bc01cls

Check these poor guys out....from Edmunds

1--"I took delivery (MSRP) of a Titanium Silver M3 with all the options except nav and cold weather package about five weeks ago. I now have over 1,600 miles and after the 1,200 miles service I am still having some of the same problems I had before taking the car in for service. The transmission clunks from 1st to 2nd gear at low rpm's; the harmon kardon system subwoofer rattles; rough idle in the morning and sometimes shuts off; and BMW forgot to install the LED on the rearview mirror....Personally, after paying almost $60K, I wasn't expecting these problems and I would have like to know that the dealer would have taken care of these issues.....if BMW cannot fix these problems, this car is not worth the $60K price tag."

2--"I have experienced the same loud clunk shifting from first to second gear. But after 2500 miles the clunk completely vanished!? The idle when starting the M3 cold has always confused me as well. Erratic to say the least. It doesn't matter if the climate control is running at start or not. My idle bobs from 50 to 1200rpm from cold start for about 10-20sec. I get scared that the car is going to die but never does..... Brake dust galore!"

I guess every car has the 1st year blues. Gee, my CL-S looks better and better all the time, ha ha ha. That's what they get for paying up to TEN grand over sticker.

Nick_RENAMED

I put down a deposit for the new M3 over a year and a half ago (before I even bought my 2001 CL Type S). I originally thought the Acura would be just to tide me over until the M3 arrived. From its specs, I thought the M3 would be perfect: silky straight 6 engine, fast, well-built, etc.

After taking a close look at the demos and first cars, and taking several test drives over the past few months, I got my deposit back and cancelled my order. I know its blasphemous to rabid BMW fans, but I just wasn't that impressed with the M3. Sure, it was very fast, but what really disappointed me was the poor build quality. That car is clearly built to a cost standard and not a quality one. Cheap plastics on the interior, tinny sounding doors, anemic looking castings on suspension bits, chintzy weatherstripping... the whole car just reeks of cost cutting. It's just not worth $55-$60k. Each time when I got back in my CL-S after am M3 test drive, it was obvious to me that the CL-S is so much better built. Yes, it's not as fast, but to me, the extra speed wasn't worth the $30,000 price difference. Given the poor construction quality I saw, I'm not suprised that M3 owners are having so many problems.

For me, I'll be happy getting a 6-speed CL-S (if Acura really does make it!)

crrink

Is the M3 build quality any worse than a normal 3 series?
A friend of mine bought a new 328i a few months before I bought my CLS, and the build quality on his car was MUCH better than on ours.
The doors were much more solid sounding when they closed, and the car was MUCH quieter inside.

shockboltthrower

M3Sins: care to comment??

M5 Lite

Damn first year engines! I think BMW was a little quick to start production on the new M3s. They should have taken their time. However on the flip side the new M3 was supposed to be out last year and they had to delay production because they were having problems with hand building the engines (or something very similar to this).

M5 Lite

I've owned both an M3 and a '96 328is and I notice that the 328is is more quieter (maybe because of the M3 exhaust and motor are bitchier!) However, I still have no rattles or squeeks in my car. Very happy with both models but sometimes wish the M3 could be a little LESS loud.

scalbert

I can definitely say that my E46 328i does feel more solid than my CL-S. I can't say it is more quiet, seems to have more road noise. But the overall feel of the doors, switches and material appear to be better.

EricL

Where are they "assembling" the NEW/2001 M3?

M5 Lite

Germany. Only Z3, M Coupe and X5 are assembled here in the US.

Scorpius

If you wanted loust build quality you should have bought a GM product. MUCH worse than BMW.