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Shyguy: spotted your old M3 at the TypeR Meet on june 16 at ironwood mall.
Ppl were watching it roll in and they were saying its shyguys old ride.
It had the front lip w/ stabilizer rods rite?? The current owner was a brown guy.
Car looked nice but had few rockchips everywhere. Posted via RS Mobile
yup thats me =)
and yeah, the rock chips suck =( just came back from the states that day, so that probably didn't help.
I'll put my vote in for e39 M5 being the best car under 25K :P
+2 great call, I was just gonna post that here.
E39 M5 is one of the greatest sports sedans ever. I would take a nice E39 M5 over E46 M3 any day.
Also, more doors, more whores.
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Sonick is a genius. I won't go into detail what's so great about his post. But it's damn good!
2010 Toyota Rav4 Limited V6 - Wifey's Daily Driver
2009 BMW 128i - Daily Driver
2007 Toyota Rav4 Sport V6 - Sold
1999 Mazda Miata - Sold
2003 Mazda Protege5 - Sold
1987 BMW 325is - Sold
1990 Mazda Miata - Sold
^ I think the Evo 9 is a great performance car, but it lacks interior refinement and overall fit and finish quality has something to be desired. I think the E46 M3 and E39 M5 are better overall pkgs with less glaring issues, hence better value.
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16 GT3 RS
11 R8 V10
17 Long beach blue M2
86 944 Turbo with 340rwhp Lindsay Racing kit
15 991 PTS GT3
18 VW Golf R
only people who haven't driven a SMG say it's bad. I loved the SMG tranny on my M3. Super fast, crisp shifts and the convinience of a auto mode when you're stuck in traffic. There is a little learning curve to it, but once you get the hang of it, you don't really want to go back to a manual.
For used E46 M3, which transmission would you guys recommend?
I heard that SMG is no good... and it does not shift smoothly.
There's definitely a learning curve, but most owners I've spoken to are pretty satisfied.
I agree with the notion that the e46 M3 is the best overall daily-driver car available under $25k. Of course it totally depends on your preferences; if you want a late-model vehicle but don't care much about refinement you might be better off with a G35. If you're only looking for performance, the Z06 was mentioned by another poster and that's a very fast car. If you like 4 doors, e39 M5 is a solid bet.
But, overall, the M3 has a bit of everything and it's a steal for $25k.
^ nah, too many yrs as Z3guy to consider changing now......looking back, the Z3 was a pretty lousy BMW, but boy did I love that car when I was younger....I think I spend more money modding my Z3 than it cost to buy...what a waste of money!
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16 GT3 RS
11 R8 V10
17 Long beach blue M2
86 944 Turbo with 340rwhp Lindsay Racing kit
15 991 PTS GT3
18 VW Golf R
For used E46 M3, which transmission would you guys recommend?
I heard that SMG is no good... and it does not shift smoothly.
it is hard to beat a nice 6sp for driving enjoyment, but SMG is a great tranny combo....once you learn how to drive it without the jerkiness, it is really fun, especially if you hit the sport button. The other benefits of SMG is that you can left foot brake or drive in full auto mode in traffic.
Just don't ride the clutch....clutch replacement cost over $2K. Also, the M3 manual says you don't need to lift when shifting.....if you want smooth shifts, you have to back off the throttle a little when shifting.
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16 GT3 RS
11 R8 V10
17 Long beach blue M2
86 944 Turbo with 340rwhp Lindsay Racing kit
15 991 PTS GT3
18 VW Golf R
anyone considering buying an used E46 M3, make sure you check the following;
1) pre 04 - check to make sure the bearing recall was done (if it hasn't and the owner did not use OEM oil, walk away)
2) SMG Hydraulics - make sure you check the SMG system is in good working order...new hydraulics will cost you $5K
3) VANOS System - buy a low km car....the VANOS system will eventually go...approx. 100K kms...cost can range from $2K to $7k
4) Rear Subframe - don't buy a car that has been tracked, unless the car has addressed rear subframe issues. Fixing a cracked subframe is big money....$2K+
otherwise the M3 is really reliable. I had absolutely no issues or failures on my M3...however I only put 52K kms on it.
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16 GT3 RS
11 R8 V10
17 Long beach blue M2
86 944 Turbo with 340rwhp Lindsay Racing kit
15 991 PTS GT3
18 VW Golf R
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I agree for 25k the E46 is one of the best second hand cars you can get, but I would hate to see the price of repairs on a German car thats getting close to 10 years old. I have a friend that bought a BMW that was about 10-12 years old, and within 6 months had to get some top end work done. I think he paid in the 2-3k range @ BMW
^ that's why you should buy the newest, low KMs car available....even overpay for a pristine low kms car, cause in the long run it will be cheaper. To avoid crazy bills, buy a aftermarket warranty plan as well. I think for a 02-05 M3 it will cost approx. $3K for 2yrs......
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16 GT3 RS
11 R8 V10
17 Long beach blue M2
86 944 Turbo with 340rwhp Lindsay Racing kit
15 991 PTS GT3
18 VW Golf R
^ the funny thing is, the research I did before I bought my GT3, it is actually really cheap to maintain....change the engine, tranny, and diff oil....that's it...if you track it allot it will cost allot due to $500 pads, $1K rotors, and $3K tires...also clutch replacement is $2K. For performance in the lambo, F430 league, the GT3 is cheaper to maintain than a Carrera...
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16 GT3 RS
11 R8 V10
17 Long beach blue M2
86 944 Turbo with 340rwhp Lindsay Racing kit
15 991 PTS GT3
18 VW Golf R