E46 M3 CS + Pilot Super Sports?
Discussion
Hi guys.
After 4 years of hard saving / dreaming I've finally entered the //M fold
On Wednesday I cashed in my hard saved premium bonds and bought a 2004 M3 CS - absolutely phenomenal car
As soon as the rain and hail subsides I will take some proper pictures and post up the full spec / info.
The car is in amazing condition with barely a mark on the interior / exterior including the gorgeous CSL wheels - it’s only done 33k miles and feels like a brand new car to drive. The leather is very taught and everything has that lovely tight new feel to it. It has every single optional extra available and is a UAC and is all under BMW warranty. I am absolutely ecstatic about the purchase and it really is a dream come true and I feel very lucky to have found my perfect spec car. Everytime I look at it I get a big smile on my face
I have attached two pictures from the advert and two from my new pride of joy parked outside my house taking on a little point and shoot camera so apologies for the quality. I'm afraid I haven’t cleaned it yet either as I've been too busy burning large amounts of Shell V Power 
However she is in need of some new rear tyres. I want the absolute best for the car in every aspect and am fully prepared to pay the premium for the best tyres. I have been looking at the Michelin Pilot Super Sports which seem to have received excellent reviews. My question is will these be ok with the Michelin Pilot Sports on the front which have loads of life left? I apologise if this is a really stupid question but I remember reading on this forum that E46 M3s are very sensitive to have different tyres on the front and the rear and want to make sure I get everything 100% right.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
James
Here are some photos:




After 4 years of hard saving / dreaming I've finally entered the //M fold

On Wednesday I cashed in my hard saved premium bonds and bought a 2004 M3 CS - absolutely phenomenal car

As soon as the rain and hail subsides I will take some proper pictures and post up the full spec / info.
The car is in amazing condition with barely a mark on the interior / exterior including the gorgeous CSL wheels - it’s only done 33k miles and feels like a brand new car to drive. The leather is very taught and everything has that lovely tight new feel to it. It has every single optional extra available and is a UAC and is all under BMW warranty. I am absolutely ecstatic about the purchase and it really is a dream come true and I feel very lucky to have found my perfect spec car. Everytime I look at it I get a big smile on my face
I have attached two pictures from the advert and two from my new pride of joy parked outside my house taking on a little point and shoot camera so apologies for the quality. I'm afraid I haven’t cleaned it yet either as I've been too busy burning large amounts of Shell V Power 
However she is in need of some new rear tyres. I want the absolute best for the car in every aspect and am fully prepared to pay the premium for the best tyres. I have been looking at the Michelin Pilot Super Sports which seem to have received excellent reviews. My question is will these be ok with the Michelin Pilot Sports on the front which have loads of life left? I apologise if this is a really stupid question but I remember reading on this forum that E46 M3s are very sensitive to have different tyres on the front and the rear and want to make sure I get everything 100% right.
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
James
Here are some photos:
Edited by leeson660 on Saturday 24th December 13:08
Lovely! Manual or SMG?
Was that bought from a main dealer then, or do you mean it is just still under the AUC warranty from a previous owner? I didn't think dealers would stock a 2004 car any more.
Ball-park what did you get it for? Gonna be seriously looking for one (CS) in the new year, so trying to keep an eye on prices etc. Cheers.
Was that bought from a main dealer then, or do you mean it is just still under the AUC warranty from a previous owner? I didn't think dealers would stock a 2004 car any more.
Ball-park what did you get it for? Gonna be seriously looking for one (CS) in the new year, so trying to keep an eye on prices etc. Cheers.
leeson660 said:
On Wednesday I cashed in my hard saved premium bonds and bought a 2004 M3 CS - absolutely phenomenal car 
Totally agree that the M3 CS is a fantastic machine; however, without wishing to be a wet blanket, I don't think they were introduced until 2005 so not sure how you've managed to get a 2004 example.... 
Thanks for all the advice on the tyres I am getting a quote for all 4 today then I'll see how much its going to cost.
I wondered whether anyone would raise the 2004 CS question
The car was built in December 2004 as a UK spec show car (hence every optional extra, immaculate condition and low mileage) and was owned by BMW until 2006 when it was first registered in the UK. The previous owner bought the car through the UAC scheme in August 2011 and has sold the car due to a change in circumstance that resulted in a long commute. I've bought it from him privately but obviously substantially less than he paid 5 months ago from the dealer. I paid 16k for the car which I know is near the top end of the prices but for the car I think it's an absolute bargain and worth far more than that to me
I'm not planning on selling for a long time either.
Any further advice on tyre choice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
James
I wondered whether anyone would raise the 2004 CS question

