SOOOO... I got another E46 M3 this week!

"Rows His Own" (RowsHisOwn)
03/16/2014 at 23:59 • Filed to: BMW, bimmer, e46 m3, e46, m3, coupe, alpine white

About 4 weeks ago, the driver of a mid-sized SUV hit me and ran me off the road, over a curb, and through a brick flowerbed in my Imola Red E46 M3. It was a car that I had gotten just barely over two weeks before. The other driver fled the scene, leaving some white paint and 20 year-old me looking like a tool with a wrecked sports car, standing in a parking lot in my cammies. After two weeks of wrestling with Insurance adjusters, it was time to go out and find another car. I'm sure some of you will shout "go buy a beater or something slow" because 20 year olds like me are foolish and irresponsible, but that's not what happened. After 2 weeks of searching and taking cars through pre-purchase inspections, I found an M3 that I thought was suitable to purchase. The culprit is a 2004 Alpine White coupe with immactulately clean cinnamon interior, and some tasteful OEM+ modifications. The kicker though:it's an SMG. Fortunately, the car had been babied to 58000 miles, with all the maintenance records included. I pulled the trigger and purchased the car this past Thursday.

Though the original Cinnamon interior was very clean, I've always had a soft spot for BMW's rich Imola Red interior. Fortunately, this was easy to obtain since I had retained my salvaged M3 from the insurance so it was readily available. I installed the interior, and have been slowly using the money from the part out to clean up the car, and modify it without making it completely vulgar. I'm aware, the ride height needs dialing in, but don't think that just because it looks pretty means that it isn't as functional as it was intended to be. Hopefully I'll be able to update from time to time, but for now, here is how she sits.

DISCUSSION (60)

mazdaspeed2 > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:02

Congrats! But your pics got kinja'd

Rows His Own > mazdaspeed2
03/17/2014 at 00:05

I see this. Damn ye kinja! Stand by for update

desertdog5051 > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:09

SR20 please.

Rows His Own > desertdog5051
03/17/2014 at 00:14

Twas all a sham

desertdog5051 > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:20

Elaborate, if nothing else.

Rows His Own > desertdog5051
03/17/2014 at 00:23

Fixe

Rows His Own > mazdaspeed2
03/17/2014 at 00:23

All better

It's a "Porch-uh" > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:30

Kinja'd!!!

BBS LMs. Excellent choice.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:32

... I am silently sobbing inside.

It's a "Porch-uh" > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:33

Why does all this look familiar? Are you in San Diego?

Rows His Own > It's a "Porch-uh"
03/17/2014 at 00:35

Yes I am!

Rows His Own > It's a "Porch-uh"
03/17/2014 at 00:40

My wife bought them for me! They were rebarreled to 19x9.5 fronts, 19x10 rear, by James Camarador, also known as Floss. He refinished them this way as well. They're shiny, but they're stronger and lighter than most people know.

ddavidn > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:42

I like it. Good find.

desertdog5051 > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:43

Very nice.

6cyl > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 00:44

Can I have you old motor? I would make my e30 awesome.

Nice car btw. How do you like the SMG? My family has a friend with a 2003 with the SMG and loves it.

Rows His Own > 6cyl
03/17/2014 at 00:48

I'm a massive "manual-only" sort of guy, but the SMG is really visceral. I still plan on getting the bell housing on SMG modified so it can be a regular six-speed, but if that option wasnt available, I wouldn't be heart broken.

Rows His Own > ddavidn
03/17/2014 at 00:50

Thank you! It was honestly a steal, and the PPI was immaculate.

Rows His Own > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
03/17/2014 at 00:51

Yea the Imola car left me heartbroken. It was exactly what I was looking for, but in a strange turn, it's been sort of a financial blessing. I still miss the hell out of it though.

Rows His Own > 6cyl
03/17/2014 at 00:53

Also, I sold the motor to 2M Autowerks. Its going into a pretty modified 330 coupe.

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:06

It's got a nice stance to it, looks good. Any more and you're in Stance Nation territory, haha. Bet it grips like mad.

