Quote:
Originally Posted by spotshooter
Hi, long time lurker here. I am nearing the end of my current lease (08 R32) and the 135i is on my short list. I've test driven several in the last year, and it is a great car. I'm new to BMW, so i've been doing some research and the E46 M3 has sparked my interest. There are several low mile M3s for sale in my town and I have been tempted to go for a test drive.
Can anyone share their experience with both cars? What am I gaining with the older M3 vs a new 135i?
Advice welcome.....
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I don't think you're gaining anything with the E46, in fact it's quite the opposite.
I've tracked my basically stock 135i a number of time, and it's faster than an equally stock E46 M3 on track. Add that to the fact you get to spec out the car as you want, get a warranty and know the history from day 1, and it tilts it even more to the 135i.
The other thing to remember is that the E46 has been around awhile, and low-mileage cars will be hard to find. Plus a high number of cars will have been beat on during their lifetimes, raising even more questions.
A friend of mine has an E46 M3 SMG that he tracks regularly. One of the serpentine belt pulleys seized at 90K miles, causing about $1K in repairs, which is becoming more and more common.
That said, the E46 M3 is a great car, and you would be very happy with it. The one thing that might be in the E46's favor is I think there is a larger availability of aftermarket parts if that's something you would want to do. There is more and more for the 1er, but the E46 has been out much longer, and there are more on the road, which just leads to more availability.