E91/2/3 M3 V8

[spikeymikey12000]

I might be in the market soon for a V8 M3. I will have a restricted budget of about £14-£15k and the car will be a daily driver doing about 10k a year.

Looks like I’ll be looking at a convertible with 70-80k in my budget. Presumably the convertibles are cheaper than the coupe because of the perceived fact they drive less well and are heavier etc? Does anyone know of any nightmare facts I should know about on the convertibles specifically? Also any general tips appreciated.

Thanks

[Mr Tidy]

I don't know much about them apart from what I've read which suggests that like the E46 M3s they are prone to wearing out rod bearing shells.

Might be worth a trip to a dedicated website like the M3cutters or similar.

[cerb4.5lee]

My brother in law had his E93 M3 DCT for 11 years and it was mostly faultless in his hands. He never did many miles in it though as it was used as an occasional car. He did get a little bit of trouble with the roof playing up, so have a good try of that when you get to look around one.

I did 10k miles over 10 months in my manual E92 M3, and I felt like I lived in the petrol station. So I'd get ready for that too I reckon!

[KPB1973]

Having driven a few, I found them quite flat-footed compared to the coupe because of the weight of the roof, and the S65 doesn't have that much low down torque for a V8 as it is - so the reputation that the E9x M3 has for needing to be really wound out to give good performance is doubly-true of the convertible.

On the flipside, they make a lovely noise with the roof down and they handle okay for their size (especially with the roof dropped and with EDC set to sport). Whether they offer enough performance for you in day-to-day driving to justify the fuel and maintenance costs is obvious a personal decision.