His Stigness > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:08

I was told by a veteran BMW mechanic, who also builds legit BMW race cars that you cannot do a manual swap in the E46. He said the ECU and SMG control unit are matched up and there is no way to swap them.
Sorry dude but your stuck with the SMG.

His Stigness > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:11

And I'm about to buy an E46 M3 (SMG) and I was wondering what you know about the rear subframe issues. I know that it's a weak spot and Turner Motor sport has a reinforcement kit for it, but I was wondering if you know how common failure is, or how imperative it is to do it? I live near LA and I'm pretty sure the car I'm buying hasn't left southern California so I don't think rust is an issue; is that the only time you have to really worry about the subframe?

Rows His Own > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
03/17/2014 at 01:16

The bilstein coilovers, while somewhat bumpy, have a very good spring rate and it corners very flatly. Having alot of meat in the front and rear certainly doesnt hurt. I know people here can tend to get pretty worked up about "stance". I just like a good fitment, form WITH function

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:19

I'm one of those fellas admittedly. More so on performance cars (M, AMG, etc). Jimmies 100% rustled.

Yours still looks like it can go over a speed bump, haha.

Any new mods to come?

Rows His Own > His Stigness
03/17/2014 at 01:27

I'm afraid your mechanic is wrong. The DME is reflashed to accept the lack of an smg pump, and the bellhousing is redrilled to accept the hydraulic lines. http://m3forum.net/m3forum/showth…

As for the subframe, it is present in most E46 coupes and sedans, though more frequent before 2003.5 model runs. Unfortunately, that doesn't really exclude the chance of damage. If you are worried, take any car you're worried about to somewhere like Ronin Motorworks and pay for a PPI. In reality, it's worth the hundred dollar investment on any car, especially a sports car. IF it does fail, you will have serious differential issues, and you will blow through axles and bearings until it is fixed. Rust isn't the main cause, it's stress from vicious launches and hard impacts. The e46 subframe was designed to be lightweight, but that came at a long term cost. I've had four E46s so I am pretty experienced in the problem's that they will eventually go through. Cooling systems, FCABs, RTABs, and OEM suspensions are essentially consumables.

Rows His Own > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
03/17/2014 at 01:30

CSL trunk and painting the hood washer grill body color. I have a soft spot for ducktails. I'm actually about to go from a 30 sidewall to a 35. so 245/35 front and 275/35 rear. These LM's were purchased refinished so I havent changed the tires or the ride height yet. I'm also investing in a square set of OEM CSL wheels for a daily setup. The rear will go up and the front will actaully be setup a bit lower. My lip sags a bit so its not really as low as it looks

Rows His Own > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
03/17/2014 at 01:33

And i think what most people refer to as stance ends up being VIP or hellaflush. The definition of stance has changed way too much. I wouldn't say my car is stanced, which is why i use the term fitment. In the rears, its actually a BBS recommended size, with a reverse mounted face for maybe 3-5mm more offset. I agree that VIP/HERRAFRUSH/StanceNation is pretty bad on high performance cars though.

Rows His Own > desertdog5051
03/17/2014 at 01:34

Thank you good sir.

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:35

Sounds good. I like the idea of more meat on the tires. Put up pics when you get anything new!

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:40

Oh, I agree, that's why I used the word stance to compliment your car. I even use stance to describe the way off-road trucks sit. I use Stance Nation as an adjective for the herraflush folks.

Rows His Own > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
03/17/2014 at 01:44

I'm just of the opinion that ALL cars, no matter how bland and beige, look better when the wheels are not set 30MM into the fenders. Spacers with OEM wheels would do the whole world good. And it certainly cant have anything to do with rubbing or the like. I don't know. Just my two cents.

AM3R > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 01:51

Nice! Love the BBS LM's...

Personally, I love cinnamon interiors and I would've just kept that, but imola red looks great too. Especially if you keep the red BBS center badges!

I drive an E90, and I'm always looking at E46 M3's. If you don't mind me asking, did you get it below $18k? 58k miles + AW on Cinnamon + 2003.5 or newer = a pretty desirable combo.

