E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE - 2004
Discussion
I finally own an M3!!! After years of wanting, my 6th BMW is an E46 M3 convertible, carbon black and SMG.... (please excuse the iPhone photos for now)
I realise that I don't need to, but I'm going to explain my choice....
I have a company car, I use it for personal as well as work, it does everything I need it to, except it's not a fast car.
After owning 4 other BMW convertibles it's hard to go back to a tin top roof again and not be able to feel the wind on my head in the summer, as much as I love the coupe, it was always going to be a convertible.
Secondly, my left knee, my clutch leg, is in a bad state now, ravaged by osteoarthritis after a football injury destroyed it!!
I can drive a manual car, but prefer to have the luxury of not worrying if my knee will hold up and dread driving it, so SMG it is, and so far I'm really impressed.
The car is a facelift 2004 model, Carbon black, black leather, slightly lowered, appears to Tein front springs and unknown rear springs, decatted, diamond cut alloys, 10mm hubcentric rear spacers and 15mm hubcentrics on the front, it's also just had £2500 spent on the SMG transmission, and is in generally very good condition.
It's booked in for a full corrective valet in October, has new headlight lenses on route and my journey basically starts here...
I realise that I don't need to, but I'm going to explain my choice....
I have a company car, I use it for personal as well as work, it does everything I need it to, except it's not a fast car.
After owning 4 other BMW convertibles it's hard to go back to a tin top roof again and not be able to feel the wind on my head in the summer, as much as I love the coupe, it was always going to be a convertible.
Secondly, my left knee, my clutch leg, is in a bad state now, ravaged by osteoarthritis after a football injury destroyed it!!
I can drive a manual car, but prefer to have the luxury of not worrying if my knee will hold up and dread driving it, so SMG it is, and so far I'm really impressed.
The car is a facelift 2004 model, Carbon black, black leather, slightly lowered, appears to Tein front springs and unknown rear springs, decatted, diamond cut alloys, 10mm hubcentric rear spacers and 15mm hubcentrics on the front, it's also just had £2500 spent on the SMG transmission, and is in generally very good condition.
It's booked in for a full corrective valet in October, has new headlight lenses on route and my journey basically starts here...
matthias73 said:
Absolutely superb.
You'll notice my e46 thread sitting right below yours, albeit mine is only a 330i.
Make sure you get it cleaned underneath and in the arches and rustproof it! Any plans, driving or modifications wise?
Thank you. I was just off finding some photos to put onto your thread, I've come from 2 x 330ci Convertibles, the last one I just sold was this.... You'll notice my e46 thread sitting right below yours, albeit mine is only a 330i.
Make sure you get it cleaned underneath and in the arches and rustproof it! Any plans, driving or modifications wise?
BMW E46 330 CONVERTIBLE by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 330 CONVERTIBLE by Cliff Judson, on FlickrI will never ever look down on a 330, they are fantastic value for money and superb cars, the M3 though is a completely different animal.
I'll have all of the arches cleaned and protected, I did it with the car above, plus probably have the rear arches rolled to enable a wider stance.
I need some carbon fibre, front and rear, but until the car is minty mint I'm not thinking much beyond that
matthias73 said:
May I ask how much you sold that for?
I bought mine last year and looking at prices now I think they are at an all time low. So many e46s are now at the point where they are about to goose their owners with a massive bill and are getting scrapped or sold for parts. A good one with extensive service history will be ignored by all except those who can actually afford to run one properly, and they are likely to go for a good M3 over anything else.
When you say Carbon do you mean body panels or details? I think a lip and a diffuser...
It sold for £3650 with 122k. It really was a fine example though. I bought mine last year and looking at prices now I think they are at an all time low. So many e46s are now at the point where they are about to goose their owners with a massive bill and are getting scrapped or sold for parts. A good one with extensive service history will be ignored by all except those who can actually afford to run one properly, and they are likely to go for a good M3 over anything else.
When you say Carbon do you mean body panels or details? I think a lip and a diffuser...
