2001 M3 vs. 330ci as used car buy

Assuming both of these in good condition with same mileage, how much, if any, more maintenance headaches is a used buyer likely to experience with the M3 vs. the 330ci? The 330ci is a very pleasant sedan with adequate power and handling but the over-the-top nature of the M3 has it's attraction.

Have heard rumblings on the newsgroups and BMW user web sites that the E46 M3's are troublesome, have had numerous factory recalls and can be a maintenance pain.

Please advise.
George Litwinski

"It's good to want things."

S. Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic.Net programmer)

"GRL" > wrote in message >...
> Assuming both of these in good condition with same mileage, how much, if
> any, more maintenance headaches is a used buyer likely to experience
> with the M3 vs. the 330ci? The 330ci is a very pleasant sedan with
> adequate power and handling but the over-the-top nature of the M3 has
> it's attraction.
>
> Have heard rumblings on the newsgroups and BMW user web sites that the
> E46 M3's are troublesome, have had numerous factory recalls and can be a
> maintenance pain.
>
>

I have an M3, it's had some warranty work done & very often I wish I
was in a 330 instead. The M3 is relatively noisy & the gearbox is
noisy & difficult. It's just *feels* liek something is going to go
wrong. Combine the price tag with the lousy dealer service & it
leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Having said that, when you get the
M3 going it's great.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like you have to endure some "bad" to get the
added "good".


George Litwinski

"adder" > wrote in message
om...
> "GRL" > wrote in message
>...
> > Assuming both of these in good condition with same mileage, how much, if
> > any, more maintenance headaches is a used buyer likely to experience
> > with the M3 vs. the 330ci? The 330ci is a very pleasant sedan with
> > adequate power and handling but the over-the-top nature of the M3 has
> > it's attraction.
> >
> > Have heard rumblings on the newsgroups and BMW user web sites that the
> > E46 M3's are troublesome, have had numerous factory recalls and can be a
> > maintenance pain.
> >
> >
>
> I have an M3, it's had some warranty work done & very often I wish I
> was in a 330 instead. The M3 is relatively noisy & the gearbox is
> noisy & difficult. It's just *feels* liek something is going to go
> wrong. Combine the price tag with the lousy dealer service & it
> leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Having said that, when you get the
> M3 going it's great.

"GRL" > wrote in message
...
Assuming both of these in good condition with same mileage, how much, if
any, more maintenance headaches is a used buyer likely to experience with
the M3 vs. the 330ci? The 330ci is a very pleasant sedan with adequate power
and handling but the over-the-top nature of the M3 has it's attraction.

Have heard rumblings on the newsgroups and BMW user web sites that the E46
M3's are troublesome, have had numerous factory recalls and can be a
maintenance pain.

Please advise.
George Litwinski
"It's good to want things."
S. Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic.Net programmer)

I changed from a 325 sport cab to a M3 SMG cab and could argue both sides
but on balance I would stick with the M3 even though its been at the dealers
for about 8 days in the last month or so and has another 2 days of warranty
work next week.

Just make sure all the recall work has been done and if you go for SMG that
it has the latest software. After that I think you'll find its similar to
most other high performance cars, ie. expensive and a PITA but makes up for
it in pure driving pleasure.

Don't buy one to use as a commuter only.

Why not as a summer commuter? That's what I'm looking for.


George
"TonyK" > wrote in message
...
>
> "GRL" > wrote in message
> ...
> Assuming both of these in good condition with same mileage, how much, if
> any, more maintenance headaches is a used buyer likely to experience with
> the M3 vs. the 330ci? The 330ci is a very pleasant sedan with adequate
power
> and handling but the over-the-top nature of the M3 has it's attraction.
>
> Have heard rumblings on the newsgroups and BMW user web sites that the E46
> M3's are troublesome, have had numerous factory recalls and can be a
> maintenance pain.
>
> Please advise.
> George Litwinski
> "It's good to want things."
> S. Barr (philosopher, poet, humorist, chemist, Visual Basic.Net
programmer)
>
> I changed from a 325 sport cab to a M3 SMG cab and could argue both sides
> but on balance I would stick with the M3 even though its been at the
dealers
> for about 8 days in the last month or so and has another 2 days of
warranty
> work next week.
>
> Just make sure all the recall work has been done and if you go for SMG
that
> it has the latest software. After that I think you'll find its similar to
> most other high performance cars, ie. expensive and a PITA but makes up
for
> it in pure driving pleasure.
>
> Don't buy one to use as a commuter only.
>
>

"GRL" > wrote in message
...
> Why not as a summer commuter? That's what I'm looking for.
>
>
> George

Only reason I say "not a commuter only" is I think the car could become
frustrating. I suppose it depends on your drive. IMO the M3 is built for
fast open roads, not conjested multilane motor/highways. The engine is
intrusive and the suspension is harsh to the point where the CDs skip in
mine on every bump. The SMG (if you went for it) is a bit clunky at low
speed and I needed to adapt my driving style to get used to it.

