Hour Rule-ish - Buying Advice

"Too many M's" (toomanyms)
01/05/2015 at 04:05 • Filed to: None

An E46 M3 CSL for your troubles. (I always have problems with uploading pics at work....hopefully the above one populates.)

I'm coming to another garage shuffle in my life. My dedicated and beloved track car (E36 M3) is moving on to a new owner soon and I am toying with the idea of selling my E90 M3 to free up some garage space.

To fill the gap until the new M2 comes out, I am looking for an interesting garage mate for my E46 M3 that will be left.

Enter....another E46 M3. But with SMG.

There is a local one for a VERY reasonable price that I'm looking at this weekend. SO reasonable in fact that I am thinking about just keeping it to strip down into another track car.

I know I know, #firstworldproblems but is the SMG so bad that even the greatest of deals cannot be considered?

DISCUSSION (23)

 V8 Rustler > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 04:15

And live with the shame of driving an auto? Not worth it.

continuously variable display name > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 04:27

I wouldn't say it is so bad to rule it out completely, mainly because I want a CSL badly and that is the only option with them. Wish it was possible/feasible to bring one back from Germany when I move back to Canada but that is another story entirely as there is a huge list of cars I wish I could take back.

I think a track prepped E46 M3, with a well taken care of SMG, could be a ton of fun. Although I have some friends with E46 M3s, both manual and SMG, I haven't tried either. I have only driven an E93 M3 (manual) and the M4 (DCT). To be honest even though I enjoy a manual for daily and pleasure driving, as a relative newcomer to tracking cars having paddles is quite nice. I was actually really happy that the M4 was the dual clutch, because I had it for my first laps of the Nürburgring and I had enough to deal with without the third pedal!

Too many M's > continuously variable display name
01/05/2015 at 04:42

The SMG is very track proven, probably half of the E46 RingTools I see have them. And nearly all the E9X M3s run DCT. My E90M was one of the few I saw up there with a manual transmission and while I was busy I thought it was a blast. But I've been doing it for a few years. :)

I too would love to take one back to the states, but unlike Canada (lucky 15-yr import law) I'd have to wait until 2029 to take one back.

I'll have to see what the pre-inspection looks like, it could be priced so low for a reason.

Too many M's > V8 Rustler
01/05/2015 at 04:43

I would have to remove all the M-badges and put a 318i badge on the back.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 04:43

Are you talking about the Imola Red one?

And how much are you looking at selling the E90 for?

Too many M's > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
01/05/2015 at 04:52

Yeah, looking at that one. It's in Belgium and hopefully worth the drive.

I have a buyer lined up for it already, around $29-30k.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 04:57

Hopefully the car is solid but if not you'll be in Belgium so you might as well pick up some beer.

Still outta my price range, maybe in a few years I'll find a nice E90. That or if I can find a Techno-Violet E36 M3 sedan.

Too many M's > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish
01/05/2015 at 05:08

Haha, yeah I'm making a small family trip out of it. Beer is definitely in the works.

There was a Canadian-spec TV E36 sedan rolling around a little over a year ago. I haven't seen it in a while though. Might be parked for a the winter.

Arben72 > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 05:08

Get a smg tune for it, but do a clutch reset as soon as you get it. The smg is fine, a little clunky, but for the right price I wouldn't mind one. Why not swing a 1m and resell it for more then you paid for till the m2 comes out? It'll be like having a free car.

continuously variable display name > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 05:14

I'd think that the shift consistency would be good on the track, not only for the driving but for the transmission itself. Hopefully the car is mechanically sound. The 25 year rule seems brutal by the way, even my 15 seems bad enough for me.

I did get out on the Ring in a manual car after the M4, that time with a VLN driver riding as a coach with me. I learned a ton, but it was definitely keeping me busy! I made sure the next time I went back I had paddles, especially because my dad was joining me and I wanted him to be able to enjoy driving a lap also.

Keep us posted on the car, good luck!

Too many M's > Arben72
01/05/2015 at 05:18

I've been combing the forums for tips on track-proofing the SMG. Seems like a flash to CSL parameters and a resistor mod (need more research on this) are the main points to hit.

