Used M3 Warranty
Discussion
I'm sure this one has been debated to death, but would appreciate a few thoughts. I'm in the market for a used M3 - probably looking at 3 years old and understand the BMW warranty is around £900 plus you pay an excess on each claim. Doesn't feel like I'd want to take that, but are there any other warranty companies out there anyone has experience of and are they worth it?
Or would you take a calculated risk and go without a warranty? Are there any major known problems that could make this a very expensive decision in the long run?
Or would you take a calculated risk and go without a warranty? Are there any major known problems that could make this a very expensive decision in the long run?
You're right Darlo this topic has been done to death...yet I think it's worth debating and indeed even expanding upon.
I don't know but I'm sure I must be missing something really fundamental here? By "here" I mean when it comes to newer (well, by my standards anyway) M-Cars...and indeed newer cars in general!
Without wishing to appear vulgar...can I enquire how much people who buy these cars earn? My question arises because of the following very loose calculation of running costs:
Let's take your example of an e46 M3. Let's forget initial purchase cost and assume you've had the spare wedge to buy one outright and hence are not in the position of having to service interest repayments on a loan.
So... Insurance? Let's say for an 'old fart' like me living in a rural location, garaged, full NCB etc about £600/annum?
Let's assume I'm not going to 'wing it' and risk it without a Warranty...£900/annum? And then assume you were 'lucky' enough to have been justified in taking out the £900 warranty and actually made just one claim...for which they 'slap' for £250 for having the audacity!
Servicing costs?...say £500/annum if we're lucky.
Consumables?...Well, let's just stay conservative with a set of tyres and luckily nothing else...£600?
Depreciation?...Well, that's run at a consistent £5-6000/annum as far as I can see throught the lifetime of the E46. May slow down a bit now...might not with the new one arriving soon and so many having been built! But let's say a conservative £3000 for this coming year?
Say we do a rather modest 8000 miles/year with a very light right foot achieving 30 mpg? And assuming you put decent stuff in the tank...That equates to about £1200/annum fuel? (granted all cars need fuel to run on).
That gives us a running cost (omitting road tax and MOT which all cars will need)of £7050/annum.
Assuming that being able to contemplate such a car one is in higher income tax bracket (40%) this means, by my calculations (arithmetic isn't my forte!)... one has to expend £11750 of one's gross income just to run the car!
I mean I don't earn what, on the national average, would be regarded as a small salary...but F
K Me!....The best part of £12-Grand just to run the thing for a year!?
Remember, I've also assumed some finance company isn't fleecing you and you've been 'lucking' on some other fronts as well!
Have my earnings really fallen so far behind that it's only me that baulks at £12,000 to run a second-hand M3?
I don't know but I'm sure I must be missing something really fundamental here? By "here" I mean when it comes to newer (well, by my standards anyway) M-Cars...and indeed newer cars in general!
Without wishing to appear vulgar...can I enquire how much people who buy these cars earn? My question arises because of the following very loose calculation of running costs:
Let's take your example of an e46 M3. Let's forget initial purchase cost and assume you've had the spare wedge to buy one outright and hence are not in the position of having to service interest repayments on a loan.
So... Insurance? Let's say for an 'old fart' like me living in a rural location, garaged, full NCB etc about £600/annum?
Let's assume I'm not going to 'wing it' and risk it without a Warranty...£900/annum? And then assume you were 'lucky' enough to have been justified in taking out the £900 warranty and actually made just one claim...for which they 'slap' for £250 for having the audacity!
Servicing costs?...say £500/annum if we're lucky.
Consumables?...Well, let's just stay conservative with a set of tyres and luckily nothing else...£600?
Depreciation?...Well, that's run at a consistent £5-6000/annum as far as I can see throught the lifetime of the E46. May slow down a bit now...might not with the new one arriving soon and so many having been built! But let's say a conservative £3000 for this coming year?
Say we do a rather modest 8000 miles/year with a very light right foot achieving 30 mpg? And assuming you put decent stuff in the tank...That equates to about £1200/annum fuel? (granted all cars need fuel to run on).
That gives us a running cost (omitting road tax and MOT which all cars will need)of £7050/annum.
Assuming that being able to contemplate such a car one is in higher income tax bracket (40%) this means, by my calculations (arithmetic isn't my forte!)... one has to expend £11750 of one's gross income just to run the car!
