E46 M3's - Upsides/Downsides?
Discussion
During my trawl of the classifieds, noticed that E46 M3's are getting rather cheap now(7k gets a nice one) and I was curious if there is something which happens to them like VANOS which means they dont hold value or are they just cheap as nobody wants them?
I suspect them doing ~25mpg doesn't help but surely that can't be the only reason why?
I suspect them doing ~25mpg doesn't help but surely that can't be the only reason why?
You can get 32-35mpg (indicated) on a motorway cruise. Tyres are expensive, especially good quality 19" ones. Shims needs asjustment every inspection service which alot of owners (and some BMW garages after charging you for it) fail to do.
From 1st January 2004 they moved from a 6 year paint warranty to a 12 year one. Try and go for the later car.
Brakes are not brilliant on the track but adequate on the road. The rear subframe does indeed crack on some and rust is setting in. Both of these (the cracking subframe and the rust) is an absolute joke and BMW should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
They are excellent fun though, just bear in mind that proper servicing and proper tyres can be quite expensive.
Often people say that SMG is rubbish and the manual is better. These people are wrong.
People often say that options are pointless and the Nav is rubbish. These people are also wrong. Try and get a high spec one as its easier to sell on later and if possible go for a late model with MK4 Nav, Bluetooth and voice recognition such as the one below
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...
From 1st January 2004 they moved from a 6 year paint warranty to a 12 year one. Try and go for the later car.
Brakes are not brilliant on the track but adequate on the road. The rear subframe does indeed crack on some and rust is setting in. Both of these (the cracking subframe and the rust) is an absolute joke and BMW should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
They are excellent fun though, just bear in mind that proper servicing and proper tyres can be quite expensive.
Often people say that SMG is rubbish and the manual is better. These people are wrong.
People often say that options are pointless and the Nav is rubbish. These people are also wrong. Try and get a high spec one as its easier to sell on later and if possible go for a late model with MK4 Nav, Bluetooth and voice recognition such as the one below
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...
FeelingLucky said:
Upsides:
The best all rounder available for <£10k bar none
Masterpiece engine.
Relatively reliable/economical
Downsides:
Every mis-informed knobbler on internet forums will tell you that the rear floor will crack due to subframe issues.
Have a nip over to m3cutters and see just how many floors BMW are replacing this week alone. The best all rounder available for <£10k bar none
Masterpiece engine.
Relatively reliable/economical
Downsides:
Every mis-informed knobbler on internet forums will tell you that the rear floor will crack due to subframe issues.
FeelingLucky said:
Upsides:
The best all rounder available for <£10k bar none
Masterpiece engine.
Relatively reliable/economical
Downsides:
Every mis-informed knobbler on internet forums will tell you that the rear floor will crack due to subframe issues.
And some people even go so far as to show photos of said cracks, but ignore those, they're all fake.The best all rounder available for <£10k bar none
Masterpiece engine.
Relatively reliable/economical
Downsides:
Every mis-informed knobbler on internet forums will tell you that the rear floor will crack due to subframe issues.
VinceFox said:
And some people even go so far as to show photos of said cracks, but ignore those, they're all fake.
Just like e36 VANOS failures, and Porsche 996 IMS failures, a small fraction suffer the failure, and the internet grape vine blows it up into "they all fail in time" and back it up with evidence like "look at this picture, the floor is cracked, that means they all will crack"I asked my indy to check mine for issues (they maintained mine for six years) and said no problems seen, but then, they hadn't seen the problem on any car.
FeelingLucky said:
VinceFox said:
And some people even go so far as to show photos of said cracks, but ignore those, they're all fake.
Just like e36 VANOS failures, and Porsche 996 IMS failures, a small fraction suffer the failure, and the internet grape vine blows it up into "they all fail in time" and back it up with evidence like "look at this picture, the floor is cracked, that means they all will crack"I asked my indy to check mine for issues (they maintained mine for six years) and said no problems seen, but then, they hadn't seen the problem on any car.
I'm very happy with mine. I bought it 3 years ago with 100 000 km and now have 150 000 km. My subframe is not cracked. I recommend stock springs with Koni shocks... it's comfortable yet handles well. I also recommend heavy-duty rear shock top mounts.
I have managed to regain an "aggressive" stance despite the stock ride height by adding spacers behind the original equipment 18" wheels.
The tire wear and fuel economy are annoyances.
I had to remount the front of my driver seat an inch higher to get some thigh support (I am 6'3" and long-legged).
Even though the car is 10 years old, it still draws appreciative comments.
Over all, it has been an excellent and reliable car. My wife refuses to even consider changing for a newer car.
I have managed to regain an "aggressive" stance despite the stock ride height by adding spacers behind the original equipment 18" wheels.
The tire wear and fuel economy are annoyances.
I had to remount the front of my driver seat an inch higher to get some thigh support (I am 6'3" and long-legged).
Even though the car is 10 years old, it still draws appreciative comments.
Over all, it has been an excellent and reliable car. My wife refuses to even consider changing for a newer car.
FeelingLucky said:
Upsides:
The best all rounder available for <£10k bar none
Masterpiece engine.
Relatively reliable/economical
Downsides:
Every mis-informed knobbler on internet forums will tell you that the rear floor will crack due to subframe issues.
DOWNSIDESThe best all rounder available for <£10k bar none
Masterpiece engine.
Relatively reliable/economical
Downsides:
Every mis-informed knobbler on internet forums will tell you that the rear floor will crack due to subframe issues.
Rear floors DO crack, evidence of this is all over M3 Cutters forum. However as long is the car is largely unmodified, has a strong service history with a main dealer and is less than 10yrs old from date of production, BMW will (in most cases) carry out a complete replacement and fix free of charge.
The SMG/Manual debate is a personal choice, I have the SMG and love it. BUT at 65k my SMG pump failed and it cost me 3k to be replaced at a main dealer. However, SMG pump failure is rare, depsite what people will tell you.
Tyres are expensive and you will want a premium brand, M3s do not like cheap tyres.
Fuel economy isn't too bad, I average 25-30mpg in mixed driving.
Servicing can be done at an independant for competitive prices, roughly every 12k miles. The shims DO NOT need adjustment every service.
Bear in mind though if buying at the 6-7k range, unless you know what you are looking for, you could be buying a dog, there's loads out there. First place to start browsing for quality, well kept cars is M3 Cutters forum.
When people ask you what you drive... you will automatically feel like a bit of a tit saying "M3".
UPSIDES
The are awesome fun, superb build quality, sound great, look great and still keep pace with modern performance saloons. I also have a Ferrari F430 and still enjoy climbing into the M3 for a blat!
Here's mine, with some genuine CSL mods:
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff