Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Hi,

Probably been flogged to death but, I will do it again:

Does anyone here own, or has ever owned a M3 CSL?

Have heard some good things, then heard some not so good things.....any opinions would be nice.

Thnks

SPEN555

I think Nevetas (spelling?) had one, do a search on his name and you find posts on it.

HTH.

stilover

Just make sure you get a full warranty and update it every year. M3 engines are notorious for going `Bang`. Mods should have been done at service intervals, so check these have been done.
Evo magazine did a second hand buying guide. If you can get hold of a copy it's worth reading.
BMW have put up the cost of warranties lately............. wonder why?

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I was looking on the German BMW site, they have a whole bunch with warranty, but some of those interiors........

As far as performance goes, the CSL does not seem to "go" much more than the "regular" M3, but yet the price even second-hand

chippy17

afaik the engines going bang were standard ones and the CSL is pretty reliable, it is considerably quicker than a standard car and extremely special but uncompromising having said that there are a lot of people out there who use them everyday, it will go round the ring in well under 8 mins, a standard M3 is lucky to do it in 8.30mins. Also as opposed to the standard engine these consistently make over the 360bhp quoted
the other option would be to buy a run out CS model which has many of the CSL mods but lacks the engine enhancement and lightweight but many journalists say this is the best M3, you should also post on pistonheads as they have a CSL dedicated forum page:

PH: Gassing Station

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yeah but if I were to get one it would have to be a pure CSL variant....

All that carbon, the bucket seats......no messing about!

chippy17

well in that case, go for it, simply awesome cars and now great value for money, I would love to have one,

here's a sad fact for you:

BMW official weights are measured with a full tank of gas and driver on board and I think even a certain amount of luggage, so you can take at least 100kilos off to compare to other cars...

Edcase

My 15k M5 engine rebuild probably didn't help

chippy17

this might help:

YouTube - E46 M3 vs E46 M3 CSL

Pete

I`d get an EVO 9 GT instead, great car......i`ve been in one, i was looking at one when i sold my Tommi Mak, but the misses didn`t want another 20k car sitting in the garage all year hardly being used so i got myself a nice RA instead....

Gutmann pug

I cant think of one reason not to buy one. The CSL is the new 964RS IMHO

Gav

Why is that a bad thing mate?

Not an arsey question just interested

Skittles

The real story is:

1. Engines produced in a 12-18 month period had faulty con rod bearings. These were replaced under warranty. A quick call to BMW will confirm this has been done. However AFAIK the CSL production was well outside this period hence are not affected. They don't just go "bang". This was not something done in service intervals but was an immediate recall. Not a great show from BMW but there we go, at least they fixed the problem.

2. Yep warranties are expensive. Unfortunately this is as a consequence of cars becoming more sophisticated... Its not just BMW. Audi is the same. Surprisingly the Porsche warranty is about a grand (for now)... well done Porsche.

As for getting the CSL: I've not driven one, but owned a normal E46 M3. During trips to the Nurburgring and UK trackdays there is usually at least one CSL. Man they are quick and sound lovely. Quite a focused and effective tool. Great cars, and a bargain at their current price - whihc these days is holding steady.

Kane STi

@ chippy 17 : only thing I dont like on this comparision is the fact, that the CSL comes with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres as standard and the normal M3 has Bridgstone RE050's I think.

Serge

Skittles

A fair point mate - Evo reckoned the standard M3 on cup sports would be almost as quick as the CSL. One of the magazines actually did a test but I can't remember which

Deep Singh

Drive one and see what you think. I thought the seats were too uncomfortable and unadjustable. That may sound really pedantic but if I can't get comfortable then I can't drive fast simple as that. Best induction noise I've ever heard though...

davyboy

Might take a while to load, but what a great car

:: northloop.co.uk :: we're not playing games ::

Gutmann pug

Not a bad thing I would have one tomorrow

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yes their value holds about €20,000 more than a normal M3.

I am tempted to get one in Germany (left-hand drive) seeing that the new 3 series coupé prices are stupid, and the CSL seems to be a no BS car.

Thanks for the input!

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Evo Mag rate the CS higher than the CSL ... oh if money was no object!!

TX.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

CSL 2s quicker cup tyres?

TX.

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Ok

chippy17

admittedly they know more about cars than I do but this is just their opinion and was never tested, but to say the CSL is only better because it has some trick tyres is simply not true, there is a lot more to them than that. The tyres were a big subject when the car first came out but only because they were the first to use them, now most high performance Porsches' and Ferraris' and many other cars use similar tyres and they are barely mentioned, personally I think there was a bit of sour grapes going on
Cup tyres are awesome and if it means going quicker and having more fun then I do not understand the problem, you would not buy, for example, an old M6 and stick with the 80s metric tyres they came with you would slap modern rubber on them
I have heard many owners say they are not as bad in the wet as they say but a few owners out there do possess two sets of wheels one with cups and one with tyres more biased towards everyday road use

chippy17

spot on, it is quicker than a 996GT3 RS round the 'ring surely that tells you what kind of car it is

billythekid

Wait till the new M3 is launched though other wise you are going to lose a fair bit of cash.

chippy17

with a normal M3 I think you are right, with a CSL not so sure as they are an obvious collectors item

Skittles

Agreed, CSL is quite a different beast to the standard M3 and I'd be surprised if the values are affected. A E92 CSL is due out in 18-24 months, but that's a long way away.

The CSL is currently one of the biggest bargains out there.

sonu

Got a CSL about 3 weeks ago. Deep Singh, the seats are adjustable, you need spanners etc.

As mentioned before, the car sounds fantastic. They are good value, but seem to be going up in price recently, as they only made a few of them.

I'm still getting used to the car but so far I've found that the accleration is great and the chassis feels very solid. They do handle very well once the geo and tyres pressures are correct.

Great car, go for it!

chippy17

if this doesn't convince I don't know what will:

PistonHeads.tv: DodgieRingLapInCSL

chippy17

if I had 30k to spend on a car, this really is the only choice IMO