Discussion
Hello everyone! Bit of a novice and got told to come here and seek help! I’m 21 and really really looking into getting myself a E46 M3... the insurance is actually pretty good and I’ve always loved these cars having grown up seeing them on the road. I’ve also looked at Golf Rs etc but nothing is really getting me going quite like the M3. I earn an okay amount of money p/m but I also can’t really be spending nearly a grand on a service. Would taking it to say my dads friends garage for servicing etc be a bad idea? Yes I’m very much trying to have my cake and eat it as id absolutely LOVE to own this car but I also don’t wanna spend an arm and a leg to own it.. sounding a bit impossible the more I go on but really hope it’s not cos I would cherish one! it would be my daily and my only car! Again apologies I really enjoy my cars but I am a bit of a novice with these things so any help is greatly appreciated!🤞🏼
Thank you!
Thank you!
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Fill your boots theres quite a few threads already running
Fill your boots theres quite a few threads already running
They are truly great cars, but it's a case of eyes wide open if you're going down the ownership route.
I've had three M3s and used to keep a grand in mind should something go wrong, it needed a full set of tyres, if Inspection 2 became due etc. On the big services, I'd recommend only using someone who really knows the M - there are plenty of very good independents around.
Good examples with reasonable miles, which have been regularly serviced and well maintained are fetching good prices - quite rightly, too.
Sure, there are some very cheap cars at there. But those may well be miley, have been abused, not especially cared for, or utterly thrashed for the past few years. You might get lucky if you go for one of those, or you might need to deepen your pockets.
I've had three M3s and used to keep a grand in mind should something go wrong, it needed a full set of tyres, if Inspection 2 became due etc. On the big services, I'd recommend only using someone who really knows the M - there are plenty of very good independents around.
Good examples with reasonable miles, which have been regularly serviced and well maintained are fetching good prices - quite rightly, too.
Sure, there are some very cheap cars at there. But those may well be miley, have been abused, not especially cared for, or utterly thrashed for the past few years. You might get lucky if you go for one of those, or you might need to deepen your pockets.
As above, get it serviced by a decent indie, not cheap, buy not a £1000 service.
The day to day running costs aren’t too bad, it’s just some items can be expensive. Tyres are £800 a set, brake discs are way more than a non-M model.
It’s the additional costs they can throw up which can ruin you if not prepared, in 20k miles ive had:
Spun rod bearing - £4.5k
Head gasket - £1.2k
Boot floor reinforcement - £1k
These are all known issues on the e46 m3, but I think I have been a little bit unlucky!
When the smg pump goes I think I’ll have completed all the main things that can go haha.
The day to day running costs aren’t too bad, it’s just some items can be expensive. Tyres are £800 a set, brake discs are way more than a non-M model.
It’s the additional costs they can throw up which can ruin you if not prepared, in 20k miles ive had:
Spun rod bearing - £4.5k
Head gasket - £1.2k
Boot floor reinforcement - £1k
These are all known issues on the e46 m3, but I think I have been a little bit unlucky!
When the smg pump goes I think I’ll have completed all the main things that can go haha.
Having owned one for 12 years, I think the things I would advise to look out for Based on my experiences are (as some already mention) big ticket items as below:
-tyres (Varys depending on brand..£800 a set
-discs and pads £700 ish though ask for a deal bmw Parts dept will Offer 20% off if your cheeky and get local garage to fit not exactly hard to do.
- Sachs dampers (if they gone and are needed) £700+
-clutch and flywheel (it’s actually an LUK clutch bmw branded so save a few ££ buying the LUK product not in a bmw box for £300/400) :-) a load of labour to do the job though....flywheel was £300/400 last time I’d looked.
-Vanos - mr Vanos in Darlington knows a thing or two should you need it done, £800+
-Head Gasket (they go between cylinders and a leak down test will prove if it’s gone) £1300
-rear subframe £1000-2000 (depends who does it and the labour rates - the kit to reinforce isn’t too bad it’s the labour that adds up)
-exhaust, factory system is £2000 from the cats back, so centre and rear box, they corrode where the centre is joined to the rear back box, and once gone (rusted out) the brackets go and it’s hard to repair, best option and slightly cheaper is a stainless like miltek cost me around £1200 and it’ll Not rust or corrode, in fact lifetime warranty, the bmw system only has 2 year warranty..
-Alternators, not always on the list of issues but I’ve had one go, it was £500 fitted, also I’ve had a few batteries they are fairly large and a good bosch one is £110 easy to fit though.
Note that rear springs (bmw ones) are crap and crack and often, not massive money but again work that will at some point crop up, I have had a number of sets, and if you use the car a lot (daily) it’ll also eat RTAB (Rear trailing arm bushes) not expensive £20
Each, just annoying and need to be done, as they knock and sound pretty bad, consider proflex or a poly bush replacement.
so other than that lot, your good to go!
On Servicing:
well this varies, I’ve recently found some of the indies getting expensive so don’t rule out asking your main dealer, the oil service will be around £210, it’s the inspection 1, and 2 which are bigger and the tappets should be done at these intervals, the inspection 2 does plugs, diff, gearbox oil, etc so it adds up, it’s not £1000 anymore, pretty sure last main dealer quote I got was £784 you can always supply your own oil, which bmw prices are £23 a litre... as bmw no longer uses castrol edge I supply my own, if I recall it needs 7 or 8L and opie oils will sell you enough as a kit to do the service for £80 a fraction of what bmw charges for their own branded oil, which is ok, it’s supplied by shell, but I prefer to use castrol as i always have.