I mean I don't earn what, on the national average, would be regarded as a small salary...but F
K Me!....The best part of £12-Grand just to run the thing for a year!? Remember, I've also assumed some finance company isn't fleecing you and you've been 'lucking' on some other fronts as well!
Have my earnings really fallen so far behind that it's only me that baulks at £12,000 to run a second-hand M3?
Edited by derin100 on Sunday 11th February 22:21
not all about the money you earn. For example, I work for a company that gives me a 1k a month allowance, pays all the petrol and the servicing costs and the insurance is a fixed fee. As you can imagine it costs me very little to run - in effect just the 40% of the fuel and insurance benefit and the depreciation.
Pretty much consider the car to be a disposable object.
Pretty much consider the car to be a disposable object.
I too run get my insurance paid for by my company and the odd set of tyres but I pay for the finance and maintenance personally and do roughly 25k/pa, i do earn a decent wage but it's still a bit of a strain and if i was sensible would swap to a 335d and save a wedge but the M3 is a good car and if you're going to lose money i can think of worse ways to do it
derin100 said:
Servicing costs?...say £500/annum if we're lucky.
Consumables?...Well, let's just stay conservative with a set of tyres and luckily nothing else...£600?
Say we do a rather modest 8000 miles/year
Sorry mate, your calcs are full of holes!
If you're only doing 8000 miles pa:
tyres will last at least two years and
you'll only need a service every two years.
So tyres at £900 set is £450 pa
and service is £250 pa (average between an inspection at £800 and an oil at £200)
Ok...so £150/annum less than I said for tyres. So we agree on £450 for those.
And if we accept no more than £250/annum on servicing (although the average of £200 and £800 is actually £500 and you'd be very lucky to get hit by neither of these in a year? But we'll accept that over 2 years you'll budget for just the £250/annum as suggested)...though I think this will be optimistic...and remember I've been 'generous' on other counts e.g suggesting we're really going to get an average of 30 mpg?
Nevertheless, that means £400 (net) less than I originally calculated...so about £700-ish gross...so £11000 instead of the £11750 I originally said?
I guess we have to accept that all cars are going to cost money to run and so the bleak picture I've painted is somewhat misleading? But I think the real killers are that outrageous warranty cost and the depreciation. I think anyone who thinks they're not going to see at least £3K depreciation on an E46 M3 over the next year is being very optimistic? So even with this optimism in mind that's £4K net for the warranty and depreciation so about £7K-ish just for those two things?
I took the following off the internet:
In 2005/06 average gross annual pay for full time employees in the UK was £447 per week (£23,244 per year)
So, let's say we're talking about someone who earns DOUBLE the national average...£46K gross/annum. They're going to spend 15% of their gross income just on the warranty and depreciation on their car?! Or, to go back to my original bleak picture - 24% (ie. almost a quarter!) of their total gross income on running their E46 M3!!!
I can understand someone like Drivin Me Nuts because effectively by giving him £1K/month car allowance they're effectively giving him an extra circa £20K/annum gross salary...which has to be spent on a car...so fair enough.
I mean I like a nice car (and I earn considerably more than the national average) but having sat down and thought through some of the above I think it makes for an interesting snap-shot into the consumerist society that we've been sucked into? i.e that even someone earning twice the national average would be prepared to spend a quarter of their working time just to service the cost of running their car! And that's assuming they managed to save up the money in the first place to by the thing outright and hence don't have to service the interest on a loan on the thing!
In 2003 I was sitting in a one year old E46 M3 at my local BMW Maindealer on the brink of buying it. It had 6000 miles on the clock and was being sold for £5 lean of £40K. I could actually have afforded to have bought it outright for cash i.e no interest repayments on a loan. That car is now worth circa £22K at a Maindealer? So £18K (net!) in depreciation alone. That would have been £30,000 of my gross salary gone...invisibly evaporated in 3 years.
I see the money I earn as my "time". By that I mean I see payment as 'compensation'...compensation that we receive for giving up our time to something/somebody else...Time which otherwise we'd all rather be doing whatever we'd 'like' to be doing e.g sitting on the beach, under a palm tree with a crate of Red Stripe watching the sun go down...
Now if I were Mr (or Ms) Double-The-National-Average-Income why would I want to give up a quarter of my compensation (and by definition working-time) to pay for the cost of my 4 year old car? It just seems to me that we've all gone mad...or rather been led into believing in a mad consumerist society. A society where the real fat-cats are laughing all the way to the bank with the spoils of our labour/time by making us believe in and expend huge percentages of our time to buy their products,run them and then ultimately lose lots of money on a perfectly good car...just so we can go around the cycle again!
