Used E46 M3s - anything to be wary of?
Discussion
After almost three and a half years of S2000 ownership, I'm starting to get the itch to swap it for something different. Having toyed with the idea of a TVR Tamora and almost - but not quite! - overcome my suspicion of the Speed 6 engine's durability and the prospect of a £5K bill to rebuild it when it goes pop, I'm now mulling over a swap to an M3. With kids on the agenda for the next 12 months, it would certainly make a lot more sense than another two-seater.
Whatever I get for the S2000 and the various bits on it will determine budget so, realistically, that gives me around £20K to play with. From the looks of the PH classifieds and Autotrader, that makes an E46 M3 just about do-able, for a Y or 51 plate, or for a newer but higher mileage model.
Just wondering whether there is anything particular I should be looking for when shopping around? Any known "issues" to be wary of? Any recalls that need to have been attended to?
I know the service cycle works on an oil change, inspection 1, inspection 2 basis, and gather that the latter typically cost £600-700 and £800-900 respectively. But what's the servicing interval? (Those costs would be a shock to the system after Honda servicing costs - but I guess that's inevitable and I've just been spoiled by Jap reliabity and running costs!)
Haven't given much though to the big SMG -v- manual question yet - I suspect the only way to resolve that is test both. I like the idea of SMG but need to see whether the reality is as good as the principle.
Any wisdom from M3 owners on here gratefully received!
(Lest anyone be inclined to refer me to the search engine, I'm doing a search for myself but just wanted to try to shortcut the process.)
Whatever I get for the S2000 and the various bits on it will determine budget so, realistically, that gives me around £20K to play with. From the looks of the PH classifieds and Autotrader, that makes an E46 M3 just about do-able, for a Y or 51 plate, or for a newer but higher mileage model.
Just wondering whether there is anything particular I should be looking for when shopping around? Any known "issues" to be wary of? Any recalls that need to have been attended to?
I know the service cycle works on an oil change, inspection 1, inspection 2 basis, and gather that the latter typically cost £600-700 and £800-900 respectively. But what's the servicing interval? (Those costs would be a shock to the system after Honda servicing costs - but I guess that's inevitable and I've just been spoiled by Jap reliabity and running costs!)
Haven't given much though to the big SMG -v- manual question yet - I suspect the only way to resolve that is test both. I like the idea of SMG but need to see whether the reality is as good as the principle.
Any wisdom from M3 owners on here gratefully received!
(Lest anyone be inclined to refer me to the search engine, I'm doing a search for myself but just wanted to try to shortcut the process.)
Hi Mark,
I had the same 'itch' so to speak and sold my Current car and Purchased an M3.
Ive owned it for around 8 hours so far ! and all I can say is that its a marked improvement on my previous cars from Build Quality and Handling. (Ref Maserati )
I Know im tempting fate here and the engine will probably fall out ! (joke) But seriously I have had enough of my Maserati playing up / and the Dealer also ! so I decided to upgrade the BMW in our family to the M3 as the previous BM was no trouble at all.
The M3 is a great car and the weight distribution is brilliant making it a better car when driving around country lanes etc.
I went for the SMG which I found to be a great gadget so to speak.
For me it works well and its easy to use after a little practise!
The SMG takes a small amount of time to learn the 'timing' of the paddle changes but its great fun on long roads!
Im not sure about costs obviously at this point but initial experience after driving 170 odd miles today is that the car is much easier to live with than other Brands and the Seats are very comfortable which is Ideal for traffic / long journeys etc.I didnt feel no where near as tired driving the M3 compared to the Maserati for example.
Build Quality is also excellent , something you will know from the the S2000.
Test Drive the Two Models (SMG and Manual) and see what you prefer ?
Hope this info helps mate ?
Pete
>> Edited by maserati3200gt on Wednesday 16th November 21:06
I had the same 'itch' so to speak and sold my Current car and Purchased an M3.
Ive owned it for around 8 hours so far ! and all I can say is that its a marked improvement on my previous cars from Build Quality and Handling. (Ref Maserati )
I Know im tempting fate here and the engine will probably fall out ! (joke) But seriously I have had enough of my Maserati playing up / and the Dealer also ! so I decided to upgrade the BMW in our family to the M3 as the previous BM was no trouble at all.
The M3 is a great car and the weight distribution is brilliant making it a better car when driving around country lanes etc.
I went for the SMG which I found to be a great gadget so to speak.
For me it works well and its easy to use after a little practise!
The SMG takes a small amount of time to learn the 'timing' of the paddle changes but its great fun on long roads!
Im not sure about costs obviously at this point but initial experience after driving 170 odd miles today is that the car is much easier to live with than other Brands and the Seats are very comfortable which is Ideal for traffic / long journeys etc.I didnt feel no where near as tired driving the M3 compared to the Maserati for example.
Build Quality is also excellent , something you will know from the the S2000.
Test Drive the Two Models (SMG and Manual) and see what you prefer ?
Hope this info helps mate ?
Pete
>> Edited by maserati3200gt on Wednesday 16th November 21:06
Thanks for that, Pete.
M15ley, yes, I realise that SMG is going to be beyond my reach. I like the idea of it but have never actually tried it to see whether the reality is as good as the principle - it's not really any great loss to me that I'm restricted to a manual.
There are a number of manuals up on Autotrader around the £20-21K mark - I realise my choice is likely to be rather limited, but it still seems to be do-able.
(Whether or not any of those cars within budget are worth buying on closer inspection of course remains to be seen!)
M15ley, yes, I realise that SMG is going to be beyond my reach. I like the idea of it but have never actually tried it to see whether the reality is as good as the principle - it's not really any great loss to me that I'm restricted to a manual.
There are a number of manuals up on Autotrader around the £20-21K mark - I realise my choice is likely to be rather limited, but it still seems to be do-able.
(Whether or not any of those cars within budget are worth buying on closer inspection of course remains to be seen!)
Lurking Lawyer said:
There are a number of manuals up on Autotrader around the £20-21K mark - I realise my choice is likely to be rather limited, but it still seems to be do-able.
(Whether or not any of those cars within budget are worth buying on closer inspection of course remains to be seen!)
I have had my E46 M3 just over a year now and love it. They are fantastic cars. A word of caution though @ £20k you are casting your net at the bottom of the M3 pond - be prepared to walk away until you find a good one.
Hi,
I made the switch from S2000 to manual M3 about a year ago after 2 yrs with the S2000. Best move I made as I think it was one of the few cars within budget that could be a step on from the S2000.
In terms of what to look for, the usual guff about FSH etc, but also make sure that any vehicle you are looking at has had the necessary recall work done - wealth of info at BM3W,
cheers
I made the switch from S2000 to manual M3 about a year ago after 2 yrs with the S2000. Best move I made as I think it was one of the few cars within budget that could be a step on from the S2000.
In terms of what to look for, the usual guff about FSH etc, but also make sure that any vehicle you are looking at has had the necessary recall work done - wealth of info at BM3W,
cheers
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