TonyNesta

Can anyone tell me the service interval on a 2002 M3 ?
Indicative figures for servicing costs on said beastie ?

Many Thanks,

T

PPPMAT

roughly every 12000 miles. Inspection 1 £500 Inspection 2 £6-700

worth it though - also you MUST renew the warranty when it runs out at the end of third year - that'll cost £500

TonyNesta

Not as bad as I thought - just checked the insurance too, will cost me the same as a UK STi.

Thanks for the info mate.

T

DazV

sell you mine for £30,000

Skittles

I think the order is as follows:

1. oil service (I got 12k miles before this one): £175
2. Inspection 1 (c.another 12k miles): cost as above
2. Inspection 2 : cost as above.

Basically means servicing costs (less pads/disks) are £1,350 over 3 years.

TonyNesta

Cheers lads - any views on the convertibles ? Noisy at speed ? Chassis creaking/bendy ? Quality of the soft top ? Boot space compared with the coupe ?

I'm hoping to change my MY98 Scoob shortly, and I'm thinking of either an MY03 STi UK, or an M3 coupe or convertible. I know they're different beasts, but I'm thinking maybe its time I get a grown-ups car.

T

simonburton

I moved from a P1 to a M3 Convertible. As you have said, they are both very different cars, but I'm sure most people would be happy with a M3, despite would is said on SN

The convertible does creak a bit over poor road surfaces, but other than that is easy to live with. There is obvioulsy more body flex than the coupe, but you can still 'enjoy' driving. The roof material is of a high quality, and even in winter gives you a snug feeling inside the car.

In hind sight, I would have probably bought the coupe as a more focused driving car, but with the current waether, is a pleasure to be in.

Hope this helps.

Skittles

I too had the cab. You will only notice the lack of roof on very rough roads or pushing very very hard. That said, I did a few track days in mine and it behaved beautifully.

As Simon said, the roof quality is fantastic. I used to get some rattles etc, but you can buy some special rubber lubricant from BMW (£5.60) and apply it to the window top edges once amonth and ... silent car!

I test drove quite a few coupes but ended up with a cab. The M3 is now gone so I think I am being objective when I say that I had a choice between the two it would be the cab everytime.

The hardtop is great for the winter.

Strongly recommend SMG & sat nav. 19" wheels are a must on the cab.

PPPMAT

Can't comment on the cab - the coupe is great though. Agree with skittles on the extras - SMG is awesome

TonyNesta

Top info lads, really appreciate it.
SMG is the semi-auto gearbox right ? Does it use steering wheel buttons or paddles, or is it a sequential gearstick jobbie ?

Cheers,

T

Mmmmm

I agree

Used the lubricant cured most squeaks, on really bad roads you can get some flex, never enough to upset the cars poise or to kickback the steering.

Cab is a little heavier has 95% of the performance of the coupe, 95% of the grip , transfers the weight almost as well .

I tracked mine a bit, on track sometimes the extra weight aids traction I went round Silverstone with 30 odd coupes and cabs, with some very good drivers, and there is a few times the cab had a positive advantage. I passed quite a few Coupes that day and got passed by very few cars.

Seats aren't quite as good in the cab as the coupe

With the wind deflector up you can travel hood down at 120mph+ and still talk to your passenger. The wind deflector also keeps you nice and warm in the winter I've had the top down, with the heated seats on and been nice and warm at 4 degrees (put a hat on though). Never used a hard top,top is fine for winter too .

The extra thrills from the cab more than compensate for the slight loss of dynamic performance. I loved the SMG box great on track, good day to day the auto function is poor (bit jerky) but handy for heavy traffic.

Here is the SMG easiest to use the paddles has a stick as well, takes a while to get used to but very good, gives almost total control, biting point on the accelerator, unlike an auto it will roll backwards !

Skittles

That second picture is awesome mate.

PPPMAT

SMG has paddles and gearstick - you can use either. It is an excellent system - you can change up smooothly by feathering the throttle on upshifts or keep your foot down for full bore shifts quicker than any human being can

TonyNesta

Whats it like at high speed with the top up ? Do you ever feel like its gonna blow away ? You can probly guess by now I've never owned a cab before, let alone one with this kind of performance.

Thanks for all the info, this is really helping me out, sounding like the initial outlay is the only deciding factor now.

T

PPPMAT

They are not that expensive to run. In terms of finance - not much more than the MY02 STI i was running. Mine is 18 months old and cost £12k less than new with only 10k on the clock. I would buy one this way personally to avoid a big hit.

I'll let someone else tell you about the cab. If it was me I'd get a coupe and a sunroof

TonyNesta

Yeah, I've been looking at an 02 model, 10-15k miles about £30k ish, still haven't decided between coupe and cab, need to get test drives arranged.

PPPMAT, did you get yours private or dealer ? Are the BMW dealers as snotty as I've heard ? Don't think I'd be comfortable buying one private.

Cheers,

T

Skittles

I had a prodrive at Millbrook a couple of years ago. Driver plus 3 up in a cab - roof down around the high-speed bowl. Hit (indicated) 168mph before the limiter cut in. Felt awesome!

As for the top up - its a little bit noiser then a coupe. THB you don't FEEL like it has a canvas roof - it is triple layer and excellent quality. NEVER felt unsafe or like it would blow away.

Hit speeds of 140mph on a trackday with the roof up. Felt solid.

Hardtop makes it pretty much a coupe, plus some weight.

TonyNesta

How does the hardtop fit ? Do you stow the soft top in the boot, or remove it altogether ? How much is a hardtop ?
I assume the soft top is electric ?

T

Skittles

Yes the soft top is electric.

The soft top stows in the roof-down position and the hard top clips on.

Hardtop is £1600 (ouch), but BMW do offers on them.

TonyNesta

How much boot space on the cab, compared to a scoob say ? Does the soft-top take up space in the boot or have its own compartment ?

T

Skittles

Dunno compared with a Scoob, but with the roof down its about 2/3 of the coupe space. With the roof up, you can collapse the roof stowage box creating more space

PPPMAT

Tony

I bought from a dealer, mine is an 02 coupe SMG with other toys. On approved used stock they will take offers but you won't get an 02 coupe or cab with toys for £30K unless its got high mileage. Around £33-35k sounds right.

I wouldn't spend that kind of money private but thats just me - others will happily do so