Yeah, carbon rear diffuser, carbon front lip, nothing crazy.
culpz said:
I can see the SMG gearboxes in these being good fun, especially with the manuals being typically BMW and quite notchy. No need to explain why you went for it over the 3 pedal set-up, as i'd probably go for this aswell and others have too.
They do look nicer than i thought in cab form. For me, personally, i'd go for a coupe but i can imagine more decent examples of these coming up for sale as they're probably a bit less popular. It's getting harder to find good ones of these now.
Personally I love the SMG, but admittedly I need to learn how to use it properly with its many settings, that will come though. Quite enjoying playing with the flappy paddles. They do look nicer than i thought in cab form. For me, personally, i'd go for a coupe but i can imagine more decent examples of these coming up for sale as they're probably a bit less popular. It's getting harder to find good ones of these now.
The car is rapid, aggressive and very angry, I never test drove a coupe but I doubt i’d benefit from the lighter weight or better handelling, I’m not hardcore crazy like that, this ticks every box I need except if I had bought a coupe I would have styled it overly aggressive, which doesn’t work with a cab body.
SebringMan said:
Cliff J said:
Thank you, I'm not sure our choice is the general consensus within the M3 community, but there you go lol
I was going to say, it's brave saying that on a forum where it's 3 pedals or nothing. But I quite like the SMG format over a stock manual, and it's fun albeit in a different way, yet still involving.If you haven't had it done definitely get the CSL SMG rev match/shifting update done. It will transform the car and vastly improve the shifting. If you pay someone to do it for you it will be about the best £100 you spend on the car. I did not want to stop driving mine after I had it done.
A lovely spec indeed! I almost went with a similar car to yours, except it was a pre-facelift with red leather seats. The issue for me was that despite it being less miles than my Coupe it wanted alot of cash throwing at it. This possibly a relay or SMG pump motor fault and that's before I touch the wheels being shot, tyres being cheapos, leaking and worn most of the way around, shot discs and some love to the paintwork. It's a shame as the guy gave it a service and spent a small fortune in getting it new bushes etc.
Best of luck with the car. It looks good in the pictures. They are a lovely thing. I hope yours is not too costly to own.
SuperVM said:
Very nice OP! I sold my E46 M3 coupe over the weekend, gutted 
Damn, that was only for a short while! It sounds like you enjoyed the car mind you.It is a shame really. I sometimes sway between selling mine or not TBH. The car is lovely as a package but it's not the cheapest thing to run from a maintenance POV as you know with my thread. That and the miles will only stuff the value with it being pushed even more into daily duties ; my commute is now 15 miles a day from being around 6 miles a week! But then I know a modern will depreciate anyway...
C70R said:
Lots of dreamers in E46 circles, that's for sure - but find me an owners' group where that isn't the case...
For £4k, I'd be expecting something with low miles/FSH, late/facelift, probably an Individual, and definitely festooned with options (HK, sunroof, bum-warmers etc.).
My car was £1800 because it was silver and pre-facelift (the latter being a preference for me), but it ticks all of the other boxes - just goes to show what's out there for people who are prepared to wait/haggle.
As I said before, I had no interest with my 120k 330ci convertible until I dropped the price to £3999, and then I had a whole load of offers around the 3.5k figure, and of course the obligatory offer of a 6000bhp Toyota Starlet with a blown engine in mint condition except for the rust and dents! For £4k, I'd be expecting something with low miles/FSH, late/facelift, probably an Individual, and definitely festooned with options (HK, sunroof, bum-warmers etc.).
My car was £1800 because it was silver and pre-facelift (the latter being a preference for me), but it ticks all of the other boxes - just goes to show what's out there for people who are prepared to wait/haggle.
Mine also had 11 previous owners to me, but it just needed the right person at the right time and plenty of patience, even though the car is gone I still feel it was well worth the £3650 it sold for.
I took the M3, (plus the wife and dog), for a weekend away in the Cotswolds this weekend, stayed at a stunning hotel in Broadway.
