E46 M3 Convertible good family car (1 kid + light gear)?

[theog87]

Afternoon all,

I'm still figuring out how the site works and can't seem to find search functionality for specific sections of the forum, so sorry if this has been repeated thousands of times.

I currently have a Z4 and love it to pieces, but I have a little boy making an entrance any time soon so I'm thinking something with more than 2 seats might be advantageous.

My wife is off for a year and she has a Mitsubishi Colt which we can use to hurl some gear around in quantity, but I'm thinking a weekend car (~3k miles a year) might be nice to do short trips (~45mins max) for weekend outings. Also when I've been a 'good boy' then I can join my bro (S2000) to rip it through the weald (kent). Also, justification aside, the e46 M3 is one sweet ride so would love to have ownership before it becomes completely impractical (2 kids).

This therefore makes me think that I could have the e46 m3 for say a couple of years before trading it for a touring of some kind. If I've been a really good boy then I may keep it, but ideally I'm looking for something which I can buy for not too much, and then have no issue reselling at a later date with all good servicing etc to prove an easy exchange.

I just have some questions if anyone could help out, then that would be greatly appreciated.

- With the convertible, would this have enough space for say a pram and a few items (perhaps stored on the other rear passenger seat) for a day outing with wife + kid. I'm hardly a domestic goddess (some maybe surprised) so I have little to no idea what's ahead of me, so any practical advice would be great.

- I know many would probably cringe hard, but if we were to do a slightly bigger voyage, then a luggage rack could be interesting. I'm thinking maybe one which has suckers, so can be removed easily (without permanent damage / changes). I could then take it off on arrival and then store luggage at my hotel / aribnb etc. Any experience with this would be interesting.

- This might sound crazy, but I know the e46 has isofix fittings on the back two seats. Could I put a car seat in one, and then have some 'special' isofix storage unit on the other e.g. a container that clips into it which then secures storage to ensure it doesn't fall onto the baby. Maybe I'm over thinking things? Or alternatively if the wife is in the back, some storage options for front seat? As you can tell by now, I'm not that bothered about my appearance. Heckling from strangers is an everyday occurrence for me.

- Any tips for cars around the ~£9k to £13k ish which would be a really nice car, but also hold it's value potentially more than others. Strictly manual, not interested in smg or likes of. I'm not too fussed about styling, but light interior of kinds (cream / grey) is a must. If I were to choose a colour it would be estoril blue, and silver is least favourite, but still love the look regardless of colour. My current thinking is getting something <90k so that when I sell it it's going to be a chunk below 100k so makes it easier to sell. Would this be correct in saying?

- Once again sorry for ignorance, but I like the idea of buying a car from an established forum member, probably realistcally interested in buy (if all goes well) in Jan 2019 or perhaps Dec 2018. If interested, I'm selling the Zed if they fancy that for a change. A simply superb car (N52 3L, manual, high mileages 140k, convertible, very rare blue exterior with cream interior which is in high demand). But I will give priority to selling on z4-forum.com as those guys are ledgends. Not up for grabs yet, but it will be if all turns out ok with m3. I'm based just outside of Maidstone, Kent but I'm game for a road trip once I'm let out of the house.

- List of common problems with e46's seem pretty good in general, but I'm by no means a technical person. People say listen for sounds for for vanos issues, but does anyone know of a back to back video of a good vanos vs vanos of the virgin variety?


Any other points would be greatly appreciated, as this could be a pipe dream.... could be match made in heaven

Best

Theog

[theog87]

Ok interesting thanks guys.

I love the look of the coupe, but I'm pretty dam set on the convertible. I don't want to be wasting anyone's time.

Any obvious checks for rust. Is it that bubbling of the paint?

[theog87]

RossOCD said:

Hi

I have an E46 M3 Convertible, they are pretty small in the back and the boots are not very tall. I think you may really struggle, being a father of 3 now I can tell you you will be amazed how much sh*t you have to carry around with a new born baby. They are particularly tricky to get in and out the back of to get the child in and out of too.