To put the money I would have lost on the E46 M3 into some context. My father came from a tiny village in the African bush (he's actually gone back there but...). Anyway, his dad died when he was 9 and as the eldest son he basically had to work to provide for the family. Consequently, he could only go to primary school when there was a bit of money left over. He didn't finish primary school until he was 18...his siblings never got any primary education. He went on to get two masters degrees in economics and became a director of a central bank before retiring. In that same village it now costs £200 to put one child through 6 years of primary education.
Now, I'm not for a second suggesting that I'm so righteous and altruistic as to actually do this...but the gross 'loss' of £30K I would have suffered in depreciation on that one second-hand E46 M3 would have been enough to put 150 children through 6 years of primary education. One hundred and fifty children who could be given a decent start and a chance to realise some of their potential...just as a consequence of what our consumerist society has led us to believe is "acceptable depreciation" and that we supposed to just shrug off...on one car!?
This is just a marker of how blinkered many of us have become. Can this sort of thing really continue? Can the poor of the world continue to service this kind of mentality? And remember it isn't Mr Double-The-National-Average-Income who is the real winner out of this set-up...because he's giving up a quarter of his time just to pay for something he's been made to believe he really wants and even needs! Who are the real winners?
Where will it end?
As you can see by my digression...insomnia is a terrible thing!
And if we accept no more than £250/annum on servicing (although the average of £200 and £800 is actually £500 and you'd be very lucky to get hit by neither of these in a year? But we'll accept that over 2 years you'll budget for just the £250/annum as suggested)...though I think this will be optimistic...and remember I've been 'generous' on other counts e.g suggesting we're really going to get an average of 30 mpg?
Nevertheless, that means £400 (net) less than I originally calculated...so about £700-ish gross...so £11000 instead of the £11750 I originally said?
I guess we have to accept that all cars are going to cost money to run and so the bleak picture I've painted is somewhat misleading? But I think the real killers are that outrageous warranty cost and the depreciation. I think anyone who thinks they're not going to see at least £3K depreciation on an E46 M3 over the next year is being very optimistic? So even with this optimism in mind that's £4K net for the warranty and depreciation so about £7K-ish just for those two things?
I took the following off the internet:
In 2005/06 average gross annual pay for full time employees in the UK was £447 per week (£23,244 per year)
So, let's say we're talking about someone who earns DOUBLE the national average...£46K gross/annum. They're going to spend 15% of their gross income just on the warranty and depreciation on their car?! Or, to go back to my original bleak picture - 24% (ie. almost a quarter!) of their total gross income on running their E46 M3!!!
I can understand someone like Drivin Me Nuts because effectively by giving him £1K/month car allowance they're effectively giving him an extra circa £20K/annum gross salary...which has to be spent on a car...so fair enough.
I mean I like a nice car (and I earn considerably more than the national average) but having sat down and thought through some of the above I think it makes for an interesting snap-shot into the consumerist society that we've been sucked into? i.e that even someone earning twice the national average would be prepared to spend a quarter of their working time just to service the cost of running their car! And that's assuming they managed to save up the money in the first place to by the thing outright and hence don't have to service the interest on a loan on the thing!
In 2003 I was sitting in a one year old E46 M3 at my local BMW Maindealer on the brink of buying it. It had 6000 miles on the clock and was being sold for £5 lean of £40K. I could actually have afforded to have bought it outright for cash i.e no interest repayments on a loan. That car is now worth circa £22K at a Maindealer? So £18K (net!) in depreciation alone. That would have been £30,000 of my gross salary gone...invisibly evaporated in 3 years.
I see the money I earn as my "time". By that I mean I see payment as 'compensation'...compensation that we receive for giving up our time to something/somebody else...Time which otherwise we'd all rather be doing whatever we'd 'like' to be doing e.g sitting on the beach, under a palm tree with a crate of Red Stripe watching the sun go down...
Now if I were Mr (or Ms) Double-The-National-Average-Income why would I want to give up a quarter of my compensation (and by definition working-time) to pay for the cost of my 4 year old car? It just seems to me that we've all gone mad...or rather been led into believing in a mad consumerist society. A society where the real fat-cats are laughing all the way to the bank with the spoils of our labour/time by making us believe in and expend huge percentages of our time to buy their products,run them and then ultimately lose lots of money on a perfectly good car...just so we can go around the cycle again!
