M3 E46 Coupe Running costs

[baronvonhorne]

Sorry if this is a rather expansive and regular question..... but I am looking to upgrade my E46 330ci Sport to an M3.

Costs of running the 330ci are really quite low at apx £500> £1000 per year (excluding petrol/ insurance, using main dealer servcing, car has done 140k) and was wondering if there is a siginificant difference with the M3 - '03 onwards??

I would be stupid to think there is no difference.... but would it be as much as double?

Cheers for any help folks!

[dan101smith]

The cost of fixing "things" if/when they go wrong is where the extra comes in.

Yes, general maintenance on an M3 is more expensive to a degree, but it's the ease with which you can be presented with a big bill that makes it an expensive proposition.

You'd ideally want to have a BMW warranty, or a few £k in the bank just in case.

[ASBO]

dan101smith said:

The cost of fixing "things" if/when they go wrong is where the extra comes in.

Yes, general maintenance on an M3 is more expensive to a degree, but it's the ease with which you can be presented with a big bill that makes it an expensive proposition.

You'd ideally want to have a BMW warranty, or a few £k in the bank just in case.

If you want a an idea of a rainy day budget, stick £3k aside for when the worst happens.

Obviously it depends on the age/mileage/condition of the car but as per the cracked S62 head thread on here, you never know when something might just go pop.

[Dr_Gonzo]

My car (03 facelift) just went in for an MOT and it ended up costing over a grand. Last oil service cost around £400 after the alterntor suspiciously broke as I was leaving the garage

[Slurms]

An E46 M3 as a fair estimate will cost you about twice as much as a 330 to run. So budget around 1k - 2k a year.

Yes it's possible that if the engine went pop it could cost thousands but at the end of the day if the engine goes pop in a 330 it's not going to be cheap either.

[stu2212]

Tyres can be a big spend,and obviosly your service bills will go up,thats the reason i goto sell my E46 M3,credit crunch and all that,think im going to down size to a 325

[dadofbud]

Come on, your a "Baron" put your hand in your pocket.

Seriously just buy on condition and history, and tyres are the most regular expence, and if you are in the "Modify" or "Standard" camp will determine how deep your pockets need to be.

Buy one have fun, it's the most bang for your £££££ you can have a present.

[Windymiller]

Seriously, if it's a concern, I'd say stick with a more 'normal' car. Mine's just over 21,000 miles and in for it's first big-ish service tomorrow (Insp 1) at about £520 + extras. Insurance is obviously dearer, plus petrol as you'll drive it faster more often, then there's tyres... you'll obviously know all of this. Within reason, you've got to get something slightly special with your heart and not your head. All cars can break, it's just that some cars cost a lot more when they do (I know, I've had Alfas...).

Mr Sensible wouldn't see the point in an M3 over a 330. I'm just glad that's not me!

[nutcase]

Slurms said:

An E46 M3 as a fair estimate will cost you about twice as much as a 330 to run. So budget around 1k - 2k a year.

Yes it's possible that if the engine went pop it could cost thousands but at the end of the day if the engine goes pop in a 330 it's not going to be cheap either.

I'd go along with the above. My car has cost me approx £6,000 over 33 months, which includes two oil services and an inspection 1 (all at BMW). In addition, two sets of tyres, discs and pads, alternator, a few other bits and bobs at indy.

[KEX]

Agree, not the cheapest of cars to run, but a fantastic machine that I love to bits.

My 'blog' on here has been filled out accurately from day one of having an M3. Although I have done a few mods here and there, it is accurate for repairs/maintenance and so on etc etc.

[RatBoy M3CS]

These are not cheap car to run, but a lot of bang for your buck..!

Tyres £1000 a set per 10K miles..
Insurance £1000 a year
Service insp 1 £700 ish..
Road Tax will be £440 from March
Say £50 quid a week on fuel @ 22 mpg.. £2500 a year.
Extended warranty £1000
MOT same as everthing else.. £50
Depreciation £5K a year..

I reckon on about a £1000/Month to own one, in real money all things considered.., you will of course have to run any car and suffer some of the same costs.. but if you work on this figure its about there.. for a 2-3 yr old one..

