e46 M3s are getting cheaper

[scott180gtb]

A Scottish Turd but looks clean and tidy.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 01/1978916

[scott180gtb]

I'm liking this apart from the non OEM number plates.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261375537240? ... 1423.l2649

Is this about the right money?

[jimbom30cab]

That's a lovely car, looks very well looked after

[scott180gtb]

JBU is going to a new home tomorrow. I'm looking for a replacement. I quite fancy an M3 or something with some serious grunt.

[spook]

Its got to be Black, this one looks ok.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-BMW-E46- ... 35d06c8ec9

How much should one be looking to spend to find a sound car?

[bss325i]

Dont by SMG for a start!

Look for one with 4 matching premium brand tyres, lots of history/bills and above all, get it checked out by someone who knows these cars!

Buyer beware, a lot of them are owned by tightwad scummers.

A customer at work brought his manual M3 cabrio in for a check over because something wasnt right.

Two seized front calipers, pads, discs, a snapped rear spring and both drive belts on the engine soon dented his wallet and it doesnt take much to do so.

It's not the buying that's expensive, its the running costs!

8k should get you something ok, 10k something really nice, 12k low mileage minter.

[scott180gtb]

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... es/1989412

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 004/988587

Or This

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261375537240? ... 1423.l2649

Barry any links to a decent byers guide?

[zd3bx]

Here's Pistonheads buyers guide > http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=25931

Might be useful

P.S. That last one on eBay looks lovely - you don't often get sellers taking 50 pics of their car for sale...Says something about the owner.

[bss325i]

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... es/1989412

That is a cutters car, its strong money for the age, mileage but to do those mods would cost a fortune!

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 004/988587

Looks a nice car, very good spec and colour combo. About the right money.

Or This

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261375537240? ... 1423.l2649

Not very much of a description but looks nice in the pics and it has 4 matching michelins!

Barry any links to a decent byers guide?

Here is a buying guide

http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28569

Did the sport go? Get good coin for it?

[Blitz]

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... es/1989412

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 004/988587

Or This

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261375537240? ... 1423.l2649

Barry any links to a decent byers guide?

Nice colour combo, but the styling mods are horrible.

[bss325i]

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... es/1989412

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 004/988587

Or This

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261375537240? ... 1423.l2649

Barry any links to a decent byers guide?

Nice colour combo, but the styling mods are horrible.

The only horrible bit about that car are the anal eyes and the plate.

The rest is great.

[Blitz]

Not really a fan of the CSL bits. It makes it looks the average counciled up M3.

I would love a mauve purple and champagne leather one.

[bss325i]

Not really a fan of the CSL bits. It makes it looks the average counciled up M3.

I would love a mauve purple and champagne leather one.

So you dont like CSL's?!

I missed out on a techno violet with champagne manual coupe buy a day when i was buying!

[Blitz]

Not really a fan of the CSL bits. It makes it looks the average counciled up M3.

I would love a mauve purple and champagne leather one.

So you dont like CSL's?!

I missed out on a techno violet with champagne manual coupe buy a day when i was buying!

I like CSL's but not nailing all the bits on a standard M3. Lights and plate make it seem worse.

Thats it techno violet is the colour I mean.

[bss325i]

Not really a fan of the CSL bits. It makes it looks the average counciled up M3.

I would love a mauve purple and champagne leather one.

So you dont like CSL's?!

I missed out on a techno violet with champagne manual coupe buy a day when i was buying!

I like CSL's but not nailing all the bits on a standard M3. Lights and plate make it seem worse.

Thats it techno violet is the colour I mean.

Each to their own Mo but answer me this, E30 M3 sport evo spoilers?

[Blitz]

So you dont like CSL's?!

I missed out on a techno violet with champagne manual coupe buy a day when i was buying!

I like CSL's but not nailing all the bits on a standard M3. Lights and plate make it seem worse.

Thats it techno violet is the colour I mean.

Each to their own Mo but answer me this, E30 M3 sport evo spoilers?

To me its looks okay

[pacerpete]

So you dont like CSL's?!

I missed out on a techno violet with champagne manual coupe buy a day when i was buying!

I like CSL's but not nailing all the bits on a standard M3. Lights and plate make it seem worse.

Thats it techno violet is the colour I mean.

Each to their own Mo but answer me this, E30 M3 sport evo spoilers?

Ah ,but Sport Evolution spoilers were fitted for homologation purposes, are functional and can be adjusted so that they are not in the Southall Ring 'max attack' mode and barely visible.

CSL 'aerodynamic' bitz were more likely to have been dictated by the marketing departments need to distinguish the much more expensive CSL from the ordinary M3s than a quest for superior aerodynamics.

[bss325i]

Aaaaactually....... this is official from BMW, the CSL boot lid creates sufficient down force at speeds of 120+mph that if the front does not have the splitters which also create down force, it creates unbalanced characteristics.

Basically, if you fit the rear you need something up front.

