Lf: E46 m3

Keep looking. I've been looking for an E46 M3 for maybe 2 years. Budget was lower, at basic maintenance fixer upper with body scuffs/paint issues (stock) $10K quick grab, to hopefully somewhat clean, moderate all year round use for under $15k, year 2002 +/-. (Maintenance would be done by me, body work would be done by me. Car wouldn't hold value for resale purpose but if I got it cheap enough I would make sure I got 10 years worth out of it). It was hard to look for a stock car since typically many enthusiasts would mod it in some way. Many in the "clean w/mods" were still asking +/-$25K which for the age and what it is, was way too much to what I've seen. My dealer that my family buys cars through was able to find me USA M3's from auction for near $15K but it's not something I can inspect beforehand or they can inspect so it's a coin flip. In the end I settled on a clean E90 330i, a tasteful jump from me E36 325i.

I'm still looking for other cars to pickup for the summer and for friends, but I'll expand my range to peak at M3's for you and post up links here. It's hard to keep checking sites every day for that 1 car to pop up, but with some help I'm sure you can find something.

good luck
 
Thanks man! And yah i went from a e46 3series to an e90 330i. Best car ive ever had, but ive aaalllways had this sweet tooth for the e46 m3... And its weird because last year when i didnt have the cash i saw so many cars within my price range and they had modest mileage. This year everyone is asking 20k+ for their beaters... And 25k+ for the cleaner cars:)

Anyways we will see :)
 
Honestly your budget is too low for that car man.
Even if u find one in ok condition for 17k it won't be long before u wished u spent 4-6 k more.

The money u will put in repairs on a 200k+ m3 will put u waaaay over budget.

If take a step back and really contemplate if you're making a good decision.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade btw
 
Honestly your budget is too low for that car man.
Even if u find one in ok condition for 17k it won't be long before u wished u spent 4-6 k more.

The money u will put in repairs on a 200k+ m3 will put u waaaay over budget.

If take a step back and really contemplate if you're making a good decision.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade btw


Agreed.

Just to give you an idea, I wanted to get my car into absolutely perfect shape mechanically this year. To date, its cost me about 3700$ in parts alone within 1 month. If you're squeezed for finding an M3 at 15k or less, you will not be able to afford maintenance. I budget 2k a year to cover for tires and random stuff that needs to be changed, and every 3 years I budget an additional 2k for a full tune-up (so thats year 1 = 2k, year 2 =2k, year 3 = 4k)....and my car is considered to be a very clean M3 with only 130 000km on it.

IMO your going to run into an unaffordable money pit by buying a 10-15k M3 with 200 000km+
 
people are too picky on milage sometimes !!! you can buy 175 000km car that the previous owner drove 300km each day to go to work !!!

and maintenance will be different from a canadian car and a US car !!! roads are way nicer and smoother in the US so this will have an effect on maintenance over the years !!! my 1st M3 had 46 000km when i bought it from the US and my 2nd one has 185 000km and they both drive the same way and are both strong cars !!! Imo its anoying seeing too many people bash againt higher milage club... theres M3's with 200 000km all the way up to 275 000km on M3 forum and the owners are saying their cars are still rock solid !!!
 
IMO if the OP can do his own maintenance, that's fine. I'm a fan of high mileage cars because people hate too much and drives the price down. I simply pick it up and change what needs to be changed. At least I know that the parts I've changed are at 100%, compared to buying a "clean/premium" ride with parts that I don't know their condition... but this all changes if he has to have a garage do all the work. I wouldn't mind if I knew I could keep the car 10yr+

Personally for me with any car, as long as 1) the core of the car is fine (ie no structural damage/engine damage), 2) no excessive internal engine wear, 3) I would only accept rust on body panels that are removable (ie like the door), or underneath like the side skirts.

Everything else that needs to be changed injectors/coils/leaking gaskets/pumps/fans to suspension/bearings/control arms or bumper cracks I can live with because it's not that bad to deal with.

Not bashing or anything, but I'm sure he'll find a way to make it work... only way is to find out on his own.
 
Thanks for the support guys!!! Yes of course I understand that a lower mileage m3 will cost 6-7k more but i wouldnt have to worry about stuff breaking down. But i'd rather MAYBE spend 2k a year over the next 3 years then 6k upfront. And I actually don't have 25k to spend on a car at this point in time. :)

And also just because its a lower mileage it doesnt really guarantee anything. Unless its a car like Visor's who literally spent like 15k on preventative maintenance, the odds are that OEM will still fail sooner or later because it will have those 100,000 + kms on it.

