10k to spend - 135i or E46 M3?
Discussion
I'm looking at getting one of these two but cannot decide which.
My yearly mileage is low and it will be more of a weekend car.
I would assume that the M3 will only gain in value now which is a plus but it is a lot older and the 135i can achieve 400bhp reasonably easily.
My yearly mileage is low and it will be more of a weekend car.
I would assume that the M3 will only gain in value now which is a plus but it is a lot older and the 135i can achieve 400bhp reasonably easily.
Edited by Percent on Wednesday 8th February 16:50
Pistonheader101 said:
Just remember that the E46 M3, despite being 10k, has the running costs of a £60k car.
Saying that, I would pick the M3 over the 135i any day of the week.
There is no reason that an E46 M3 has to be ruinous, parts will be a bit more expensive than say a 330i, but otherwise its a 3 series, you have to do the valve clearances now and then, for routine stuff the chaps I know with them who have had them ages dont find them overly expensive, one did get hit for a Vanos overhaul early in his ownership which was £1200, I directed him towards "Dr Vanos" I think it was but otherwise it is things like wheel refurbs that cost him, the other guy does everything himself and has an immaculate car that costs him very little.Saying that, I would pick the M3 over the 135i any day of the week.
The one thing to be very wary of is the bodyshell, it tears around where the rear suspension is mounted, it is fixable but can be £1500 or more. Watch out on SMG ones that its all working correctly, not the terror item it once was but can throw up bills.
They are getting old, get someone who knows them to check any out, lots of very shiny but utterly knackered ones out there, I was looking and got disheartened and took the easy option with a low mileage 350Z which was good but the E46 M3 is a better car, not that much faster though considering the power difference.
Also, they are a grower rather than an initial wow, both the chaps I know who have them realised a dream but initially were a bit underwhelmed, takes a little while to "get" them after stuff say, like the 135i that wows with its massive grunt, but ultimately isnt as complete a package.
J4CKO said:
There is no reason that an E46 M3 has to be ruinous, parts will be a bit more expensive than say a 330i, but otherwise its a 3 series,
I agree in principle but I've had a E92 M3 and now have a E90 330i, the M3 cost me twice as much to insure and tax is almost double and it's twice as much to service the M3 over the 330i too, not to mention fuel. M3's are a fair bit more expensive to run than the bread and butter models in my experience, the M tax is legendary.
cerb4.5lee said:
I agree in principle but I've had a E92 M3 and now have a E90 330i, the M3 cost me twice as much to insure and tax is almost double and it's twice as much to service the M3 over the 330i too, not to mention fuel.
M3's are a fair bit more expensive to run than the bread and butter models in my experience, the M tax is legendary.
Tax I can understand, but it's not a huge amount anyway, unless of course it's the £500+ bracket? Mine is £295 odd, had I bought the 2006 release year, then I'd be paying the £515 bracket!M3's are a fair bit more expensive to run than the bread and butter models in my experience, the M tax is legendary.
Insurance totally depends on the policy holder and the policy attributes. For me it's under £400.
Fuel costs aren't that bad either, long term average of 24MPG, that's after 30,000 miles covered in two years of ownership.
The costly things are completely trivial. Little things seemingly cost the earth to replace. DSC pressure sensor? There are two of them, £90 each and a BMW only part as well. VANOS rebuild? Low four figures. Subframe reinforcement? £750 minimum. Any of the running gear or core engine components that are prone to failure as they age are not cheap to fix or replace. Lord help those with SMG models, that's a £2500 job.
With all that being said, an E46 M3 should be in the hands of every car enthusiast at least once in their lives. Such a great engine to explore the rpm range with
Hi
I would go M3 in your shoes. I was recently looking for a 135i. £10k is bottom end of the market - plus potential bork factor scared me a little (turbo issues, injector issues alone can set you back £££££). So to think a 135i would be cheaper to maintain than an E46 M3 is 'probably' false.
I eventually ended up with a 330i E92 N53. Purchase price cheaper so any potential issues can now be comfortably afforded. As an everyday car it suits my needs and lust for pressing the load pedal....
Mike
I would go M3 in your shoes. I was recently looking for a 135i. £10k is bottom end of the market - plus potential bork factor scared me a little (turbo issues, injector issues alone can set you back £££££). So to think a 135i would be cheaper to maintain than an E46 M3 is 'probably' false.
I eventually ended up with a 330i E92 N53. Purchase price cheaper so any potential issues can now be comfortably afforded. As an everyday car it suits my needs and lust for pressing the load pedal....
Mike
robbiekhan said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I agree in principle but I've had a E92 M3 and now have a E90 330i, the M3 cost me twice as much to insure and tax is almost double and it's twice as much to service the M3 over the 330i too, not to mention fuel.
M3's are a fair bit more expensive to run than the bread and butter models in my experience, the M tax is legendary.
Tax I can understand, but it's not a huge amount anyway, unless of course it's the £500+ bracket? Mine is £295 odd, had I bought the 2006 release year, then I'd be paying the £515 bracket!M3's are a fair bit more expensive to run than the bread and butter models in my experience, the M tax is legendary.
Insurance totally depends on the policy holder and the policy attributes. For me it's under £400.
Fuel costs aren't that bad either, long term average of 24MPG, that's after 30,000 miles covered in two years of ownership.
The costly things are completely trivial. Little things seemingly cost the earth to replace. DSC pressure sensor? There are two of them, £90 each and a BMW only part as well. VANOS rebuild? Low four figures. Subframe reinforcement? £750 minimum. Any of the running gear or core engine components that are prone to failure as they age are not cheap to fix or replace. Lord help those with SMG models, that's a £2500 job.
With all that being said, an E46 M3 should be in the hands of every car enthusiast at least once in their lives. Such a great engine to explore the rpm range with
The M3 is £515 compared to £295 for the 330i for tax and agree that's far from a deal breaker.
The E90 330i is a fair bit better on fuel than the E92 M3 with its 4 litre V8 though.
Agree the engine in the E46 M3 is nice and I enjoyed using that engine in my Z4M Roadster, although I personally didn't like it's metallic/raspy wasp like noise though very much but it's a highly regarded engine for sure.
It's only £515 tax if it's made after March 2006 £295 otherwise.
The metallic bee noise is character! You can make the noise meaty like a CSL with the Eventuri intake kit though, which makes it much nicer and raw. Note that 2005+ models have the CSL exhaust manifold as standard, so sound a bit meatier still.
Sadly the price escalated quickly in the space of a year. I paid £500 for it, now it's £750!
£295 otherwise.The metallic bee noise is character! You can make the noise meaty like a CSL with the Eventuri intake kit though, which makes it much nicer and raw. Note that 2005+ models have the CSL exhaust manifold as standard, so sound a bit meatier still.
Sadly the price escalated quickly in the space of a year. I paid £500 for it, now it's £750!
Edited by robbiekhan on Thursday 9th February 17:39
Edited by robbiekhan on Thursday 9th February 17:39
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