Cheap BMW E46 M3s Will Get You Reaching For Your Wallet
With BMW confirming that there’s no chance it’s M-cars will drop to four cylinders in the foreseeable future, we thought we’d have a celebratory look into the classifieds at one of the M Division’s best – and one of our favourites on both sides of the Atlantic.
The E46 M3 was the right size to be confidence-inspiring and exploitable. It had the right engine in the shape of a now-legendary 3.2-litre, 338bhp straight-six screamer at the front. It had pace, excitement, drama, poise, style and everything else it needed to be one of the most desirable driver’s cars of the 2000s.
Okay, so thieves liked the E46 as well, which was a problem, but what a thing it was. That M-spec S54 six-pot revved to 8000rpm and you rowed through a six-speed manual Getrag gearbox as standard. Top speed was 155mph and it would crack the 62mph barrier in a whisker over five seconds.
But that was all irrelevant next to the sheer experience of driving one. It was frenetic, but the chassis was as chatty as a room full of hairdressers, telling you all about what was going on beneath you. The steering was direct, organic and felt properly connected to the road. The corner exit balance was absolutely impeccable. In short, this was one of M’s finest moments to date, and a whole load of group test wins followed.
These days you can pick them up for under £6000 in the UK, and less than $8000 or so in the US. These cars have a lot of mileage on them, though, so if you can afford more it’s best to spend it. Still, it’s pretty damn tempting when you’re ogling what looks like a classifieds bargain.
The 166,000-miler we’ve picked may be leggy and be cursed with major headlight condensation, but at £5989 it’s tantalisingly affordable to anyone with an average full-time job. Running costs might be a different matter, mind you, but let’s not spoil the fantasy. In a lovely dark blue metallic, this one also has a classy grey leather interior, electric and heated front seats with memory functions, a radio/CD and cassette player (ooooh) as well as a Harman Kardon stereo and a widescreen sat-nav.
It’s properly kitted-out. You even get front and rear parking sensors, bi-xenon headlights and some kind of service history, although the advert doesn’t go into details. Anyone tempted? We know we are…
Comments
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2 years ago when i sold mine they were worth anywhere inbetween 10-15k€ and now they reach prices over 20k€ (EU/Romania)
6k? Haha no. For a good one with less than 150k kms you’ve got to spend at least 20k here in GER
Good ones here are about £10-11k minimum
This one’s way past it
I live near the place selling that car it’s amazing a multi story car park that is full of lambos and Ferraris my dad bought his volvo from there
$10k here in Canada minimum, plus they’re going to be stored over 6 months/year and running costs will be prohibitive.
I think I’ll skip it.
Headlights are f’d, it’s not got the m3 taillights (LED cluster), not the right floor mats, wheels aren’t OEM finish (diamond cut with anthracite behind). Exhaust has had no care given to it at all. So who knows what is it like mechanically when there’s no care on any of the cosmetic bits
lets hope the blinkers work
High mileage = Bad idea buying one isn’t always sound advice. With the E46 M3, buy by condition, not by mileage. Strong chances are that if the condition inside and out ticks all the boxes, then its previous owners will have looked after it and spent the vast majority of money already on it effectively making it good for another 80-100k miles.
At the 80k mile mark the bushes are wanting for a complete refresh, so any decent owner will have had those done, subframe inspections will have been annual, the paperwork will show a slew of inspection 1, oil service, Inspection 2, oil cycle service repetitions , and from a reputable dealer or specialist.
At that kind of mileage all the common faults will already have shown themselves and been dealt with. That would be my expectation. So if I don’t see any paperwork for DSC pressure sensors, MAF replacement (at 99k mine failed, for example, and this seems fairly typical. After 80k it’s a timebomb…) then I’d walk on. DSC pressure sensors are £90 each, then there’s the labour. The MAF is currently £261, but a super easy DIY.
With all these little things, the TCO racks up within a couple of years, so whatever you paid for the car, you may well end up spending double that during your ownership if you buy a low miler and intend on keeping it. And rightly so, who would not want to keep one in excellent visual and running order?
Had to get my DSC Pressure Sensors replaced last year ;’( Munich Legends charged me a lot lol
That’s why AdnanEbrahim sold his right like its depreciating like nothing else
E46 M3’s don’t depreciate.
Good condition ones still go for 10k an above.
The reason why this is cheap is because either this car is showing signs of head gasket failure or will do in the near future.
Also it’s sold by motorhub which is the worst car dealership in the united kingdom
Bought mine 2013 for £14000, sold it last month for £18500, everything depends on spec and condition..
Cheap and BMW. Two words which probably should not be used when considering a car for purchase. Sure, in the US you can pick up an M3 for 8k, maybe less. At that point, though, you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel. I wouldn’t spend less than 10k for one. That’s what I paid, and that’s only because it was a vert which generally costs less and it had some mileage (150k but one owner and dealer serviced). Going with a cheap purchase price often means paying the difference in repairs down the line, specially where Bimmers are concerned.
Of course, some 100k+ cars have been better treated than 70k. I suppose the moral of the story is: always do a PPI.
Ah you can get decent cheap bmws just not models everyone is jacking it over. The trick is to get lesser models like the 330 and know what you’re looking at.
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