645Ci economy (vs E46 M3)
Discussion
955sp3 said:
Hi,
Been looking into purchasing an M3 E46 or a 645Ci. Can anyone tell me what fuel economy I can realistically expect from both cars (the 645 is an auto).
Many thanks
Obviously depends on the type of use and how you drive it but from personal experience I'd say mid-20's is where it's at with an E46 M3. I've never owned or driven a 645Ci but suspect it's a very different animal from the M3!Been looking into purchasing an M3 E46 or a 645Ci. Can anyone tell me what fuel economy I can realistically expect from both cars (the 645 is an auto).
Many thanks
I appreciate the 645 and M3 are very different beasts. Test drove a 645 and got 14mpg, thought it seemed a little harsh for what it was. Not looking for 'economical driving' but was wondering if the low mpg I had seen was representative, and how an M3 would stack up (local dealer has an o4 M3 cab for £18k.
Thats actually another question, the M3 has only got its first service stamped then no other service evidence. Would you stay clear?
Thats actually another question, the M3 has only got its first service stamped then no other service evidence. Would you stay clear?
gizlaroc said:
18-21 from an M3, anything higher than that and you may as well buy a 330i imho.
Ok but taking that to its logical conclusion you may as well buy a 320Ci or even a 320Cd as most of the time you can't use the extra performance of an M3 without risking your licence! To get below 20 I reckon you're either doing lots of stop-start driving around town (in which case an M3 is wasted) or you're driving it like you stole it (in which case you're asking for a ban). However, drive to blend with the traffic most of the time - and then use the extra performance as and when you get a safe opportunity - and I still say mid-20's is a reasonable aspiration. Whether the number of safe opportunities justifies the additional running cost of an M3 is, of course, purely a matter of personal opinion!955sp3 said:
Thats actually another question, the M3 has only got its first service stamped then no other service evidence. Would you stay clear?
It would have to be seriously cheap!!An 04 should have at least have the following stamps..
1200 mile running in service
Oil at around 1200 miles or 2 years.
Brake fluid at 2 years.
Inspection I at around 24k miles or 4 years.
Brake fluid at 4 years.
Oil at around 36k miles or 6 years.
Brake fluid at 6 years.
Inspection II which is the big one at around 50k miles or 8 years, so this will probably be due soon or next.
Also, rear trailing arm bushes tend to go around 50k as do the front ball joints which need new front wishbones at a cost of around £6-900 for the fronts alone.
One stamp?? Hmmm, bet that was cherished!!
Remember these things are so easy to clock, case of £50 t a guy with a laptop, probably find it is a car with 150,000 miles on it.
Regarding MPG, I do 30-4k miles a year and I averaged 22mpg, I enjoyed my M3s at the weekends and st in normal motorway traffic during the week. I think if someone is getting 14mpg from a 645i 21mpg average will be the best to expect from an M3, even more so the cab.
CaptainAhab said:
Just from experience. If you're worrying about MPG, you can't afford them.
Jesus Christ what on earth are you talking about.To the OP I have seen M3's come in with average of 25/26 and also down around 20. However I never saw many of the 645/545/745 engined cars come in much above 20 if at all.
okgo said:
CaptainAhab said:
Just from experience. If you're worrying about MPG, you can't afford them.
Jesus Christ what on earth are you talking about.To the OP I have seen M3's come in with average of 25/26 and also down around 20. However I never saw many of the 645/545/745 engined cars come in much above 20 if at all.
Yes funnily enough the point of your comment didn't go over my head. But if it wasn't a consideration for owners and a way to differentiate between competitor models then manufacturers would not put figures in the book.
I would say that you stop asking/wondering about MPG when you step out of the BMW/Mercedes/Range Rovers of this world and into the Ferrari/Lamborghini's of this world.
I would say that you stop asking/wondering about MPG when you step out of the BMW/Mercedes/Range Rovers of this world and into the Ferrari/Lamborghini's of this world.
Funny, before I got my C4S I asked similar questions in the Porsche section and recieved similarly unhelpful comments off people who maybe think they know whether people can afford things or not. Comparing economy of cars is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
I agree with okgo, when you are driving a Lambo or Fez then perhaps its less of an issue, but I think you will find that 90% of people in this forum DO care about the economy of the cars they own or are considering purchasing. An M3 or a 645-a a usuable everyday car that doesnt cost the earth? Is that not a reasonable question?