To put the money I would have lost on the E46 M3 into some context. My father came from a tiny village in the African bush (he's actually gone back there but...). Anyway, his dad died when he was 9 and as the eldest son he basically had to work to provide for the family. Consequently, he could only go to primary school when there was a bit of money left over. He didn't finish primary school until he was 18...his siblings never got any primary education. He went on to get two masters degrees in economics and became a director of a central bank before retiring. In that same village it now costs £200 to put one child through 6 years of primary education.
Now, I'm not for a second suggesting that I'm so righteous and altruistic as to actually do this...but the gross 'loss' of £30K I would have suffered in depreciation on that one second-hand E46 M3 would have been enough to put 150 children through 6 years of primary education. One hundred and fifty children who could be given a decent start and a chance to realise some of their potential...just as a consequence of what our consumerist society has led us to believe is "acceptable depreciation" and that we supposed to just shrug off...on one car!?
This is just a marker of how blinkered many of us have become. Can this sort of thing really continue? Can the poor of the world continue to service this kind of mentality? And remember it isn't Mr Double-The-National-Average-Income who is the real winner out of this set-up...because he's giving up a quarter of his time just to pay for something he's been made to believe he really wants and even needs! Who are the real winners?
Where will it end?
As you can see by my digression...insomnia is a terrible thing!
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 07:04
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 07:07
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 07:13
Thanks for your comments. I guess when it comes down to it if my head was ruling my decision I'd stick with a 5-year old Peugeot 206 which costs about £600 a year to run! But these cars are all about the experience and that's where your heart comes in...
Interesting to read the comment about the 997 or even a 996 which could be a potential if I didn't need rear seats for my 8 month old daughter. Having said that the annual cost of my Boxster turned out to be £6,500 per annum over 3 years of ownership from new (not including petrol) so I think the perception of Porsche's not losing value is a misguided one. Plus the problems with the Boxster were extremely dissapointing given the 'quality' marque.
Interesting to read the comment about the 997 or even a 996 which could be a potential if I didn't need rear seats for my 8 month old daughter. Having said that the annual cost of my Boxster turned out to be £6,500 per annum over 3 years of ownership from new (not including petrol) so I think the perception of Porsche's not losing value is a misguided one. Plus the problems with the Boxster were extremely dissapointing given the 'quality' marque.
derin100 said:
Ok...so £150/annum less than I said for tyres. So we agree on £450 for those.
And if we accept no more than £250/annum on servicing (although the average of £200 and £800 is actually £500
And if we accept no more than £250/annum on servicing (although the average of £200 and £800 is actually £500
No, no!
Year 1 - no service
Year 2 - oil service £200
Year 3 - no service
Year 4 - inspection service £800
Total cost £1000 over 4 years is £250 pa!
However, all this is somewhat irrelevant on a new/nearly new quality car.
Depreciation overshadows all other costs, but sneaks up on us because we don't have to "pay" it until the car is sold.
The £5k pa depreciation M3 owners have had to "pay" over the last 5/6 years should now settle to £3k or less.
Edited by deutscher on Monday 12th February 10:01
deutscher said:
derin100 said:
Ok...so £150/annum less than I said for tyres. So we agree on £450 for those.
And if we accept no more than £250/annum on servicing (although the average of £200 and £800 is actually £500
And if we accept no more than £250/annum on servicing (although the average of £200 and £800 is actually £500
No, no!
Year 1 - no service
Year 2 - oil service £200
Year 3 - no service
Year 4 - inspection service £800
Total cost £1000 over 4 years is £250 pa!
However, all this is somewhat irrelevant on a new/nearly new quality car.
Depreciation overshadows all other costs, but sneaks up on us because we don't have to "pay" it until the car is sold.
The £5k pa depreciation M3 owners have had to "pay" over the last 5/6 years should now settle to £3k or less.
Edited by deutscher on Monday 12th February 10:01
Yes, yes...I agreed you're right on the £250 pa servicing. Perhaps the rest of my sentence wasn't clear? But I agree with you.
I also agree with you that the real killer is depreciation...and even now £3K is in my opinion an "at the very least figure" over the coming year. New M3 just about to land...E46 M3 being the M3 made and sold in the greatest quantity of any M3 to date...Whopping great warranty premium or 'risk it and pray'? Let's not forget that warranty premium.
The runes are not good...I think (CSLs aside...which seem to have steadied) the E46 M3 is set to plummet like no other M3 before?