Anyways best of luck, and as per what others have said buy a good one, as a cheap one will no doubt need £3k maybe much more in order to get it back to good health.
Great cars, and a lot of car for the money, a good car is £15-18k but that’s just MK1 Fiesta XR2 money these days, I know which car drives the best :-)
If you want any more info pm me.
Regards
Andy.
-tyres (Varys depending on brand..£800 a set
-discs and pads £700 ish though ask for a deal bmw Parts dept will Offer 20% off if your cheeky and get local garage to fit not exactly hard to do.
- Sachs dampers (if they gone and are needed) £700+
-clutch and flywheel (it’s actually an LUK clutch bmw branded so save a few ££ buying the LUK product not in a bmw box for £300/400) :-) a load of labour to do the job though....flywheel was £300/400 last time I’d looked.
-Vanos - mr Vanos in Darlington knows a thing or two should you need it done, £800+
-Head Gasket (they go between cylinders and a leak down test will prove if it’s gone) £1300
-rear subframe £1000-2000 (depends who does it and the labour rates - the kit to reinforce isn’t too bad it’s the labour that adds up)
-exhaust, factory system is £2000 from the cats back, so centre and rear box, they corrode where the centre is joined to the rear back box, and once gone (rusted out) the brackets go and it’s hard to repair, best option and slightly cheaper is a stainless like miltek cost me around £1200 and it’ll Not rust or corrode, in fact lifetime warranty, the bmw system only has 2 year warranty..
-Alternators, not always on the list of issues but I’ve had one go, it was £500 fitted, also I’ve had a few batteries they are fairly large and a good bosch one is £110 easy to fit though.
Note that rear springs (bmw ones) are crap and crack and often, not massive money but again work that will at some point crop up, I have had a number of sets, and if you use the car a lot (daily) it’ll also eat RTAB (Rear trailing arm bushes) not expensive £20
Each, just annoying and need to be done, as they knock and sound pretty bad, consider proflex or a poly bush replacement.
so other than that lot, your good to go!
On Servicing:
well this varies, I’ve recently found some of the indies getting expensive so don’t rule out asking your main dealer, the oil service will be around £210, it’s the inspection 1, and 2 which are bigger and the tappets should be done at these intervals, the inspection 2 does plugs, diff, gearbox oil, etc so it adds up, it’s not £1000 anymore, pretty sure last main dealer quote I got was £784 you can always supply your own oil, which bmw prices are £23 a litre... as bmw no longer uses castrol edge I supply my own, if I recall it needs 7 or 8L and opie oils will sell you enough as a kit to do the service for £80 a fraction of what bmw charges for their own branded oil, which is ok, it’s supplied by shell, but I prefer to use castrol as i always have.
Anyways best of luck, and as per what others have said buy a good one, as a cheap one will no doubt need £3k maybe much more in order to get it back to good health.
Great cars, and a lot of car for the money, a good car is £15-18k but that’s just MK1 Fiesta XR2 money these days, I know which car drives the best :-)
If you want any more info pm me.
Regards
Andy.
With anything of age you'll need to be prepared to invest in maintenance and repairs otherwise you get a lease deal and forget about any maintenance or warranty issues.
I have a 04 E46 330, and in the 10 months Ive had it I've sunk easily a £1k into it, on things like a windscreen, 4xtyres, gearbox service, coolant system maintenance etc.
I too was after an M3 I decided against it, firstly it was twice as much as my 330, then I got scared of maintenance.
I didn't expect to spend £1k on mine but it happened, the same will be with the M3, it becomes a cost you're willing to incur because you want to drive an M3.
I think it all comes down to budget and realistic expectations. You got £12k, bang £10k into a good example and keep £2k for maintenance. If you've got £10k, find a £7k example and keep £3k for maintenance.
You'll get your money back on your car (for example the £10k/£7k) however the maintenance you may not get that back.
I have a 04 E46 330, and in the 10 months Ive had it I've sunk easily a £1k into it, on things like a windscreen, 4xtyres, gearbox service, coolant system maintenance etc.
I too was after an M3 I decided against it, firstly it was twice as much as my 330, then I got scared of maintenance.
I didn't expect to spend £1k on mine but it happened, the same will be with the M3, it becomes a cost you're willing to incur because you want to drive an M3.
I think it all comes down to budget and realistic expectations. You got £12k, bang £10k into a good example and keep £2k for maintenance. If you've got £10k, find a £7k example and keep £3k for maintenance.
You'll get your money back on your car (for example the £10k/£7k) however the maintenance you may not get that back.
Sorry OP but I think you need to have a bork fund to run one!
OK mine isn't an E46 M3, but my E86 Z4M Coupe has the same engine.
I got an Inspection 2 done a month ago by an Indy who set up on his own after 15 years at Sytner and by the time it had a new cam-chain tensioner (old one was leaking and sticking) and a couple of suspension bushes I still got a 4 figure bill.
If you want an "M" car you just need to budget for the M tax!
OK mine isn't an E46 M3, but my E86 Z4M Coupe has the same engine.
I got an Inspection 2 done a month ago by an Indy who set up on his own after 15 years at Sytner and by the time it had a new cam-chain tensioner (old one was leaking and sticking) and a couple of suspension bushes I still got a 4 figure bill.
If you want an "M" car you just need to budget for the M tax!
Thanks everyone, for the feedback! It’s been extremely helpful. After doing my own research and seeing what you guys have had to say I think I’m going to have to go mind over heart. Which is saddening but being realistic I don’t think I can afford to run one (at least now how they should be) or if I do it’ll be eating up my monthly wage😂. Hey ho the car search continues lol! Thanks again for the feed back! Really brilliant.
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