I agree with okgo, when you are driving a Lambo or Fez then perhaps its less of an issue, but I think you will find that 90% of people in this forum DO care about the economy of the cars they own or are considering purchasing. An M3 or a 645-a a usuable everyday car that doesnt cost the earth? Is that not a reasonable question?
955sp3 said:
Funny, before I got my C4S I asked similar questions in the Porsche section and recieved similarly unhelpful comments off people who maybe think they know whether people can afford things or not. Comparing economy of cars is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
I agree with okgo, when you are driving a Lambo or Fez then perhaps its less of an issue, but I think you will find that 90% of people in this forum DO care about the economy of the cars they own or are considering purchasing. An M3 or a 645-a a usuable everyday car that doesnt cost the earth? Is that not a reasonable question?
I agree with musclecarmad on this one:I agree with okgo, when you are driving a Lambo or Fez then perhaps its less of an issue, but I think you will find that 90% of people in this forum DO care about the economy of the cars they own or are considering purchasing. An M3 or a 645-a a usuable everyday car that doesnt cost the earth? Is that not a reasonable question?
musclecarmad said:
you know these guys with say £10k nissan 350z's and £15k M3's they can't be that well off but yet to fill an M3 must be £75 and i'd have thought that you would only get what 250 miles to 350 miles out of a tank - you could quite easily blast through that in a day.
is it that they:
a. don't spend £60k on a car so own it for cash and so don't worry about fuel
b. don't drive anywhere
c. are actually very wealthy.
i'd have thought the average man with a £15k M3 is on about £30,000-£55,000 per year so a take home of around £1800-£3200 ish?
spending a good few hundred of that a month on fuel is a lot of outlay
i have just generalised so much its funny smile
is it that they:
a. don't spend £60k on a car so own it for cash and so don't worry about fuel
b. don't drive anywhere
c. are actually very wealthy.
i'd have thought the average man with a £15k M3 is on about £30,000-£55,000 per year so a take home of around £1800-£3200 ish?
spending a good few hundred of that a month on fuel is a lot of outlay
i have just generalised so much its funny smile
955sp3 said:
Funny, before I got my C4S I asked similar questions in the Porsche section and recieved similarly unhelpful comments off people who maybe think they know whether people can afford things or not. Comparing economy of cars is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
I agree with okgo, when you are driving a Lambo or Fez then perhaps its less of an issue, but I think you will find that 90% of people in this forum DO care about the economy of the cars they own or are considering purchasing. An M3 or a 645-a a usuable everyday car that doesnt cost the earth? Is that not a reasonable question?
agree. can't see why people have to comment on other things other than what mpg you'd expect. i would suspect with the same driving style (although, i'm guessing the M3 would be generally more spirited due to the overall character of the car) the M3 would come up with better economy. they say the new V8 M3 is similar economy to the straight 6 M3, and my dad averages just under 19mpg, but can assure you when the oil is warm it's quite often spirited driving. not thrashed, but driven how it should be. so i would expect about 20mpg for the M3. maybe little higher.I agree with okgo, when you are driving a Lambo or Fez then perhaps its less of an issue, but I think you will find that 90% of people in this forum DO care about the economy of the cars they own or are considering purchasing. An M3 or a 645-a a usuable everyday car that doesnt cost the earth? Is that not a reasonable question?
I think MPG is pretty insignificant compared with overall running costs.
My M3s have cost me far more than I budgeted in servicing, tyres, brakes, insurance, and getting unforseen work done on them.
Example...
Monday evening in October 2006.
Coming back on the back roads, Hare runs out in front of the CSL, BANG!
Manage to hit the thing.
Took the front splitter clean off.
Ordered a new one £320.
When I got it up on the ramp realised it ripped the undrside of the bumper off, it was fecked.
Ordered a new bumper, £2600.
Following Thursday coming down the A11 in the rain and dark and suddenly saw somthing in the road, it was a traffic cone. Was in single lane 50mph roadworks and broke as hard as I could without the person behind rear ending me but still hit it, had to get out and pull it out from under the car, another bumper written off!!
Managed to get BMW to do me the second one for £1888.
December the insurance was up for renewal, £1250 as I had lost my garage and now parked on the street, and that is a safe Norfolk postcode.
