BMW M3 (E92): PH Carpool
The addictive, naturally aspirated V8 is what truly sold the M3 to this PHer
Car: BMW M3 Coupe (E92)
Owned since: February 2017
Previously owned: Toyota GT86, Skoda Octavia VRS, BMW 330Ci, Mazda Eunos Roadster RS, VW Golf GTI Mk5, Alfa 156, various VW Boras, Renault Clio GT, a couple of bikes and many more random sheds I've probably missed!
Why I bought it:
"I was in a position to upgrade my Toyota GT86 to something a bit more 'special'. I've always wanted a 911, but thought I best look at all the alternatives in my budget range. It had to be rear-wheel drive, and it had to be a manual. I did have a look at M4s, but in my budget I was looking at early non-Comp Pack cars. I found it a bit nervous on the road and didn't really gel with it on a test drive. I was going to leave it there and go back to drooling over undesirable 996s like the reprobate I am, but that was until a friend at a local BMW dealership said they had something rather nice coming in for Approved Used. The car was Melbourne Red, low mileage and absolutely mint. I was surprised they even still sold E92s, so thought I better check it out, just to be sure...
"The main dominating factor of the whole car is the engine; inside it's basically a well specced 3 Series and outside it's a 3 Series with some wide shoulders. But the engine is what I fell in love with, helped mainly by its tweaked exhaust. Although I 'slept' on it, I didn't really sleep at all. I called the minute the dealership opened the next day to say 'I'll take it!', and I'm glad I did."
"The engine. It's an absolute masterpiece, and truly one of the last naturally aspirated great of the 2000s. The way it revs is very addictive; the novelty does not wear off. Mine also has a modified exhaust; the previous owner (who I managed to internet stalk) informs me it has had the '2.5 mod'. I don't actually know what this means, other than loud. But I'm glad he did it, even if my neighbours aren't.
"I also love its personality, which is something I think every car needs before I can part with cash for it. It manages to give me enough of its mental side to keep me excited, but also enough refinement to not irritate me.
"It also gets a surprising amount of admiration. I just assumed everyone would think 'knob' (and I'm not saying everyone doesn't). However, it does get a few nice comments at petrol stations and the like. Even my girlfriend likes it, and she hates a good 95 per cent of cars I come home with.
"The iDrive system was a nice surprise. Yes, you do need to be NASA qualified for all space missions to fathom it out, and yes the graphics wouldn't look out of place on a Commodore Vic20. However, once you get used to the system it's actually very capable. It's certainly impressive how well it performs considering its 10 years old."
"One of the many pitfalls of owning an Approved Used BMW is having to deal with BMW aftersales. I've had few issues with the car, but the ones I have had caused me headaches purely because of the dealer's service. Luckily, BMW UK themselves are quite helpful, but you shouldn't have to use them in the first place.
"Insuring the thing has also proven to be a completely bemusing affair. I either get laughed at down the phone when I tell them I'm 25, or told they don't insure BMW M3s at all. When I finally do get quotes they range from the bloody expensive, to the GDP of Rwanda. But you sort of know exactly what you're getting into with a car like this and costs. Fuel is lots, tax is lots, servicing is even more.
"Since I was lucky enough to sample its speed on some derestricted autobahn, I discovered the sealing around the pillarless doors is awful. Specifically when you start pushing past 120, it starts to whistle. At 170mph (that's where I found out it had also been derestricted...) the noise was properly deafening. A bit annoying on a BMW I'd say, but not an issue in the UK - maybe I'm being picky?"
"Well, the main ones are those already mentioned: insurance, fuel and tax. I've paid north of £900 the past two years for insurance, on top of that its £525 a year to tax. I can eek around 200-250 miles out of £70-80 worth of Shell's finest, which is at least 100 miles less than my Mk7.5 Golf GTI commuter does. But again, I didn't buy it expecting anything more.
"Most of the issues have been done under warranty. These have included a leaky headlight washer, a rear light cluster missing some nuts, and a complete wheel refurb due to flaking paint. Luckily, a lot of bits were done before I purchased the car so I've escaped fairly scot-free. However, the warranty has just run out and my quote for another 12 months is north of £4,000..."
"One of the main reasons the M3 ticked so many boxes was that I love driving through Europe; I've done a few trips now and, as I expected, it was perfect. In the summer I drove to Lake Como, taking the car via the Nurburgring, its home in Munich, and a few mountain passes too. It was absolutely perfect for the trip, and I can't think of many better cars in its price bracket. It was a good test of its many personalities, and helped me gain confidence in using its power."
What next?
"Alas, 12 months in one car is a rather long time for me. I have started to gaze elsewhere, and I think I need to scratch the 911 itch before I grow up and become an actual homeowner. I think I will struggle to see this one go however, so don't expect to see me rushing it out!"
If you would like to feature your car in PH Carpool, please email carpool@pistonheads.com
Not sure why warranty would be 4000 per year, if you bought it as AUC with 53000 miles you could simply have continued the warranty with monthly payments of about 100 pounds? That is a real shame.
Apart from this, stunning car, still miss mine
I read mixed reviews about Warranty-Wise but I spoke to an M3 owner, who's car I missed out on by 1 day, after he sold it and he said they were really good and replaced an actuator and a few other things no problem.
TBH, I am seriously considering taking it out of warranty and doing stuff myself. If the good old bearings give up then Ill just have to eat humble pie and cry. But the rest of it I can sort and would probably enjoy doing so.
