OT: Crazy, stupid fun in a car: 2003 M3

[Kirk007]

Having now gone through the service records, this M3 has had:

all subframe mounts replaced at 93K miles

complete suspension replaced with parts from TC Kline racing about 40k miles ago

front/rear calipers rebuilt, rotors replaced, wheel bearings replace, driveshart replaced - all about 10k miles ago

exhaust replaced with Supersprint stepped straight pipe from Turner Motorsports with a street/track exhaust kit from Bimmerworld. Love the sound but don't think I can live with the noise level; literally need earplugs.

Rogue short shift kit, rear diffuser and fuel starvation kit

engine and transmission mounts replaced 10k ago

numerous hoses replaced with stainless steel lines including Vanos oil line

The owner who put the most miles on the car, and had all the work done, is apparently a BMW Sports Car Club instructor and an obvious track enthusiast.

Any other known issues that aren't addressed above that I would want to have checked out?

P.S. - I love the car enthusiast knowledge at this place! Thanks for everyone who has chimed in, and yeah Grateful - nice!

[texbike]

I love e46 M3s along with 996/997 911s, e90 335s, 986 Boxsters, 987 Boxster/Caymans, S4s, and most interesting, cool European performance cars from that era. However, the potential service issues that these cars have is ridiculous. I had a succession of mid 2000s BMWs (3 and 5 series) that ruined the brand for me and drove me (pun intended) to Japanese steel for a daily driver. While I loved their performance, the sheer number of issues that the cars had and the expense of addressing them was insane. The same applies to Porsches and Audis of the period. VANOS, fuel pumps, IMS/AOS, bore scoring, chain tensioners, carbon-coated valves, wacked-out NAV/Climate control systems. headlight issues and soooo much more. I have a 32 year old Italian car that has far fewer common (and expensive) issues than any of these modern performance machines. It's crazy! So, as much as I'd love to have one of these (especially a 997 911), I'll pass.

Texbike

[fmradio516]

Originally Posted by texbike

I love e46 M3s along with 996/997 911s, e90 335s, 986 Boxsters, 987 Boxster/Caymans, S4s, and most interesting, cool European performance cars from that era. However, the potential service issues that these cars have is ridiculous. I had a succession of mid 2000s BMWs (3 and 5 series) that ruined the brand for me and drove me (pun intended) to Japanese steel for a daily driver. While I loved their performance, the sheer number of issues that the cars had and the expense of addressing them was insane. The same applies to Porsches and Audis of the period. VANOS, fuel pumps, IMS/AOS, bore scoring, chain tensioners, carbon-coated valves, wacked-out NAV/Climate control systems. headlight issues and soooo much more. I have a 32 year old Italian car that has far fewer common (and expensive) issues than any of these modern performance machines. It's crazy! So, as much as I'd love to have one of these (especially a 997 911), I'll pass.

Texbike

This. I think this is what has been happening with all cars generally. Stuff that shouldnt go wrong for a long time is going wrong under 50k. Even the new Toyotas i hear about this. But yeah, grain of salt.. just sad.

[ThasFACE]

Nice sled! I had an e36 M3 (stick, of course) that I loved and really regret having to sell.

I have an S4 now (B7, with the V8, also the timing chain that likes to self-destruct), which suits my needs better, but I miss the M3 enough that I periodically look for one. Tough to find one that hasn't been beaten to hell, though.

[Tony Edwards]

I have a 2002 M3 (6MT, sunroof delete) with less than 30K miles. Definitely a fun ride. To my eyes the E46 M3 is one of the prettiest cars of the last 20 years, and certainly the prettiest BMW.

[tuxbailey]

Originally Posted by Kirk007

Having now gone through the service records, this M3 has had:

all subframe mounts replaced at 93K miles

complete suspension replaced with parts from TC Kline racing about 40k miles ago

front/rear calipers rebuilt, rotors replaced, wheel bearings replace, driveshart replaced - all about 10k miles ago

exhaust replaced with Supersprint stepped straight pipe from Turner Motorsports with a street/track exhaust kit from Bimmerworld. Love the sound but don't think I can live with the noise level; literally need earplugs.

Rogue short shift kit, rear diffuser and fuel starvation kit

engine and transmission mounts replaced 10k ago

numerous hoses replaced with stainless steel lines including Vanos oil line

The owner who put the most miles on the car, and had all the work done, is apparently a BMW Sports Car Club instructor and an obvious track enthusiast.

Any other known issues that aren't addressed above that I would want to have checked out?

P.S. - I love the car enthusiast knowledge at this place! Thanks for everyone who has chimed in, and yeah Grateful - nice!

With all the works done and you enjoy the car, I vote to keep it

[Latestart]

That level of service is a keeper...

[Ken Robb]

Hmmm, I wonder how many hours of high rpm/max power that engine has endured. They are pretty tough but nothing lasts forever on the track.

[mtechnica]

I'm sure someone would trade you their stock exhaust for that and even do the work for you lol. I put my stock exhaust back in my M3 eventually and it's still plenty loud IMHO.

[72gmc]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Sweet Cayman!

+1, grateful, nice ride. A Cayman with a stick is a car I'd like to drive.

[Leyczo]

Originally Posted by Kirk007

Having now gone through the service records, this M3 has had:

all subframe mounts replaced at 93K miles

complete suspension replaced with parts from TC Kline racing about 40k miles ago

front/rear calipers rebuilt, rotors replaced, wheel bearings replace, driveshart replaced - all about 10k miles ago

exhaust replaced with Supersprint stepped straight pipe from Turner Motorsports with a street/track exhaust kit from Bimmerworld. Love the sound but don't think I can live with the noise level; literally need earplugs.

Rogue short shift kit, rear diffuser and fuel starvation kit

engine and transmission mounts replaced 10k ago

numerous hoses replaced with stainless steel lines including Vanos oil line

The owner who put the most miles on the car, and had all the work done, is apparently a BMW Sports Car Club instructor and an obvious track enthusiast.

Any other known issues that aren't addressed above that I would want to have checked out?

P.S. - I love the car enthusiast knowledge at this place! Thanks for everyone who has chimed in, and yeah Grateful - nice!

You should be glad someone else took care of replacing this. I hear it is a dirty job...

[grateful]

My E36 M3 just prior to my wife making us move. Luckily I had something better suited for the snow.

[grateful]

Do you track? If not, would you like to try it?

I would recommend taking the car for a PPI and then taking it to a day long driving school. You may discover a new passion. Your M would be a helluva car to discover it in!

I am not a mod specialist but it appears that money was invested wisely.

[9tubes]

Originally Posted by grateful

Here you go.

https://www.suttonmotorsports.com/ve...6509a406c07fe6

I guess I'm not keeping up on BMW prices. That 1M was MSRP at $55k nine years ago and the used asking price is $50k? With 50,000 miles? I realize that isn't a typical BMW, but a typical BMW would depreciate that much in the first six months so I apologize for my astonishment. Please update me on used BMW pricing.

[ddtn]

Another former M3 owner here.

Had a 98 E36 sedan, followed by an E46 ZHP (still one of the best daily drivers I've had).

I live in the UK now, there's an M3 specialist here that does E46 CSL manual conversions – literally my dream car since it came out all those years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NHRr9vDhog


^ Henry Catchpole, who's a brilliant automotive journalist, is an avid cyclist and bike collector.