RE Sport evo, every sport evo owner (generally pretentious cocks who think they have the crown jewels!) has their spoilers rampant in the Southall ring road position.

[pacerpete]

Aaaaactually....... this is official from BMW, the CSL boot lid creates sufficient down force at speeds of 120+mph that if the front does not have the splitters which also create down force, it creates unbalanced characteristics.

Basically, if you fit the rear you need something up front.

RE Sport evo, every sport evo owner (generally pretentious cocks who think they have the crown jewels!) has their spoilers rampant in the Southall ring road position.

Indeed, as the values have ran away from lesser E30 M3 values, Sport Evolution buyers are increasingly a sad bunch , nearly, but not quite as sad as E46 CSL knobbers who are generally weapons grade up themselves tools

[scott180gtb]

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... es/1989412

That is a cutters car, its strong money for the age, mileage but to do those mods would cost a fortune!

This

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 004/988587

Looks a nice car, very good spec and colour combo. About the right money.

Or This

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261375537240? ... 1423.l2649

Not very much of a description but looks nice in the pics and it has 4 matching michelins!

Barry any links to a decent byers guide?

Here is a buying guide

http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28569

Did the sport go? Get good coin for it?

Yup. Sold on Friday. The car has gone over the pond! I think I got a fair price considering the condition and the effort I put in.

I need to spend the money soon before the wife wants to use it to pay fooking stamp duty!

I'm with blitz on the black M3. It would have to look a little more OEM for me. Good mods though. With the cash the mans spent he could of had a CSL!

I read the buying guides. There is not much in it pace wise between the CSL and the standard car. Only half a second to 60!

The handling will be better because they are lighter but command more than double the price.

[ross_jsy]

And you have to deal with spazzy SMG

[lyricalnut02]

love a silver grey metallic e46 m3 coupe in manual, Thing of beauty. On the look out for one myself.

[bss325i]

I've been selling brand new genuine CSL boot lids recently and a guy picked one up today and turned up in an estoril blue with extended champagne leather manual coupe!

Stunning combo!

It was an 03 with 60 odd thousand and he just paid £13k!

It was VERY nice though!

[Andyboy]

The only problem with the E46 M3 is that it's an E46, a BMW designed by Peugeot with every corner cut to save 50p here and there to create a car that's markedly less robust than it's forebear.
Just today I was fitting an Eibach pro kit to a saloon, and of course the 18mm strut pinch bolt snapped off as per usual because it's rusted in. So that's an hour taking the hub off, slicing the bolt with a cutting disc and heating the bolt area up cherry red and going at the remains of the bolt with mole grips. It was a cheap and nasty design on the Sierra - what was wrong with the three 18mm bolts on the E36?

Still - I do a good trade in LF20 power steering pumps, another marvellous E46 improvement.

[bss325i]

As per? That's them northern rusty turds innit!

[Andyboy]

It's from Exeter...........

Amazingly clean underneath, all the shocks and brake backplates still black painted. Those stupid bolts used to snap on Mark 3 Escorts as well.

I had the joy of an E46 rad change recently as well. Again, they've replaced a nice simple set up with a French style plastic snap together abortion.

[Morat]

I'm sure it saved some pennies...
How does it compare with a 90s Merc? I heard they had some serious quality issues at about that time.

btw, where do the BMWCC meet up nowadays?

[Simon13]

It's from Exeter...........

Amazingly clean underneath, all the shocks and brake backplates still black painted. Those stupid bolts used to snap on Mark 3 Escorts as well.

I had the joy of an E46 rad change recently as well. Again, they've replaced a nice simple set up with a French style plastic snap together abortion.

i've got to agree here, re assembling the rad on my e46 was a ball ache, and those crap hoses like the e39 uses. Rubbish in old age

[bss325i]

I agree, the nuts, bolts and general fittings are not as great. They are not passivate plated like stuff on E30's and E34's so they don't last.

[Simon13]

u can add earlier e36's to that. it all started on the e39!

[pnd]

Bmw's are a lot cheaper than they were the days of real quality are gone. Which is a shame in a number of respects but it does have its uupside like the deals on new m135i's for instance.

[scott180gtb]

How does this look as an E46 alternative?

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 99/1789550

The front lights are misted up but its a cheap turd if its in half decent condition.

What's the crack with bringing a car back from Tyrone with regard to mot, V5 etc?

[harry_p]

It's it to be a scam at that price, or knackered with the floor hanging off. The gt and imola individual (gt2 ) usually g for a fair premium over standard cars.

All e36 headlights mist up, easiest fix is to drill a couple of holes in the main beam rear cover, or even leave the cover off all together.

[harry_p]

Got to be a scam, the contact name on the add is Andrew, but he wants you to contact home on Steve Irwin's email, not through the actual ad.

If Tyrone is Northern Ireland then I believe you just get a ferry and drive it back and register it in the usual way when buying a car.

[spook]

Is it true that if the car is under Ten years old it would still come with an anti corrosion/subframe warranty ?