e46 coupes.

[dragonfly2k3]

As it turns out these are pretty affordable, and I love them. I want one, badly.
Now, what years/models are the best?

Did the engine sizes change anything other than power?

Can i put m3 bumpers on the standar coupes(not sure how it works out because of the winder m fenders)?

Are there 6 speed transmissions available?

Anything to look for when shopping for them(either while actually looking, or feeling for while driving?)

[dragonfly2k3]

i know its an m, but my pants get shorter every time.

[mcperson2k]

My brother has an 05 m3. They are pretty solid cars all around. He wanted me to buy an 01-02 and I believe the problem with those was an engine recall... so if your looking at those years make sure you check to see it was fixed.. other than that i don't know any other problems.... They are AWESOME cars... Even the automatic has the transmission from the f1... matches the rpms when you downshift and everything... pretty sweet car.

[G.T.]

Originally Posted by dragonfly2k3

As it turns out these are pretty affordable, and I love them. I want one, badly.
Now, what years/models are the best?

Did the engine sizes change anything other than power?

Can i put m3 bumpers on the standar coupes(not sure how it works out because of the winder m fenders)?

Are there 6 speed transmissions available?

Anything to look for when shopping for them(either while actually looking, or feeling for while driving?)

the later years are always going to be better in the same gen of a car.
with the non-m's you have pre-facelift and facelift. many folks are partial to one or the other. the m's never got a facelift.

another thing is whether you want oem tails.

these are little things.

330zhp's and m3's come with 6spd manual. smgII is an option in the m3. i am not 100% sure which models, if any, other than those 2 have a 6 spd 3-pedal option.

the m motor stayed the same from 01 to 06: the S54 with 333/262.

an oem m3 bumper will not fit on a non-m. yes, it is b/c of the wider fenders as well as the cf or kevlar (depending on yr) bumper support bar on the m's.

if it is an 01 m3, as pointed out already, make sure rod bearing recall was done. i believe for the early 02's, there were some affected as well. just about every car that fell in those MYs has had it done. make sure it is documented.

just as with the e36, the e46's subframe is weak. make sure there is no subframe cracking or tearing esp. in the rear. if it had the issue, then ensure that a reinforcement kit (like turner's) was put in.

i mean, it is like with any other car, look for signs of wear and tear.
things are not cheap to replace on these cars compared to many.

for the m's, valve adjustment is done at inspection 1 and 2. depending on the mileage, ensure that valve adjustment has been done at right interval ranges.

trim tends to wear quickly.

if the car has nappa leather, that wears quickly. that anyone would notice immediately of course.

depending on mileage, fcabs and other bushings need to be replaced.

i could go on and on. if you have specific questions, post up or pm me.

Originally Posted by mcperson2k

My brother has an 05 m3. They are pretty solid cars all around. He wanted me to buy an 01-02 and I believe the problem with those was an engine recall... so if your looking at those years make sure you check to see it was fixed.. other than that i don't know any other problems.... They are AWESOME cars... Even the automatic has the transmission from the f1... matches the rpms when you downshift and everything... pretty sweet car.

yes, there was an engine recall for rod bearing.

the e46 m3 never came in an automatic like the e36s did. in the e46, you only have the option of 6 spd "true" manual (true = 3 pedals) or smgII. smgII has the same clutch and flywheel as the 6 spd but adds an electrical hydraulic pump to actuate gears. there is obviously a separate ECU for the tranny (some refer to it as a TCU). gear ratio is identical in each gear. car rolls back on a hill at a stop, etc. etc. you are right that it is similar to F1 cars. smgII shifts in S6 mode at 80 ms. smgIII in the E60 M5 and the latest gen M6 shifts faster and also adds a 7th gear. bmw has moved on to M-DCT which is a dual clutch system seen in the new (E9x) M3s. it shifts a lot faster.

it does match rpms pretty well but you can do it a lot better even in an smg car on your own.

well, some would argue that lack of 3 pedals = not a manual or even say automatic. for the latter, there has to be a torque converter....

[bastid]

^ What he said.

I owned a 2005 e46 M3 coupe from birth to about 50,000 miles and then sold it and purchased a new 2008 coupe. I had the SMG II option and I loved it, although the 6-speed was mucho fun. You can get a pretty clean 2004/2005 M3 coupe in the mid-high 20s or low 30s at this point. I got $32,000 for mine last July and it was fully loaded ($63k sticker in December of 2004).

If you aren't trying to spend that much, I would highly recommend the 330ZHP coupe. They, too, are great cars to drive.

Good luck, and report back if you pull the trigger!

PS - I still have the BBS RS-GTs from my e46 M3 that are going to be for sale too (on the cheap due to a little wear and tear, but a steal compared to new).

[dragonfly2k3]

let me say it this way, there is no chance i can afford an m3. I will be able to afford about 15k(not until closer to spring, need to get current car paid off and catch up on some other bills). I have found that the 3 series coupes are easy to come by in this price range in 5sp. I prefer no-facelift to be honest.

