mr-c Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 hi folks, im new here, after crossing from the ford(cossie) side im looking to buy an e46 m3 after wanting one for ages, after haveing a few 323 318 ci bmws, has any body got any ideas of what tolook for when buying a m3 e46, any help appreciated, alsoim in dunfermline fife, any owners near?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 hi folks, im new here, after crossing from the ford(cossie) side im looking to buy an e46 m3 after wanting one for ages, after haveing a few 323 318 ci bmws, has any body got any ideas of what tolook for when buying a m3 e46, any help appreciated, alsoim in dunfermline fife, any owners near?? The big thing about M3's is running costs, have you fully investigated them and worked out if you can afford it? I was utterly gobsmacked at things like insurance and servicing on them. Both of which equate to more than double my 330 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Dude he has come from a cossie i dont think the running costs will be too dissimilar!!! In fact id almost go so far as to say insurance may be cheaper! Main things to check are the running in service, then the usuals like dealer service history, ball joints/bushes, wear on the drivers boulster, notchy gearbox etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
///Marty Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Same stuff as usual e46's tbh, snapped rears springs, subframes on early examples etc. The M does have a running in service which is very important, about 1200 miles IIRC. If it aint got that, walk away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Dude he has come from a cossie i dont think the running costs will be too dissimilar!!! In fact id almost go so far as to say insurance may be cheaper! Main things to check are the running in service, then the usuals like dealer service history, ball joints/bushes, wear on the drivers boulster, notchy gearbox etc etc Cossies arent that bad actually. Put it this way, when I was 23 with 2 YNCB I was getting insurance quotes of around £1.5k for a RWD Sapphire Cosworth. I'm now 29 with 8 years NCB and I'm getting quotes of £1.6k for an M3 You can service a Cossie on your own easily, there's no electrical gubbins to reset etc. And in most cases, the cars are so old they dont have a service book to stamp any way. What's quite ironic, is that when I was 23 and getting quoted £1.5k for Cossie insurance, I would have bought one had my mate not sold it. I ended up with an MR2 turbo and paid about the same for that. Now I'm older and have much more money at my disposal I think it's utterly ludicrus to spend that sort of money on insurance. I guess with age comes wisdom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr-c Posted September 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 cool folks, yup mate looked into running it and to be honest it wont be used much, as the wife has a mini,ill scoot about in that lol, the m3 will only be used at weekends, yup the cossie was a pain in the butt, but gotta love them, good fun when they go good, expensive when they go bang, lol looking to spend about 10 to 12k on an m3 will that get a decent one or a ruff one, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Id say for £12k you should get an OK one, it wont be perfect mind but will be a good starting point. If i were you id look to buy a £14k one and offer £12k cash for a quick sale...if you dont ask you dont get! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr-c Posted September 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 cool, i see theres lots of smg ones for sale, are they better than manual boxs? ive never owned an auto but heard they expensive/problomatic etc thanks again, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Everyone i have spoken to that has gone SMG has said they would never go back to manual, i havent a clue how you would check the life expectancy of an SMG though. I guess just stick it in sports mode and give it the beans and watch for any slipping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 The SMG gearbox in the E36 was problematic but the SMG II boxes in the E46 are much more reliable. I've still heard of problems but they are more infrequent than frequent. I was dead set on getting a manual when I was looking for mine until I drove a couple of SMG's and I was hooked after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Must have fully stamped service book, including the 1000 mile service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daz 330 Cs Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I have SSG & would never entertain a Manual again on a Bmw . The best advice Dude is to try both & see what you prefer . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M3NXN Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 The best advice Dude is to try both & see what you prefer . +1 Each to their own and all that, only way is to test drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I heard a rumour that the SMG boxes can sometimes "crash" when you are driving and when it reboots itself it starts back up in 2nd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 I heard a rumour that the SMG boxes can sometimes "crash" when you are driving and when it reboots itself it starts back up in 2nd? Not experienced that myself but I'm assuming that when it reboots itself it put you in S1 mode which as default will start you off in 2nd gear. It's more of a comfort mode of driving as opposed to S5 or S6 (DSC and traction control off) which is all out racing mode ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr-c Posted September 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 yup might try an smg, see what its like, but would prefer manual, but you never know, anybody selling one from here? would want one with black leather, and sat nav, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
