Recently, I've become obsessed with the thought of owning one of my dream cars, the E46 M3. I fantasize on Craigslist several times weekly for the latest local offerings. Because I'm graduating with an engineering degree in a month and should be able to find a pretty decent job, I feel like owning the car isn't too unrealistic.
Unfortunately, I see tons of SMG M3s which is somewhat of a deal breaker for me. However, I remember reading that the SMG pumps often fail and it could be worthwhile and easier (cheaper too?) to simply swap the transmission over to a 6 speed. There have been so many cheap examples ($10-12k/100-120k miles) of M3s in silver, convertible, SMG, or some combination of the three. I've also seen several gray/LSB examples with the SMG, which are the colors I prefer.
My question is would it be worth it to buy a cheaper example with the intention of immediately swapping to a 6 speed, or should I just be patient and find exactly what I'm looking for?
I wouldn't trust myself to do the swap, so parts and labor would be included in the cost.
Thanks!
p.s. here's pretty much exactly what I'm after:
can anyone tell me potential problems with this example? (maintenance, mods, etc?)
Unfortunately, I see tons of SMG M3s which is somewhat of a deal breaker for me. However, I remember reading that the SMG pumps often fail and it could be worthwhile and easier (cheaper too?) to simply swap the transmission over to a 6 speed. There have been so many cheap examples ($10-12k/100-120k miles) of M3s in silver, convertible, SMG, or some combination of the three. I've also seen several gray/LSB examples with the SMG, which are the colors I prefer.
My question is would it be worth it to buy a cheaper example with the intention of immediately swapping to a 6 speed, or should I just be patient and find exactly what I'm looking for?
I wouldn't trust myself to do the swap, so parts and labor would be included in the cost.
Thanks!
p.s. here's pretty much exactly what I'm after:
can anyone tell me potential problems with this example? (maintenance, mods, etc?)
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