel it was well worth the £3650 it sold for.

[SebringMan]

Cliff J said:

Mine just had a £2500 SMG overhaul, I was told it’d also had a software upgrade but can’t find it on the reciept, except for “reprogramme gearbox values”. It blips on downshift using the paddles, is that any part of it or standard feature?

If it blips on the downshifts it has the CSL software in a nutshell. There is a second part which is not generally activated ; the auto mode will default to D3 whenever you change from manual to auto. That is meant to make the gear changes smoother. The blips however make a nice difference to the downchanges.

[SebringMan]

Cliff J said:

Mine just had a £2500 SMG overhaul, I was told it’d also had a software upgrade but can’t find it on the reciept, except for “reprogramme gearbox values”. It blips on downshift using the paddles, is that any part of it or standard feature?

If it blips on the downshifts it has the CSL software in a nutshell. There is a second part which is not generally activated ; the auto mode will default to D3 whenever you change from manual to auto. That is meant to make the gear changes smoother. The blips however make a nice difference to the downchanges.

SuperVM said:

Yeah, I only bought it in April, but some rather unexpected house related bills came my way in the meantime. With a bit of luck I'll have another in the summer.

Cars are meant to be enjoyed, this whole buying a car as an investment thing is the death of the hobby. Once upon a time we could buy E36 M3 Evos and E39 M5s cheaply and enjoy them. Now everyone is so concerned about future values that a lot of these cars just sit there unused. Just enjoy yours and don't worry about the miles. Alternatively, if I was commuting 15 miles a day, I'd run or cycle it and save the M3 for the weekends.

If the cycle routes were better I'd definitely consider cycling ; timewise and leaving wise cycling would be in my favour. Country roads and a lack of cycling routes put me off; I have a few cycle hating friends to know how they treat cyclists on the road.

I guess for me I want the moon on a stick. I bought the M3 as I wanted something fun but relatively cheap to run once you account for depreciation etc.. But I think I found that in the Clio 172 and I may have found it in a 330i if I owned one, but my previous car history doesn't help there. That and you cannot live with the idea of "what if...".

[Cliff J]

I took the M3, (plus the wife and dog), for a weekend away in the Cotswolds this weekend, stayed at a stunning hotel in Broadway.
This was an excellent test for the car as the journey from High Wycombe has a mixture of motorway, A and B roads, plus rough single track country lanes and a huge amount of twisties, add in some pretty Cotswold towns and it completes the picture.
I learnt that the car is smooth and comfortable but full of power on the motorways, my brakes work very well, the suspension is a touch bouncy and the wide tyres tramline a fair bit.
I bottomed out a couple of times on fast uneven roads, it doesn't like speed humps but wow it handles well!!!
The pull and noise of this M3 is pretty immense, I know it's not the fastest thing on the road but it's just so satisfying opening it up and creating a huge gap between you and the traffic behind.

I said it before, but I'll say it again without any cares, this car is aggressive, angry, noisey, a bit of a hooligan, but also very classy and you can see people looking it over with full respect, I'm so happy I finally bought one!!!

I took a few iPhone photos, I'm saving spending time with the car and my proper camera until I can change over my personal plate.

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

[wjb]

Cliff J said:

wjb said:

That's lovely OP. And a carbon black SMG cab is the exact spec I'd go for in an E46 M3.

Thank you, I'm not sure our choice is the general consensus within the M3 community, but there you go lol

I know the "poser spec" won't get me any kudos with the PH or m3cutters massive but I love the SMG box, and having had about five 3 series bmw's in coupe/saloon form, I'd fancy a change to a cab if I ever got an M flavoured one.

[Cliff J]

wjb said:

Cliff J said:

wjb said:

That's lovely OP. And a carbon black SMG cab is the exact spec I'd go for in an E46 M3.

Thank you, I'm not sure our choice is the general consensus within the M3 community, but there you go lol

I know the "poser spec" won't get me any kudos with the PH or m3cutters massive but I love the SMG box, and having had about five 3 series bmw's in coupe/saloon form, I'd fancy a change to a cab if I ever got an M flavoured one.

