E46 M3 People?

[James Crivellone]

My parents are at the end of E24 ownership, and my mom wants a new car... Her only rule is no clutch pedal, otherwise she does not care....

We were originally looking at 330Ci's from 2005 - 2006, however they are too common, and the automatic tranny is pure rubbish.

We are looking at 2001 - 2002 SMG M3's now...I've driven an 02 SMG M3 and it did fairly well. I'd never personally own one but the automatic mode seems acceptable, and she only drives about 10 miles a day.

I know rod bearing recall issues, I know software issues here and there, and I know the E46 Suspension very well, but is there anything else?

This is also to complement my Mtechnik-1 328IS and my Dads Porsche 914/6 project car...

Basically we always want a car to tear up on the track, even my moms :p.

[delatlanta1281]

Soooo what's your question? You want a car to tear up? Buy a 850r wagon.

[James Crivellone]

Soooo what's your question? You want a car to tear up? Buy a 850r wagon.

Its gonna be a BMW, and the SMG M3 is the only thing that meets my moms criteria (coupe, fast, sporty, etc)

Mainly a question if anybody knows any popular problems with these particular early model cars.

[AdamF 88iS]

Door seals, like all 2 door E46s.
Oil pan gaskets are common on S54s.
Window regulators, like all E46s.
Final stage unit (aka fan resistor), like all E46s.
P/S hoses, like all E46s.

Thats all pretty minor though. The oil pan can be a bitch if you're new to them, but the rest of it is all easy stuff. All in all they are pretty solid cars.

Also be aware- they are quite expensive to service. Brake parts are big $$. Special oil is $10/liter. Even spark plugs list for almost $30 a piece.

[WillisE30]

Good list so far, but you forgot my hands down favorite one. The sunroofs on E46s seem to break if you look at them wrong. Replacing a casette on one is ~7hrs of labor since you have to pull the headliner. Check that carefully.

[Low Level E30]

I have a 2005 E46 M3 that I bought brand new. It is a regular driver and has done many laps around the Nurburgring when I was stationed in Germany. I love it and wouldn't trade it for the world.

[James Crivellone]

Excellent, I'm fine with all those issues, part costs don't bother me at all, and nothing MAJOR seems to be listed.

[Kman]

i've been driving a m3 vert with the 6speed all week, very nice car i love it, this weekend i belive i am getting to tryout a 04 m3 smg coupe, i will let you know my thoughts on it

[jmarch]

Door seals, like all 2 door E46s.
Oil pan gaskets are common on S54s.
Window regulators, like all E46s.
Final stage unit (aka fan resistor), like all E46s.
P/S hoses, like all E46s.

Thats all pretty minor though. The oil pan can be a bitch if you're new to them, but the rest of it is all easy stuff. All in all they are pretty solid cars.

Also be aware- they are quite expensive to service. Brake parts are big $$. Special oil is $10/liter. Even spark plugs list for almost $30 a piece.

$30 a piece for spark plugs!!!!!???? Are they using formula 1 plugs? Even Porsche doesn't do that to it's customers - my fancy 4 tipped 993 plugs are a 1/3 of the price, list.

[aaron.j]

Everything adam said and also, ive driven numerous smg equipped m3s as I work at a dealer and once those things get some mileage (60k+), even though you arent shifting manually, ala smg shifter, you cant tell by the sounds they make that it is starting to get sloppy.

[RobertK]

For someone that is used to driving an E24 have your parents considered an E39 540i?

[James Crivellone]

For someone that is used to driving an E24 have your parents considered an E39 540i?

She wants a coupe, we looked at 540's for awhile though.

[Nick]

IMO the early SMG in the e46 is a little too rough for the casual driver (which your mom doesn't seem to be), and even though I'm not a big fan of M3s, it fits all her criteria.

They're fairly reliable, but like everyone else said, they've got typical e46 problems.

[Eliminator]

How about a 330ci with performance package?

http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtest...e-package.html

[Digitalwave]

How about a 330ci with performance package?

http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtest...e-package.html

https://www.rif.org

He just said it had to be a coupe.

James, what about the new M-coupe?