My M3 is in great condition w/ only 100k miles but there are days when something more up to date is really appealing for where I am in life. The car is my daily and I don’t have an option to have a true daily.
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It’s honestly what I would do
It will be awesome for about a year and then you will miss it. I sold my Z4M for an M4 so a very similar situation.
I bought an e46 M3 in the early days of COVID. It was a fun car, I enjoyed tossing it around a bit. But truthfully I just missed the creature comforts of a newer car. I upgraded to an F90 M5C (obviously not even comparable in power, etc.) and never looked back because I just care about having newer nicer features in my car. If I was tracking a car maybe I’d have missed the handling more, but I’m just a dude who drives a car sometimes and I wanted something fun, comfortable, and modern.
I toyed with buying an M2 before I settled on my e46 m3.
I found an IMMACULATE (inside and out spotless) Laguna Seca Blue M3 with only 70k miles and it was simply breathtaking. As soon as I saw it in person I was buying it.
I test drove an M2 and to be honest the car was probably better in most ways, but it just didn’t give me that feeling. Modern cars don’t, really. They don’t yet have the charm and character and are full of gimmicks I, quite frankly, don’t care about.
I’ve retofitted an android auto screen in my M3 and with its cruise control, sport mode, heated seats, H&K sound, it’s all I need.
You’ll like the M2, but in 20 years when you look back at both cars having owned them, the M3 is the one you’ll miss more.
I know I’ll regret selling mine when I do. (check my profile if you’re interested!)
Compared to the tech in today’s BMW, and F87 is not techy of gimicky. I think it the last of the analog bunch
There’s nothing analog about an F87.
Sweet looking car my friend. Enjoy it!
Laguna seca blue is the best colour on an M3 and I’ll fight any man who disagrees
Car people love to see an old M3, especially in a rare colour, and non car people absolutely love the colour.
I wasn’t prepared for the amount of attention and compliments this car gets. In the summer when it’s squeaky clean people just stare.
I don’t buy cars for attention, but I love it when people talk to me about it, even if they don’t know much about it!
I really like my SMG and the only thing I would recommend is upgrading to the CSL software
Do you lift when you shift with the smg?
Carbon Black w/Cinnamon
There are a few technoviolet e46 m3s out there and they are stunning
Well everyone is different. But I would want your E46 assuming it’s a manual.
Keep the E46, it will only appreciate, is a proper car with feel and heart.
Here’s my take, the e46 is a great car and a classic bmw but I would not want to daily it in 2023. Now that they are going up in value it would be a car I’d want to save for weekends and good weather days.
Yeah, that’s kinda where I’m at. The E46 M3 is a fantastic car, but my 435i has keyless entry/start, bluetooth, HUD, and gets about twice the MPG.
I daily my M2 and its great. Tons of power, comfort and room. Even take road trips with it. One of the better cars I’ve bought. Just need to decide whether you want the s55 or n55. Both have plenty of power. The n55 sounds better and with a few tweaks can make plenty of power for the chassis.
If I was to buy an M2 it would need to be the s55. The n55 is not a proper M engine.
Then the 1M isn’t a real M? N55 M2s are also much cheaper and the N55 is its own spec made for the M2.
Haven’t had an e46 m3 but i find my f87 to have a good balance of “modern features” (backup camera - never knew how nice it was to have!!) with “old school” analog sensibilities (dials, real dash, 6MT, cd player) . It felt like a big leap from my e92. The electric steering is only lacking in feeling weight transfer/breakaway lateral limit which you usually won’t be doing outside of track days anyway
I wouldn’t sell it. You’ll always be able to get a new car, but you may never be able to get an e46 m3 again if you sell it
I would say buy a E39 M5 before you buy an M2 not sure what you’re thinking
Own both - tough call. Love both rather equally, despite how very different they are (yet also obviously remarkably similar, starting with size/dimensions). For a DD - tough to argue that the F87 is the much better bet - far more real world power that can be tapped into on the street (torque), and the minor creature comforts over the E46 are better, like wireless Carplay for example. That being said, I’ll never get rid of either car, and the E46M still holds a very special place in my garage.
Ah, that’s kinda my dream car garage. I’m envious of you!
Don’t sell. Only acquire
I never owned an e46 M3, but owned a 325i and a 330ci, as well as e90m and an f87 comp and have driven my dad’s f80, g80cs, and g80 xdrive. The biggest thing I can say is it’s faster, but you feel a lot less feedback and have to trust the car more. The newer the bmw is the less connected you feel with it. They are great performers, but just lack the mechanical soul, and feel more numb because of it. I do enjoy my f87 and the turbo car tuneability is nice, it’s still fairly stiff and sporty feeling, but not much steering wheel feedback. As for the og m2s a lot of people love them, they’re fun from what I’ve heard but suffer from the numbness as well, a friend of the indie mechanic who I use went from f87 to an e36 M3 and he has told me it’s slower, but it’s just much more fun. Depends on what you’re looking for. Faster/more upgradable, f87. Classic that’s only gaining value and more mechanical experience, e46.
Yes