The car was built in December 2004 as a UK spec show car (hence every optional extra, immaculate condition and low mileage) and was owned by BMW until 2006 when it was first registered in the UK. The previous owner bought the car through the UAC scheme in August 2011 and has sold the car due to a change in circumstance that resulted in a long commute. I've bought it from him privately but obviously substantially less than he paid 5 months ago from the dealer. I paid 16k for the car which I know is near the top end of the prices but for the car I think it's an absolute bargain and worth far more than that to me
I'm not planning on selling for a long time either.Any further advice on tyre choice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
James
bungle said:
Lovely! Manual or SMG?
And sorry to all the purists but its an SMG.Originally I wouldn't even look at the SMG as I wanted the manual. However a few months ago a friend of mine was good enough to let me drive his 2003 M3 Vert which had the SMG gearbox. I absolutely loved it and thought it made the car feel even more special so after that I put SMG on the 'must have' list of options.
Pig Skill said:
Good for you mate - it must be really good having saved for such a long time and finally getting your mitts on your dream car.
It will scrub up well too. Enjoy!
Thanks mate. It has been a long old road many many late nights at work and constant work to build up my own IT business. I live in Cornwall and 16k is an awful lot of money to save down here! I was pretty close to saving enough but a house purchase two years ago set me back to square one and beyond. Luckily I'm only 27 so time was on my side and no kids to drain the finances It will scrub up well too. Enjoy!

leeson660 said:
Thanks for all the advice on the tyres I am getting a quote for all 4 today then I'll see how much its going to cost.
I wondered whether anyone would raise the 2004 CS question
The car was built in December 2004 as a UK spec show car (hence every optional extra, immaculate condition and low mileage) and was owned by BMW until 2006 when it was first registered in the UK. The previous owner bought the car through the UAC scheme in August 2011 and has sold the car due to a change in circumstance that resulted in a long commute. I've bought it from him privately but obviously substantially less than he paid 5 months ago from the dealer. I paid 16k for the car which I know is near the top end of the prices but for the car I think it's an absolute bargain and worth far more than that to me
I'm not planning on selling for a long time either.
Any further advice on tyre choice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
James
Ah, explains the 2004 bit then! Given the spec and mileage that actually doesn't sound too unreasonable for an M3 CS in immaculate condition so enjoy, they really are superb cars; had mine for over 4 years and 60k miles and my only regret is selling it!I wondered whether anyone would raise the 2004 CS question

The car was built in December 2004 as a UK spec show car (hence every optional extra, immaculate condition and low mileage) and was owned by BMW until 2006 when it was first registered in the UK. The previous owner bought the car through the UAC scheme in August 2011 and has sold the car due to a change in circumstance that resulted in a long commute. I've bought it from him privately but obviously substantially less than he paid 5 months ago from the dealer. I paid 16k for the car which I know is near the top end of the prices but for the car I think it's an absolute bargain and worth far more than that to me
I'm not planning on selling for a long time either.Any further advice on tyre choice would be much appreciated.
Thanks
James
In terms of tyres, the latest Pilot Super Sports are supposed to be very good although I've no personal experience of them. I ran mine for most of the time I had it on Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas and was very pleased with them; I bought them on the back of a favourable review in EVO Magazine and overall I'd say they performed at least as well as the PS2's they replaced whilst also costing a fair bit less. However, that review was back in around 2007 and in fairness the game may have moved on since then; if the Pilot Super Sports are a significant improvement over the PS2's they may well be a step ahead of the Vreds as well!
Anyway, whatever you fit enjoy the CS; you won't regret your purchase!

