BMW and M Power Owners

Depends, what age is it, what condition is it in, what type is it (coupe/cab?), has the subrframe been checked? Etc!

So many questions, so little information :p
 
mrk said:
Depends, what age is it, what condition is it in, what type is it (coupe/cab?), has the subrframe been checked? Etc!

So many questions, so little information :p
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Excuse my ignorance, don't have a lot of knowledge with M3's.

It's a 2003, Black coupe with FSH, I do not know about the subframe I haven't viewed the car yet.

On a day to day basis, how costly is it to run one? Don't do many miles maybe 20 a week, but mainly use of weekends, so fuel is not an issue.
 
It could be super costly, if you buy the wrong one. High ins, high tax, low mpg so it's not the cheapest car to run. Parts and servicing won't help.

Depends what you view as expensive and how much the car in question costs.
 
I did some research recently as I too am looking at an M3.

I'm lucky in that my local indy specialist has a very good labour rate and I provide all fluids and parts for servicing so based on that:

Tyres
Rear: £159 each (assuming F1 AS2)
Front: £128 each (assuming F1 AS2)

Brake discs:
Full set of Pagidt: £540

Brake pads:
Full set of Pagid + wear sensors: £167

^Prices taken off ECP, free next day delivery etc.
Stock up on oil when ECP have their usual 30-40% off and supply to indy when needed :p

Tax
Band K = 1 May 2001 - 23 Mar 2006 = £285.00
band M = 23 Mar 2006 - 28 Aug 2006 = £500.00 :eek: (Glad I'm looking at a 2005 :p)

Insurance and servicing costs all come down to your individual specs. I have a good indy so everything is in hand and insurance is fairly cheap too so not really a worry there. I do maybe 3000 miles a year so I won't need to pony up for tyres and brake parts for very long stretches. Realistically the biggest annual cost will be tax with an oil service next in line.

This all assumes nothing breaks in between of course :p The subframe was new news to me recently, I'd heard of it before but never looked into it. If your M3 is a 2003 then it's out of warranty with BMW so you can expect to pay £1000-£1500 to get the re-enforcement work done either via BMW or at somewhere like Redish Motorsport.

As it's not a daily driver neither of us will likely need to have the suspension coils seen to every few years as they do crack like clockwork as do the bushings wear. Those are all relatively cheap to replace though.

All things relative it isn't going to cost me a great deal more to run year round than my current E46 :cool:
 
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And if you get an SMG Version like me budget 400 quid for an SMG pump or if you get really lucky like me 900 for a SMG unit refurb. (find out if it works within next week)

So buy a 2004-2005 with FSH and manual with the sub frame been done or checked and you should be good to go. If you can spend a bit more with one under 60k then even better.
 
I really like the idea of changing via paddles. I'd leave it in manual mode at all times but there's no replacement for a good old stick shift tbh :p
 
Speak for yourself! E46 has a smooth clutch and nice gearbox, dossing around daily traffic is not a problem for us younger folk :p
 
I actually find the box on the e46 (and most BMW's of the same era) crap for slow, town type driving - which is where an auto is great. It all comes together when you're driving "with intent" though
 
I'm not exactly ancient and my e46 is a manual. No problem.

But when I first got my first flappy paddle auto, like you I was all for keeping it in manual mode. That lasted until, approximately, when I got home. Then it's obvious that unless you are hoofing it, which is a realistic rarity, the full auto is just easier, and does a decent enough job.
 
I wouldn't buy a manual 6 cylinder bmw again, having now had 3 e46's and 1 e90 3 out of 4 have been autos and much more enjoyable (day to day), only if it were a m car would I choose a manual
 
Bradmax57 said:
I wouldn't buy a manual 6 cylinder bmw again, having now had 3 e46's and 1 e90 3 out of 4 have been autos and much more enjoyable (day to day), only if it were a m car would I choose a manual
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I get you. I never used to like autos, but now I am quite happy with them. Sure, I probably wouldn't necessarily spec one myself unless it was special (like the sports auto in my 530d, although manual wasn't an option anyway), but I have been relatively happy with every auto I've had.

But the e46 330i is my runaround, and it mattered not what gearbox was in it. Plus it was bought from a friend to help him out, so the spec was what it was.
 
Had a go at refurbishing my carbon cube door handles as looked pretty bad after 11 years of use.

Masked using frog tape.

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As you can see the damage. Drivers is pretty bad.

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Too cold outside and wife was at work.

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After sanding primer and few coats of paint.

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Drivers side pattern is not as strong as original due to wear but its tidied the interior up abit.
 
Wow at the bad condition of that trim :eek: My e46 trim is absolutely mint by comparison, I wonder what the owners of the car have been doing to that to wear it like that. Really, trim shouldn't wear at all if you are careful.
 
Bradmax57 said:
I wouldn't buy a manual 6 cylinder bmw again, having now had 3 e46's and 1 e90 3 out of 4 have been autos and much more enjoyable (day to day), only if it were a m car would I choose a manual
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Me neither!


Having recently owned a manual e46 318i and latterly a manual 325i touring, the auto box in my e39 530i Sport is heavenly!

Much much much nicer to waft about in, and no clutch delay valve which ruined the gearchanges on both cars.

Ironically, I much prefer manual HGV's despite most at work being semi autos...
 
I still cannot make my mind up between a BMW approved used 730d or a 530 Tourer, both in M Sport guise. My heart says screw it and go for the 7 but brain says go with the 5. Warranty after the one year that comes with an approved used is so much more expensive in a 7 which would suggest to me they go wrong more often or parts are much more expensive for routine servicing.

Deffo auto.
 
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