[RednekWithABMW]

i'm partial to the preface obviously but any coupe is good. if you want the most power of a non-m, go for the 330zhp. if you want fuel economy, get the 323. beware though of the rear subframe and stay away from the steptronic trans. there is a class action lawsuit against bmw for the rear subframe ripping/tearing/cracking. and as for the steptronic trans, noreverse.org is a website dedicated to the obvious issue with them. *knocks on wood* 89,300 miles on my step and its still strong but i'm still scared. lol. i've always read on e46fanatics.com that the 323/328 are more bolt on friendly compared to the 325/330 as far as hp increases. if you want to mod it, check out e46fanatics.com for the sponsors there. hell just go there to do some research.

[ScoobyNubieToo!]

G.T., that was a damn informative post!!!

[G.T.]

Originally Posted by RednekWithABMW

i'm partial to the preface obviously but any coupe is good. if you want the most power of a non-m, go for the 330zhp. if you want fuel economy, get the 323. beware though of the rear subframe and stay away from the steptronic trans. there is a class action lawsuit against bmw for the rear subframe ripping/tearing/cracking. and as for the steptronic trans, noreverse.org is a website dedicated to the obvious issue with them. *knocks on wood* 89,300 miles on my step and its still strong but i'm still scared. lol. i've always read on e46fanatics.com that the 323/328 are more bolt on friendly compared to the 325/330 as far as hp increases. if you want to mod it, check out e46fanatics.com for the sponsors there. hell just go there to do some research.

the level of bolt on "friendliness" is pretty universal among the E46s. i was not aware of 323s and 328s being more mod friendly than the 325 and 330.

the m3 specifically has a very low hp/$ gain or ratio since the motor is arguably very highly tuned from the factory. the exceptions are serious engine work and FI but even then the amount of funds needed for significant gains is very high when compared to other cars, even n/a ones.

Originally Posted by ScoobyNubieToo!

G.T., that was a damn informative post!!!

i am glad you think so. i tried to provide *some* good info.
i am a noob to this forum but i would like to think i am not a noob when it comes to E46s and bmw's in general (as well as v-dubs and audis). i figure i would try to "step it up" and provide some of the knowledge i have.

if any of y'all who have posted in this thread have specific questions about the E46s, as it was suggested, e46fanatics along with bimmerforums is a good source; however, what are labeled as "noob questions" often are not received well. while that is true of many car forums, e46fanatics, in particular, can be "daunting" for some. if anyone has questions about these cars, especially about the m3, i will do my best to help answer them. if i don't know the answer, you will know that right away.

i would like to make one correction/clarification to my post above:

the front bumper support for the U.S. e46 m3 is of 2 varieties: aluminum and kevlar. i believe the former was only in 01 and 02 while all MY's afterwards have the kevlar bumper support. i do not know what the difference, if any, in the same MY's for euro spec m3's. i have an 06 and it definitely has the kevlar support. for those who choose to get a euro oem m3 bumper (whose only outer appearance's difference is the absence of holes for the amber reflectors on each side), i was told by tischer bmw (when i inquired about getting one) that it requires the aluminum support. this may be b/c only the early MY euro bumper can be ordered here. not sure on this one. in addition, i believe all vorsteiner bumpers require the aluminum support. they are often referred to as "v-csl" even if they are variants such as 2 intake holes, no intake holes, with foglight option, etc. (all of which are obviousy not "replica" versions of the oem csl bumper).

thanks.

[vi3tsi06]

Originally Posted by dragonfly2k3

As it turns out these are pretty affordable, and I love them. I want one, badly.
Now, what years/models are the best?

Did the engine sizes change anything other than power?

Can i put m3 bumpers on the standar coupes(not sure how it works out because of the winder m fenders)?

Are there 6 speed transmissions available?

Anything to look for when shopping for them(either while actually looking, or feeling for while driving?)

i'm very curious as well i want to get back into the bmw game.

[G.T.]

Originally Posted by vi3tsi06

i'm very curious as well i want to get back into the bmw game.

read through the thread.

[OMGz Turbo]

i know its not a e46, but my buddies e39 m5 sounds redic with the revmatching trans

he took out the 4 mufflers, but still has cats and resos

http://vimeo.com/1495487

[G.T.]

Originally Posted by OMGz Turbo

i know its not a e46, but my buddies e39 m5 sounds redic with the revmatching trans

he took out the 4 mufflers, but still has cats and resos

http://vimeo.com/1495487

if it is an E39 M5, then it can only have a manual tranny (specifically the getrag type d 6spd) so i am unclear on your saying it has "revmatching trans". all manuals can be rev matched but obviously it has to be done by the driver. at first i thought you meant to say E60 M5, in which case, i would have thought you were referring to the smgIII, which is a significant improvement over the smgII available in the e46 m3.

the car sounds pretty good. the issue i have with the vid is that, in the first part, it appears that the road is wet. i wouldn't drive like that especially on that road when it is wet nor would i recommend most folks to do that.

[OMGz Turbo]

Originally Posted by G.T.

if it is an E39 M5, then it can only have a manual tranny (specifically the getrag type d 6spd) so i am unclear on your saying it has "revmatching trans". all manuals can be rev matched but obviously it has to be done by the driver. at first i thought you meant to say E60 M5, in which case, i would have thought you were referring to the smgIII, which is a significant improvement over the smgII available in the e46 m3.

the car sounds pretty good. the issue i have with the vid is that, in the first part, it appears that the road is wet. i wouldn't drive like that especially on that road when it is wet nor would i recommend most folks to do that.

....i dont know much about bmw.

And no the road isnt wet