E46 M3 vs CSL prices...

[derin100]

As you all know, I'm never one to bring any controversy to this forum...

But it struck me just now...during my evening musings...

I was looking at the classifieds here and couldn't help but notice the now collossal, gaping canyon that has opened up between the asking prices of 'normal' E46 M3s vs CSLs i.e essentially the better part of £20,000!

I've driven E46 M3s...but not a CSL so I cannot offer an informed opinion.

Is that £20,000 difference really worth it?

Please debate...

Edited by derin100 on Thursday 17th January 01:00

[Dave Dax builder]

I must have told you a million times to stop exaggerating.

Example:-
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/340885.htm

A 04 CSL with this many miles on it is worth about £25-27K, Hardly £20K difference really.



http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/306937.htm

vs

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/339885.htm

Or
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/339158.htm

vs

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/300233.htm

£10K seems nearer the mark.

Good for me. When I bought my CSL the same milage and age M3 was about £1500-£2000 cheaper ;o)

Edited by Dave Dax builder on Thursday 17th January 07:40

[derin100]

Granted...a bit of an exaggeration

But I've been trying to talk myself into a CSL making the better long-term financial sense to me. Their prices don't really seem to have budged in a good year or so?

I'd been getting close to the point of convincing myself when these two juxtaposed on the first page of the classifieds stared me in the face. I was surprised by the gap in price that appeared to have opened up.

Granted this morning I can see more clearly (!) and there is of course a big mileage difference between the two to factor in as well. However, the difference here really is closer to £20K (i.e £17550 difference!).

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/340885.htm

VS

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/306937.htm

Edited by derin100 on Thursday 17th January 10:02

[oola]

Drive one, then you'll truly understand that the cars are poles apart and worthy of the price difference. The M3 is a very well rounded road car, the CSL is just better in every single way.

[PieroW]

Driven both on road and track, the CSL is sharper to drive, sounds better and is more special given that M3's are common on UK roads. In my opinion it is not worth £10k more though....the M3 is better equipped and easier to drive as an everyday ride, stick a CSL Airbox on it and it sounds identical!

[E36GUY]

CSL is a totally different animal. Lighter, faster, more powerful, more set up for serious use on track. Deffo worth it in my opinion

[kayc]

E36GUY said:

CSL is a totally different animal. Lighter, faster, more powerful, more set up for serious use on track. Deffo worth it in my opinion

But also very compromised as a drive compared to a standard m3 with VERY similar performance.

[Pugsey]

Take a well equiped and much cheaper M3, spend £10k on it and you'll have a car which is better than a standard CSL on road and track. It won't BE a CSL though will it and I guess it depends how much knowing that is worth to you.

[Dave Dax builder]

kayc said:

E36GUY said:

CSL is a totally different animal. Lighter, faster, more powerful, more set up for serious use on track. Deffo worth it in my opinion

But also very compromised as a drive compared to a standard m3 with VERY similar performance.

Compromised, how?
The seats don't recline, and that's about it.


A carbon air box won't make it sound just like a CSL, it'll just sound like an M3 with a carbon fibre air box. You'll need the full Alpha N intake set up to sound like a CSL. And that includes the brain too (And a pair of cams).


Spending nearly £10k on a std M3 to make it go better than a CSL might work, but not when it comes to resale time.

I've owned all varieties of E46 M3 and the only downside to owning a CSL for me compared to the std SMG car is getting blown about more by side winds at high speed due to the car being lighter.


The CSL is plenty quicker than the std M3, there's been nothing quicker with 4 seats for the money round the TG test track.

Remember the CSL went around in the wet, which cost it 4 seconds!
Enjoy:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Laps#Power_Laps

Edited to add.
I don't think there is anything quicker with 4 seats full stop, never mind cheaper......Woohoo )

Edited by Dave Dax builder on Thursday 17th January 17:12

[skh]

They are two very different cars and generally used by different people for different things.
The standard M3 is a genuine fast road car usable every day to commute any number of miles, much like any other top range 3 series then!!
The CSL , whilst used daily by some (read few) more generally they are either a)used for trackdays and fast road outings or b) cleaned to within an inch of their lives, wrapped up in their heated garages and limited to only a few miles per year on sunny days only.
Of these the latter catagory cars will un-doubtedly fetch more premium than the former and yes £20k above average std. M3 is likely. Like the original e30 M3s which now go for as little as £5k (knackered) to £8K rising to £12k for limited models and then onto £25k for the ultimate SportEvos then the same will eventually apply.
A well kept low mileage, few owner CSL will hold good money over next few years BUT will owners really have had the best out of their investment cash wise???

[derin100]

Well, I think I've got enough BMWs doing "option b)" at the moment! I wasn't thinking about buying another to do the same.

Plus having until recently owned an E30 M3 for nearly seven years and never once put it anywhere near a track (well, I did once park it in the car park at Knockhill!)...I was really thinking in terms of a change in car for the purposes of daily driving.

Sounds like I'm talking myself in the other direction now doesn't it?

[AlxM3]

Just been looking at the Power Laps (Wikipedia link) - Suprised to see the 535d posting the same
time as the M3 - r they really that quick?!?!

[taffyracer]

no