This was an excellent test for the car as the journey from High Wycombe has a mixture of motorway, A and B roads, plus rough single track country lanes and a huge amount of twisties, add in some pretty Cotswold towns and it completes the picture.
I learnt that the car is smooth and comfortable but full of power on the motorways, my brakes work very well, the suspension is a touch bouncy and the wide tyres tramline a fair bit.
I bottomed out a couple of times on fast uneven roads, it doesn't like speed humps but wow it handles well!!!
The pull and noise of this M3 is pretty immense, I know it's not the fastest thing on the road but it's just so satisfying opening it up and creating a huge gap between you and the traffic behind.
I said it before, but I'll say it again without any cares, this car is aggressive, angry, noisey, a bit of a hooligan, but also very classy and you can see people looking it over with full respect, I'm so happy I finally bought one!!!
I took a few iPhone photos, I'm saving spending time with the car and my proper camera until I can change over my personal plate.
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
This was an excellent test for the car as the journey from High Wycombe has a mixture of motorway, A and B roads, plus rough single track country lanes and a huge amount of twisties, add in some pretty Cotswold towns and it completes the picture.
I learnt that the car is smooth and comfortable but full of power on the motorways, my brakes work very well, the suspension is a touch bouncy and the wide tyres tramline a fair bit.
I bottomed out a couple of times on fast uneven roads, it doesn't like speed humps but wow it handles well!!!
The pull and noise of this M3 is pretty immense, I know it's not the fastest thing on the road but it's just so satisfying opening it up and creating a huge gap between you and the traffic behind.
I said it before, but I'll say it again without any cares, this car is aggressive, angry, noisey, a bit of a hooligan, but also very classy and you can see people looking it over with full respect, I'm so happy I finally bought one!!!
I took a few iPhone photos, I'm saving spending time with the car and my proper camera until I can change over my personal plate.
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickrwjb said:
Cliff J said:
wjb said:
That's lovely OP. And a carbon black SMG cab is the exact spec I'd go for in an E46 M3.
Thank you, I'm not sure our choice is the general consensus within the M3 community, but there you go lol1. E30 325i Mtech sport
318167_10150838265287944_77749217_n by Cliff Judson, on Flickr2. E36 328i convertible
BMW E36 328i Techno violet convertible by Cliff Judson, on Flickr3. E46 330ci Convertible
BMW E46 330ci Convertible by Cliff Judson, on Flickr4. E46 320d Convertible
15621582_10154147649057944_4706747900183857743_n by Cliff Judson, on Flickr5. E46 330ci Facelift Convertible
BMW E46 330 CONVERTIBLE by Cliff Judson, on FlickrIf I was a more Motorsport/track interested person, I guess it would have been a coupe this time around, but I love a convertible, as you can see.
Earlier this year we went to Cornwall to our holiday home, I took the grey 330, in the evenings we drove with the roof down, 21/22 degrees temps, stars out, coastal route views, it was perfection, I'd miss it too much with a solid roof.... at the moment.
I did a couple of bits today, but also found other things I need to do!!
First off, these were my stone chipped headlight lenses...
IMG_2684 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
I bought a pair of replacement lenses on eBay for £27 delivered!!!!!
IMG_2687 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
I did them in situ, unclipped the headlight lenses and fitted the new ones, it only took 10 minutes.
IMG_2688 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
IMG_2689 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
IMG_2692 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
The difference is night and day, so much fresher.
I then fitted my new 20mm front spacers, they look great but I forgot to take photos as I got bogged down with another issue.
I found that both of my front brake disc shields/covers have rusted and broken at the point they mount onto the suspension shock, which means they fall towards the hub, which meant they caught on my new longer wheel nuts and caused a proper racket!!
Temporarily I've tied them back, but need to replace them both now.
Also, I need front discs and pads as a matter of ASAP.com!
First off, these were my stone chipped headlight lenses...
IMG_2684 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrI bought a pair of replacement lenses on eBay for £27 delivered!!!!!