And like flip mentioned, if you can do stuff on your own its a lot cheaper. Its not exactly the case for me but i have a familly friend who has worked on all my cars and he does it for like a 12pack of german beer lol

+ 90% of my driving is highway and even then i only do a maximum of 10,000 kms per year lol
 
Romanowski, you are a lucky guy because you are surrounded by good guys on this forum who are spending their time to give you a wise advice from their own experiences, which will save you money, and help you in the future. For every 5 comments telling you patiently how it is, there is 1 comment from someone supporting your idea. That ratio should tell you something, but I understand, you are really excited and passionate about owning an E46 M3 and you think you can pull it off with your budget.

I can see it in your last response that the main message is not getting through to you. You think this car will cost you $2000 in maintenance per year, when Patrick told you exactly how much it cost him to fix a bunch of minor things at the same time (3700). My maintenance costs on the cleanest E46 M3 you can find with 70k kms was 1500/year, excluding tires and brakes.

One last time, you are looking at minimum 3000, probably more for annual maintenance on that $15k car. That also means that you will be fixing something every month.

What Flip said above "Everything else that needs to be changed injectors/coils/leaking gaskets/pumps/fans to suspension/bearings/control arms or bumper cracks I can live with because it's not that bad to deal with", amounts to 3-4k per year for this car.

I think you should just go ahead and do it. It will be a great lesson for you going forward in life.
 
I'm just speaking from my own comfort level for dealing with cars, especially 2nd hand where as many of my friends that I help them for car shopping push for brand new.

For maintenance it's a pass time for me and since I have a family member that works for an euro garage, I know that everything can be fixed.

No matter what, OP needs to do his due diligence on the a budget M3 and a premium M3. If it's still itching behind your head on what to do, make an excel of all the costs for maintenance to help you make a better decision.

I'm just always on the look for deals.. good or bad.. I'll decide when I see it.
 
This
No matter what, OP needs to do his due diligence on the a budget M3 and a premium M3. If it's still itching behind your head on what to do, make an excel of all the costs for maintenance to help you make a better decision.
is a very good advice. I agree with you
 
Romanowski, you are a lucky guy because you are surrounded by good guys on this forum who are spending their time to give you a wise advice from their own experiences, which will save you money, and help you in the future. For every 5 comments telling you patiently how it is, there is 1 comment from someone supporting your idea. That ratio should tell you something, but I understand, you are really excited and passionate about owning an E46 M3 and you think you can pull it off with your budget.

I can see it in your last response that the main message is not getting through to you. You think this car will cost you $2000 in maintenance per year, when Patrick told you exactly how much it cost him to fix a bunch of minor things at the same time (3700). My maintenance costs on the cleanest E46 M3 you can find with 70k kms was 1500/year, excluding tires and brakes.

One last time, you are looking at minimum 3000, probably more for annual maintenance on that $15k car. That also means that you will be fixing something every month.

What Flip said above "Everything else that needs to be changed injectors/coils/leaking gaskets/pumps/fans to suspension/bearings/control arms or bumper cracks I can live with because it's not that bad to deal with", amounts to 3-4k per year for this car.

I think you should just go ahead and do it. It will be a great lesson for you going forward in life.

You replace your brakes every year? your a crazy guy... if you dont track the car brakes will last you 80 000-100 000km so i donr understand your point of adding it to the maintenance each year !!!

For tires, the front will last you 3 summers if you get them brand new and the rears will last 1 or 2 summers depending on hoe much you like to accelerate in 1st and 2nd gear !!!

yes it cost more then a civic in maintenance but still after owning two M3's they are built tough and parts last longer then on average cars !!!

Just my 2 cents
 
You should lay off the crack pipe. I don't know how you figured out i was replacing brakes every year. I said 1500/year without costs related to tires and brakes, which are obviously not going to happen every year.
 
I've owned an m3 myself and while I didn't put much cash in it there are still a few things that needed to he done and you're forking out hundred dollar bills each time. It's a very complex and technologically advanced car, not the kind of car you buy on a tight budget at $15k man...listen to the people on here most people who owned these cars are telling you to a - not cheap out on the price (the mere fact that you're stretching your budget @ $17k is worrying quite frankly) and b - these cars are expensive to maintain.

Each and every little thing that you will have to replace eventually costs in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Engine oil is $25 per litre, for example. You're gonna have to do bushings, valve adjustments, sensors etc.

It's a wonderful driving machine, a true experience, I would gladly own one again as a weekend summer toy a few years down the line when money isn't as much of an issue but if you're stretching your budget to cough up $17k then this car is most likely not for you.
 
Yes, thanks everyone for the advices i really appreciate it!!

Il post some pics when i get it :) hint: its got an imola red interior :)
 
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