IS250 to ///m3(e46)
#16
Rookie
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Well im not hating on bmw since i owned one before and still miss it. I had the E46 M3 was a great car to drive. The four years i owned it i never had a real problem with it at 55k when traded in. All i did was brakes,oil, tires and valve adjustments. Other than that i didnt have to put anymore money into it. Traded in cause i wanted a four door. But im not a fan of the vert.
#18
Dont let people scare you. I had an E46 M3 for 3 years. I know we talked some. Yea the maint is higher, yea parts are more expensive... Its an M3! You'll love the car. Just make sure you buy one that was properly maintained and has records.
Sometimes you have to pay to play
Sometimes you have to pay to play
#20
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (12)
M3 is a great car to drive. I have personally never owned one, but have seen the issues with my brothers. I like the look to. I myself will probably never buy a bmw because of the tendency to have issues. I would however lease one for a couple years
I say no on buying an M3 at this point in your life. Unless you and your parents are rich. Then buy a bran new one.
I say no on buying an M3 at this point in your life. Unless you and your parents are rich. Then buy a bran new one.
#21
Pole Position
iTrader: (7)
To be honest, I've had 3 BMWs so far, never ventured into M3s due to insurance costs.
1. E46 325i
2. E46 330ci
3. E85 Z4 3.0i
Each of them have been relatively reliable, as the only things you have to account for once out of warranty are rubber items (due to deterioration - from window moldings, control arm bushings to coolant hoses), plastics (coolant expansion tanks come to mind), and the various quirks in the engines/suspension. The cars needed very consistent maintenance, and once you stick to that schedule, it runs like any Lexus out there. The parts are actually about the same price, and so are the mechanic rates (as both are luxury cars).
1. E46 325i
2. E46 330ci
3. E85 Z4 3.0i
Each of them have been relatively reliable, as the only things you have to account for once out of warranty are rubber items (due to deterioration - from window moldings, control arm bushings to coolant hoses), plastics (coolant expansion tanks come to mind), and the various quirks in the engines/suspension. The cars needed very consistent maintenance, and once you stick to that schedule, it runs like any Lexus out there. The parts are actually about the same price, and so are the mechanic rates (as both are luxury cars).
#22
Racer
iTrader: (2)
You're right that I haven't owned an M. But my last car was a 2003 E55 AMG. I knew I was taking a risk with a German luxury car in terms of maintenance and reliability, so I tried to choose a used one that had the highest likelihood of NOT being a repair nightmare. Found a 2003 with only 60k miles, one adult owner, bought and serviced at the same Mercedes dealership regularly, no accidents.
Well, within 6 months of ownership it had racked up $15,000 of repair costs (it only cost $26k). I knew I had to ditch the car, so I started looking into M3s, M5s, and RS6's. I quickly found each was worse than the next in terms of number of issues, reliability, and repair costs. The number of TSBs on each was just pages and pages long.
I ultimately traded the E55 in for my IS350. I was obviously sick and tired of paying $1000 each week for a new repair, but more importantly I hated the fact that I never got to enjoy the car. Each time I sat down in it I was worried what new light would pop up on the dash. Over 6 months of ownership, it probably functioned at 100% for a total of a week's time. The rest of the time something was wrong and it was either on its way into or at the dealership.
#23
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