IMG_2687 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrI did them in situ, unclipped the headlight lenses and fitted the new ones, it only took 10 minutes.
IMG_2688 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrIMG_2689 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrIMG_2692 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrThe difference is night and day, so much fresher.
I then fitted my new 20mm front spacers, they look great but I forgot to take photos as I got bogged down with another issue.
I found that both of my front brake disc shields/covers have rusted and broken at the point they mount onto the suspension shock, which means they fall towards the hub, which meant they caught on my new longer wheel nuts and caused a proper racket!!
Temporarily I've tied them back, but need to replace them both now.
Also, I need front discs and pads as a matter of ASAP.com!
Edited by Cliff J on Thursday 5th October 23:25
Mr Tidy said:
Fantastic looking car OP. 
Having read all of this thread I understand why you went for an SMG - but for now it's manual all the way for me (while I can).
I'm not a fan of convertibles either, but can see their appeal! At the end of the day it's your car, so your choice!
I'm currently on BMW number 5 - a manual Z4 Coupe (a Z4MC was out of budget) but that S54 engine is something else! Enjoy!
Thank you, and yes, I totally get that the M3 should be a Coupe, and manual of course, but I'm having so much fun in this car, being a hooligan again after years of very muted cars, and honestly, I really do doubt I could be happier. Having read all of this thread I understand why you went for an SMG - but for now it's manual all the way for me (while I can).
I'm not a fan of convertibles either, but can see their appeal! At the end of the day it's your car, so your choice!
I'm currently on BMW number 5 - a manual Z4 Coupe (a Z4MC was out of budget) but that S54 engine is something else! Enjoy!
I was never a big fan of the M3 rasp, it reminded me of an old Mk3 Astra Gsi I used to own, which had an annoying hole in the manifold and used to make that tinny rasp sound lol, but now I've really bonded with it, the sound is very different to almost anything on the road.
Gave the car a clean and a polish today, I also took a couple of iPhone photos which show the 20mm front spacers fitted, which fill the arches a bit better I feel.
IMG_2707 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
IMG_2708 by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
IMG_2707 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrIMG_2708 by Cliff Judson, on FlickrUpdate time...
I had my first ever paint correction valet done by a friend of mine Amadeo, owner of FULL WAX, and I'm so delighted!!!
You may also notice I've got my private plate on the car now too, which really cements the car as mine now (in my brain at least).
The photos are only iPhone, I apologise for that, better photos to follow very soon..
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
The photos also show my 20mm front spacers a little better.
I had my first ever paint correction valet done by a friend of mine Amadeo, owner of FULL WAX, and I'm so delighted!!!
You may also notice I've got my private plate on the car now too, which really cements the car as mine now (in my brain at least).
The photos are only iPhone, I apologise for that, better photos to follow very soon..
FULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrFULL WAX detail day by Cliff Judson, on FlickrThe photos also show my 20mm front spacers a little better.
So I finally got my camera out after a month of ownership and plenty of iPhone photos, the cameras on those things are just too good nowadays and make me really lazy!!! 
Boring setting I know, but my newly valeted paintwork looks best in a concrete jungle environment I feel
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on Flickr
And yes, I'm badly out of practice, made plenty of mistakes and I need to go put the hours in... I know already!!!
Boring setting I know, but my newly valeted paintwork looks best in a concrete jungle environment I feel
BMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrBMW E46 M3 CONVERTIBLE SMGII by Cliff Judson, on FlickrAnd yes, I'm badly out of practice, made plenty of mistakes and I need to go put the hours in... I know already!!!
Polarbert said:
I'm a die hard manual fan but respect anyones own desire to own the SMG. Yours looks like a terrific example. Great pictures too. I've owned my Z4M for a couple of years now and I'm really impressed with it. The S54 is an absolute marvel of an engine. If I could get the CSL intake for less than it would cost to donate a limb I would be all over it. Think I will have to settle for an exhaust one day though.
I do feel this car would really benefit from being manual, but maybe I just need more practice, I’m still not completely at one with the SMG. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff