e46 m3

[Will Gill]

Quickie (or maybe a lengthy thread!)

I need to free up a few grand to start paying for the c2s's illnesses, plus I've moved 1 mile from work so I no longer require a mileage muncher (result!), as such I've decided that I would like a nice summer car. As my BMW exposure thus far has been very pleasant I'm keen to contiune this and as such the E46 M3 has appeared on my radar.

deal on the table is

2005 E46 M3 SMG convertible

58k on the clock
had inspection 2, new discs and rear springs all within 8000 miles, SMG pump was changed 800 miles ago and it has full service history

its got all the toys, TV, sat nav, heated seats etc etc... its black with black leather so no gay "individual" purple anywhere!

he is offering £17,000 for mine and the M3 is on for £14,500 so I get a couple of grand to chuck at the porka.

questions

1. Should I do it?
2. if i do is there anywhere that would offer warranty given its nearing the dreaded 60k?
3. what else should I consider given my brief summary (summer fun, fast, bmw)

whatcha reckon sensible people am I mad or just mildly romantic to want the wind in my hair (litterally singular!)

 

[Will Gill]

Would you get more for your chop in than the £17k if you sold it privately? - If so, then this is what you need for the poorly Porker fund I feel.

As for the M3, love it, but why a convertible? You'll soon lose that hair.......

If you going down the convertible route, one of the lesser models is where I'd look, cheaper and pretty much does the same as a convertible M3 - Nice image, good performance etc etc.

To my mind, an M3 needs to be a tin top.

I've always liked the E46 m3 (apart from the exhaust note!) and I love the idea of a convertible so I get the best of both worlds

I could probably get more for money if I bought privately and sold privately but I'm lazy and impatient and need the cash pretty much imemdiately if I'm going to do this at all.

the other option is to flog the porsche for peanuts (£13250 is the latest offer ) and have some fun with that cash, but I do like the idea of the porka as an almost project car, this cash would get me the replacement block I need (after porsche met me half way ) hence the reason I'm thinking these thoughts

 

[Will Gill]

cracked cylinder head

now answer the question

 

[Will Gill]

You will just sneak under 60k for BMW warranty purposes so you should be able to get the warranty for about 900 quid.

car wise what are you thoughts? (apart from the fact it's not a smoker anymore )

How the flippin eck did you manage that?

doing nothing more than driving it, **** happens it seems although Porsche's willingness to assist financially leads me to believe it might be a manufacturing fault

 

[Will Gill]

I wouldn't want to spend that sort of money on an E46, its time has passed and they are getting on, but provided you realise this and are happy regardless then it sounds nice.

it is an aging car but for some summer fun I'll be content as long as its still worth £10k at the end of the year and hasnt cost me the same to run, I think I've done my homework, there are cheaper cars but they are missing inspection 2's or replaced discs etc... the subframe is covered by warranty for 10 years so I'm thinking all the major gotchas have been covered, nes pas?

 

[Will Gill]

came at the end of a long week of pure depression so it was almost expected

 

[Will Gill]

chalk and cheese for me, plus I can claim for an m3 on company car as it has 4 seats - trust me the m3's seats are viable a 997's just arent

i hear what you say about facelift's but its a pretty emotional decision really, always liked and respected them and they are cheap enough to buy, enjoy and chuck away in the winter

 

[Will Gill]

was hoping you would see it Nickxx, anything massive I should look out for, I've read up on a few sites but first hand experience always helps

 

[Will Gill]

its a 2008 registered 57 reg, so LCI model

I dont think its worth selling the 997 for 15k less than its worth

 

[Will Gill]

If you do want to, i have 14k less than its worth with your name on it.

so do four other people I've never heard of on msn

OcUK reaches far and wide

 

[Will Gill]

Too rich for me, you know it needs 10k of work right?

well 12k as quoted by chiswick porsche, got an indy to do it for 2k once i arrange the price for the part from porsche, not sure yet how well (if at all) that will go down with OPC, they might insist I get the work done at OPC.

if i have to do it at porsche then I'll have to find an agreed resale value, due to crappy contract work and too much skiing I just don't have 15k lying around anymore

 

[Will Gill]

How much are porsche contributing to that part cost?

tba

don't want to jinx anything by writing about it here, never know who reads it

 

[Will Gill]

hehe I doubt it, I'm a push over, I only bothered writing to Porsche due to MSN

 

[Will Gill]

Guess you could learn a lesson from this, have some money lying around as well rather than in cars LOL.

How someone can own £45ks worth of cars and struggle to have £~7-10k lying around is beyond me.

even at the height of my "wealthy periods" I can't remember ever having more than 10k lying around in my bank, that's probably because I can't stand the idea of saving money for a rainy day

he who dies with the most toys wins

faktzzz