E39 M5/E46 M3 Ownership, is it really that scary ???
Discussion
As regards to both these cars.
They are both getting on abit now and even if you went in with your eyes open and 2-3k in reserve is it still possible to be financially ruined trying to run one as a daily driver compared to something newer and more sensible ?
Tell me your M car stories bad and good
They are both getting on abit now and even if you went in with your eyes open and 2-3k in reserve is it still possible to be financially ruined trying to run one as a daily driver compared to something newer and more sensible ?
Tell me your M car stories bad and good
Having owned and had a couple of e46 m3's and a z3m coupe in the family I would say they are genuinely not that bad. Buy a clean looked after with good history and you should be fine, only real expenditure I had on the e46 m3 was servicing and tyres. Mpg averaged 19-21.
Main things you need to look out for are the gearboxes on the smg some are getting one now and they've never been bulletproof also the subframe issues quite common.
Get yourself on m3cutters and have a read of the threads for potential buyers.
Main things you need to look out for are the gearboxes on the smg some are getting one now and they've never been bulletproof also the subframe issues quite common.
Get yourself on m3cutters and have a read of the threads for potential buyers.
In 3 years I've spent on average 5k a year including all maintenance costs, insurance increase, petrol use increase, etc etc. from my last car. I am not counting depreciation.
I couldn't care less. You might care. It's completely dependant on you, the car you buy, luck, and how much you want to spend (I wanted new brakes, clutch and tyres despite none being 'due'... I wanted it to perform as well as possible).
If you're the kind of person who really really cares about MPG, or you care more about tyre life than grip, or you think super petrol is the same as regular.... don't buy an M car. Otherwise, welcome to the asylum!
I couldn't care less. You might care. It's completely dependant on you, the car you buy, luck, and how much you want to spend (I wanted new brakes, clutch and tyres despite none being 'due'... I wanted it to perform as well as possible).
If you're the kind of person who really really cares about MPG, or you care more about tyre life than grip, or you think super petrol is the same as regular.... don't buy an M car. Otherwise, welcome to the asylum!
Well im Irish so i will be paying 1800e per annum car tax so it's a case of having to be abit mental to own one over here alright 
Mpg i can live with once i can average high teens low 20's only do 12,000 miles a year.
I just don't want to drop 9 grand on a car and have that much spent on tax for it to after 200miles decide it wanted to eat it's engine.
It's totally illogical as with almost 90% of cars a new major component like an engine would mean a small financial rejig anyway the M badge just makes me nervous
Preferance would be the M5
Mpg i can live with once i can average high teens low 20's only do 12,000 miles a year.
I just don't want to drop 9 grand on a car and have that much spent on tax for it to after 200miles decide it wanted to eat it's engine.
It's totally illogical as with almost 90% of cars a new major component like an engine would mean a small financial rejig anyway the M badge just makes me nervous
Preferance would be the M5
Gurrier said:
As regards to both these cars.
They are both getting on abit now and even if you went in with your eyes open and 2-3k in reserve is it still possible to be financially ruined trying to run one as a daily driver compared to something newer and more sensible ?
Tell me your M car stories bad and good and bad
You've got it in one. If you are prepared for that budget, then worry not. Enjoy!They are both getting on abit now and even if you went in with your eyes open and 2-3k in reserve is it still possible to be financially ruined trying to run one as a daily driver compared to something newer and more sensible ?
Tell me your M car stories bad and good and bad
Had my 2002 E39 M5 for coming up to 5 years and it's done well over 150k miles - I do about 7,000 a year. Have used main dealers for Inspections I & II to keep up the history - bills affordable and (tempting fate here!) nothing significant has gone wrong. Only non-routine items in 5 years have been a recent new clutch and rear discs/pads - around £1,000 all-in from Munich Legends.
Avoid using it around town and the petrol will be expensive, but not crazy.
So definitely not scary! Buy and enjoy!
Avoid using it around town and the petrol will be expensive, but not crazy.
So definitely not scary! Buy and enjoy!
It all really depends on the car that you buy at the age they are.
If you can get a newer car (specifically M3) which is within the 10 year goodwill for the subframe and also has the extended corrosion warranty you should cover part of things that go wrong.
The engines are pretty bullet proof providing they are serviced on time and preventative maintenance is done.
I don't drive mine all that often, but when I do, I tend to average mid 20's which tells me 2 things, I don't drive it hard enough, and I have a healthy engine.
If you can get a newer car (specifically M3) which is within the 10 year goodwill for the subframe and also has the extended corrosion warranty you should cover part of things that go wrong.
The engines are pretty bullet proof providing they are serviced on time and preventative maintenance is done.
I don't drive mine all that often, but when I do, I tend to average mid 20's which tells me 2 things, I don't drive it hard enough, and I have a healthy engine.
I've had my 2004 E46 M3 as a daily driver for a year now and it's been absolutely bullet proof so far (touch wood).
But with anything of this vintage - especially a car that was designed from the outset to be driven hard, there are risks involved. For example, if you buy one blind for £50 on e-bay that's been red lined from cold every morning and had its engine filled with chip fat, then you're likely to encounter issues.
If however, you do your automotive equivalent of due diligence and locate a good one, then you'll not be disappointed. There's still a risk of course, but then that's life.
But with anything of this vintage - especially a car that was designed from the outset to be driven hard, there are risks involved. For example, if you buy one blind for £50 on e-bay that's been red lined from cold every morning and had its engine filled with chip fat, then you're likely to encounter issues.
If however, you do your automotive equivalent of due diligence and locate a good one, then you'll not be disappointed. There's still a risk of course, but then that's life.
Edited by Krupp Stahl on Thursday 15th May 20:13
I purchased my E39 M5 in October after waiting one for year's as others have said have a good look round .I was very lucky found a real nice car with full history mostly main dealer and huge folder with all the receipts to back it all up even the original bill of sale .But I did up my budget as the cheaper examples I looked at not so good .As others have said they can be very expensive to run but any performance car will be .Good luck with the search
E46 M3 daily driver for the last 2.5 years. Nothing has gone wrong in 17k miles apart from the rear de-mister (£900 bill covered by warranty). I bought it for £12k cash at 25k miles by selling some shares. Had I not bought the car and kept them they would now be worth £700 so I would hope that the car would have significantly out performed them! 
Great motor, don't worry about what can go wrong, just think about what is so right about this car!!
Great motor, don't worry about what can go wrong, just think about what is so right about this car!!
E46 M3 as a daily here. Just over a year of ownership. Had a new alternator but covered by warranty. Apart from that had some new discs and pads and a couple of new brake hoses (one burst during the MOT brake test)
Apart from petrol nothing horrifically scary.
Buy a good one and remember that t'internet does not always tell the true story.
Apart from petrol nothing horrifically scary.
Buy a good one and remember that t'internet does not always tell the true story.
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