"trmoore09" (trmoore09)
04/30/2014 at 11:05 • Filed to: None
15
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"trmoore09" (trmoore09)
04/30/2014 at 11:05 • Filed to: None | 15
| 22 |
So on Friday April 18th, my wife texted me and said "Buy this for me (I mean us)" with a link to a 2002 M3 6mt in Laguna Seca Blue. Having always drooled over them everytime I saw one, my response was "Don't tempt me! I might just do it." Fast forward a little over a week, and the car is now ours, and is my new daily driver. (Anyone want to buy a '97 328is with a salvage title?)
Having always wanted an LSB E46 M3, when we saw this one with decently low mileage (92k) and very good maintenance records (including a brand new clutch/tob & fuel pump, along with a lot of other stuff), we jumped all over it. However, we were pretty sure it was going to be difficult to get a loan for a 12 year old car with almost 100k on it. Little did we know, it was fairly easy and painless. I was approved online, no questions asked, by PenFed. At 2.49%. We were only partially serious about getting the car to begin with, primarily because we were skeptical anyone would finance the car. But now that we got financing, it was game on. Having just put quite a bit of money into the car in maintenance, the seller was pretty firm on the price. We still got what we thought was a good deal, and with all of the maintenance he did, it should be good to go for quite a while.
So on to the details.
2002 LSB E46, 6MT, grey leather interior. Harmon Kardon Stereo. Overall the car is in super good shape, the interior needs a little work, but I may swap all that over to black in the future anyways. I like the E9X wheels on it, but I think it needs a drop. That will probably be one of the first mods, along with removing the chicken wire front grille and putting in an OEM one.
Quick Impressions: Haven't driven it a whole lot yet (just picked it up Monday), but I'll say it's every bit as fun as our E90 M3 was, even if it doesn't have as much power. It does feel more raw and unrefined, but I like that. Seems to handle well, but I don't get to experience that too much on my 3 mile commute to work. I'll post again in a few months when I've been able to drive it more.
Clown Shoe Pilot
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:06 |
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fantastic color. welcome to the cult of S54.
twinturbobmw
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:07 |
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Congrats! My favorite color on the E46 too!
TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:08 |
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That's beautiful. Your wife sounds like the best too.
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trmoore09
> TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
04/30/2014 at 11:12 |
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Thanks! She's great, the E90 was for her too. She's car people. I had an S2000 at the time we got it.
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trmoore09
> Clown Shoe Pilot
04/30/2014 at 11:24 |
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Thanks, I love it already!
E92M3
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:24 |
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Your wife is awesome! What happened to the E90? I've been debating selling my E46 for an E90 (because carseats).
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trmoore09
> twinturbobmw
04/30/2014 at 11:24 |
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Thanks! If it was any other color, we probably would have ignored it, but we had to jump on the LSB.
michael bleggi
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:30 |
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is the e36 seriously for sale?
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trmoore09
> E92M3
04/30/2014 at 11:34 |
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Several factors were involved with us selling it. Ours was having issues with the throttle body actuators and other items that were needing to be replaced soon. It also had high mileage and we were worried about it losing a lot of value as soon as it hit 100k (we sold it with 96k). My wife was also getting ready to go back to school, so we could not comfortably afford the payment on the E90. So the only logical decision was to sell it. We both really loved the car. She was a nanny and had 3 kids in the car daily with no issues. Had it been different circumstances, we definitely would have kept it. It's a super fun and practical daily driver.
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trmoore09
> michael bleggi
04/30/2014 at 11:41 |
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Yep, currently on Raleigh, NC craigslist. Not in the greatest shape, but a good mechanically sound, fun daily beater. H&R sport cup suspension & BBS RK 17x8 all around.
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/4431237528…
The salvage title part is from the damage on the rear.
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E92M3
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:43 |
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Thanks..From what I've read the E90/2/3 has proven more reliable than the E46. Such a tough decision. Some people made the switch and are happy. Others made the switch only to go back to the E46 after a yr or two. Post back after you spend more time with it. I would like to hear your thoughts on how they compare.
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trmoore09
> E92M3
04/30/2014 at 11:45 |
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Gotcha, I'll let you know! It's hard to beat the V8 rumble of the E9X. The car itself was pretty reliable, the only problems were mainly with some sensors. However, the sensors were expensive. So while it didn't break often, it was just expensive when it did. We also had a 6MT E90 which is why I loved it. I like the IS-F and C63, but wish they had a manual option.
Flat Six
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 11:55 |
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Great find (both car and wife!) - I love that color.
William Byrd
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 12:59 |
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Gorgeous!
I'm a PenFed believer as well, financed a few cars there. It is pretty quick and easy.
RPM esq.
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 13:29 |
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Nice car, and I agree that the chicken wire needs to go! I was wondering why your engine bay looked so different from mine, until I realized that one of your pictures is mirrored... Also, today I learned, to my surprise, that 2002 M3's didn't come with strut tower braces. If you can find one off a newer E46 M3, it might be a good handling addition, particularly if you're going to lower it. Mine is on Bilstein PSS10 coilovers, which make for a somewhat harsh ride on bad roads but great, great handling.
Anyway, welcome to the E46 M3 club, and feel free to prod me (or presumably the other E46 Opponauts) with anything that comes up!
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trmoore09
> RPM esq.
04/30/2014 at 13:46 |
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Ah, good catch! Didn't even notice that. These are the previous seller's pictures. I'll get some new ones after I get the grille changed and get it cleaned up. Good idea about the strut brace. What E46 forum(s) do you prefer? e46fanatics? m3forums?
brakesnow
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 13:54 |
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Super clean! Love the clean engine bay. I'd recommend against the drop though, I think the stance is perfect as-is. Don't want to be another slammed bro.
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trmoore09
> brakesnow
04/30/2014 at 13:56 |
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Thanks! The car actually looks a little higher in person, front especially. I was just looking to do springs, not coilovers. The H&R sports lower 1.2 F and .5 R, so no major change, just a little leveling
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michael bleggi
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 16:19 |
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i like that a lot, i'll probably shoot you an email
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trmoore09
> michael bleggi
04/30/2014 at 16:20 |
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Sweet, I'll keep a look out for it
66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash
> trmoore09
04/30/2014 at 22:19 |
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OMFG thats awesome dude, congrats!
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RPM esq.
> trmoore09
05/01/2014 at 14:19 |
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m3forums for technical information and fixit instructions, for sure.