A nice motor nice to see you're driving it proper. God knows how you get that many miles to a tank. I get 170.
The main reason for increased Warranty costs from BMW is that during my ownership it’s crossed over the 10 year old mark. Or at least, that’s what they tell me. I’m pretty confident my car is fine, so I’ve just got some cash saved as a “just in case” fund. It’s probably going soon to find a 911 or maybe even an elise, I fancy more track days and this thing is just too mint!
As for values, I don’t see myself losing much on my purchase price. Those who’ve been watching will know in the past 2 years they’ve crept up, no doubt in part thanks to rocketing E46 values. They certainly aren’t falling anymore as far as I can see!
And thanks for all the kind words!
Lovely cars though, I see an Imola saloon regularly and it's gorgeous.
I've been looking for one for a while and definitely wanted to do the mod but was curious if it would invalidate the warranty, I'd assume not.
Other than that I try to keep it under 3k until the temperature dial has moved a bit. In any case I have another 30 months on the third-party warranty and will have chopped it in for an M2 or similar next year anyway.The noise is truly addictive, but agree customer service from main dealers is pitiful at best, and 2 months later still trying to resolve issues. Local dealer has been great though re taking the car in and sorting bits - hope the supplying dealer is getting the bill for all the AUC work
Plan is to run it til June/July and then sell it should i be lucky enough to secure an M2 CS.
A low mileage E92 M3, such as this one, is essentially a house deposit on wheels anyway. This is a lovely example too and i love to see these in red. I say itch the 911 scratch while you can OP. There's plenty of time to settle down and be sensible afterwards!
With DCT settings in max, double clicking the left paddle in 4th at 30mph to drop it to 2nd gave a sound I can only liken to the devil sneezing as the engine rev matched the downshift. Great for scaring old people and young children......
Was feeling tempted by one, amongst other things. Namely an Esprit X180 turbo & a TVR Cerbera but the niggles and silly insurance has put me off, I'll probably stick to classics! On that note - anyone fancy buying a 2002?
Zoomed in and your missus looks legit too
Add a drop in filter for a bit more induction noise. The early BMW filters were double carbon lined which mutes the intake resonance.
The stock exhaust has a smooth, natural tone to it however it's relatively quiet. I added an MPE to mine, adds a nice layer of aggression over the induction noise. The exhaust tone is hard to describe accurately, it has a hollow high pitched howl which swells beautifully from 3k RPM. The 3-4k RPM band at 75% throttle is particularly magical. The weight savings are a nice bonus. This is by far my favourite mod to the car.
I wish the stock brakes were a little more trackable out of the box. The stock suspension is also very good, but really pushing at 8/10 or above I sometimes wish the springs were a bit stiffer. Particularly nose dive under heavy braking really makes you feel the weight of the car. Cornering is a different story however, the balance is perfect and its very predictable. The throttle response is instant so it's very easy to control with your right foot. The chassis and steering give excellent feedback, although I think it would feel even better with a slightly thinner steering wheel. The seating position also feels a little high although some people don't notice that. Overall from the moment you sit in it and start the engine you can feel its a very driver focused car.
As a package if you can live with it's fuel consumption (I live in the US now and don't DD so this isn't an issue), buy a well looked after example, and do preventative maintenance (rod bearings) it's an unbeatable all round package for the money. Buy a good one and it shouldn't depreciate much at all. It's a fantastic platform in stock form, but also takes to the track well with a few mods. To upgrade from here you are in newer 911 territory, which tells you how good a platform the E9x is. When you factor in what it costs to buy relative to what else is available, its even better.
I ran one for about 6 months and the engine is a peach. Dropping down through the gears, with auto blip was just too addictive and I also love the front end styling.
If honest, V8's have never been my thing. There's no denying the E39 M5's engine is great but it just never felt responsive enough to me. This one is more like a V8 version of the s14 though! Snappy, responsive and just loves to rev! Certainly (for me) this and the E46 M3 were the last of the M3's where they felt connected to the E30 M3.
Looks great in red too!
Bought 4 years ago when the missus pointed out a Lotus Elise doesnt' have rear seats and kids were on the way. I started browsing the German classifieds for sensible family cars and somehow landed on a red low mileage M3, sent the link by mail for laughs to my best friend who's an equal car freak . He phones me dead serious in 5 minutes "it's perfect, buy it". So I did.
Faced the music with the missus later when she found out it wasn't as sensible as I had claimed trying to draw her attention to the large boot and comfortable back seats, away from the engine bay. The first time i started it up, I was caught red-handed with my sneaked-in V8 though.
Always remember the golden rule of car purchasing: don't ask for permission, beg for forgiveness ! Anyway, she loves it now as well and it's become part of the family.
It had 40 000 miles when I bought it, near mint except for stone chips on the bonnet (150 mph on the Geman autobahn will do that) and scratched kick plate on the drivers side, both fixed now. Also replaced the rod bearings and gave it a full detailing, bringing out that fantastic MR shine.
Unlike you am not planning to sell it for a long time. ..too many fond memories by now: South of France family trip, 165 mph on the German Autobahn (it's got the M Drivers Package taking the limit to 180 mph) and each time I take the V8 past 7000 rpm....
I experienced the F80 M4 which was better in every way: faster, more stable, consumes less fuel, more modern interior...except for the emotional stakes where it left me cold.
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