6 Month Oppositelock Review: My E46 M3

"GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo" (jackolson) 11/23/2014 at 20:33 • Filed to: Reviews

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I'll start with an introduction of myself in case you don't know me around here. I'm 24, have a job, and managed to go to college for 5 years and not get a degree. However, my job is pretty good for a 24 year old and the used car market being what it is allowed me to flex my meager financial muscle and buy the Carbon Schwartz BMW M3 you see here.

I bought the car back in May from a dealership in Pennsylvania, I am the cars fourth owner and when I got the car it had a little more than 88k miles. I bought the car without getting a PPI but I had looked at a few previously and pretty much knew what I was looking at/for and it had a full service history, the dealership also was very highly reviewed. (The first two owners were retired brothers and recorded everything) I'll go ahead and say if you're looking at E46 M3's get the PPI regardless of your confidence, because what I did was kinda stupid.

Since the purchase I have put 12k miles on it, done a few oil changes, and had to bring it to my mechanic a couple times. So let's get into this review:

Exterior 7/10

So I give my car a 7 mostly because there are lots of small imperfections. Swirls, a couple really small scrapes, rock chips, and a door ding (small) all of those considered it absolutely crushes the 10 ft test and for a 12 year old car I'll call that a win. The 19-inch wheels don't help much in terms of ride quality and the price of a new set of tires but they look exquisitely good on the E46 compared to the 18's. I get constant compliments on how good the car looks for a 2002 and how much people love the wheels. The E46 might not look modern compared to the E9x or F8x but I think the design will be considered one of the greats in 20 years. Design wise I would compare the E46 M3 with the E9, not quite iconic but will always be tasteful. There are days I go into work or get home and I take 3-4 looks back, it is that good looking.

(Not mine)

Interior 5/10

My car gets a 5 for a couple of reasons; Firstly I bought a car with a slightly roughed up interior because it doesn't matter to me much, there aren't any tears in the leather or anything drastic but you can tell it wasn't sitting in a museum for 12 years. There are a bunch of nail marks in the soft plastic center console compartments and the Titanium finish on the trim is cracked and bubbled, which is very common for early E46 M3's.

Also the soft felt material is un-gluing from my A and C pillars, this is a pretty simple DIY fix and something that will take me an afternoon this winter. If my interior was perfect I'd probably give it a 7. I love the steering wheel probably more than anything else in the car…it's perfect. The shift knob is not the greatest design and I find it uncomfortable sometimes but it does illuminate which is pretty cool and when it is cold it heats the knob up a little which is nice, I plan on swapping out for a ZHP or F10 M5 knob. My car also has a sunroof and the cold weather package, I hate sunroofs so I use it very minimally and I love the heated seats. Speaking of seats, I really like the stock seats and all of the different things you can adjust I just wish I could make the bolsters on the bottom part a little tighter on spirited drives. My friends are all taller than 6 ft and they found the rear to be sufficiently comfortable for a day trip.

Quick fact: the stock leather power seats are only 4 pounds heavier than the sport cloth manual buckets.

Acceleration 8/10

First off let me address one of the inevitable comments, this car has torque it is by no means torque-less. In fact it makes about 80% of its max torque at a nice low 2000 rpm. However if you don't drive over 4000rpm while at the helm of an E46 M3 you better have a damn good reason because from 4000-8000rpm is heaven on earth. The S54 is absolutely savage and probably one of the best motors ever made. Just don't launch it or this motor will remove the rear subframe from the floor it accelerates so hard. The only thing that would make the acceleration better would be the noise from a CSL intake:

Braking - 7/10

It stops? The pedal is pretty firm and the single pistons do a good job for daily driving and spirited drives. For track use a lot of guy's recommend upgrading lines, pads, and rotors for the stock calipers. There are a lot of aftermarket options for brake kits even a couple ceramic ones.

Ride - 8/10

I really enjoy how the E46 M3 feels, its pretty firm but it is never harsh. Apart from pot holes (which you should dodge) and the really pronounced expansion joint it's the perfect blend of sport and comfort. I drove the car from PA to CT (about 4 hours) and was simply amazed by the ride quality. I have the 19-inch wheels and I find the ride to be very bearable for daily use. Sometimes the rear end does feel a bit float-y but that is probably more a combination of my worn tires and worn bushings.

Handling - 9/10

Point and shoot, that is the E46 M3 in a nutshell. The car feels planted and ready to switch directions with the smallest steering input; it feels incredibly athletic. I haven't gotten to track or autoX the car yet so I can't speak to how it handles at the limit. On a couple of my really spirited drives there does seem to be a little bit of understeer but I'm sure a little throttle will even it out.

Gearbox - 9/10

The only time I have had problems finding a gear is when I try to hulk smash the lever into its gate and it doesn't like that. On this sublime 6-speed the adage "slow is fast" remains true to swapping the cogs. I can't heel toe worth a shit because I have size 12 shoes and it feels really awkward try to move that much foot around.

Toys – 4/10

This car is for driving, and I should give it a 10/10 just for the engine and gearbox. I do however want this: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

(Picture Credit: Bavsound)

Audio – 8/10

The S54 howling from 4000rpm aside, one of the previous owners installed a Bavarian Sound Werks subwoofer system and it sounds so awesome it broke the clips to the Sirius XM antenna so that rattles at certain bass frequencies (not awesome). I can also tell the door speakers or tweeters are getting a little old and may need to be replaced soon.

Value - 10/10

I mean do I really need to explain?

