veritek

I have friends who went from an SC400 to the E46, and they've had a lot of trouble with it, so much so the dealer replaced it eventually, and it had low miles. Now, you are looking at one with higher miles, so expect to budget for high dollar maintenance items.

denvergs4

Thanks for all your help guys! I think an M3 is going to be more hassle than its worth and being that's its out of warranty I think I'll pass and spend a little extra more on the 2006 gs 430.... Which the one I was looking at in Fredrick, co is now posted on Ebay so they must be having a hard time selling it. I'm going to offer 30k and see what they say. I'll just finance the remaining 5-6k.

http://www.stevinsonlexusoffrederick...ails/519061633

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-...item3a53ca5e6c

DirtyE30

You would be much better off with a 335 or a 535 cpo. Just sayin'.

KrazyLexus

I know you can get a GS430 for around 25k without any issues down here.

JeffTsai

iTrader: (1)

He's talking about a 3rd gen GS430, not a 2nd gen. I don't think you can find a 3GS430 for that cheap. I'm in Dallas and they cost quite a bit more than that.

DumpedGS

iTrader: (1)

my only gripe about those cars is the cost of parts. you think lexus parts are spendy? bmw tax is through the roof. i am amazed they actually charge the price they do for stuff. a buddy of mine rebuilt the motor in his 95 m3...the damn oem piston rings where 600 freakin dollars. my jaw hit the floor when i heard that.

KrazyLexus

I was talking about a 3rd gen. And yes they have them that low. Here is one example.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

And many more.

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchr...ice&sf1Dir=ASC

DirtyE30

http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/1434782421.html

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/1450564096.html

denvergs4

Holy damn that one is cheap!!! http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...e&aff=national

Just called him and he's sending over a carfax - what a deal! WTF is this dealership in Colorado talking about - same car down there with a little more then 5k miles selling for almost 10k less. That's just insane and stupid...

Baliztik

iTrader: (11)

Buy a 1997 Supra, get custom interior, BPU, some aero, and a nice new headunit. Done.

ROBONY

Listen to these guys Denver.. i had an M3 garage queen, fell asleep behind the wheel and totalled the car. Just so you know, the problems with these cars where leather faded, pixels on the OBD were dead, SMG never worked correctly, the rear sub frame-- you already know, YOU MUST CONSTANLY MAINTAIN THESE M'S, but let me tell you... take one of these M'S into Vermont mountains where there is curves and there you will enjoy this car. Now my question to you guys is this, i love the 2006 gs430 it's beautiful, but 300 horses?? come on guys, that's the only draw back that i see in this car or not? what do you guys think? For that matter go buy a GS350 AWD V6 303 hp. Lexus should have gave that 430 more power.

Frankdorn

iTrader: (7)

IMO, the M3 is in a smaller size class than a GS, so I'll assume you're looking to downsize, but keep the power. You seem to like the mean appearance of the M3, so not sure why you're even looking at the 3GS...

I would think you'd consider the M3 along with an Infiniti G35, a Lexus IS350...the last two boosted/tweaked if you're looking for M3 performance. The 3-series, the G, and the IS are always the top three in that segment in magazine comparos. Beemers are expensive to maintain, but I won't beat that dead horse. The Lexus is reliable, smooth and you could easily find an IS350 in the mid $20k's. But no stick shift. HOWEVER, you could find a sweet G35 6-speed for the mid-teens I'm sure--wow what you could do with the extra cash!! And fun to drive!!

I only comment because its EXACTLY what's been on my mind for awhile. Then I, on a whim, jumped into an Infiniti FX45 (AWD performance SUV with a marvelous V8 -- a perfect "dad" vehicle for Wisconsin), and loved that, too, so I have no idea what the heck ima do. I'll decide in spring...

denvergs4

Holy ****tt the insurance on an M3 is also sky high - my agent finally called me back and said $360 - I do have a lead foot but no DUI's, thank god!

I also test drove a 2007 G35 - and while its fast its just not my style.

I'm going to test drive a IS350 and see how that works out tomorrow....

KrazyLexus

Told ya. Been looking hard myself.

lexus ASM

Just get the GS430 3rd gen, you'll thank yourself, and its a fairly rare car in that its the only 3rd gen with an old world motor... I've driven both the bimmer and the lex. The lex wins hands down... For one major service on the bimmer you have paid for every service up to 60k on the lex.

On a side note, I've never heard of a bimmer dealer goodwilling anything out of warranty to a customer.