I'd love a 1M, but after finding one and the hassle of getting it shipped over here I'm not sure if it'd be worth it for me. Hmmm....definitely an avenue of approach again for the right deal.

Arben72 > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 05:30

Just noticed you were in Germany. My experience with smg is limited to the street only, but smg is no different then a manual in the amount of track abuse it can take. So whatever modifications you had to take to do on your manual one, I'd assume you'll need to repeat them on your smg. A csl tune will definitely make it more enjoyable.

I personally can't purchase two of practically the same car. But I understand where your coming from, the e46 is an amazing car and I think everyone should experience it. How available are z4 m's where your at? That would be a nice stablemate with an e46 m3. Will be better at the track too.

Too many M's > continuously variable display name
01/05/2015 at 05:51

My friends with DCT/SMG cars all rave about it on the track. Since this would be a track car it seems to make a case for trying it until the SMG pump fails then convert to manual.

I've only driven manuals for my track cars so this will be a new experience for sure.

Definitely! I'll post more after I see the car and hopefully make a decision.

Too many M's > Arben72
01/05/2015 at 05:56

Oh yeah, the actual transmission is pretty solid with proper care. The whole pump mechanism attached to it is the biggest question in the air for me I suppose. If it were to fail I would end up converting it to manual anyway. I have a spare 5-speed unit that I can drop right in.

I hear ya, I saw a beautiful Z4M earlier in the summer that would have been perfect. But with two kids, it's hard to justify a two-seater only car. Never mind that my gutted E36 had only two seats...I guess the potential to put them back in? Who knows. But yes, in my 20-car garage that and the S54 clown-shoe would find a very nice home.

E92M3 > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 06:56

I had an SMG E46 M3 for 5 years. Awesome on the track, not as good around town compared to DCT. If you can find one that's already had the smg pump replaced I think you'll be alright. I think the E46 is THE best M3 for trackdays. E36 is great too but lacks power in US spec to keep up with most of the cars you'll encounter at the track today. It's no fun spending half your session doing point bys.

Too many M's > E92M3
01/05/2015 at 07:12

I've had my manual E46M for a couple years now and no doubt it is fantastic on the track. While my E36M was down for repairs it became my go to track fun car and it's what made me want to build a new toy on that chassis. My E36 (US-model) was no slouch, it weighed in around 2800lbs and with sticky tires a relatively inexperienced me could consistently run mid-8 min BTG passing by a lot of very nice cars.

But having a newer car, able to fit bigger rubber with less hassle is really pushing me in that direction. Not sure on the SMG pump on this one, but if it fails I would probably do a 5-spd swap.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 10:33

Already sold? You're not going to miss that sweet, sweet S65?

Too many M's > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
01/05/2015 at 10:45

Oh I have no doubt I'll miss the glorious S65 :D

I definitely plan on revisiting the E9X platform, I'll be looking for a stripper car though. Slicktop, manual everything, no-Nav....preferably another E90 but an E92 wouldn't be terrible I suppose.

My car-ADD is terrible.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 10:49

Ha! At least you have the means to feed your sickness (assuming that's a good thing). I do like they idea of swapping my loaded '08 out with a stripper '11 ZCP at some point.

Too many M's > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
01/05/2015 at 10:51

My wife gets bored with it sometimes, but she usually makes out okay in the end :D

YES! A stripper ZCP would be a wonderful DD.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 10:57

DD - kid hauler - track toy - back road barnstormer

I'm still in One Car To Do It All mode for the foreseeable future (although I have picked up an old Pathfinder 4x4 for winter/dogs/camping).

And yes, my wife's in line for our next car purchase, and I'm sure she'll be happy. At the moment, we're trying to stick with her current car until the kids are a bit older, hoping they may mature enough to not destroy the next one as efficiently as they've done with this one!

Too many M's > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
01/05/2015 at 11:03

Haha yes my kids are a littler further away from completely destroying all the nice things, not too far away though. That will be a rough time.

Pathy's are pretty stout! That'll do nicely for the Ms shortcomings.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Too many M's
01/05/2015 at 11:26

Our oldest is 8 and youngest will be 2 next month. They've got quite a few good destroying years left in them...

Found an '03 with 150k miles that looks like it was garage-kept. Runs great; hard to beat for $5k!