Rows His Own > AM3R
03/17/2014 at 02:00

Thank you, the LMs were a gift from my wife! It drives me crazy to see people rolling around on half-assed reps. I like the cinnamon too, but I had a full set of absolutely free imola and which I love to death. And it's a fitting tribute to my previous M3 too. I paid 20, which was a more than fair price for the combo and the modifications. It's fully optioned as well, so I'm very pleased. AW/IR is literally my dream E46. I don't plan on really ever seeing her go

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 02:04

I always get a chuckle out of the world's more unloved cars when they're stancenationd, rather than aggression, haha.

I'm even toying with the idea of spacers on my truck. I'm worried about gnawing at my fenders when I'm stuffing the wheels on rocks though.

Rows His Own > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma
03/17/2014 at 02:07

Mexiflush makes it pretty amusing. I've seen guys rub with tons of fender space so i have no idea how you could ever make it past the fender. Spacers aren't even scary to run. Even 5-8mm can make a huge cosmetic difference, and actually a functional one in some cases

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 07:14

Just took an E46 M3 for a PPI this week and it was a dud, the rear end was a mess and it had a rust problem in the rear wheel wells. I'm still looking hoping that a really nice one comes along in my price range.

How do you like the SMG?

awe46m3zcp > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 08:46

Welcome to the AW E46 M3 Oppo club! Looks like it was really taken care of.

Brian Silvestro > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 10:34

Looks like you'll have to change your username now!

AM3R > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 10:34

It's an amazing car, I hope you keep it as long as you can!

I'm still waiting for one to pop up locally. Maybe I should warm up to SMG's. Let me know how it goes, that would make it a lot easier for me to pick up an E46 M3 without having to drive 8 hours.

Also, if you ever get bored of the LM's, you should get the face powder coated gunmetal, it looks amazing on AW.

It's a "Porch-uh" > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 11:16

Whatever you do, don't ever let that woman leave you.

It's a "Porch-uh" > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 11:23

Me too! Well, Escondido technically.

You ever hit up Cbad Cars & Coffee on Saturdays? If you do, keep an eye out for a LeMans Blue E39 M5. Or a guy with one or two small kids and a bald head. That's me.

His Stigness > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 15:59

Hey not everyone is right, but he wasn't totally wrong as he said the ECU wouldn't start because it thought the SMG was missing, he just didn't know it couldn't be flashed.
For me it's not a big deal either way because I want the SMG; I plan on racing it and to me racing with a paddle shift is more fun than a manual.
With the PPI I'll do it myself as I'm an ASE certified technician and work as a mechanic. Is it pretty obvious though of whether there's chassis and subframe damage? The car I'm getting only has about 38k miles and it's an 04 so I'm not too worried, but that doesn't mean I won't ignore it.
And on your M3s did you do the Turner motorsport reinforcement or just replace all the bushing and install the RTAB limiters?

desertdog5051 > Rows His Own
03/17/2014 at 17:20

Those front fender flares really accentuate the wheels. What size and who makes them?

Rows His Own > His Stigness
03/19/2014 at 23:26

Yes, the reflash is absolutely necessary, especially since it treats the DSC, sport mode, and dash completely differently. SMG is not a bad transmission, it's just not the boulevard cruising tranny that most people expect. It's rough and visceral and it is rubbish in any of the slower mods. An 04 with 38k isnt bad but it is always possible. Of the E46s I've owned, they lived a careful enough life that subframe reinforcement was never really necessary. If it was though, I would wholeheartedly recommend doing the full TMS reinforcement right away.

Rows His Own > desertdog5051
03/19/2014 at 23:27

The wheels? BBS LM 19x9.5et 27 front and 19x10et12 rear. The fenders are OEM

Rows His Own > AM3R
03/20/2014 at 00:30

Im actually contemplating going to a 10 front, 11.5 rear for show season. I would run 265/35 fronts and 285/30 rears, so no super stretch for me. I do love my machined centers though. Floss is an amazing guy. And don't knock SMG until you give it a lengthy try. My drive home today sort of reminded me that. But if you really want a 6 speed, dont be afraid to hold out or expand your search.

Rows His Own > It's a "Porch-uh"
03/20/2014 at 00:31

I'll be there this weekend before the HRE meet, which will be spectacular as well. I do love me some LeMans blue, and especially E39s. I'll be there with my wife, who will be in her 6 speed MCS and I'll have the M3 as well.