Oh and I have an old Merc E Class estate as a family car just in case you were wondering how I make do. With 3 children it becomes a bonus that they DONT all fit in the M3...

Thanks for contributions everyone I have been watching this thread avidly.

@RossOCD - would you say it would be at all possible having the convertible for 20min drives with 1 kid for day trips etc. Anything which will require a significant time for stop over would be in the in my wife's car (Mitsubishi colt).

For instance, can you fit a baby walker thing (not sure of the exact name but the thing they have once born) in the back? Or is that pushing it? If so, then a coupe might have to be the way forward. Will miss not having the hood down though.

Just out of interest, in terms of depreciation, do you think the coupes will be more 'future proof' than the convertible. As I suppose I could get a coupe then a convertible down the line!?

[theog87]

RossOCD said:

Hi

Yeah I think it would be fine for the odd day out etc. We use it for days out with two 8 year olds in the back, obviously no buggy though.

Convertibles are a fair bit cheaper than coupes at the moment, with the roof down the noise and driving experience is fantastic. Nothing else sounds like an E46 M3 screaming up through the rpms. great fun cars for the money.

if your anywhere near Essex your more than welcome to come and try it for size with baby equipment etc!

Thanks

Ah cheers for the offer. The due date is today so we will probably staying fairly near to home (maidstone area) for the next few days / weeks to be on the safe side.

I think I need to get all our current gear in front of me to get an idea of what is needed space wise.

[theog87]

Cactussed said:

And therein lies the problem. For two 8 year olds, its fine. For 4 adults its fine.
Its the baby, with the baby seat and buggy and all the other stuff that's problematic in my view.

I'm worried also about the baby seat and taking it in between cars. I guess I could get a really fancy one as some have suggested but I'm worried this is going to cost a small fortune, and only last for the first x months of them being born, so would really only see a few journeys.

[theog87]

RossOCD said:

I think to answer your Title question...

Its a rubbish family car lol

I mainly use mine to escape from the family

p.s - good luck with the new addition

Hahahah yes I think you are right... I'm sure I will find a way of justifying it though lols

What colours yours btw? Got a pic?

[theog87]

Ok very interesting stand point mr whippy. Maybe I will look into them as they are newer and i guess less rust prone!

[theog87]

pje1210 said:

Firstly I looked at 6 over the course of around 4 months, travelled quite a few miles and can report there are a huge amount of dogs out there, the price bracket you are in is where I was at, the £10/11k cars needed 3k spending on them, the £13k cars I looked at were not much better!

Edited by pje1210 on Monday 15th October 17:06

Interesting findings.

I went to see one not too long ago which was at the £9k mark and it was pretty rough e.g. interior scratches everywhere and the likes of. I was surprised the box bit at the back (where the hood goes down into) neatly folds up which allows you to store quite a bit in the back! I managed to get my buggy thing in the back quite easily which was a surprise. That and a few bits on the side, I guess is enough for a day trip. To be honest, it probably has on average about the same amount of froom as my wifes Mitsubishi Colt.

Room in the back isn't great, but not the end of the world. The 3 doors makes it less appealing generally though. But then again it won't be used all the time for everyday usage so to speak.

I suppose I could raise the bar to ~£15k to get a nicer one. And similar to you I'm thinking of getting a Mitsubishi Mirage / electric car or something for DD or the likes of.

When you say the ones you saw were dogs, are you referring to general condition internally / externally or mechanically also?

[theog87]

pje1210 said:

Well you have just tought me something new, I knew the box in the boot did something from the pictures, I’ve tried a couple of time to pull the lever and nothing happened

Yeah it took me and the dealer guy about 15mins to figure out. That extra 5" or so really makes the difference. In fact without that extra space I couldn't get the buggy in!

Just out of interest, did you take your car to a trusted garage before buying or you quite savy with cars in general?