M3 running costs compared to 330Ci?

[oktapod]

Candidate,

Please compare and contrast the E46 M3 with the E46 330Ci Sport. You may consider MPG, servicing, insurance (include recommendations where applicable), parts, reliability and so on and so forth. Feel free to use the graph paper provided. You may consult an electrical calculator if you wish. Show your working for any calculations.

33 Marks ;-)

[Dr Jekyll]

330 costs =

M3 costs =

[tom g]

dunno what M3 costs,

But my e46 330 has been v cheap.
averages 34mpg (mostly motorway)
falken tyres pretty cheap, last 30k
just fitted full set of grooved discs/pads for £230

nothing broken during my 2yrs / 40k miles ownership

[ipwn]

tom g said:

nothing broken during my 2yrs / 40k miles ownership

Lucky son of a fking bh.

1300 transmission
200 xenon ballast or whatever its called
400 some rubber seal that controls power steering or something

( last 2 in a month )

And it's been in 4 non fault accidents.

Yet I still love it

[dan101smith]

There's a formula for M3 running costs:

t = X x U + (3 x B)

where:

t = total cost, in Pounds.

X = what you hoped it would cost for the year

U = unforseen cost multiplier

B = bugger, that's expensive

[MattOz]

I've had both.

The 330i averaged 31mpg. My current M3 is averaging 28mpg. Same "type" of mileage.

The 330i cost me £300 for an Inspection 2 at BMW. The M3 cost me £800 for an Inspection 2 at BMW.

Tyres cost about the same, despite the 330i having 18" alloys and the M3 19's.

I'm certain that the parts for the M3 are going to be more expensive when required, but I've not had to put my hand in my pocket for anything other than servicing in the last 10k miles.

I firmly believe that it's the Inspection costs and insurance cost that really set the 330i and the M3 apart. That, and the fact that the M3 has over 100bhp more!

Matt

[RW-W113]

Interesting thread. I have just about decided to take the plunge and go for either an 05 or 06 M3 Cabriolet and really would like an honest opinion on running costs from real owners. Yes its going to be pricey but worse than any other high performance car?
I will be pickey and go for one with BMW service history and hopefully one that I can get BMW warranty on.
I have done the Porsche thing (3 times) and really want to scratch the M3 itch.
Get a good on that has been looked after...they cant be that expensive to run can they??

[dan101smith]

In fairness, if you get a good one then it shouldn't be too bad at all - even more manageable if it has a BMW warranty.

But, there is a premium on all //M parts. Things like brake discs will cost a fair chunk more than non-M ones. Don't let that put you off - they're well worth the money.

[RW-W113]

dan101smith said:

In fairness, if you get a good one then it shouldn't be too bad at all - even more manageable if it has a BMW warranty.

But, there is a premium on all //M parts. Things like brake discs will cost a fair chunk more than non-M ones. Don't let that put you off - they're well worth the money.

That is what I want to hear

[coltonbob]

I've had my 330ci for about 18months / 17,000 miles now, so far all it has cost me is £230 for two rear tyres plus £170 for an inspection I service at a reputable independent garage. It uses a litre of oil about every 10,000 miles ish, however I believe this can vary wildly from car to car.

So far mine's proven to be much cheaper to run than the Civic Type-R I had! I currently average about 26 - 27mpg in mine which is a manual, however I do use it every day in the rush hour slog. The Type-R averaged about 23mpg doing the same.

Currently pondering moving to an M3 myself now but how different are they to the 330 in every day driving? I'm seriosuly tempted to save up a little longer and go for the Z4 M Coupe...

[Neil.D]

We really need a sticky with all of the 'how much to run....' threads

There must be a about half a dozen from the last week.

[RW-W113]

Neil.D said:

We really need a sticky with all of the 'how much to run....' threads

There must be a about half a dozen from the last week.

Great thing about forums. You have the choice mate, just dont read it;)By the way, do a search on M3 running costs and there is nothing later than mid 08, so for some may be relevant.

[bazking69]

At least double, if not triple, is a good starting block over a 330.
Anyone who disagrees obviously hasn't had to dip into their pocket to replace wear and tear items yet or has been very lucky...4 figure bills are common.
These are not cheap cars to run, and not cars you can run on a budget. If you have to think about if you can afford to run one of these, you are probably like alot of other people who have thus ensured that the market is now full of ropey and badly maintained tired examples that need alot of money thrown at them. Cars that were moved on sharpish when big bills appeared in the horizon...
These are the new Impreza IMO. Plenty have been thrashed to within an inch of their life under warranty and now they are getting on buying a used one is becoming a minefield...

[dan101smith]

^^^

Exactly the same as happened to the E36 M3 when they got a bit older/cheaper.

[oktapod]

Thanks - food for thought. Reason I was asking was the fact that I could see a number of M3s of slightly older vintage than the 330s I'm considering, for not a huge amount more. Now I know why :-)

[dan101smith]

Don't rule them out - cheap <> fooked.