Rows His Own > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo
03/20/2014 at 00:34

Where do you live and, if you dont mind, what is your mileage range? That gives me an idea of price without having to talk exact numbers. SMG isnt really bad at all. It's somewhat loud and notchy around town on the more aggressive settings, but in the softer settings its easy to drive like a granny. No one likes seeing a fast car in front of them driving slow as hell. Unfortunately PPIs can be disappointing. But they are a damn salvation sometimes too.

Rows His Own > Brian Silvestro
03/20/2014 at 00:34

Nah I sold my cinnamon interior and am on my way to getting it converted to a 6 speed. It's a [relatively] easy job

Rows His Own > awe46m3zcp
03/20/2014 at 00:36

Thank you! I almost picked up an AW ZCP from a guy in Tennessee the week before i bought this SMG. Sad it fell through, but I'm very happy with what turned up. Alpine white really is the best color for E46s

Brian Silvestro > Rows His Own
03/20/2014 at 09:30

Even on an E46?! I might have to buy an E46 now...

I always find good deals but they're all SMGs.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Rows His Own
03/20/2014 at 09:55

I live in Connecticut, my price range was around 19k I'm putting the search on hold until I can move my max price point to about 25k. I'd like to keep my search as local as possible just because I want to do PPI's at my shop of choice.

I keep hearing good and bad things about the SMG, I want to like it but I'm pretty convinced the 6spd is the better choice for a daily driver,

His Stigness > Rows His Own
03/20/2014 at 10:55

Yeah the SMG was not the luxury transmission people expected, but for it's intended purpose I think I it's just fine, which is why I'm choosing it over a manual. But now that I've learned more about the E46 M3 is realize I would never be able to get a manual in the same condition as this SMG, which is why I'm even more okay with it.
I also take offense to everyone talking shit about it because "it's not a manual." People (not saying you) should get off their high horse; I'm sure most of the trolls that talk shit about have never driven an E46 M3, in either flavor.
With the subframe, I plan on doing the TMS kit as soon as I buy it, plus something like this little beauty: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showth…
It may be overkill but I plan on racing the car and driving it very hard, so I would rather be safe than sorry. Plus there is a world class fabricator on the same complex as me and he'll do something similar to this for me for only $200 (it would normally cost me almost $1000 at his normal rate). So I figure I'll take advantage of this discount now. He also wants to modify it and make it bolt in so I can take it out if I want, and he said the way he does it it will actually be stronger.

Rows His Own > GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo
03/20/2014 at 23:18

25k will but you in high miles 05/06 ZCP range or 04-06 non ZCP low miles price. But 20k is what i paid for mine, and is not a bad price point. I am adamant that 6 speed is a better daily driver transmission. The SMG can clunk and bang and around town it makes me feel like I'm 15 learning how to drive. It is not a bad transmission, but it has a purpose. To bang out gears and go fast. I have no doubt that it is superior on the track, but around town it sometimes makes me look like an idiot. And sometime's it estimates my next step incorrectly

Rows His Own > Brian Silvestro
03/20/2014 at 23:21

All the meticulously taken care of cars seem to be SMG. Usually older drivers with different wants/needs. The 6MT cars are "enthusiast" owned. So generally driven hard and put up wet. This is what I have found in my experience. http://m3forum.net/m3forum/showth… That is the conversion thread. It's just pricy. But you will easily pay better with a nice SMG and conversion than you ever would for a similar condition/miles 6MT. It's unfortunate but it is the truth

Brian Silvestro > Rows His Own
03/20/2014 at 23:28

That's very interesting information to say the least. Thanks for it.

His Stigness > Brian Silvestro
04/05/2014 at 23:47

Go drive a stupid SMG please

His Stigness > Rows His Own
04/05/2014 at 23:50

Hey I've started looking for an E46 M3 but I need some help from someone that's bough several. Would you mind helping me a little?

Brian Silvestro > His Stigness
04/06/2014 at 08:07

Kinja'd!!!

Rows His Own > His Stigness
04/07/2014 at 21:19

Yes I can, my number is 5135499517 if that's more helpful. Sometimes I forget to check jalopnik