Dave's M3.
 

Yup. Signed the papers today on a 2004 E46 M3. It's Carbon Black with the Premium Package, Sport Package, Navigation, and Cold Weather Package. Black leather interior with the aluminum trim.

Six-speed manual to keep it real and reliable (sorry SMG).

I bought a 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty on it with a $250 deductible that will cover anything serious (covers damn near everything, including the rear subframe).

So why the M3? Well...I've been working on turbocharged Mitsubishis since I was 16. My first car was a 1991 Eclipse GSX with a 5 speed. I'm turning 30 in 9 days (not that I'm counting down or anything). I spent four years with the STi and before that, I spent five years working on Mustangs.

I first wanted the M3 when I went to college and saw the trust fund babies driving them. I didn't want one given to me, but wanted to get one someday when I had worked for it. Skip forward five years and my financial advisor threw me the keys to his 2006. Um, instant love. I was driving the STi at the time and trying to find out how to get the GD to handle right. The M3 basically **** all over that car with the turn of a key.

Since then, I've wanted one even more but refused to pay the 30-40k price tag they were commanding on the used market. So I went Evo X to get back to what I was familar with and get into something a little nicer daily.

I just never fell in love with the Evo, for as great as a performance car as it was after I modded it. The price tag on it was running me $1,000 a month after gas, insurance, payment, etc and I really didn't feel like a car was worth that. So about a year ago, I started looking at the M3 again and researching into it as much as I would any project.

Finally, used prices become reasonable and the car proved to be fairly reliable if you looked out for a couple things. About a month ago, I started looking to buy and after getting jerked around for a good two weeks by a dealer on an 02, I found this 04 and the deal was done after a test drive and inspection. This will save me over $200 a month in payment and insurance and will get better fuel economy too. It's a complete win in my book.

Pics coming soon.

Mod List

sounds sick, need some pics though. plans?

Thank you. Pics are uploading.

Plans are to get some 18's and the car really needs a short shifter. Worst shifter I've driven since the Mustang.

and one of these:

http://jandtdistributing.com/dynavin...igation-units/

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6234/...982ce3aed2.jpg
It's been real, Evo.
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http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6233/...00f9126a89.jpg

Supra motor in an E36 the owner had built. Runs 10's at 136mph.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6117/...f6862dfe36.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6119/...f0cf866a48.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6235/...4d2d239744.jpg

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http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6092/...36aa3f17d8.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6056/...938a5ba371.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6095/...881fefee89.jpg

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These buttons adjust the torso and lumbar control so you can get Recaro tight at the press of a switch!

:-/. And yet i know i will find myself under the hood of this thing. God help me

:lol:

Nah...these cars don't make power with bolt on's (headers make some without cats). You gotta go with a supercharger or turbo kit which will remain far out of my price range for a long, long time. I think you're safe! :)

I can see myself replacing the factory rubber bushings in the suspension and the shocks since the cars got some age to it, but that's more maintenance since the E46 eats bushings.

I think you'll love driving it, BTW. It's slower than my Evo by a decent margin, but has more torque and is so well-balanced in a turn, you'll giggle.

The e46 M3 is an awesome car IMO. I never drove one, but always wanted to. They seem like a real driver's car. Also I love nice N/A motors, which the M3 does have. Some guy a while back wanted to trade an 02 M3 for an S2K CR. I kind of wanted to do it but he had like 90k on it and I have 25k. One day I would love to have an LSB M3. Good luck with it!

Nice Dave! :cool:

Thanks guys! There's so much to say about the car, but it'd take a lot of writing to convey it. There are a lot of the little things in this car that pile up to add up to a great overall car. The brakes work really, really well and the balance in a turn is phenomenal. You don't feel the front tires scrubbing off speed like you do in an AWD. It's definitely not as quick around the bend, but it's close enough to not matter to me since the car soaks up the roads during my commute.

The shifter is precise and doesn't move around in the gate, but the throws are long and light. The seating position is pretty different than what I'm used to too so I'll have to get the seat setup just right yet. I would love to just blast around at 6k-8k and cut some turns in it, but I'm not ready to explore there just yet.

