keep is250 or get e46 m3?
09-27-11, 08:42 AM
#46
Interior is subjective, but the cinnamon interior on the E46 M's were pretty nice. But um..since when did how reliable a car was, based from if the owner did its oil changes in time?! With these E46 M3's, you can do all the preventative maintenance in the world cross your fingers & still have it crap out on you some how. Of course there are also a majority that didn't take care of there ///M's to that extent & were still reliable, those are the lucky ones. Also the S54 engine is not bulletproof, the VANOS system tends to fail a lot but you can purchase a VANOS kit from Dr. Vanos for just a little over $1000 
. & no, once the SMG pump goes, then the SMG pump goes, the transmission does not go out along with it. But the SMG transmission failing on you as a whole does happen too & then you're looking at a $5000 rebuild or buying a used one & hoping that won't fail on you anytime soon. Lastly the E46 M's don't compare to your E30 as far as reliability goes, even the E36 M3 was way more reliable than the E46 was. Sorry if I came off as an @sshole, just that every sentence I read made me go 
.
OP, I say get the M3 if you're one of those die hard ///M fans that loved the E46 M3 when it first came out & you HAVE to have it. Otherwise I def go with the IS350. Some common known problems with the E46 M3's are
-Rod bearing recall on earlier models
-Subframe failure on ALL E46's
-Cooling system failures (All E46s will require a complete cooling overhaul @ around 90k miles or so. Water pump, expansion tank, radiator, fan, etc)
-Electrical issues
-Window regulators going out
-VANOS failures
-SMG issues (pump/transmission/clutch)
Thats off the top of my head, there may be more. The Inspection intervals are pretty costly as well. My old E46 often had christmas lights appearing randomly on my dash & left me limping home a few times. I sold that car with the quickness after it left me stranded for 2 weeks out of the 5 weeks I've owned it
. My buddy's E46 M was also a electrical nightmare & ALL sorts of sensors failed time & time again. We tend to joke around now how the E46 M's are a $18k used car with $5000+ worth of repairs
Of course, you can ignore all the problems & go right ahead to owning one, it is still one of my favorite M's of all time & I am a HUGE ///M fan. Just know the risk involved & BE SURE to have at least $5k put aside for repairs & such alone. I have drooled all over this car since it first came out new in '01 for around $50k
. & no, once the SMG pump goes, then the SMG pump goes, the transmission does not go out along with it. But the SMG transmission failing on you as a whole does happen too & then you're looking at a $5000 rebuild or buying a used one & hoping that won't fail on you anytime soon. Lastly the E46 M's don't compare to your E30 as far as reliability goes, even the E36 M3 was way more reliable than the E46 was. Sorry if I came off as an @sshole, just that every sentence I read made me go .OP, I say get the M3 if you're one of those die hard ///M fans that loved the E46 M3 when it first came out & you HAVE to have it. Otherwise I def go with the IS350. Some common known problems with the E46 M3's are
-Rod bearing recall on earlier models
-Subframe failure on ALL E46's
-Cooling system failures (All E46s will require a complete cooling overhaul @ around 90k miles or so. Water pump, expansion tank, radiator, fan, etc)
-Electrical issues
-Window regulators going out
-VANOS failures
-SMG issues (pump/transmission/clutch)
Thats off the top of my head, there may be more. The Inspection intervals are pretty costly as well. My old E46 often had christmas lights appearing randomly on my dash & left me limping home a few times. I sold that car with the quickness after it left me stranded for 2 weeks out of the 5 weeks I've owned it
. My buddy's E46 M was also a electrical nightmare & ALL sorts of sensors failed time & time again. We tend to joke around now how the E46 M's are a $18k used car with $5000+ worth of repairsOf course, you can ignore all the problems & go right ahead to owning one, it is still one of my favorite M's of all time & I am a HUGE ///M fan. Just know the risk involved & BE SURE to have at least $5k put aside for repairs & such alone. I have drooled all over this car since it first came out new in '01 for around $50k
12-23-11, 02:54 PM
#48
I had an 07 IS350, it was nice, lowered, wheels, the whole shabang.
Now I have a G37 Sedan and an 04 M3. I love the M3 more and more everyday. It is a much more superb driving experience as opposed to being a jack of all trades, master of none like the IS350 was. Feature-wise and comfort wise, the G37 Sedan is also better than the IS350. Of course not everyone is able to just have two cars, and with that said you need to evaluate and choose wisely
P.S. My M3 is currently at 60k, only major issue was an oil leak caused by a worn grommet. < $20 dollar fix. It was dripping one drop of oil every few days. I also have an extended warranty policy to 100k/2014. The policy was $3300 but covers the SMG tranny, which I also love t death.
My M3 was also enthusiast owned, it has an Alcantara M interior that I later found out was available through special orders only.
