s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

Anyone with PERSONAL experience of the last generation M3? Looking at around 54/05 plate upto £22k. Running costs not really an issue as I only do 7k a year. Reliability issues?

sti-04!!

I ran an E46 M3 convertible for a few months & really liked it. Just got bored with it.
No issues with reliabilty.

Godspeed Brakes

iTrader: (259)

I have had mine for about a year , not had any problems at all with it , just fitted a set of tyres , they did about 10k , I have the SMG model , which is great ,
Cheers Ian

Clarkie172

Cant comment on reliability but I understand they are pretty much bomb-proof! I test drove an SMG one 2 weeks ago and it was lovely. Wish I could afford one! If you can, get an SMG one over a manual. Trust me you will prefer it! Better resale too.

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

Being honest that was one worry of mine. I traded my last BMW,a 325i Coupe back in 1993 as I got bored with it after a year. It seemed to be accomplished but not exciting. What did you have before and after? What was it that bored you?
I notice that some cars have 3x3 rear belts and others don't. Are they standard on the 03 facelift cars onwards?
Cheers Bob

RB5SCOTT

You boys must be mad! How can you get bored of 340bhp driving the rear wheels. Subaru's are the type of cars that get boring. If you are getting bored you obviously are not good enough drivers

turboman786

I had one for 18 months....excellent car, but can be expensive to keep 100% in terms of basic maintainance, but I guess that applies to all top end cars.....tyres/brakes/service/insurance/fuel are all expensive...

Also I spend too much time on forums, and this built into me a sense of paranoia that it would blow up any day, so if you do get one, stay off the M3 forums and all should be well!

turboman786

Also they dont FEEL that quick, as the pwoer delivery is very linear and smooth, so if you are looking for a kick in the back acceleration, the m3 is not for you..........BUT the smoothness and revviness of the engine is a joy!

markymark34

they are fantastic cars. went from an 02 STI to an 02 M3 and didnt regret it at all. So much nicer to drive and lots of fun!
The SMG box will take a while to get used to but it is worth it.

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Yet another muppet talking sh1te about Scoobys!

Yes you must be a "pro" pilot!

Godspeed Brakes

iTrader: (259)

Agreed the M3 doesn't have the kick in the back you get with a quick scooby , but it is a fast car if you rev it , you need to screw the nuts off it to get the best out of it , on max revs it sounds wicked.
You turn the traction control off and you need to keep your wits about you the impreza is a lot easier to drive , out of my 3 ' toys ' the 206 is probably the most fun to drive ...

NeilT

is that Brembo calipers on the front of the Scoob Ian?

Godspeed Brakes

iTrader: (259)

No can only use the Subaru 4 pots in group N , and I'm using 15" wheels as its a gravel car

Mew

only 1 problem with the e46 bmws is front wishbones in my experience.... they tend to bend.... not a prob on the e36 bmws just the e46

other than that theres no issue on reliability just need decent tyres and dont kick it in the wet.

Andy M3

Depending on whether you require space or not, my mates late model MZ3 Roadster was a lot more fun than the E46 saloon. You felt less in control if you know what I mean

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

Oooops that blew up in my face!

Well I apologize if someone got too offended, then again it is hard to know if it was the person in question who infracted me!

Anyway, dont take it too seriously!

MGR

I owned an 03 model for a while. They are very reliable, and tough. No major problems as long as the engine bearing recall has been done by BMW.

excellent cars, they are very quick and excellent to drive.

can't really compare to a scooby though - too different.

totally different drving experience and far more expensive to run than a scooby. e.g an inspection 2 service costs £1K+ ! to replace the disks and pads =£1K rear tyres are at least £200 each and mine lasted about 3,000 miles etc etc

SMG is hit and miss - I didn't like it so went for the manual, some people swear by them.

Ultimately the cheaper running costs of the S54 Z3 M Coupe persuaded me, although they are not as good as the E46 M3.

MGR

HAHA,

I have to say the 'fun' in a scooby is different. I also thought on first impression the scooby was a bit dull to drive being used to a powerful rwd car, but then realised they can be good too just have to adapt the driving style a bit to compensate for the understeer - then they are brilliant.