Congrats Dave, hope its everything you ever wanted. What exactly, if any, are your plans?

awesome !

Nice car. I went through that decision a few years ago on the evo path and decided against it. I'm glad I did. I have a journal on here as well, check it out.

Dave can i hump your leg?

Nice buy, after I bought my 335i I knew I was hooked on BMW's. Good luck and keep us updated...

congrats

goodluck with the car

autobahn beast

Nice! Good luck with the M3. I still consider trading in my Evo for something cheaper, but idk.

Definitely one of the nicest cars on the road IMO. My brother and all his friends have them, and hes been trying to get me in one for a while, but I just don't feel comfortable enough financially for a BMW of that caliber. They don't feel super quick in stock form compared to a lot of cars in the same price range, but they are great cars. Definitely a drivers car, so much fun.

One thing you can do, if you know anybody, or are interested in learning it on your own (Just requires a cable, and you can follow instructions online) is converting some of the electrical elements to euro spec. Cheap, (free if you know someone with the cable) and it will keep you smiling for a long time. Euro spec lets the windows roll up using the key (as apposed to just being able to roll down), euro blinkers (blink very quickly), you can make the back windows close with 1 touch, turn your parking lights on with the key (sweet if you have halos), and a few other cool things... Its pretty sweet.

Heres my brothers youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/fstrnr1 you can see some of the features im talking about on it.

Thank you everyone for the congrats. This is definitely a dream come true, which may sound silly, but whatevs.

I'm still in a little bit of disbelief that I actually own it. That this is MINE. I keep thinking I'll wake up and have the Evo back. Then I crack open the moonroof, hit the sport button, and romp to redline.

I'm so used to Japanese cars that this is a complete learning experience from the drivers seat. Controls are at your fingertips, but there are key differences like the power window buttons. BMW puts them on the sides of the shifter console. I keep going to the door to put the window down instead, then fumble around in my seat, switch hands on the steering wheel, and then hit the new button location.

The seating position is up high relative to the windows. There isn't much of a blind spot and the field of vision is really good.

The power is gradual, the motor needs revs. It does have decent torque for around town, but I still find myself downshifting to get the pull I'm used to from the Evo. Clutch work is the same as the Evo, except I'm not worried about frying it. The shifter is long throws and light. You have to hunt for 5th much like you did in an older Mustang.

Sport mode is addictive. At the press of a button the car grows mega balls. It's also instant on and instant off too, so you can hit it for a passing manuver and then go right back to normal. Shocks the **** out of the person you're passing (sorry old lady).

The brakes are great. I once swore by only getting cars with Brembos on them, but these factory ones are up to the task.

The suspension is a tad worn out and I think some bushings are going to be replaced sooner than later out back. This is normal for the E46.

The steering wheel is FAT. It really sets the tone for what the car is about.

The leather on the door panels, interior, seats...the build quality in general...the window seals, etc...simply amazing. You can put the windows down and romp on the car and hear the race car within, or you can put the windows up and sit in isolation with the stereo. It's amazing. Some times I don't mind being loud and causing a ruckus....but it's so perfect to be able to live without that too if I want. I couldn't ever turn that race track off in the other cars.

Now for full disclosure, the SES light has popped on and the drivers side rear brake caliper needs to be looked at. The SES light is for code P6040, which is a phantom catalyst converter failure code and BMW will clear it and reprogram for free. The stuck caliper, or worn out pad is going to be addressed soon because the rotor is chrome. No bueno!

The passenger side rear wheel is out of balance (hard to get a 19" wheel balanced according to the dealer) and the rearview mirror's electrochromatic fluid that auto-dims the mirror has leaked out of its seal and made the mirror useless.

So the first plans for the car are to get this all fixed, haha. The rearview mirror will have to be sent to Houston for a quick turnaround repair for $88 shipped. The SES light will be fixed for free by BMW. The wheel will have be rebalanced and the caliper/pad on the drivers side rear will have to be fixed.

I expect this sort of stuff with owning a seven year old german car. It hasn't taken away the smile on my face. :)

Dave,

Considering your now on a different power platform compared to the Evo. I know you mentioned these cars dont make much power from bolt ons, but more so FI. Do you have any plans for upping the N/A power you have now ?, or should we expect another in depth look into making this M3 a corner killer lol ?

im deff interested to see where you take this car !

