Red pill me on the e46 m3. I want to get a convertible with an auto (live in City)

>dozens
out of the how many they sold?
3 guys i worked with had SMG coupes past 150k miles and had no problems except for one with the subframe but that is the common problem.

>or buy AMG and have a quality product
used to work at merc, don't get me started

>anecdotal evidence

everyone told me not to listen to someone that could be making stuff up

I own a e46 m3 that I've driven for 80k miles. used to be an SMG, converted to manual for a couple grand (that option will always be available to you). I own every M3 aside from the E30.

there's nothing to red pill you on buddy... most people who talk shit about this car have never owned one, and only repeat things they heard about online so they can pretend to sound informed. that's how car people are - constantly trying to impress people about how much they know about cars that they've never driven. the more legendary a car, the more people will try to put it down to convince themselves that their mercedes/s2000/mustang/325i/e92m3 will be nearly as relevant as the E46 M3 in 10 years time.

you're already aware of the standard issues - rod bearing, VANOS, subframe. you will probably get 2 out of 3 before 100k miles. most cars pre-2003 had the rod bearing recall done, and very few cars had the problem from 2003 onwards. read maintenance records carefully.

however, I have no clue why people think they're even worth mentioning as issues specific to e46 m3s. each of these individual problems cost less than 1k in labor+parts to fix. literally the price of replacing a timing belt on a subaru. just mentally add 3k onto the price tag of whatever M3 you're looking at and I bet you it wouldn't have changed your decision anyway if you wanted to get one.

SMG is great - anyone that tells you otherwise has never driven an SMG car or is deluding themselves. I got a software tune for it before I swapped it out, and it was significantly better than my e92 DCT, which was a total fuck up of a transmission, just like the one on the R35 GTR. it shifts faster and fucks up less at lower RPMs. the caveat is that it kicks you in the seat when slamming into gear at high RPM. basically the same feeling as manual quick-shifting. neither compare to the DCT on my f80 M3, but then again the technology is 15 years apart.

I converted my SMG because I had 3 auto M3s when I got my F80. The SMG was working like the day I bought the car, and I managed to sell the working pump to recoup my manual swap expenses. You'll easily find 150k+ mileage SMG M3s still on their original pumps. what never fails to crack me up is reading about people spreading made up bullshit about the SMG being unreliable. it literally has 1 moving part that is different from the manual - the actuating motor that pressurizes the pump. It all came about from sleazy dealerships pushing owners to buy $3k pumps every time the smallest thing went wrong, when they perfectly knew that a $15 salmon relay in the fuse box is responsible for 90% of the issues. the remaining 10% is caused by a faulty SMG temperature sensor, which can be cured by splicing a resistor into the SMG temp sensor wire. read up on this.

The only things that I ever had to replace were the stuff no-one hyped up or talked about. boring shit like the control arm bushings and differential mounts. I did pre-preemptively reinforce my subframe. you should do it, because it'll pay you back in resale value. replacing rubber cooling system parts should also be part of general service as with any 10+ year old car.

Car is not flashy or loud unless you get a flashy or loud color... looks just like a e46 3 series to normal people and cops unless you rice it up with aero. has a nice wide stance from the front and rear, however. One of the things I noticed was that it was deceptively loud from the interior. the sound deadening is really effective, and the engine sound is loud and drowns out the exhaust, so you never really know when fully you're blaring it.

You know, it really is rare to come across constructive advice on Veeky Forums, so thanks for contributing to the thread. I'm not OP, but this post makes me want to buy an E46 M3 as my next project. Do you have any pictures of your E46?

BAIT!!!

Yup, Id like to see it too, the f80 also, the whole bunch if you have a group pic.

Also a question, I'd buy a BMW for my first car, want to recommend a good beginners bimmer?

From what I've read E46 330ci is maybe too powerful RWD for starting out, so what should I be looking into?

>AMG
>quality product

This. What's a good starter bmw?

e46 325ci, really nice handling and decently quick for the price

it's probably not worth getting with an auto, and a convertible is going to kill its structural integrity

Don't buy the vert e46. If I recall correctly they're like 300+ lbs heavier, while still being floppier. Don't get the SMG, as they are notorious for failing and being expensive.

