Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

E46 M3 opinion

I have a soft spot for the "M" A side by side with its bigger brother...



:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
 
Boba fett said:
I have a soft spot for the "M" A side by side with its bigger brother...



:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

But which one is most fun??? :cop:
 
I've had a couple of e46 from brand new back in the day, 2003 then 2005. And, back in the day, they were both great cars. I had another recently and turned it into a ring car and once it had had plenty of modding, i mean quite a bit..it was a cracker but a track special and ultimately lacking in grunt. Standard car feels a bit sluggish to me these days but pretty refined for something that was on the drawing board nearly 20 years ago. But unless its as fresh as a daisy it will feel a bit dated. Its a heavy car and lacks a bit of torque, i think thats what you'd notice the most after the carrera.

I have an e92 M as a daily now and its a far, far better tool than the e46. Different league really. Still love the 46's though.
 
Deakmeister1 said:
Boba fett said:
I have a soft spot for the "M" A side by side with its bigger brother...



:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

But which one is most fun??? :cop:

I like the V8 as a daily and the Straight 6 for a weekend car :thumb:
 
Controversially I would say don't even think about it! The e46 m3 is an amazing car but it's not a 911 and never will be......

I lasted 3 weeks with a very well sorted e46 after my 996 and a "unicorn" 997 4s x51 (see post half way down first page on this thread http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=117605&highlight=)

Stick with the 911, fall in love again then count your blessings that you do didn't let it slip away!!!!

T
 
Tomodan said:
Controversially I would say don't even think about it! The e46 m3 is an amazing car but it's not a 911 and never will be......

I lasted 3 weeks with a very well sorted e46 after my 996 and a "unicorn" 997 4s x51 (see post half way down first page on this thread http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=117605&highlight=)

Stick with the 911, fall in love again then count your blessings that you do didn't let it slip away!!!!

T

Sounds like you did not have a "sorted M3" to me.
 
Plenty of food for thought here, the M3 is valued around 12k I'm told, I've not looked into it myself, probably about right price for my C4 but not far off the rebuild price so I'll need to have a good ponder.

I agree regarding looks of the M3, I've always liked them and they look gorgeous, I know nothing about them and knowing my luck I'd get shot of a decent 911 with a strong engine for a car that is quite unknown to me and could be harbouring it's own problems.

I've hard quite a bit of late about cracked sub frames, how easy is this to check
 
Have a read around on M3Cutters, there is plenty of information there on the various issues. It is the subframe mounting on the chassis, not the actual subframe, which is the issue. It can't be checked properly without dropping the subframe. Safe to assume that all will suffer at some point, so unless it has been fixed properly in the past then budget for it to be fixed (£1k). Other issues are relatively minor such as the VANOS rattles, diff rattle, CPV seal, and possible head gasket at 70k+ miles. Auto dimming rear view mirrors stop working and then leak causing damage, fixed for £100 if you catch it before it leaks. Nothing at all on the scale of a lunched M96 engine.

You should get a late one in great condition on 80k miles for under £15k, that is the top of the market. Don't bother with the sat nav, it is beyond old. There isn't a huge spread in prices from a high mileage car with less than perfect history around £10k to a real minter at £15k, so I would just go for the best condition one you can find at a mileage you are comfortable with. Prices seem to generally be set on mileage and age rather than condition. The convertibles are cheaper but the chassis is nowhere near as stiff, the rear view mirror wobbles around, not to mention it is a couple of hundred kg heavier than the coupe.

SMG cars can have problems with the pumps which are a pain to fix although not as expensive as they were. I would go for a manual car all day long on the M3. Watch out for notchiness on the gearbox, particularly from 1st to 2nd when cold.

Feel free to PM me if you want any more info, I have done a fair amount of work on them as well as on the older E36 cars. Currently on my second E46.

MC
 
Thanks for the info, I've had a quick look over in the M3 forum and now have an idea regarding the subframe.
 
I too, love 'em, and have a E46 convertible as I love the lines and the quality of the build and spec, however mines not an M. I tested numerous, including a 24k miler M3 at Munich Legends years ago but the SMG gearbox put me off. Each to their own, and most reviewers agree, especially as SMGs get older. Also do budget appropriately as you soon discover how much an M3 is bespoke or non standard as parts fail/wear and running costs can leap. Finally, unless you have a good BMW Indy close by you, maintenance will be a pain.
 
Well I've had a look over the M3 it was actually a 54 plate, certainly a lovely car but to be honest I prefer my 996, the owner offered me 3k plus his car, this valuing mine at 15k.

He has offered 15k also for my car but would need to wait until his sells, I'm not set on selling to be honest as I've really just got the car how I want it including a now superb engine, I know what he offered is good but probably not enough to tempt it away from me. I assume tying to get a decent example with a full Hartech rebuild would be a little more than 15k.

Decisions decisions
 
My history is:-

3.2C manual
TVR Tuscan Red Rose manual
964C2 manual
E46 conv manual 44k miles (immaculate) - kept for 4 months before returning to 997t manual.

The E46 was bar far the least special of all listed, and whilst pretty, you will be sure to miss the grunt from the M96. The E46 rear subframe carrier section is notorious - even on low mileage cars this can be an issue and not many places will carry out the repair properly. YouTube Redish Motorsport in Bristol to see what a proper fix can entail.

Stick with your true sports car and only go sports saloon if you really fancy the change but you will regret it. With a rebuild from Hartech, it sounds like an appreciating keeper is already in your garage.
 
If I was buying an NA 996, a hartech engine would be what I was looking for. Regardless of mileage, I think that carries a premium now. Expect to be maintaining whatever car you replace it with, so it's piece of mind and time to enjoy the known quantity you have now. Ask me how I know.
 
Cheers chaps thanks for the input.

I think I know myself what I should be doing, when looking at prices of other 996 cars there staring to get around 13k+ bracket anyway and this is without any engine work done.

SIM996, I'm intrigued mate what's your story with the 996
 
I've had a revised offer from the M3 owner, 5k plus the M3 this sounds more than tempting I just wonder why he's so keen, spidie senses are tingling.

Out of couriosty what money is in a Hartech engined 996 C4 coupe with 150k on it, I know there's a lot of variables but the above offer sounds good.
 

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
124,360
Messages
1,439,514
Members
48,719
Latest member
Porsche Die Hard
Back
Top