No real power plans. The car simply doesn't make power with bolt ons. You can get a tune worth 8whp, do headers and remove the cats for 10-20whp and that's about it. There are 8whp claims with different intakes, but not much dyno proof of it and some lose power over the factory airbox. The factory catback exhaust isn't restrictive either. So the only mods worth doing are headers and a tune, but then you're not smog legal so...

I suppose you could run headers and get rid of two of the four cats and replace the other two with some high flow units and then run a tune for it, but I don't think power is a problem with this car.

Haha...this car is definitely slower in the turns than my Evo was. I do think the seven year old factory shocks and bushings need to be replaced. The car wallows too much in turns. You can feel the heft of the vehicle, but the balance is STILL just so damn perfect.

I've said it twice already, but I definitely do want to put a short throw kit on the car. The factory shifter really ruins the experience when you're powering through the gear and have to upshift.

I forgot you were even on here Ryan.:mrgreen:

Great score Dave. The only BMW I've owned was an E30 325 and I loved that slug. I can only imagine what I would think of an E46 M3.

Dave,

i have been looking for a stock E46 M3 to do headers on. I would need to dyno it before and after the header install. If your interested please let me know, I would give you an insane deal on the headers themselves and no charge for the labor or dyno time.

^ Deal...

very nice!!

Say whaaaaat?


Congrats, dude!

Very nice Dave! Always loved the E46 M3. I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on it after the first autoX!

nice man! i didnt see but how many miles on it!?

Thanks guys!

It's a blast to drive and turns out I got the SES code wrong...its P0430, which means the cat is bad...luckily its covered under the 8/80 warranty :)

headers ! - cant pass up that deal

The car has 2 cats, not 4. I dyno'd 276 stock and 290 with headers and a tune. Add coilovers, -3.5* camber, and some good tires and that evo won't be outhandling you. It's a totally different car to learn how to drive. You can't just turn and mash the gas, especially in autox.

nice upgrade. that leaking fluid is common with the e46's, but atleast you don't have to worry about the rod bearings...

are you runnig summer tires or all season's?

Nice car! Always a fan of E46's, just get an exhaust on the car and enjoy the sound!

when would you like to see these results by? i won't be back home in Pa until december for the holidays.

car came with a fresh set of zexen pos's. haha...going to need to get some winter wheels and tires.

that's good to know about the cats. completely different car to learn how to drive, for sure. haha, good to know. i'll have to work on my counter steering too.

my evo would **** all over this m3, sorry man. :lol:

So I did my first fix on the car today. The fuel door was opening wide open around turns and I couldn't figure out why until I looked at it. It was missing the tensioner spring! So I headed to my local dealer and got a new spring for free and fixed it in the parking lot. I spent more on a sleeved ///M shirt :).

Next up is to get the wheel balanced and the rear view mirror fixed. Here are my plans for the car so far:

1). Get mirror, wheel and ses light fixed.
2). Replace worn cup holder piece with a new one
3). Get rear trailing arm bushings
4). Get rear strut mount bushings
5.) Get front control arm bushings
6). Get an alignment

Future plans:

1). Redo the tint and change it to 35%
2). Get a short shifter kit
3). Get a set of Koni yellows to replace the aged factory shocks
4). Get either a DICE iPod kit or a Dynavin nav kit


I also want to get an M license plate frame in black. I know, I know. Sorry, it just feels great to finally have your dream car. :)

Removed the front license plate frame tonight from the car. Cleans it up a bit in my opinion. Left behind two small holes that I'll fill in later. :)


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Going to order a nav update DVD disc to bring the car up to 2011. Turns out that I got the best nav system BMW had in the e46 years. The prior years used a cd based system that was more limited. Both in screen size and data capacity. There's some cool hacks that can be done with mine such as changing the startup screen from the BMW script to the ///M logo, etc. pretty slick.




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Should program trapster into your nav. Shows where all the speed traps are, and you can link up with people if you want who have it, and you can see them on your map.