So, £4K (net) is £7K-ish (gross) "lost" and we haven't even turned a wheel yet?
I'd still like one though
...just not man enough to stomach the loss I guess 
Agreed! (I never said £13K)...I agree, £18K now...probably (actually I'd predict almost certainly!) £15K in a year.
Add warranty cost gives a 'gross' loss of £7K-ish = 15% of Mr Double-national-average-income's total gross earnings and he hasn't even moved yet.
I'm sure it's just me...but I just don't think that's worth it? Clearly, I'm in a minority because thousands (if not millions...I don't know how many people buy cars every year)do this every year. Otherwise how would the car industry survive and indeed some manufacturers (BMW included) publish bumper sales increases every year? It's not my place or purchase to say how people should spend their 'hard-earned' but I'm just expressing my owning feelings and saying that I think often people don't see the wood for the trees.
The person who did buy that M3 I was going to buy in 2003 and who has shouldered that circa £22K (net!) loss in depreciation could equally well turn round to me and say: "Well, you may still have your £22K...but I've had the pleasure of owning the car for 3 years and you haven't!" Fair enough. However, in the interim...I think I've driven around in fairly nice cars?...and I've still got my £22K!
Add warranty cost gives a 'gross' loss of £7K-ish = 15% of Mr Double-national-average-income's total gross earnings and he hasn't even moved yet.
I'm sure it's just me...but I just don't think that's worth it? Clearly, I'm in a minority because thousands (if not millions...I don't know how many people buy cars every year)do this every year. Otherwise how would the car industry survive and indeed some manufacturers (BMW included) publish bumper sales increases every year? It's not my place or purchase to say how people should spend their 'hard-earned' but I'm just expressing my owning feelings and saying that I think often people don't see the wood for the trees.
The person who did buy that M3 I was going to buy in 2003 and who has shouldered that circa £22K (net!) loss in depreciation could equally well turn round to me and say: "Well, you may still have your £22K...but I've had the pleasure of owning the car for 3 years and you haven't!" Fair enough. However, in the interim...I think I've driven around in fairly nice cars?...and I've still got my £22K!
Darlo
First off when I decided not to buy the E46 M3 I bought this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/alpina_b3/index.html
I drove it as a more or less daily driver (well, as my main car anyway)for 18 months.
I then had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport/index.html
Somewhere in bewteen I had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/blue740i/index.html
Then this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport02/index.html
Throughout that period I've also kept this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/page_m3.html
And an E32 735i of which I can't find any pics at the moment - anyway it's a Lachs Silber 1989 one with genuine 45K miles on the clock. I've had both of the last two cars above for about the past 6 years.
Additionally, I now have this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport01/index.html
This:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/e28_528i/index.html
Which I'm currently selling.
And this (which is current my daily driver!):
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/images/DSCN1014.JPG
My wife drives a 1995 E34 525i Touring (about the only thing that will stand-up to the abuse three kids can hurl at a BMW!)
AND...(pauses for breath)...As of today I've just bought another BMW!!! Should be collecting it tomorrow!
Taking me to a new all-time high of seven BMW currently owned!
First off when I decided not to buy the E46 M3 I bought this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/alpina_b3/index.html
I drove it as a more or less daily driver (well, as my main car anyway)for 18 months.
I then had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport/index.html
Somewhere in bewteen I had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/blue740i/index.html
Then this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport02/index.html
Throughout that period I've also kept this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/page_m3.html
And an E32 735i of which I can't find any pics at the moment - anyway it's a Lachs Silber 1989 one with genuine 45K miles on the clock. I've had both of the last two cars above for about the past 6 years.
Additionally, I now have this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport01/index.html
This:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/e28_528i/index.html
Which I'm currently selling.
And this (which is current my daily driver!):
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/images/DSCN1014.JPG
My wife drives a 1995 E34 525i Touring (about the only thing that will stand-up to the abuse three kids can hurl at a BMW!)
AND...(pauses for breath)...As of today I've just bought another BMW!!! Should be collecting it tomorrow!
Taking me to a new all-time high of seven BMW currently owned!
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 14:53
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 15:04
deutscher said:
Mr. National Average does not drive an M3. His car is Ford Focus.
You can't enter the junior supercar league and pretend it's economy motoring.
However, £ for £, if you love cars, the M3 is the best you will get.
You can't enter the junior supercar league and pretend it's economy motoring.
However, £ for £, if you love cars, the M3 is the best you will get.