The key to maintaining the M3 without breaking the bank is DIY...or at the very least an indy shop. I was actually going to get an e92 m3, but it lacked the raw, ridiculous power and feel that the e46 has. The e46 is the last bmw of it's kind. I drove my friend's X6M yesterday and my oh my, i think M has lost it. If you're thinking of getting a newer M, reconsider and get 2 cars for the price of 1
Now I have a G37 Sedan and an 04 M3. I love the M3 more and more everyday. It is a much more superb driving experience as opposed to being a jack of all trades, master of none like the IS350 was. Feature-wise and comfort wise, the G37 Sedan is also better than the IS350. Of course not everyone is able to just have two cars, and with that said you need to evaluate and choose wisely
P.S. My M3 is currently at 60k, only major issue was an oil leak caused by a worn grommet. < $20 dollar fix. It was dripping one drop of oil every few days. I also have an extended warranty policy to 100k/2014. The policy was $3300 but covers the SMG tranny
, which I also love t death.My M3 was also enthusiast owned, it has an Alcantara M interior that I later found out was available through special orders only.
The key to maintaining the M3 without breaking the bank is DIY...or at the very least an indy shop. I was actually going to get an e92 m3, but it lacked the raw, ridiculous power and feel that the e46 has. The e46 is the last bmw of it's kind. I drove my friend's X6M yesterday and my oh my, i think M has lost it. If you're thinking of getting a newer M, reconsider and get 2 cars for the price of 1
Last edited by IS_NIICE; 12-23-11 at 03:05 PM.
12-23-11, 07:31 PM
#50
Like everyone else is saying, if you can afford the maintenance, go with the M3... I enjoy the comfort, quality and power of my IS350 but if I could do all over again, I would have picked an e46 m3 or 335i.
12-23-11, 11:17 PM
#54
In all honesty I would go for the lexus over again. I LOVED my 2005 M3 but it had it's issues and the cost of ownership is no where near as high as on the Lexus (if you want proof I can post a few receipts from my last few services so you can see what a typical M3 owner paid). You MIGHT get lucky and find one that a mature owner took care of, but since the E92 M3 appeared and a lot of the loafer wearing "I got an M3" owners jumped ship on the E46 to get a E92, the prices went down and former ricers picked up those cars and we know the rest of that story. Again it's absolutely your choice, but imo I would go to a Lexus as a daily driven, fun car to modify and inexpensive to own.
12-24-11, 06:36 AM
#56
P.S. My M3 is currently at 60k, only major issue was an oil leak caused by a worn grommet. < $20 dollar fix. It was dripping one drop of oil every few days. I also have an extended warranty policy to 100k/2014. The policy was $3300 but covers the SMG tranny
, which I also love t death.The key to maintaining the M3 without breaking the bank is DIY...or at the very least an indy shop.
For comparison, the Lexus CPO warranty also covers you until 100k miles and is at least as good if not better (likely better, but you didn't specify the policy you bought) than the policy you got, and yet it typically only adds ~$1000 to the price of a used car. And if you go the Platinum VSA route to 100k miles, it's still <$2000.
12-25-11, 03:15 AM
#57
I just don't think I could justify choosing a car for which satisfied and comfortable ownership of it is contingent upon buying a $3,300 (!) extended warranty and knowing how to do everything yourself.
For comparison, the Lexus CPO warranty also covers you until 100k miles and is at least as good if not better (likely better, but you didn't specify the policy you bought) than the policy you got, and yet it typically only adds ~$1000 to the price of a used car. And if you go the Platinum VSA route to 100k miles, it's still <$2000.
For comparison, the Lexus CPO warranty also covers you until 100k miles and is at least as good if not better (likely better, but you didn't specify the policy you bought) than the policy you got, and yet it typically only adds ~$1000 to the price of a used car. And if you go the Platinum VSA route to 100k miles, it's still <$2000.
I was able to pick up a fully loaded G37 Sedan for about 600/mo and I will own it after 60 months with only 3k down. I purchased it for the 0.9% financing. This in my opinion was the perfect daily driver. Speed, luxury and just enough class--alot like the Lexus. In fact, I have grown more in love with it than the IS350, it is superior IMO in all aspects except styling and small tidbits here and there. However the interior is much more sharp and detailed.
I then began my search for the perfect e46 M3, two days before I bought my e46, I almost pulled the trigger on an 05 with over 100k mi. I'm sure glad I didn't. Two days later I saw my dream car at Beverly Hills BMW, it was a 2004 M3 SMG in silver with alcantara (special order) interior, it had 56k mi and it was priced extremely reasonably at 24k. I got the warranty through a credit union, it is a platinum package--they financed it in for me and the monthly payment went from 420 to 480. My goal is to have the warranty pay for itself, which on these cars, isn't too hard.
Fast forward to now, I am paying <1100 per month and I love having two cars (that I will actually end up owning after paying so much, i hate that after spending 650/mo on the Lexus it just disappeared one day
), I will always have something to drive if the M ever gives me problems, as of now, the M has been worth every single penny. I've done every bit of preventative maintenance. The bushings are going out and the dealer is fixing it completely free on Monday. I am happy As I originally said though, the e46 M3 is NOT the car to drive if you aren't dedicated to it and love it like a wife, only then will she give you exactly what you want, when you want. That, and you shouldn't plan on riding her too hard every day 
For the record, I don't actually do any maintenance myself besides oil changes. I made buddy buddy with one of the bmw techs and pay him to do it on his own time at his house.
So my two cents: M3 is my choice if you're willing to actually care and worry about your car; Lexus if you just need something reliable that you don't have to worry about at all. But believe me, if the OP has a 250, an m3 will change his life.
Last edited by IS_NIICE; 12-25-11 at 03:45 AM.
