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Hi all,

 I am thinking of buying an 03/04 M3 and was hoping someone might be able to help with a few queries i have!

Firstly, I was wondering whether i should buy from an authorised BMW dealer or an M3 specialist dealer ? The specialists seem a bit cheaper but are the warranties they offer as comprehensive as the authorised BMW dealer? or is there any difference at all? I dont want to get stuck with a bill for an engine rebuild or something like that!!

Also, i am unsure of whether to go for a manual or SMG. The SMG is a bit of novelty but is it more likely to give trouble than a manual? And which will be easier to sell come resale time?

Any info would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks,

Sorry, can't help you too much with warranties, but I use a forum for Z BMWs and I know a lot of them prefer to use a company called Warranty Direct (I think!), rather than BMW's own, and as far as I am aware most have been satisfied when the warranty has to be called upon.

The SMG was not really the best gearbox for the car.  I'm not so sure it will necessarily give you any grief mechanically or in reliability, but by all accounts it is not great for driving.  Personally I reckon BMW introduced it so that fat, lazy gits (a bit like me), can get away with having an automatic M3, without having to actually having to admit to having an autmatic M3.  6-Speed manual is just fine.

From what I've learned elsewhere, buying from a specialist is OK, so long has the car has a full history, usually a combination of franchised (early years) with respected specialist thereafter (you may need to do some research in that respect).  That said, there are some bargains to be found at dealers (as I did with my Z4M) so don't discount them as they will always shift on price, usually by going OTT on any part-ex.

The only other words of advice I can give you though is owning a BMW M car will cost.  Either in fuel, insurance, servicing or repairs.  If your are commited then go for it, already having reconciled with yourself that thought, you wont regret it.

Thanks for your help colonel.

I have since seen a nice manual one at a BMW dealer - low miles, good spec, good price. My only concern is that the all important 1,200 mile oil change wasnt done until 1,756miles. The young salesman says that BMW allow a 600 mile window/margin for this oil change to be carried out and that they will still offer a 1 year warranty despite it not being carried out at 1,200 miles exactly.

However, a mate of mine says he heard of a case where the 1200 mile oil change was not carried out on time and when the engine went pop BMW refused to honour the warranty on the basis that the oil change was not done bang on time.

Should this worry me or should i trust the dealer? Any thoughts on this from anyone would be greatly appreciated?

 Thanks again

If i were you, i'd get confirmation in writing from BMW Warranty.  There should be contact details of some sort, call/ contact them, explain the situation and get confirmation in writing.

I doubt anyone here would know since its a pretty specific case and you can't guess about these Terms and Conditions type situations. 

Don't rely on hearsay and speculation, get it in writng from BMW.

I'm guessing this car is just over two years old?  In the documentation BMW do state that "Failure to comply with the service schedule...may invalidate this warranty".  This of course only applies following the car passing into your ownership.  So, if, for example, you bought the car with 2k to go on the service indicator, but you let it go, say 500miles below the service due point, and the engine then went pop, even after the service eventually being carried out, you might have a problem, but BMW can't hold you responsible for the tardiness of the previous owner and they are not going to/can't sell you a car that isn't appropriately covered for the minimum duration of 12 months.  It is up to them, not you, to ensure the car is fit for purpose.

Anyhoo, as Kee Law says, for peace of mind give BMW UK a call (0800 325 600).  I have done so a couple of times and found them helpful.

I read an article last year in EVO magazine (Sorry AUTOCAR)  They were running a long term 2nd hand M3 of a similar age. It talked about how BMW recently changed the warranty it offered on the Approved Used M3's. It wasnt for the good. =The price increased substanially and certain items were no longer included. Check out EVO website. You can search for details under their long term road tests.

I think where performance cars like the M3 are concerned and where they have a very specific oil change schedule, it's not worth the risk buying something that may be dubious, even if the sales person states it will be OK. Stick to cars that have religiously been looked after. I would not even trust BMW to put it in writing, they will still come up with a get out clause if things went wrong.

When all said and done, it's you spending tens of thousands of pounds and you who will be left holding the shitty stick!!!

I wrote this stuff a while back which still applies I think apart from prices. I don't know if Warranty Direct will cover an M3. I do know the MD and can ask him. And yes the BMW warranty has been scaled back a bit so check the terms and conditions.