The flip side is when you keep the engine past 5000rpm with the roof down
and you work the gears hard its magical. I only get the chance to really
exploit the M3s performance occasionaly but that makes up for its
shortcomings the rest of the time.

IMO the M3 is a compromise between practicality and performance. Apart from
an Audi RS4/6 I can't think of much that can come close to the balance the
M3 strikes.

Testdrive one, not for an hour but for at least half a day or more. And if
you look at SMG go out with a salesperson who knows how to use it. My dealer
had one nominated person who demonstrated SMG, the others admitted they
didn;t know how to get the best from it.

Good luck!

Good answer. Thanks.

GRL

"TonyK" > wrote in message
...
>
> "GRL" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Why not as a summer commuter? That's what I'm looking for.
> >
> >
> > George
>
> Only reason I say "not a commuter only" is I think the car could become
> frustrating. I suppose it depends on your drive. IMO the M3 is built for
> fast open roads, not conjested multilane motor/highways. The engine is
> intrusive and the suspension is harsh to the point where the CDs skip in
> mine on every bump. The SMG (if you went for it) is a bit clunky at low
> speed and I needed to adapt my driving style to get used to it.
>
> The flip side is when you keep the engine past 5000rpm with the roof down
> and you work the gears hard its magical. I only get the chance to really
> exploit the M3s performance occasionaly but that makes up for its
> shortcomings the rest of the time.
>
> IMO the M3 is a compromise between practicality and performance. Apart
from
> an Audi RS4/6 I can't think of much that can come close to the balance the
> M3 strikes.
>
> Testdrive one, not for an hour but for at least half a day or more. And if
> you look at SMG go out with a salesperson who knows how to use it. My
dealer
> had one nominated person who demonstrated SMG, the others admitted they
> didn;t know how to get the best from it.
>
> Good luck!
>
>

"GRL" > wrote in message >...
> Good answer. Thanks.
>
>


My M3 is a daily driver & yes it gets frustrating. Sometimes I prefer
to take my 15 year old wagon as I *know* I can't go anywhere fast.

I often think I'd have been happier with a 330 & a supercharger.

"adder" > wrote in message
om...
> "GRL" > wrote in message
>...
> > Good answer. Thanks.
> >
> >
>
>
> My M3 is a daily driver & yes it gets frustrating. Sometimes I prefer
> to take my 15 year old wagon as I *know* I can't go anywhere fast.
>
> I often think I'd have been happier with a 330 & a supercharger.

Exactly the same, I've got an old Jeep which I use *at least* 50% of the
time. An M3 just doesn't look good unless its going fast! All within the
appropriate speed limits of course ;-)

in article , GRL at
wrote on 9/23/04 8:20 PM:

> Good answer. Thanks.
>
> GRL
>
> "TonyK" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "GRL" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Why not as a summer commuter? That's what I'm looking for.
>>>
>>>
>>> George
>>
>> Only reason I say "not a commuter only" is I think the car could become
>> frustrating. I suppose it depends on your drive. IMO the M3 is built for
>> fast open roads, not conjested multilane motor/highways. The engine is
>> intrusive and the suspension is harsh to the point where the CDs skip in
>> mine on every bump. The SMG (if you went for it) is a bit clunky at low
>> speed and I needed to adapt my driving style to get used to it.
>>
>> The flip side is when you keep the engine past 5000rpm with the roof down
>> and you work the gears hard its magical. I only get the chance to really
>> exploit the M3s performance occasionaly but that makes up for its
>> shortcomings the rest of the time.
>>
I think you need to test drive both cars, and spend some real time with the
M3 to see if you can live with it on a day to day basis. Don't consider the
M3 as a pumped up 3 series. It is very different from the other cars, and
should be seen as a full out sports car concealed in the body of a 3 series
coupe. I disagree that the ride is as harsh as this poster says. From what I
read, it appears he has a convertible, and perhaps that car rides harder due
to the weight. Also, the optional 19" wheels make the ride harsher. For the
coupe, with 18's the ride is fine,(firm but controlled) in most
circumstances. But this is subjective, which is why you need to drive the
car for a few hours to see what you think. BTW, my CD's have never skipped
over any bumps. As for the "intrusive" engine, I'll take that intrusion any
day of the week.

Certainly a 330i is more plush, more isolated, but retains good handling. I
have owned both cars, an 02 330i, and an 03 M3. They are very different
animals. To me, the rewards of driving the M3 far outweigh any of the
"shortcomings".

However, there were engine issues with some 01's. Some engines in late 01
production would let go in a rather spectacular fashion, seizing a rod
bearing and often blowing a hole in the block. You should check to see if
BMW replaced the engine in this car. If not, certainly one recall would
have been done which replaced engine bearings and the oil pump. And there is
a pending second "Service Action" that again replaces the engine bearings.
You need to make sure that BOTH were done, or that the second one was done
if the engine was replaced. This car also has an engine warranty that
extends to 6yrs/100kmiles.