Thinking about buying an e46 M3!

[Havard]

no no no, Paul this is what you need

 

http://www.jm-imports.co.uk/carimages/toyota/2010/supra20/trd1.jpg

 

It's 700 BHP, I would kill myself in that....

 

I want something around 350 - 400Hp. Plus I must wait till the end of the month to see if the NA goes to it's proposed owner.

 

H.

[T2 MSW]

Turn the boost controller down then

 

You would be shocked how quick you get used to it. Its a T51r too. If I was shopping that would be high on my list.

[Havard]

Turn the boost controller down then

 

You would be shocked how quick you get used to it. Its a T51r too. If I was shopping that would be high on my list.

 

You got £25K hanging around then?

 

If I was going to shell out that kind of money then a 996 TT would have to be top of the list. Mercedes SL55 would be up there too.....

 

H.

[T2 MSW]

its alot of money but there is alot of car too

[kill1308]

I looked into M3's before the Supra, the insurance, service costs, parts etc really put me off. I drove a couple, good fun, but I definately preferred the Supra. There's not masses of room in the back either if that's your main reason for ditching the Supra....

[The Restorer]

I replaced my auto UK Supra with an SMGII E46.

 

First off, I always wanted an E39 M5 but heard they had VANOS issues. I don't believe VANOS to be a common problem on the E46 M3.

 

I have been surprised considering the Supra was older and is similar power wise at how expensive the M3 is to run. You got more miles to the gallon, but the costs to maintain it compared to my Supra are ridiculous. Service at £1200, Oil change £150 and the suspension acting like a model on the catwalk, but all the time means I've had to have front suspension arms, bushes, rear shocks and springs replaced too. Fortunately most of that under the BMW warranty. Due to the high maintenance costs, a lot of the cars will not have been looked after.

 

Try LWIB for your insurance as no-one else could match them for price and benefits as far as I am concerned. They do a club discount for the "other" Supra owners club too.

 

The car is definitely more practical. You get a full size boot, space for 3 in the back is more comfortable than in the Supra and the SMGII gearbox is great. The car feels lethargic until you press the sports button and the car comes alive. With the SMG gearbox, on the hard setting and if your giving it some you will get great big thuds as it goes through the gears, but it is very rare you will drive the car on the hardest setting.

[RobD]

Thanks for the advice, I'd like a manual if I did get one. £1200 for a service is a joke!

 

I really like the M3's, I've been driving around this afternoon to different dealers but none of them had any, local BMW place didn't, just the new models!

[tony tt]

Something will come up mate you have a while to get your research done and sus out the market for them by next year they may well come down in price again for the year your lookin for. It would be a waste of time lookin in Dealers mate as they will only have the new ones unless your lucky to find a trade in.

[Havard]

Something will come up mate you have a while to get your research done and sus out the market for them by next year they may well come down in price again for the year your lookin for. It would be a waste of time lookin in Dealers mate as they will only have the new ones unless your lucky to find a trade in.

 

You'll also pay seriously over the odds from a BMW dealership....

 

Private ads will be the best way to go or a specialist dealer. There are some E46's advertised for silly money through official BMW dealers. Once you drive it away, you may aswell flush £5k down the gurgler..!!

 

H.

[tony tt]

You'll also pay seriously over the odds from a BMW dealership....

 

Private ads will be the best way to go or a specialist dealer. There are some E46's advertised for silly money through official BMW dealers. Once you drive it away, you may aswell flush £5k down the gurgler..!!

 

H.

 

Agreed. Stay away from the Robbing B####ds bud. Private sale will save you a fortune. Maybe he was just goin to blag a test drive hopefully.

[RobD]

Maybe he was just goin to blag a test drive hopefully.

 

[tony tt]

 

Blagger haha

[RobD]

No way i'd buy from a main dealer, I work for one so know all about there "special" prices!

[tony tt]

No way i'd buy from a main dealer, I work for one so know all about there "special" prices!