Accurate, I used the SMG once and it disconnected the right side bearing on the rear wheel, twistred the rubber cover to shit and deadlined the vehicle till I reassembled it

Thanks!

the premium package comes with the HK audio, sub included, and all the rest that the 330 has as well

Thanks man!

what the fuck are you even talking about lol.

the "semi auto" tilt shift, used it once and immediately lost power, pull over and the rubber cover on the axle which covers the bearing was twisted all to fuck, towed it home and opened it up and the bearing had shifted and all the ball bearings had come loose inside the rubber housing

there is a bmw general
over there

>information is bad based on the source
If jalopnik said the earth was round you shitheads would disagree with it

luckily, an SMG is just a manual gearbox with some bullshit bolted to it, there are guides to convert an smg back into a manual

I don't understand how a hydro-electric transmission is the root cause of a rear axle fucking up.

mainly because i've daily driven an smg e46 m3 for 7 years now.

Indeed it is, interesting

I was 16-17 at the time so my diagnosis might be off, but this was after I redid the rear of the car, but it only ever happened when I used the manual mode

Lol slower than a corolla

yup
it's quite literally an automated manual
m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=444126
it'd be cool if something like this could be made reliable and have the actual six speed still available for the user to use, so you get a stick shift with an actual clutch when you want it, and when you don't, the computer does it instead

>9 seconds 0-60

mfw Im an engineer, but not the right kind to make cool car stuff like that

At least it runs longer than 9 seconds
Kek

>Auto convertible

Get a 325i that's more than enough for you.

Pics of car? Even an smg, the e46 m3 makes my dick harder than any other car. I'll own one someday.

>Races won
>Corolla: 6
>BMW E30 1500+
top lel.

Nice, man. I wish I had the money to own M3s, an average E46 above 60k miles will still probably cost you far over 25k € in central europe.

E30 btfo

I always liked m3's, Was raised on BMW diet.

But lemme tell you, one time I was with my dad, we went to car wash and there were 2 E46 M3's parked there side by side.

After that I dont like them anymore... I ADORE them.

You wouldnt believe how low and wide they are irl, how aggressive and roadgripping front wheels look, they sit much wider than in regular e46.
Interior is awesome too, one had proper racing seat for the driver.

They are so cool. Swoon 24-7.
Pics dont even do them right, and most ppl love them on pics.

whats the generic unmemorable depreciating pos infront of the legend?
Pace car?

Whats the unreliable slow turd BEHIND that amazingly versitile and fast car.
A loser? Yup

>E30
>unreliable
>corolla
>fast
such horrible memes. are you even trying
youtube.com/watch?v=PF9zhsVOatk

>3000lbs
>235hp
>fast
Nigga plz
That means the GT86 is fast. (Slower than a minivan)
Kek

I didn't claim the E30 was fast, the corolla retard said the corolla was fast.

All joking and memeing aside...

>one of most recognizable designs.
>one of most sought after oldtimer cars today
>one of best racing pedigrees
>one of best handling and road connection
>engine from E30 (M10) is the famous 1500 hp Formula 1 engine, the block is the same.
>you can still find M10's today and turbo them to oblivion
>:^)

E30 is winner and always will be. And everyone knows it. Peace out.

The market is overloaded with these but with the SMG transmission so you can pick one up for 1/3 the price of a hardtop with manual. No one seems to want it.

Get a manual coupe instead. Autotragic convertibles are the cheapest E46 M3s for a reason.

conversion to manual is like 2000 pounds tops.

So why not buy a smg and later on convert when u gather shekels.

thegarage.jalopnik.com/how-to-own-a-bmw-e46-m3-with-a-proper-manual-for-next-t-1747802451

keep this info on a low for next 2 years.

>E30 is winner and always will be. And everyone knows it.
But a non M version is literally slower than a corolla.
Like no joke or memeing. It is

I don't know if the level of performance of that car makes up for the maintenance costs though. Might as well go all in an get the M.

What corolla vs what E30 (engine wise)

I want to look into it.

regular e46 is literally 1/3 of the price of the m3.

Also I asked for beginners BMW, so obviously its not for everyone's taste.

Not him but a modern corolla will be faster

I did all the work on the car myself, but its was just the usual fluids and cleaning aside from a tad of collision repair

facelift series 3 is a classy looking machine. Love it.
Why not angel eyes?

The 1zz or the 4afe
This is a youtube vid of the e30 drag racing a corolla and losing

Didnt put much work into it, CAI and fixing the rear end then sold it to some mexican dude, I was going into the army and there was just no way for me to have both cars

the e30 325is does 0-60 in 7.4 seconds which is ok for a 35 year old car. It's faster than the 2012 GT86 (7.6 seconds 0-60) and about as fast as a 2012 Corolla XRS, the fastest stock corolla.