Mimicing CL's previous thread idea, first off.

So as of lately (in reality, 4-6 months), I've been dieing to find a E46-Gen. M3. I love the Acura, I really do, but this has been a dream car since I was little, as I'm sure it was for many of you. Lately, I've been finding myself more and more in a position to finally grab one. And while I've talked to a few owners, read countless message boards, as well as help from a very helpful technician, I still want to keep my bases covered, so to speak.

Now, I know a lot of you are now in the E9x generation, but I'm sure at least a few of you have come through this car sometime. If not, I'm still interested in hearing what you guys know about the car, even if it isn't from an owner's view point, so please share if you will.

Thank you, BMWZine.

 

Ya know, they're terrific cars. That engine is a freaking screamer and the E46 M3 chassis has extra gobs of BMW's "secret sauce" chassis tuning. What's not to like.

The other side of the coin is that these are expensive, complicated cars, and you need to be ready for the random $1,500 - $2,500 pop for unscheduled repairs from time to time. If you can absorb that kind of thing, no problem. If you're on a budget with no cushion for German repair bills, it's probably not a good idea. Insurance is more $$$ as well.

Pay to play in the M-world, simple as that.

-Mirror

 

Never had one but few friends do. Nothing major but do require valve adjustments that most independent shops can do. Rear subframes are also weak but i think BMW has a recall on those and beefed them up?

Heres a recent buyers guy. The guy who wrote it is a popular BMW tech here in Chicago.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features..._guide-feature

I'd rock one.

 

A couple of my college friends has them as "beater" cars, yes, "beater", don't as me why.

I drove both the E46 M3 in SMG and 6speed. I recommend you purchasing the 6 speed E46 M3, because the SMG in the E46 M3, I personally think its garbage.

Overall, the car handles and performs really well. I'm not sure too well of the technical problems with the E46 M3, but I know BMW has the "infamous front bumper getting lose issue" One of my old time friends has an E36 M3, and according to him, the E36 M3 has problems such as cylinder misfire, but I don't know if its the same for the E46 GEN. As for as reliability goes, BMW isn't all that great, I think everyone knows that. Reliability and high costly maintenance aside, the BMW M3 would be car that put a smile on your face when the high pricing repairs put you down.

Bottom line, go for it, the E46 M3 are pretty sexy cars. Always loved them before the E92 came out.

 

This was a great post minus the first line; I think you like the attention whether it be positive or not.

My buddy bought a convertible M3 a few years ago (don't remember the year but he said it was right before the current gen came out) and he loves the car. He originally bought it for the weekends but now his kid hauler sits at home and he drives it daily. I know he has logged a ton of miles on it and said he hasn't had any problems.

Good luck, great looking car

 

Agreed. It was unnecessary and took away from what would've been a good post.

 

here we go...........

 

When I test drove a M3, I thought it was a little too harsh for daily driving. At least for me. It was a fast car, no doubt.

It really depends on what you're looking for ... I will say this though ... Even though the car launched 10 years ago, it's still a great looking car. My neighbor has a 2003 M3 in dark blue with a saddle interior. It looks amazing.

The E46 M3 is as timeless as it gets. The E36 looks old and the first-gen M3 is a classic. But the E46 looks at home next to just about any current car (except the E92 obviously).

 

The E46 is a fantastic car. I nearly bought it back in 2002 in white with red interior...Then, I realized I wanted a house more.


Anyhow, the car is great. And yeah, I hear the SMG has issues...also, upkeep may be a factor as a couple of friends who own them have complained in passing how it can be a PIA when things need to be replaced...

 

my buddy keeps having problems with his

he just got it out the shop for his fuel pump.

 

One that hasn't been riced out or beat to shit or salvage titled, or doesn't come with a loony asking price is basically unobtainium these days. Great car though...I test drove a 6mt 2003.5 with about 15k miles on it a couple years ago and there was definitely something awesome about that car. I passed on it for various reasons, mostly because of the loony asking price this indy dealer wouldn't budge on. They wanted like $30k for it back in 2008 and that was more than I wanted to spend on a car with no warranty and a reputation for being fickle.

 

Not sure where you read this, but it's not a real issue. You are the first person I've come across in the last 4 months to mention the front bumper in any situation besides scraping it.
BMW has great reliability, that factor I don't need convincing of. It's also why I haven't touched a single M3 that has no paperwork with it or 1 of the major inspections done, whilst the ones that I have encountered with documented work have always been the better ones.
Completely hear you there. Hard to believe there are still M3s out there with under 20K miles and still going for $30K plus (CPO's mainly, though).

Thanks everyone for your words, so far.

 

I agree with you guys. I actually was going to point that out as well, but why bother, right?