 

Forgot your a robber aswell haha Special prices indeed.

[Brazil]

http://www.m3cutters.co.uk or something like that google it..! buy it from an enthuthiast from the forum so you can fully check the history of the car..!

[Guest Supra-T]

Haha has the ride with me mentally scarred you for life from supras?

[RobD]

Yours ain't that quick mate!

[Guest Supra-T]

Yours ain't that quick mate!

 

"I need a piss mate"

[Jake]

Jake on here has one in estoril blue. He maybe worth a pm. Expensive to run and insure too. Have you had a quote yet??

They are expensive to run but not all that bad, not if you're used to running a BPU Supra or above. I get about 27mpg usually, in normal fast-road use. If I'm giving it a good thrashing it can dip to the low 20s but never less than that. I always seem to get between 290 and 340 miles per 60 Ltr fill-up, regardless of how it's been driven.

 

maintenance I'm not to concerned about, i get trade discount at my local BMW dealer and I can service it myself so that's no real concern.

If you buy one that's got FBMWSH you probably don't want to start to servicing it yourself. the full BM history is regarded as quite an important thing amongst owners and potential buyers, so you may be knocking big money off the vale of your M3 if you don't keep it up. On the other hand, if you're going to service it yourself you don;t have to worry about buying one with a full BM history, so you could save £££ there.

 

Ill be totaly honest, id say they there ok at best. The engine is the best part of the car. The brakes are terrible, the suspension is a bit like jelly and it suffers the same thing ALL bm's do, the BMW clunk from the diff but thats my opionion. Although on the flip side it is alot more roomey and practicle. Im in no way saying there a crap car though

I agree that the stock brakes aren't great. I've upgraded mine for AP Racing ones, which are a massive improvement. The stock ones are fine for normal people though

I'm not sure what you mean about the suspension being like jelly. The standard suspension is very firm - too firm for my liking, TBH. On the crap Hampshire roads round here it can be very 'crashy' on get on your nerves a bit. But on fast smooth corners it's brilliant. It honestly handles better than any of the many Supras I've owned and driven over the years.

It's certainly not jelly-like in any way I can think you might mean.

You're right about the clunky diffs they have.

 

Thanks for the advice, I'd like a manual if I did get one. £1200 for a service is a joke!

The expensive service, that's the "Inspection 2" service, is only every forth service. I had my Insp II done at the local BMW main dealer, it was £850. OK not cheap but not the £1200 people like to quote. Apart from that InspII, in the 34,000 miles I've done in my m3 so far it's needed one other service; the regular oil and filter change that comes between every Insp I and Insp II service, which cost iirc £210 - which is silly money for an oil and filter change but every 12-15k miles isn't unmanageable, is it?

Mine is due its next service right now (note to self: must book it in this week) but that will just be another oil and filter change - and then it'll be good for another 12-15k miles until it'll want an Insp 1, and then another 12-15k after that until the oil and filter change again. So you see, the servicing isn't really anything to be concerned about.

 

FWIW, here are my random other thoughts about buying an e46 m3...

Don't worry about the "much sought after" Sat Nav or Harmon Kardon stereo. Both are highly over-rated by sellers. The ten year old tech in the sat nav is pathetic by modern standards. A £100 TomTom makes the newest available (e46 m3) BMW offering look like something out of The Ark.

The HK stereo is a reasonable upgrade but nothing brilliant. If you're that into ICE anyway it still won't be good enough.

 

Go for the Coupe not that heavier and poor handling Wendy-house model (I'm assuming you're heterosexual and not a council estate medallion man)

Don't buy a Phoenix Yellow one if you might ever want to sell it.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a silver one as they look boring and don't stand out at all.

If buying one with CSL wheels make sure they are genuine items. Many are poor quality, heavier than stock, CSL copies which sell on eBay and the like for about £400.

[n boost]

http://www.m3cutters.co.uk or something like that google it..! buy it from an enthuthiast from the forum so you can fully check the history of the car..!

