e46 m3 hifi option??

[jedi-knight83]

Hi.

I just got a very reasonable insurance quote for an E46 so things are looking good for a purchace.. finally.
(insurance quote was £760 with direct line.. im 24 with 7yrs NCB)

Already know i want

Face lift
Dark grey with red or cinamon leather or Topaz blue with black leather
SMG (still not driven either but 90% sure i want to go that route)
sub 50k miles

But im not sure if i want to bother with the satnav / tv option or if i want the HK upgrade?

what were the different hifi options on a 53 / 04 plate car?
what were the actual differences with the HK upgrade hifi's? different HU or just different speakers, extra amp??
Is it worth holding out for a HK hifi or will simple speaker upgrades in the future yeild the same results?
How easy is it to hook an ipod up to the different head units?

thanks in advance

also bear in mind im not a fan of built in sat nav units... and would probably still use my Tomtom unit anyway

Nathan

Edited by jedi-knight83 on Wednesday 26th March 15:56

[sleep envy]

don't bother holding out for the built in sat nav - mine was rubbish and tech moves forward at such a pace a new TomTom will be far better than a 4 year old BMW unit

I had HK in my e46 M3, worthwhile upgrade as I've since got bored of pulling interiors apart to do ICE upgrades

IIRC the head units are the same, there were amps and upgrades/more speakers

[jedi-knight83]

thats was my thinking about the satnav... but if the hifi is better with the screen then i still dont mind waiting for one of those instead... plus people say the satnav cars sell quicker / for slightly more?

Anyone else have info on what exactly the HK upgrade includes?

Also what are the best ways to connect an ipod. I currently use a simple tape adapter in my S3 which i love.. Can still use the ipod controls, sounds fine, cost about £20.

I hate the ipod connections that lock the ipod so you have to control it via the HU.

thanks again in advance

[LittleBro]

jedi-knight83 said:

thats was my thinking about the satnav... but if the hifi is better with the screen then i still dont mind waiting for one of those instead... plus people say the satnav cars sell quicker / for slightly more?

True, but that means you'll pick one up without Nav for less Every cloud and all that.

[M15ley]

I would seriously look at driving an SMG before you buy. Nice idea in theory and a little blast round the roads will feel good but the novilty will soon wear off and you will end up driving most places in auto mode which isnt my idea of 'the ultimate driving machine'

[J.T.]

M15ley said:

I would seriously look at driving an SMG before you buy. Nice idea in theory etc etc etc

SMG can of worms once again - for the record I absolutely disagree with your views. Have never resorted to auto mode although only clocked up 7k miles in the past 2 months.

Meanwhile, back on message..... suggest a visit to mtorque.co.uk and search in the Sat-Nav, Comms & In-Car Technology thread. You have to be a member but there is an answer to pretty much every question you may want an answer too and then some.

Good luck with your search - great car (whatever the 'box!)

JT

[jedi-knight83]

cheers JT for the link.. will sign up asap

before i bought my s3 i spent ages researching the different options to work out which ones i wanted.. then waited a year till the right spec came for sale

atleast with the m3 its unlikely i'll have to wait long as there are loads more of them changing hand at the moment.

regarding the gear box... its a bit difficult to drive them both though isnt it... or can i still walk into a bmw dealer and expect them to have both available?? (i think not)

.. so im a bit stuck with just a brief test drive once i find the right car... and if i dont like it after a few months... well it can go up for sale again and i'll look for a manual or something else...

[alanm_3]

I've had a manual and an SMG, and I have to say that once you get used to the SMG it's hard to argue against it. It does take a bit of time to get used to it. Initially I assumed it was an automatic gearbox, but in reality, unless you out it into auto mode, it's more like a manual without a clutch (if that makes sense!).
It can be difficult to change gear smoothly until you realise a small lift off the gas will result in much smoother changes.

If I was to choose again, it would be SMG all the way!


Enjoy your choice!

[wilftwo]

Have got HK upgrade. Not sure what it comprises exactly. Sound is okay but a bit disappointing compared to my old Audi A8 Bose to be honest.

Standard system is rubbish.

If you really care about hi fi you will still want to upgrade yourself.

[Thorny]

Personally I think the sat nav is a worthwhile option, simply because it looks a lot smarter in the dash than a tom tom (which is great too).

Also I would go for SMG - I had it and loved it!

[chris7676]

Jedi and needs satnav? Use the force.