Total 75/100

Special Category:

Maintenance – 7/10

I change oil every 4000 miles and it is $130 for 7* liters and the filter, the oil change takes me about an hour and a half. If you budget your money and plan out the maintenance the cost shouldn't scare anyone that works in a job better than fast food service. If you do your research and buy a mechanically sound car with service records, you probably won't have to spend much on major maintenance. There are however expensive repairs on this car but that's why I can not stress enough just how important buying the RIGHT car is. This winter I plan on replacing the ignition coils and spark plugs, this spring will be new tires and maybe some VANOS preventative maintenance, and at the end of summer I'd like to reinforce the rear subframe and new bushings.

*Total 82/100*

Engine: 3.2L Inline 6

Power: 333 hp@7900rpm 262 lbft@4900rpm

Transmission: 6-speed Manual

Top Speed: 155mph governor limited

Drivetrain: RWD

MPG: 19-20

MSRP: $53,320

All in all, I love this car more than anything I feel so free when I am behind the wheel.

EDIT: If anyone has questions about something I didn't cover please feel free to ask!

*EDIT #2: I actually buy 7 litres and keep a spare litre. I have to buy from a local dealership and the Castrol TWS (10w60) costs $14.98 per litre and the filter is about $18 so after taxes it is $130 and change.

jkm7680 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 20:39

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Car looks awesome! Good review also.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > jkm7680 11/23/2014 at 20:44

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Thanks!

Jack Does Cars > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 21:00

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A friend of my mother has a 2002 E46 325i, and the headliner has been un-gluing itself for a while. Is this a common problem with these cars?

Arben72 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 21:00

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Try Ecs tuning next time for your oil change. I payed 130 for my m3 which uses 3 more liters of that liquid gold. Love the e46s though, dat rasp. Any mods?

Vicente Esteve > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 21:06

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Very Nice M3, my favourite in fact. Well done review.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Arben72 11/23/2014 at 21:06

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None as of yet, hopefully I'll do the intake elbow and get the Status Gruppe section 1, x pipe, and SCZA muffler this winter.

I've heard really good things about ECS so I'll have to give that a try, I kinda like drooling over the new M's at the dealer though.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Jack Does Cars 11/23/2014 at 21:08

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Yeah it plagues almost every E46, E46fanatics.com is a good place to find some DIY guides for it.

Doug DeMuro > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 21:35

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Excellent review. Glad you're enjoying it. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!!

desertdog5051 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 21:59

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Nice review. I wonder why an oil change is $130 for 6 liters especially if you do it yourself. I am considering adding a car to my DD list. I have thought about a BMW in the past, but many things I read tell me I can expect some expensive maintenance with them. Therefore, leaning more towards domestic.

I would give you my DD welcome, but it sounds like you have been here a while.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Doug DeMuro 11/23/2014 at 22:18

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Thanks Doug, I'm looking forward to your next automotive adventure!

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Vicente Esteve 11/23/2014 at 22:18

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Thank you!

Doug DeMuro > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/23/2014 at 22:21

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Thank you! Me too!!!

Arben72 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/24/2014 at 02:50

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Unless they toss the keys to the new m's to you it's not worth overpaying. Some light mods can really wake up the e46 but the car isn't missing anything without them. My friend had (I might be wrong on this but I'm pretty sure) a csl airbox, csl cams, and aftermarket headers on his and it was about as perfect as it gets. I really need to get an e46 M but I just don't have the room. There is no way they're not going to be a classic due to how raw and visceral they feel.

BKRM3 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/24/2014 at 08:52

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Glad to see you're still enjoying this, I remember when you got it! You need to get that bad boy on track. Are you a BMW CCA member? If not, you need to be. It's $48/yr and most chapters on the east coast are really active, plus you get the usually-awesome magazine "Roundel" to drool on every month. I do all my track events with the CCA and they're top notch in terms of safety and instructor quality.

Your post reminds me that I desperately need to drive someone's E46 M3. I've never driven one! Of course, I've ridden passenger in them on racetracks but still... Everyone always raves about driving them!

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/24/2014 at 10:32

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You know I love hearing about these little issues. Not that I have anything against BMW (they make some cars that I really like), but I'm a big Alfa and Jag fan (or British and Italian in general) and I hear countless quips about poor reliability and fit and finish, usually from the same people who praise the Germans as the pinnacle of engineering and quality.

It's nice to know that there's a couple of Teutonic brainfarts occurring through the years as well :)

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/24/2014 at 17:56

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The trim paint, rear subframe, and VANOS were areas BMW really botched on the E46 M3. The headliner/pillar coming un-glued is something I would chalk up to being a result of a 12 year old car more than sub par engineering. How the rear subframe was let go is beyond me, they addressed it later on (structural foam injection) but this should of been remedied in development.

Don't even mention the SMG...

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Arben72 11/24/2014 at 18:00

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I wish I had the money for a CSL airbox conversion but in my current situation thats out of the cards for at least a few years. My goal for the car (power wise) is to get 320hp at the wheels so I have 100hp per litre to the wheels.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > BKRM3 11/24/2014 at 18:02

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Thanks! Yeah I keep meaning to join but haven't gotten around to it and I know they are very active in the area especially at Lime Rock, which is like #2 on my automotive bucket list.

BKRM3 > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/24/2014 at 18:11

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#2! Why wait a moment longer! The CCA definitely does HPDEs at LRP. Check out your local chapter through this site and sign yoself up! https://www.bmwcca.org/

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo 11/25/2014 at 04:45

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True on all accounts. I also heard that there was a problem with a batch of engines experiencing rod bearing failure due to either slightly incorrectly sized bearings or the wrong spec material (can't remember off the top of my head). It only affected cars built within a certain date range, but again it's nice to know that they're not perfect :)

Still epic cars though. I use them as a benchmark for a lot of my planned car builds. A real sweet-spot :)

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/25/2014 at 09:05

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Yeah it was a problem with 01-02 models my cars first owner had the recall addressed and I have full documentation. The fact that this car is such a benchmark is what led me to want one.