Edited by JNW1 on Monday 19th December 10:49
Well I got a really good trade price through a contact that I have in the motor trade so went for Michelin Pilot Super Sports all round
If the reviews are anything to go by it should be fantastic. The rears looked amazing at the fitters, they were also much lighter than I thought they would be. That's probably because I'm used to the mighty Sava's (always ask for the cheapest tyres they have) that I have always had fitted to my old faithful 98 Honda Civic 1.4 
As a result I have a two front Michelin Pilot Sport tyres with very little wear for sale if anyone is interested? If anyone is interested please let me know I'm open to offers. I will post a few photos when I get a chance to show the wear / condition.
If the reviews are anything to go by it should be fantastic. The rears looked amazing at the fitters, they were also much lighter than I thought they would be. That's probably because I'm used to the mighty Sava's (always ask for the cheapest tyres they have) that I have always had fitted to my old faithful 98 Honda Civic 1.4 
As a result I have a two front Michelin Pilot Sport tyres with very little wear for sale if anyone is interested? If anyone is interested please let me know I'm open to offers. I will post a few photos when I get a chance to show the wear / condition.
Edited by leeson660 on Saturday 24th December 10:56
Edited by leeson660 on Saturday 24th December 10:56
I know how you feel!
I'm 26 and just spent all my savings on a Z4M for about the same sort of money. It's a lot of money to spend on a car but it does feel soooo special! I'm very proud of it. It's over twice what I've previously spent on a car so it was hard justifying so much on it.
I went for 4x new Continental Contact Sport 5's on mine in the end.
Enjoy the car it looks gorgeous. Keep it mint and drive it properly. Must admit, I'm tempted by an M3 CSL for my next car in a few months.
Ps. I'm currently driving to Cornwall! Love it there.
I'm 26 and just spent all my savings on a Z4M for about the same sort of money. It's a lot of money to spend on a car but it does feel soooo special! I'm very proud of it. It's over twice what I've previously spent on a car so it was hard justifying so much on it.
I went for 4x new Continental Contact Sport 5's on mine in the end.
Enjoy the car it looks gorgeous. Keep it mint and drive it properly. Must admit, I'm tempted by an M3 CSL for my next car in a few months.
Ps. I'm currently driving to Cornwall! Love it there.
Edited by danyeates on Monday 26th December 20:31
Cheers guys
slightly concerned about the rear tyre comment 
It will be treated to the best and driven properly. If I have to start skimping on things then I obviously cannot afford to run it.
After getting thoroughly baffled by the sheer number of cleaning products / advice etc on these forums and on the internet I ordered a range of kit to keep her looking great. Mostly from Autoglym which seemed like a good quality / reasonably priced range of products to do the job.
Just thought I'd post a few more pictures I took following a simple wash last night. Unfortunately I don't own a proper SLR so the photos were taken on my old S9600 hybrid - not a bad camera but really looking forward to getting some really good photos done by a mate who really knows his stuff on the photography side of things. Sorry to keep going on but I'm still very excited











slightly concerned about the rear tyre comment 
danyeates said:
I know how you feel!
I'm 26 and just spent all my savings on a Z4M for about the same sort of money. It's a lot of money to spend on a car but it does feel soooo special! I'm very proud of it. It's over twice what I've previously spent on a car so it was hard justifying so much on it.
I went for 4x new Continental Contact Sport 5's on mine in the end.
Enjoy the car it looks gorgeous. Keep it mint and drive it properly. Must admit, I'm tempted by an M3 CSL for my next car in a few months.
Ps. I'm currently driving to Cornwall! Love it there.
Superb mate nicely done. I love the Z4M I bet it's quite a handful! Are you looking to change it already? With CSL wheels I think they look incredible. The most I have ever spent on a car is 3k so like you its quite a step up. I'm always amazed that just 7 years / 30k miles before my car must have been around the 55k mark considering every optional extra.I'm 26 and just spent all my savings on a Z4M for about the same sort of money. It's a lot of money to spend on a car but it does feel soooo special! I'm very proud of it. It's over twice what I've previously spent on a car so it was hard justifying so much on it.
I went for 4x new Continental Contact Sport 5's on mine in the end.
Enjoy the car it looks gorgeous. Keep it mint and drive it properly. Must admit, I'm tempted by an M3 CSL for my next car in a few months.
Ps. I'm currently driving to Cornwall! Love it there.
Edited by danyeates on Monday 26th December 20:31
It will be treated to the best and driven properly. If I have to start skimping on things then I obviously cannot afford to run it.
After getting thoroughly baffled by the sheer number of cleaning products / advice etc on these forums and on the internet I ordered a range of kit to keep her looking great. Mostly from Autoglym which seemed like a good quality / reasonably priced range of products to do the job.
Just thought I'd post a few more pictures I took following a simple wash last night. Unfortunately I don't own a proper SLR so the photos were taken on my old S9600 hybrid - not a bad camera but really looking forward to getting some really good photos done by a mate who really knows his stuff on the photography side of things. Sorry to keep going on but I'm still very excited












Big E 118 said:
Lovely, looks immaculate. Bet you can't wait to get it out onto filthy gritted roads!
Did you know the Interlagos Blue ones are quicker before you bought it?
Thanks mate Did you know the Interlagos Blue ones are quicker before you bought it?