 

yes i'm on there and currently is a nice black one for sale at 11.5k but guy needs a quick sale , so maybe room to haggle.

 

I bought a e46 m3 just over 3 yrs ago after getting rid of my single turbp 6 spd supra.

 

I kept this one and then bought a gtr but after 5 mths went and bought another e46 m3 which i still currently have.

 

I love em and there brilliant cars overall!

Servicing costs may be high but service intervals are around 15k mark.

£1200 is only for a inspec 2 service which is the big one and this can be reduced to around £700 from a good specialist garage.

Inspec 1 is half the cost and u only need inspec 2 every 3 rd service, so not that big off a deal really.

 

Oil is TWS and retails for around £65 for 4 litres and car require tad over 6 but again can be had cheaper from opie oils etc at nearly half the cost.

 

There is very little cars out there that can offer what one of these do for the money and they are very reliable cars and reward fast driving.

 

Yes overall they will be expensive to maintain but it is a m3 and u do end up paying a M tax onparts.

Mines over 100k now, so i just do the servicing myself as i have no plans to sell this one for some time yet.

I've just put a BBk/hsd coilovers/corbeaus seats/rota grid alloys etc on and it makes a already good car into a really good car.

 

Gon ahead and buy one..........u won't regret it and best of luck.

[RobD]

Thanks for the advice so far! I'm quite set on one now, like I said before I'll wait until the end of this year and buy one!

[Miguel]

Great cars, loved both of mine. Never had any problems with either of them. Get a looked after one and you wont regret it.

[Stonkin]

Girlfriend has one of these and i have to say i quite enjoy driving it She has had it for about 6 months and had no issues. I believe its on about 85k miles at the mo.

[Terminator]

The E46 M3 is a great little car. The back seats are OK for real adults. Horror stories about service costs are just that, stories. If someone is daft enough to pay main dealer rates they then they either have too much money or a just plain stupid. Find a good independent garage, there loads around with much better rep than main dealers. I always supply parts and fluids myself if I can source for less than my local intendant. The garage I used for book services always prepare a cost break down before the service so I know what prices I can beat and what I cant.

 

Just an example of main dealer arrogance. I found the stock size tires on the M3 are too stretched, and my tire fitter thought so as well. I got some 275 for the rear and 245's at the front, I was in a hurry to get them fitted, the only place that had space was, you guessed the BMW main dealer. I drove over with four tires in the car, handed over the keys and sat in the waiting room. Five minutes latter the service manager comes in shaking his head and looking like they had dropped the car off the ramp. I was told the tires would fit; they will rub the arches, tear holes in the arch liners, and foul the shocks, he made me feel like I had given them tractor tires by mistake. There was no way they would fit them. I knew this was total B.........s. This was a garage raved about by CSL owners who said the garage knew every thing there was to know about the M3. The next day my local fitter put the tires on, they fitted perfectly and they don't look like stretched drift tires. The M3 standard tire size is more expensive than my set up BTW but they would be wouldn't they.

 

Vanos problems are not the end of the world, Dr Vanos sell repair kits for £250.

 

Before I got the M3, I had loads of people who had never owned one, telling me it would cost an arm and a leg to service. Unless you bend over for the main dealer, the costs are quite reasonable.

 

If the service history is less than perfect walk away. If you can take the car to an independent to check the service record with that held in the car ecu, a sound owner/seller wont have a thing to worry about. It could be the best £30 you spend on the car.

 

I bought a late 06 plate, with loads of top end extras and still in warranty. Twelve months later it was worth £2000 more than I paid for it:d

 

Great car you will enjoy it.

[RobD]

Thanks for the info, depending on if I buy one with full BMW history then I may decide to continue with it, but tbh I'd rather work on my car than anyone else.

 

Don't suppose I could be cheeky and ask to come and see yours sometime could I terminator? I see your in Cambridgeshire to so quite close! I've been around few places to try and look around one but the BMW dealers don't seem to have anything older than 4 to 5 years old in!