All the best J 

E46 M3
Why it’s great
It was actually great value new and is of course even better value used. It’s a supercar for fairly ordinary car money and the new six-cylinder engine was just perfect. 343bhp was plenty of power and delivering all that at 7900rpm remains an astounding sensory treat. However clumsy you are it won’t try and hurt you because there are big brakes, accurate steering and electronic gadgets (stability and traction control) to help. Based on the standard cooking coupe means that it is everyday practical, but as ever that little chromed badge lets everyone know it means business. Oh yes and the convertible is brilliant not least because it is torsionally more rigid than the previous generation coupe. So what a way to ruffle your hair.

What to pay
£19,000 will get you in the latest E46 shaped M3 Club. We found a 2001 example privately advertised with 38K miles on the clock and wondered what was wrong with it. An independent sports car specialist who would at least give you a warranty had a miley 86K 2001 model at £19,995 which is more representative. £21,995 buys a good private example with up to 60,000 miles. Pay £27,500 and it will be convertibles and a surprisingly large number of SMG equipped models. Low mile examples registered up to 2005 are almost exclusively to be found at BMW dealers and the going rate seems to be around £41,900 and £45,000 is dealer money for a convertible.

What goes wrong
Exploding engines, but it’s OK, that only happens in America. Over there the M3 comes with a 100K 6 year warranty, but in Europe we haven’t  had these problems at all. The SMG gearbox is either loved or loathed and if there is a problem then a dealer will have to reprogramme it for you. In upgrade terms it seems that plenty of owners up grade the brakes with four pot calipers especially if they tackle track days, so ask about these mods. If there is any judder under braking then that’s possibly going to be warpred discs. Overall though the M3 is only marginally out of warranty so there should not be any problems.

Service costs
BMW are loath to quote generally fo servicing not least because in some southern areas of the country you can pay £100 per hour plus labour rate. In the new order of things though you can get an E46 serviced by a specialist and save around £40-£50 or so. According to Coopers of Reading an Oil service is around £170, the Inspection 1 £600 and Inspection 2 £650 as a very rough guide.

Useful numbers
www.bmw.co.uk for official dealers, www.usedbmwcars.co.uk for an unofficial links to M3s for sale.
The most relevant club is the M Car Club www.bmcarclub.co.uk The BMW Car Club www.bmwcarclubgb.co.uk is the leading UK club. www.e46fanatics.com Americans getting exicited about BMWs.


E46 M3 CSL
Why it’s great
It’s an M3 that’s been on a diet (it’s 10% lighter) and is even fitter (there’s 5% more power) and bullet like (it’s been aerodynamically enhanced). Like the original ‘70s CSLs it’s a road legal racer, with some bespoke touches like a plastic boot lid, carbon fibre roof, bumpers, and thinner glass. Those are the bar room facts that everyone loves to trade. The CSL is also a real rarity as just 600 right hand drive examples were built and not surprisingly all were spoken for when they landed. The CSL is that special.

What to pay
A brand new the CSL came in at a whopping £58,455, but there were always far too many in circulation for it to turn a profit for the premium price players. That means the CSL is going to depreciate at least in the short term. Although there are not a lot in circulation we found one that had been registered this year and that meant a 2005 was priced at £48,450 for a 5,000 miler. At BMW main dealers a 2004 CSL sells for £45,500, but there are only handfuls around at the moment. A specialist sports car dealer though did manage to turn up a CSL with an SMG ‘box at £42,995.

What goes wrong
It’s still under warranty for goodness sake, so don’t panic. Simply sticking a CSL badge on the back isn’t going to fool anyone, so you are not going find anyone pretending their M3 is really a CSL. However, there might be more specification than you would imagine, because buyers did decide when they were signing the order form to go for comfort over pure power to weight ratio. Overall any E46 ought to be in tip top nick and any scruffiness should mean a massive collapse in the asking price.

Service costs
Servicing costs are identical to the standard M3 according to BMW dealers.

Useful numbers
www.bmw.co.uk for official dealers
www.usedbmwcars.co.uk for an unoffical links to M3s for sale.
The most relevant club is the M Car Club www.bmcarclub.co.uk
www.M3forum.com Americans wittering on about M3s
www.e46fanatics.com More Americans wittering on