[nutcase]

An update for anyone considering an E46 M3 on running costs. My above post is absolute bks i'm afraid. I just totted up every receipt since I purchased the car and it looks like this:

Date Item Cost Mileage
24/11/2005 Insurance 850 47963
21/02/2006 Brake Pads 94 51246
20/06/2006 Handbrake adjust23.5 55736
30/09/2006 Insurance 814.88
14/09/2006 Tyres all round 787.57 58638
20/10/2006 Oil Service 178.12 59589
16/11/2006 Insurance (add driver) £40
17/11/2006 MOT 50 60403
18/12/2006 Tax 190 61200
24/01/2007 Oil 29.89
05/02/2007 Oil change, 166.26 63653
19/02/2007 Rear spring- 123.88 64262
05/04/2007 Fr pads/discs 483.14 65613
24/04/2007 Front caliper- replace 281.19 66965
16/08/2007 Tyres all round 790.79 71462
17/08/2007 Inspection 1- BMW 750 71475
24/09/2007 Insurance 669.93
01/10/2007 Replace o2 sensor 504.97 73329
09/10/2007 Additional driver- Insurance 35
24/01/2008 Rear springs & MOT 275.75 77588
05/11/2007 Replace tyres, check brakes 88.13 75116
06/08/2000 Door gasket & Seal, Fog light 387.61 81945
12/08/2008 Replace alternator 334.82 82063
19/08/2008 Front tyres & alignment 447.65 82293
02/09/2008 Oil Service- BMW 237.64 82930
18/09/2008 Rear discs, pads all round 374.79 83351
Insurance 750
Rear tyres 450
Parking sensor 250

Depreciation 12500
Fuel (assuming 22mpg and £1.00 per litre) 7302.8
Total over 34 months 30262.31
Pence per mile (including depreciation) 85.5157398


By the way- car was purchased for £25k in Nov 2005 and assuming value now realistically £12,500. 51 plate.

Edited by nutcase on Monday 22 September 14:57

[RatBoy M3CS]

Yup... if you factor in all the consumables..and depreciation i work on about a quid a mile to own one...!

Value... !

Edited by RatBoy M3CS on Tuesday 23 September 14:44

[mpwr321bhp]

Compare the practicality and performance to any other similar sports car and the M3 still looks like a good option, I know the running costs are seriously less than that of say an older 911, which pound for pound would be a few years older, with considerably more miles for similar money.

My friend runs a 1998 911 Carrera and it chews money, and in the past I too wasted Brewster’s running an older 911, and a fairly new Boxster.

Then there’s crazy cars like Maseratis and GTRs. both nice cars, 2+2's but they drink you money quicker than a quick thing ;0)

At the end of the day, unless you drive a 1.7 Diesel astra for you daily ride, drivings going to cost you, but you only come this way once, so go for it.

[spen-123]

I RUN A E46 M3 AND AND LOVE IT. MY MATE RUNS A 330 AND IT DOESN'T COST THAT MUCH MORE IN SERVICES ONLY THE OIL THAT MAKES UP THE MOST OF THE COST.... MAKE SURE THE CAR HAS FSH LOW MILE AS POSS WITH THE RUNNING IN SERVICE DONE AND IF YOU GET A PRE JUNE 2003 CAR MAKE SURE ITS HAD THE ENGINE UPGRADE DONE????? TAKE THE CAR TO A SPECIALISTS FOR THE SERVICES THEY SEEM TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS SORT OF CAR THAN DEALERS DEPENDING ON WHO YOU GO TO? AS ALL YOUR PAYING FOR IS THE NAME? AND SAVE YOUR SELF ALOT OF PENNYS..... ALL THIS ABOUT PAYING £1000'S FOR A SERVICE IS CRAZY...... TIRES CAN BE EXPENSIVE IF ON 19" BUT SHOP AROUND YOU CAN GET SOME GOOD DEALS AS WITH THE INSURANCE.........ALWAYS PUT THE RIGHT OIL IN, WARM IT UP, COOL IT DOWN,AND YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS AS THE MOTORS ARE BOMB PROOF IF LOOKED AFTER.........

Edited by spen-123 on Tuesday 23 September 23:14

Edited by spen-123 on Tuesday 23 September 23:29