AshburnM3

03 e46 silvergray, fast but expensive to maintain, parts are expensive and I dont care what the other guy saying parts are cheap< no way! unless if you want to turn your M3 into a cheap taiwan made machine?!! try to buy an aftermarket rear muffler for over $1000 or more! or pay for the inspection II at the dealership n you know what i am talking about. now I have a gs with more room, 4 doors and still looking good. now i want a MKIV Supra Turbo!!!

FisforFast

I personally wouldn't buy a used M3... you're almost guaranteed that it's been beaten on, CPO or not. Even the new ones have probably been beaten on during PDI. A friend of mine was on his way to the dealership to pick his new M3, and one of the exact same color screamed past him and at the next light, the guy launched the thing. He followed the car to the dealership, the M3 pulled into the lot. My friend pulled in too, went into the dealership and the salesperson said: 'Oh, hi... what a coincidence, we just finished PDI on your car.' The salesperson pointed over to the M3 in the lot, which my friend had just seen being beaten up and down the road. Needless to say, my friend refused to take delivery and they ordered another one.

Be very wary... unless you can find one with exceptionally low mileage, stray away. Stay away from SMG, too.

GSRSRT

2008 evo gsr

SoCalSC4

A used E46?

Run, don't walk.

I think you're in for a serious maintenance nightmare. *shivers*

sivikvtec

actually the S54 engine (E46 M3) and S52 engine (E36 M3) while completely different designs all have the exact same issues.....the cooling system. And guess what, the water pump, thermostat, and radiator are very similar in design and cost between the two engines. The only other issue the engine has is some 2001-2003 models had rod bearing failues but those enigines were repaired/replaced under a factory recall program years ago.

Yes the SMG trans is a total POS but what kind of poseur buys a sports car without a clutch pedal?

And yes any V8, V12 bmw is a ***** to maintain. I am only speaking to those with inline six engines for ease of maintenance and cheapness of parts (real OEM ones).

Just check out m3form.net and do some real research from people who actually own the car rather than rely on hearsay from a couple of lexus owners.

sivikvtec

OEM muffler comparison (if you have ever seen the muffler on an E46 M3 of course its expensive):

2006 M3, BMW MSRP: 1205.48

1999 GS400 (both mufflers and tips) Lexus MSRP: 1055.98

OMG WHAT A PRICE DIFFERENCE!!! lol

FisforFast

Perhaps you should go back to m3post, because here we don't believe that people who buy automatic sports cars are 'posers.' Besides, there is no right or wrong when it comes to transmission choice... it's a matter of personal choice. The SMG is brilliant but it definitely isn't for everyone and is very costly to fix.

denvergs4

Well thanks for all the help guys - def some mixed opinions but I've decided to keep the old GS until I can find a good priced gs430 or gs350. Even though I need upper ball joints and new rotors and a new windshield....

Thanks again guys!

vietunit

iTrader: (5)

Great decision mate, now just boost it!

sivikvtec

I don't know if you already have, but you might want to start a thread in the 3rd gen GS forum and ask those guys what issues they have with their cars. I've seen some pretty discouraging stuff in there.

gsean400

m3... my dream car.. :'[[[[ but i spanked one in my gs400 at a roll hah :]

McKrevice

iTrader: (1)

you sure he was racing? No way would an M3 lose to a GS4....especially get spanked.