This guy clearly didn't get the memo from other thread, so let him be. Maybe he is an attention whore? lol.

E46 is a great car, if you can manage to find a good history with less miles. Op, I'm sure you heard this before and I will say it again, maint. cost and warranty. If you can manage those two things then E46 is going to be amazing car.

 

I've had some decent seat time in both an smg and a 6mt m3. First thing first, avoid the smg like the plague. Its less fun to drive, jerky as hell, and responsible for most of the high dollar issues that m3 owners have.

Ill try to break down the m3 positives and negatives as best i can. But first, ill outline the maintenance.

Maintenance

-inspections every 15k, valve adjustments every 30k
-basic inspection work includes fluid changes (oil, power steering, coolant, diff fluid, transmission etc....)
-all of the above can be diy easily (great FAQs on m3forum.net)
-valve adjustments at an indy shop run between 400-700 dollars
-the recommended oil change interval is ridiculous, its important to change the oil every 3k
-critical to find an m3 with service records, specifically to see if inspections have been completed and oil changes have been regularly performed

Driving experiences

Positive

-instant throttle response
-excellent heavy steering
-great handling
-good low end power and incredible top end
-comfortable seats
-"throwback" style of car, fairly lightweight rwd car with good power

Negatives

-dated interior (if that matters to you)
-lack of cabin tech (if that matters)
-firm ride (can also be a positive)
-rawer feel than modern cars (can be seen as positive)

Overall

Awesome car. Feels very raw, quick and fun to drive. Yes there are faster cars out there, but the driving experience is always a good one. If you are willing to deal with the maintenance requirements, which are substantial, its an incredible car.

Fun to drive, quick, reliable, stunning looks and right now available for a bargain. These are the reasons i am looking to pick one up in the next couple of months.

EDIT: I drove 15+ cars in my search for a new car, this car is the best of them all. Other cars were better in some areas, but this was the total package. And if you are anything like me, its been a dream car since i was a kid (now upper 20s)

 

Rajun, if I could +Rep you I would.

As far as warranties go, I'm planning to find a good one I can buy at/just after purchase. I have ruled out any CPOs b/c they're all cars running well within' 20,000 miles/$30,000+. They'll make excellent bases to start from, but far out of my range.

 

haha, no worries rick, glad it helped. it was pretty fun recalling driving that car. it truly is awesome.

ive personally been checking the classifieds on m3forum.net and also e46fanatics.com to see what comes available. seems that you can snag an 04-05 with around 50k miles for mid 20s or less. 06's tend to be upper 20s into the 30k range, though it seems that most arent selling for anything over 30k. most of the cars for sale on the forums also have service records and proper documentation.

another thing to note is that a lot of the 05-06 cars for sale are ZCPs which are nice, but they do not have steering wheel audio controls and also dont have cruise. you probably already knew that, but i personally want cruise control, so unfortunately for me ZCP is out.

best of luck man, you will LOVE the e46

 

You must be having amazing luck on the forums, then. Most of the cars in $20-$25K range and under have 70-80,000 miles on them, and are 02-03's. But you're right, most actually have proper documentation.

I'm looking at 2 right now, and a 3rd in Washington. Lot of things have to come together first.

 

hope one of them works out!

here is an examples of what i was seeing on the forums

03 alpine white, 6mt 48k asking 23k

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=341203

and autotrader (need PPI)

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

Doesn't look like it. 1st was LagunaSeca Blue and just sold. My bank's a bit skeptical of issuing a loan for the one in Washington, & the red one may not happen either.
The only upside is that even if I don't grab one this year, I'll still have my Acura () & can easily grab another M3 down the line as a toy.

Again, really appreciate your insight.

 

Its not really what I read, its what I heard from a couple of friends. Apparently, all the people I know that own E46s and some E36s they say the front bumper tends to get loose on one side and "hang". I'm not sure if its facts, but I thought I post it anyways because of hearing about it and seeing a few BMW with the bumpers like that.

 

That happens when people smack the front end or drag it over something. The plastic brackets that hold the bumper cover in place break easily.

 

This one is probably nice:

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/2078327369.html

 

NICE find man! Too bad im about a month and a half away from buying!

That one does look good assuming things check out with the warranty and an inspection.

Only negative I can see is it has the stock 18s, but 19s can be found easily enough.

 

Looks nice but I'm always amazed people try and sell stuff like cars or even houses w/o decent pics.

 

Very good chance he won't sell it that fast around here (Portland), especially this time of year.

The CPO warranty is the exciting part...I had this laundry list of shit that needed fixed on my old 325Ci the month before the warranty ran out it was almost hilarious. Over $2,000 worth of parts a labor at the dealer and they didn't charge me a dime!

 

either those people are lazy as fuck or don't care.