Should I buy an E46 M3?

[repoman0]

Washed, waxed, oil changed, full fuel tank, max air in tires and put away for the winter

The car has been awesome to learn so far and has been 100% reliable. It's been great working on a rust free car too :thumbsup:

 

[hans007]

great car!

i remember 10 years ago, i bought an infiniti g35 (and i'm pretty sure i posted it here too, man 10 years goes fast). roomate got a 3-4 year old e46 m3 for about the same cost at my new then new G35. and after he got it I was eye opening, my car had a terrible interior, loads of tire roar and didn't handle as well and had less power . the M was just so much better at literally everything, i wanted one then and its still a goal to get an M car

is that laguna seca blue?

 

[repoman0]

great car!

i remember 10 years ago, i bought an infiniti g35 (and i'm pretty sure i posted it here too, man 10 years goes fast). roomate got a 3-4 year old e46 m3 for about the same cost at my new then new G35. and after he got it I was eye opening, my car had a terrible interior, loads of tire roar and didn't handle as well and had less power . the M was just so much better at literally everything, i wanted one then and its still a goal to get an M car

is that laguna seca blue?

Nope, interlagos. It's darker than Laguna Seca but still a bit brighter than I'm used to.

It definitely does a lot of things well and fits the classy and understated but still slightly aggressive look and feel that I like. It doesn't get a lot of attention, haven't had a single idiot try to race, quiet exhaust once I put the stock one back on, quiet inside the car too up to 3.5k RPM but sounds badass from 4-8k. I'm going to raise the ride height a bit in the spring and probably take off the badge which will help even more.

They're pretty cheap these days! Check out the classifieds on m3forum ...

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Don't take off the badge. I debadged my M5 and then decided if you do that you look more like a 318 trying to be an M3 than an M3 being stealth (even though their visually easily distinguishable).

 

[T2urtle]

Don't take off the badge. I debadged my M5 and then decided if you do that you look more like a 318 trying to be an M3 than an M3 being stealth (even though their visually easily distinguishable).

I would personally put a 330/328/325 badge on my m3 if it was me. Just to screw with people.

 

[hans007]

Nope, interlagos. It's darker than Laguna Seca but still a bit brighter than I'm used to.

It definitely does a lot of things well and fits the classy and understated but still slightly aggressive look and feel that I like. It doesn't get a lot of attention, haven't had a single idiot try to race, quiet exhaust once I put the stock one back on, quiet inside the car too up to 3.5k RPM but sounds badass from 4-8k. I'm going to raise the ride height a bit in the spring and probably take off the badge which will help even more.

They're pretty cheap these days! Check out the classifieds on m3forum ...

I put a deposit on an m2 waitlist..... It was time hahahah

 

[repoman0]

This is a blast from the past. Still have the old shitbox as it rapidly approaches 20 years old. It’s been extremely reliable and easy to care for actually, even spending many hours between 5000-8200 RPM on race tracks. Except …

Of course, the one cost you didn't consider is the mod bug. That can get very expensive very quickly. You have been warned.

Yeah, I easily have what I paid in the first place in it in mods. I just got it back from having the roof ripped out and replaced with a carbon fiber panel. That combined with fixed back seats and lower mounts means no more helmet hitting the headliner, which is most excellent.

 

[repoman0]

Do it now before a spouse puts your purchasing decisions in check.

I met my now wife shortly after posting this thread. A few years ago when I wasn’t driving the car much and was considering selling it she convinced me to keep it. For some reason she has supported me buying other dumb vehicles since. Makes no sense

 

[mztykal]

We need better roof pics. A 46 with a carbon roof sounds sexy!

 

[repoman0]

We need better roof pics. A 46 with a carbon roof sounds sexy!

It’s surprisingly hard to get them .. here are a few attempts plus some progress pics






Slowly getting the car’s weight down toward 3100 lbs (from stock ~3450) and power up near 400 hp N/A at the crank. It’s a drivers’ race against a typical Cayman GT4 at the track, and only took like $25k+ worth of parts to get there 🙄 I really enjoy driving around a normal looking, almost sleeper car though the rest of the time rather than a very aesthetically loud Porsche.