January 2007 BMW warranty needed renewing, £1050.
January 2007 Inspection I along with front brakes, brake fluid, rear tyres. £1400.
£8500 in just under 9 weeks.
That was not upgrading the car in anyway, just keeping it in the condition expected for when selling it on.
I managed to get the Highways Agency to pay out for the second bumper, but it took over 2 years to get it.
But it made me realise that the £150-225 a week I was putting in the car was nothing really compared with the cost of keeping the thing on the road properly. It also made me realise that although I had given myself £15,000 a year to run the car, it just wasn't quite enough and I couldn't afford any more than that, in fact £12k a year was really what I could afford if I was honest with myself.
Of course we want to know how much a car will cost us in fuel, but you need to look at the whole picture and really work out what the other costs are too.
My M3s have cost me far more than I budgeted in servicing, tyres, brakes, insurance, and getting unforseen work done on them.
Example...
Monday evening in October 2006.
Coming back on the back roads, Hare runs out in front of the CSL, BANG!
Manage to hit the thing.
Took the front splitter clean off.
Ordered a new one £320.
When I got it up on the ramp realised it ripped the undrside of the bumper off, it was fecked.
Ordered a new bumper, £2600.
Following Thursday coming down the A11 in the rain and dark and suddenly saw somthing in the road, it was a traffic cone. Was in single lane 50mph roadworks and broke as hard as I could without the person behind rear ending me but still hit it, had to get out and pull it out from under the car, another bumper written off!!
Managed to get BMW to do me the second one for £1888.
December the insurance was up for renewal, £1250 as I had lost my garage and now parked on the street, and that is a safe Norfolk postcode.
January 2007 BMW warranty needed renewing, £1050.
January 2007 Inspection I along with front brakes, brake fluid, rear tyres. £1400.
£8500 in just under 9 weeks.
That was not upgrading the car in anyway, just keeping it in the condition expected for when selling it on.
I managed to get the Highways Agency to pay out for the second bumper, but it took over 2 years to get it.
But it made me realise that the £150-225 a week I was putting in the car was nothing really compared with the cost of keeping the thing on the road properly. It also made me realise that although I had given myself £15,000 a year to run the car, it just wasn't quite enough and I couldn't afford any more than that, in fact £12k a year was really what I could afford if I was honest with myself.
Of course we want to know how much a car will cost us in fuel, but you need to look at the whole picture and really work out what the other costs are too.
okgo said:
No.
That's you smashing the s
t out of your cars front end and paying 5k for the privilege 
They are not typical running costs. At all.
i agree with you to a certain extent. while you should always budget for the servicing, insurance, tax, etc etc you should always leave a little leeway just in case something goes wrong. but yes, i don't think when buying a car you should be too concerned about how much it will cost if you hit some animal running in the road. but yes, maybe something to hold in the back of your mind.That's you smashing the s
t out of your cars front end and paying 5k for the privilege They are not typical running costs. At all.I will go back to my origina point, the question was regarding the fuel economy I would be likely to expect from running a 645, and how this would compare to an E46 M3.
The costs you may have incurred through a series of accidents is irrelevant to this thread.
I am fully aware of tax, insurance & servicing costs associated with these two vehicles, and would expect the repair costs to be comparable in the event of an accident or mechanical failure.
The costs you may have incurred through a series of accidents is irrelevant to this thread.
I am fully aware of tax, insurance & servicing costs associated with these two vehicles, and would expect the repair costs to be comparable in the event of an accident or mechanical failure.
955sp3 said:
I will go back to my origina point, the question was regarding the fuel economy I would be likely to expect from running a 645, and how this would compare to an E46 M3.
The costs you may have incurred through a series of accidents is irrelevant to this thread.
I am fully aware of tax, insurance & servicing costs associated with these two vehicles, and would expect the repair costs to be comparable in the event of an accident or mechanical failure.
The simple answer to this is in "normal mixed driving" you get between 23 - 25 for the e46 m3 and between 20 - 22 for the 645The costs you may have incurred through a series of accidents is irrelevant to this thread.
I am fully aware of tax, insurance & servicing costs associated with these two vehicles, and would expect the repair costs to be comparable in the event of an accident or mechanical failure.
Both will improve by a couple of MPG on long runs at constant speeds
The M3 will cost more to run than the 645 will. Servicing and parts costs are higher.
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