Well, remember I was talking about Mr DOUBLE-National-Average...and I didn't say he couldn't afford it. I'm just saying I still remain amazed that although he can afford it that he's comfortable with shelling out 15% of his salary every year on his car...before he's even driven it!?
And...whilst I'd certainly say an E46 M3 is a very fast car...and in the absence of all the baggage that we've been discussing I'd certainly 'like' to have one...I think it's stretching it a bit to use the term 'Supercar' (even junior) in the context of a car that has been made and sold in such vast numbers as to become almost ubiquitous?
And...finally, I do love cars...and I do actually own an M3...just a depreciation-proof one!
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/features/index.html
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 14:54
deutscher said:
Mr. National Average does not drive an M3. His car is Ford Focus.
You can't enter the junior supercar league and pretend it's economy motoring.
However, £ for £, if you love cars, the M3 is the best you will get.
You can't enter the junior supercar league and pretend it's economy motoring.
However, £ for £, if you love cars, the M3 is the best you will get.
I guess part of me is Mr National Average as well then!
Nothing wrong with the Focus - top family transport. And I agree buying an M3 is never going to be economy motoring and personally I believe buying a 3yr old M3 now and keeping for another 3 won't end up making as big a dent in my pocket as, say a new 335i, used 996 or RS4. And I'm not sure anything would give me as much of a smile on a daily basis...derin100 said:
Darlo
First off when I decided not to buy the E46 M3 I bought this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/alpina_b3/index.html
I drove it as a more or less daily driver (well, as my main car anyway)for 18 months.
I then had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport/index.html
Somewhere in bewteen I had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/blue740i/index.html
Then this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport02/index.html
Throughout that period I've also kept this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/page_m3.html
And an E32 735i of which I can't find any pics at the moment - anyway it's a Lachs Silber 1989 one with genuine 45K miles on the clock. I've had both of the last two cars above for about the past 6 years.
Additionally, I now have this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport01/index.html
This:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/e28_528i/index.html
Which I'm currently selling.
And this (which is current my daily driver!):
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/images/DSCN1014.JPG
My wife drives a 1995 E34 525i Touring (about the only thing that will stand-up to the abuse three kids can hurl at a BMW!)
AND...(pauses for breath)...As of today I've just bought another BMW!!! Should be collecting it tomorrow!
Taking me to a new all-time high of seven BMW currently owned!
First off when I decided not to buy the E46 M3 I bought this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/alpina_b3/index.html
I drove it as a more or less daily driver (well, as my main car anyway)for 18 months.
I then had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport/index.html
Somewhere in bewteen I had this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/blue740i/index.html
Then this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport02/index.html
Throughout that period I've also kept this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/page_m3.html
And an E32 735i of which I can't find any pics at the moment - anyway it's a Lachs Silber 1989 one with genuine 45K miles on the clock. I've had both of the last two cars above for about the past 6 years.
Additionally, I now have this:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/840cisport01/index.html
This:
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/e28_528i/index.html
Which I'm currently selling.
And this (which is current my daily driver!):
www.bmwclassics.co.uk/images/DSCN1014.JPG
My wife drives a 1995 E34 525i Touring (about the only thing that will stand-up to the abuse three kids can hurl at a BMW!)
AND...(pauses for breath)...As of today I've just bought another BMW!!! Should be collecting it tomorrow!
Taking me to a new all-time high of seven BMW currently owned!
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 14:53
Edited by derin100 on Monday 12th February 15:04
That's a fantastic collection!
I love the 840i - but that's not what I'm after and I just think the E46 M3 ticks all the right boxes for me right now. I also have a good friend who is a BMW mechanic so I know I'll be able to find a good example that hopefully won't give me any large bills in the short term as I certainly don't like the idea of paying £900 for a warranty and £250 excess.
It seems to make sense to me to bank that money and put it towards any problems if they happen. Edited by Darlo74 on Monday 12th February 20:11
Darlo74 said:
I certainly don't like the idea of paying £900 for a warranty and £250 excess. It seems to make sense to me to bank that money and put it towards any problems if they happen.
It seems to make sense to me to bank that money and put it towards any problems if they happen. Good decision.
I had manu warranty for first 3 years, extended it for the fourth year when it was only £500, now in fifth year I'm just taking the chance.
If you have a good car and look after it, the £1150 saved should more than cover any problems - unless you are very unlucky. The M3 is a tough car, unlike 996s with their RMS issues and spontaneous engine blow-ups etc.
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