I must admit the drive home down was interesting trying to avoid the usual cow s
t strewn all over the place on the wild west roads.At least I picked the one dry day we've had in three weeks - it's hailing again now so back to normal.
Love the blue CS some really nice ones on the BMW UAC website looovely.
leeson660 said:
Cheers guys
slightly concerned about the rear tyre comment 
It will be treated to the best and driven properly. If I have to start skimping on things then I obviously cannot afford to run it.
After getting thoroughly baffled by the sheer number of cleaning products / advice etc on these forums and on the internet I ordered a range of kit to keep her looking great. Mostly from Autoglym which seemed like a good quality / reasonably priced range of products to do the job.
Just thought I'd post a few more pictures I took following a simple wash last night. Unfortunately I don't own a proper SLR so the photos were taken on my old S9600 hybrid - not a bad camera but really looking forward to getting some really good photos done by a mate who really knows his stuff on the photography side of things. Sorry to keep going on but I'm still very excited











Ooh, looks superb!
slightly concerned about the rear tyre comment 
danyeates said:
I know how you feel!
I'm 26 and just spent all my savings on a Z4M for about the same sort of money. It's a lot of money to spend on a car but it does feel soooo special! I'm very proud of it. It's over twice what I've previously spent on a car so it was hard justifying so much on it.
I went for 4x new Continental Contact Sport 5's on mine in the end.
Enjoy the car it looks gorgeous. Keep it mint and drive it properly. Must admit, I'm tempted by an M3 CSL for my next car in a few months.
Ps. I'm currently driving to Cornwall! Love it there.
Superb mate nicely done. I love the Z4M I bet it's quite a handful! Are you looking to change it already? With CSL wheels I think they look incredible. The most I have ever spent on a car is 3k so like you its quite a step up. I'm always amazed that just 7 years / 30k miles before my car must have been around the 55k mark considering every optional extra.I'm 26 and just spent all my savings on a Z4M for about the same sort of money. It's a lot of money to spend on a car but it does feel soooo special! I'm very proud of it. It's over twice what I've previously spent on a car so it was hard justifying so much on it.
I went for 4x new Continental Contact Sport 5's on mine in the end.
Enjoy the car it looks gorgeous. Keep it mint and drive it properly. Must admit, I'm tempted by an M3 CSL for my next car in a few months.
Ps. I'm currently driving to Cornwall! Love it there.
Edited by danyeates on Monday 26th December 20:31
It will be treated to the best and driven properly. If I have to start skimping on things then I obviously cannot afford to run it.
After getting thoroughly baffled by the sheer number of cleaning products / advice etc on these forums and on the internet I ordered a range of kit to keep her looking great. Mostly from Autoglym which seemed like a good quality / reasonably priced range of products to do the job.
Just thought I'd post a few more pictures I took following a simple wash last night. Unfortunately I don't own a proper SLR so the photos were taken on my old S9600 hybrid - not a bad camera but really looking forward to getting some really good photos done by a mate who really knows his stuff on the photography side of things. Sorry to keep going on but I'm still very excited












Can't go wrong with Autoglym stuff. I've just got some of heir roof cleaner and protector and the claybar kit for Christmas. Also got some Poor Boys World wheel sealant which I'm looking forward to trying. I usually use either Autosmart carunuba wax or the Autoglym High Definition carunuba wax on it to leave a nice waterbead waterproof finish to the paint.
Unfortunately had to bring the Civic down to Cornwall this time. Couldn't fit all the presents in the BMW! Looking forward to driving it tomorrow. They do indeed look awesome on CSL rims but can't really afford genuine ones and don't want replicas. Also just put all new rubber on my wheels!
Was thinking the same thing the other day. Mine was £50k just 5 years ago. I don't think there's much to touch these cars for the money now in terms of real road driving performance. I don't think I'll be changing it for anything else in the near future. Might have to change it for a house deposit before the stupid stamp duty comes back in March!
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