e46 m3 startin to look dated?

[alsheikh]

I want to confront and share my fears with you guys. i say this very reluctantly as im looking for one right now but i was driving past a parked m3 convertible e46 with the 19inch wheels in carbon black my favourite colour. It was a moment of horror and mortification, similar to seeing an ex-girlfriend years later and thinking what did i ever see in her anyway..ok i wouldn't go that far but i've been trying to suppress this feeling of denial that my dream car has actually aged, looks old and just generally is not up to date? biased-ness aside guys have i got a point? or can you alay my fears? i think because i keep seeing the new shape coupes everywhere i have been psychologically dammaged..

[EvoJay]

I think your wrong fella. I think the E39 5 series looks a little dated now..which is a shame as i love them. But i think the E46 M3 still looks fresh up to date. Not sure on the hair-dresser convertable model as i half blank them lol.

I was driving through cardiff tonight and there was a pheonix yellow M3 parked outisde a club and it just looked jaw droppingly gorgeous. Im not sure how long it will retain its youthful looks for...but i dont think its lost them yet.

Jay

[JKay]

I dont think they look dated either. Still love the look of em everytime I see one

[m3sye]

Nor me, but I would say that.

But been honest I dont, I still think the same and style still looks as good as many others (that are new) on the road today.

[UJM3]

I wouldn't exactly say dated, i think it looks better than the new model but i do think they are a bit common.

[patmahe]

UJM3 said:

I wouldn't exactly say dated, i think it looks better than the new model but i do think they are a bit common.

Yep - commonality (if thats a word) is the problem there used to be shock when you saw an M3 there just isnt anymore. Too many people with so much money they bought the best 3 series they could without really knowing what it was about. I think the e46 has suffered from an image problem as a result and this has caused it to look unattractive before it should have.

[Huliganov]

Silver ones look somewhat 'common' IMO as do the black ones (but they stand out better, especially if they've had a good clean) but the pick of the bunch are the Imola Red and Phoenix Yellow models, they REALLY do stand out, especially on 19" wheels. They look just so damn good!

[squeezebm]

Started to look dated,but still look good!!

[kusee pee]

They still look great IMO but once the E92 starts to look commonplace there'll be an effect on how we view the E46. But for now they still look bang up-to-date, particularly the CSL. Saw a white E92 M3 today though and that made me stop and stare big time.

[squeezebm]

UJM3 said:

I wouldn't exactly say dated, i think it looks better than the new model but i do think they are a bit common.

Have you seen an E92 M otr coming towards you or sat behind you they look loads better than the e46 IMO

[Bund]

Hi,

Im also looking for an M3 cab but can someone tell me when the facelift happened and what the difference is? Some people advertise there car as an SMGII is that to say there was an SMGI or was this to label dual clutch?

Im looking for a black/black or dark blue or gunmetal 04 onwards for sensible money. I have cash waiting. Im looking in classifieds as well but going away for 3 weeks so dont want to ring people knowing i cant get to it before i go.

thanks lads

[Vixpy1]

Bund said:

Hi,

Im also looking for an M3 cab but can someone tell me when the facelift happened and what the difference is? Some people advertise there car as an SMGII is that to say there was an SMGI or was this to label dual clutch?

Im looking for a black/black or dark blue or gunmetal 04 onwards for sensible money. I have cash waiting. Im looking in classifieds as well but going away for 3 weeks so dont want to ring people knowing i cant get to it before i go.

thanks lads

Only the rear lights changed, i think in 03. The SMG1 was only on the E36, and neither is a duel clucth system.

[EvoJay]

Bund said:

Hi,

Im also looking for an M3 cab but can someone tell me when the facelift happened and what the difference is? Some people advertise there car as an SMGII is that to say there was an SMGI or was this to label dual clutch?

Im looking for a black/black or dark blue or gunmetal 04 onwards for sensible money. I have cash waiting. Im looking in classifieds as well but going away for 3 weeks so dont want to ring people knowing i cant get to it before i go.

thanks lads

I posted a simualar thread last week. Differences are minimal and include LED rear lights and a smaller rear boot handle and not alot else. And as someone said, all e46 M3's are SMG II.

Jay

[alsheikh]

i have confronted my fears and am over it! its inevitable i suppose when the new shape m3 is more common on the road our perception of the e46 will change..for now i couldn't careless i haven't got another 30k for the new shape anyway and its the best looking 22k convertible car out there for all round value so sod it dated or not it still looks hot, gets the girls turning there heads and im sure will bring a smile to my face when i put my foot down as the summer breeze clashes with the area of my head that once use to have hair follicles but is now a bald scalp!

[Sheriff JWPepper]

They do look a touch dated compared to the lastest 3 series models, it's inevitable, however in a good colour they still look fantasic and I think will become a true classic.

Saw the lastest M3 for the first time up close recently and can't say I'm a fan which saddens me.

[EvoJay]

Sheriff JWPepper said:

They do look a touch dated compared to the lastest 3 series models, it's inevitable, however in a good colour they still look fantasic and I think will become a true classic.

Saw the lastest M3 for the first time up close recently and can't say I'm a fan which saddens me.

One drove passed me last night while i was parked up..and i really dont think they look anything special. They're just a tad to understated. I was gutted i was parked up though. I really wanted a play.

[petrolhead76]

The e46 still looks beautiful...the new one is nicer to me, but the old one still looks fab !

Not a fan of the new 3 series look in general though.

[Deutscher]

No, it doesn't look dated, unless in Phoenix Yellow (which was on launch anyway).

The E46 is a much prettier car than the E92, and will prove to be a much more enduring design.

In 10 years' time the collectors/enthusiasts will be looking for mint E46s, not E92s, much as true Porsche fans go for the 993, not the 996.

[Pugsey]

Bund said:

Hi,

Im also looking for an M3 cab but can someone tell me when the facelift happened and what the difference is? Some people advertise there car as an SMGII is that to say there was an SMGI or was this to label dual clutch?

Im looking for a black/black or dark blue or gunmetal 04 onwards for sensible money. I have cash waiting. Im looking in classifieds as well but going away for 3 weeks so dont want to ring people knowing i cant get to it before i go.

thanks lads

Not as a replacement for the Spider surely - say it's not so!

[968CSReading]

Still want an E46 M3 (may be after the RX8) and still prefer it to the new one (although I did see a white M3 on the M4 yesterday and it was v v nice)