Lose the M3?

Steve said:
Spent all day reading up on them and I am truely scared by the horendous problems they have and am amazed that owners put up with it.

On a TVR it seems that if you can hit 20k with no engine rebuild you are lucky over 25k you are a god amonge men

Windows/doors/boot will leak to varying degrees but thats expected apparantly

Speedo pods die regually

as do the engine, clutch, suspension, exhausts, electrics, heaters.
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my mate has a T350 on an 03. it hasnt hit 20k miles yet so isnt due a rebuild yet :p but has had an instrument pod, glove box falling open and not shutting, stereo dieing, petrol tank leaking (half a tank leaked out in 24hours!) and the alternator fuse blew - to change it you need to take out the airbox and some other engine parts! :eek: its also had 2 new batterys and an alternator.

i think its just set a new record of going a whole month without a problem! ;)

beautiful cars but a complete PITA !
 
Awesome said:
Steve,

If you do not have a copy of BMW Car magazine March edition let me know as there is a 10 page article on buying/running the e46 M3. Some good reading in there.

I'll scan it in and E-mail it if you want, have you broadband ?

Kieran
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Cheers dude if you can get them into a sensible size I would appretiate it (might need to be sent over a couple of emails so as not to get bounced due to total size. email is in trust :)

An TomO

That is the norm which is so shocking, such a shame as hey are gorgeous cars with terrifying performance, will have to wait until I can get one as a second car and use it at the weekend etc :(

Will have to make do with an M3 ;)

2 hours to my test drive :D
 
My friend's Cerbera spent about 5 months of the first 9 (of his ownership) at the garage :)
Not the most reliable car, but when it's working....it's very very fast ;)
 
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You know you want one in Estoril Blue

Saw this at the local motor racing circuit today. Yum, Yum.

img42916ob.jpg






Kieran
 
It really is a shame about TVR's reliability woes, I've been in a vanilla Tuscan and that was insane enough. The S must be a monster and it looks fantastic too :(
 
Mad old tory said:
It really is a shame about TVR's reliability woes, I've been in a vanilla Tuscan and that was insane enough. The S must be a monster and it looks fantastic too :(
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Aye, the image posted of that black Tuscan. That is pure lush, even next to the M3 the looks of the car and the alloys blow it out of the water..

but you couldnt buy one with all those problems.. even i wouldnt and i absolutely adore them to bits.. id get the e46 m3.. in black of course
 
gord said:
Aye, the image posted of that black Tuscan. That is pure lush, even next to the M3 the looks of the car and the alloys blow it out of the water..

but you couldnt buy one with all those problems.. even i wouldnt and i absolutely adore them to bits.. id get the e46 m3.. in black of course
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I think they can only be considered if you can afford to buy one 3 times over and only use it as a weekend/fun cars otherwise they're too expensive and temperamental. I guess thats the great thing about the m3, it's a true everyday car as well as having very good performance.
 
Right sorry for the delay in my test drive report.

Off the bat the car is very nice to look at the flared arches really help to butch up what in y opinion is a ver sort uninspiring generation of 3 series.

THe exhaust note at start up and idle from the quad exhausts was lovely.

wasn't sure what to expect from the drive as the engine and box is vitally the same as the e36. Everyhing felt smoother and tighter, but the soft clutch and silky smooth gearshifts didn't fit well with me I expect them to be heavy being a poweful performance car.

It did feel a bit soft next to my e36 and not as raw and eager to go.

The biggest annoyance for me was the DSC and sport button, they have NO place on an m3, an m3 should be an m3 all of the time.

I assume it was done so that they could sell the car to every rich bitch that walks in wanting the top spec three series without worrying about her killing herself.

I have already start devising a way to switch the DSC off and the sport button on using a relay and maybe some circuitry if need be. the buttons will then be tucked under the center consol and blanking plates fitted. All will be reversable if I sell the car.

I REALLY hate those buttons, they are a travisty and almost enough to stop me buying an e46. Reading all the interviews with BMW when the e36 m3 was released and them saying that traction control had no place on an m3 as it was a pure performance car etc was spot on, I am gutted they deviated from that ethos in the name of sales :(

I will be going for one as they are still a stunning car but not as great as they could have been.

Seen a nice 02 cosmo black with red imola leather close to me, satnav 19s and all extras.

or there is a full loaded bar sat nav 02 pheonix yellow one a few miles away but it is an smg II which I have a feeling will annoy me as I don't like the car to do things for me.

God I'm a pain ;)
 
the one I drove did so I would say yes ;)

SMG was an option in late e36s and the e46s 95% of the m3s are manual (jusdging by all the ads have looked at ;))
 
Steve said:
the one I drove did so I would say yes ;)

SMG was an option in late e36s and the e46s 95% of the m3s are manual (jusdging by all the ads have looked at ;))
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on the E46 sales figures show that well over 50% are SMG
 
hence my disclaimer as I didn't know official figures ;)

Wow that many women buying m3s these days then? ;)
 
Steve said:
Right sorry for the delay in my test drive report.

Off the bat the car is very nice to look at the flared arches really help to butch up what in y opinion is a ver sort uninspiring generation of 3 series.

THe exhaust note at start up and idle from the quad exhausts was lovely.

wasn't sure what to expect from the drive as the engine and box is vitally the same as the e36. Everyhing felt smoother and tighter, but the soft clutch and silky smooth gearshifts didn't fit well with me I expect them to be heavy being a poweful performance car.

It did feel a bit soft next to my e36 and not as raw and eager to go.

The biggest annoyance for me was the DSC and sport button, they have NO place on an m3, an m3 should be an m3 all of the time.

I assume it was done so that they could sell the car to every rich bitch that walks in wanting the top spec three series without worrying about her killing herself.

I have already start devising a way to switch the DSC off and the sport button on using a relay and maybe some circuitry if need be. the buttons will then be tucked under the center consol and blanking plates fitted. All will be reversable if I sell the car.

I REALLY hate those buttons, they are a travisty and almost enough to stop me buying an e46. Reading all the interviews with BMW when the e36 m3 was released and them saying that traction control had no place on an m3 as it was a pure performance car etc was spot on, I am gutted they deviated from that ethos in the name of sales :(

I will be going for one as they are still a stunning car but not as great as they could have been.

Seen a nice 02 cosmo black with red imola leather close to me, satnav 19s and all extras.

or there is a full loaded bar sat nav 02 pheonix yellow one a few miles away but it is an smg II which I have a feeling will annoy me as I don't like the car to do things for me.

God I'm a pain ;)
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Surely you could just turn DSC off by holding down the button? Personally I'd rather have it on all the time, and just turn it off if I was tracking it.
 
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