As I said in my opening post, I've had 6 BMW's, these are them in order....


1. E30 325i Mtech sport

318167_10150838265287944_77749217_n by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


2. E36 328i convertible

BMW E36 328i Techno violet convertible by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


3. E46 330ci Convertible

BMW E46 330ci Convertible by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


4. E46 320d Convertible

15621582_10154147649057944_4706747900183857743_n by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


5. E46 330ci Facelift Convertible

BMW E46 330 CONVERTIBLE by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


If I was a more Motorsport/track interested person, I guess it would have been a coupe this time around, but I love a convertible, as you can see.
Earlier this year we went to Cornwall to our holiday home, I took the grey 330, in the evenings we drove with the roof down, 21/22 degrees temps, stars out, coastal route views, it was perfection, I'd miss it too much with a solid roof.... at the moment.

[Cliff J]

I did a couple of bits today, but also found other things I need to do!!

First off, these were my stone chipped headlight lenses...

IMG_2684 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

I bought a pair of replacement lenses on eBay for £27 delivered!!!!!


IMG_2687 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

I did them in situ, unclipped the headlight lenses and fitted the new ones, it only took 10 minutes.


IMG_2688 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

IMG_2689 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

IMG_2692 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

The difference is night and day, so much fresher.

I then fitted my new 20mm front spacers, they look great but I forgot to take photos as I got bogged down with another issue.
I found that both of my front brake disc shields/covers have rusted and broken at the point they mount onto the suspension shock, which means they fall towards the hub, which meant they caught on my new longer wheel nuts and caused a proper racket!!

Temporarily I've tied them back, but need to replace them both now.

Also, I need front discs and pads as a matter of ASAP.com!

Edited by Cliff J on Thursday 5th October 23:25

[Mr Tidy]

Fantastic looking car OP.

Having read all of this thread I understand why you went for an SMG - but for now it's manual all the way for me (while I can).

I'm not a fan of convertibles either, but can see their appeal! At the end of the day it's your car, so your choice!

I'm currently on BMW number 5 - a manual Z4 Coupe (a Z4MC was out of budget) but that S54 engine is something else! Enjoy!

[Cliff J]

Mr Tidy said:

Fantastic looking car OP.

Having read all of this thread I understand why you went for an SMG - but for now it's manual all the way for me (while I can).

I'm not a fan of convertibles either, but can see their appeal! At the end of the day it's your car, so your choice!

I'm currently on BMW number 5 - a manual Z4 Coupe (a Z4MC was out of budget) but that S54 engine is something else! Enjoy!

Thank you, and yes, I totally get that the M3 should be a Coupe, and manual of course, but I'm having so much fun in this car, being a hooligan again after years of very muted cars, and honestly, I really do doubt I could be happier.
I was never a big fan of the M3 rasp, it reminded me of an old Mk3 Astra Gsi I used to own, which had an annoying hole in the manifold and used to make that tinny rasp sound lol, but now I've really bonded with it, the sound is very different to almost anything on the road.

[Cliff J]

Gave the car a clean and a polish today, I also took a couple of iPhone photos which show the 20mm front spacers fitted, which fill the arches a bit better I feel.

IMG_2707 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


IMG_2708 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

[Cliff J]

Update time...

I had my first ever paint correction valet done by a friend of mine Amadeo, owner of FULL WAX, and I'm so delighted!!!
You may also notice I've got my private plate on the car now too, which really cements the car as mine now (in my brain at least).

The photos are only iPhone, I apologise for that, better photos to follow very soon..

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


The photos also show my 20mm front spacers a little better.

[Cliff J]

So I finally got my camera out after a month of ownership and plenty of iPhone photos, the cameras on those things are just too good nowadays and make me really lazy!!!

Boring setting I know, but my newly valeted paintwork looks best in a concrete jungle environment I feel


BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


And yes, I'm badly out of practice, made plenty of mistakes and I need to go put the hours in... I know already!!!