The first thing I saw was the non-OEM wheels and the fact that it’s an SMG conversion. Let’s see what the other eagle-eyed fanatics can find.
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Man oh man!! Thanks for the heads-up on the SMG conversion
Apparently the dealer was completely unaware of this until I pointed it out to him after reading this... phewww
Just out of curiosity why path ways with the Focus RS? I am actually contemplating getting one
As much as I love the Focus RS; the 46, or even the e92 M3 has always been something on my bucket list.
An older M car or any BMW for that matter, should not be bought sight unseen.. Also, you would want to go for a facelift model if possible as there were some revisions, notably to the subframe reinforcing on later models.
Have a read here for more information on what to look for:
https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/threads/bmw-e46-m3-buyers-and-maintenance-guide.80657/
Thank you Sir, noted. Will read up on it
This is certainly not a R320k+ car. Not low mileage, an SMG-Manual conversion (or something else wonky on the dash) and they didn't even get an M gearknob to fit. At R200k I'd say you could maybe take a plunge, but not R300k+ (where you should at least be getting a clean unmolested car with some miles).
As a general rule (for current pricing)
sub R200k (likely a money pit, only buy if you're confident you can do a fair portion of the work yourself)
200-300k standard price
R300k-400k really neat, FSH, lower miles (say 100-150k km)
R400k+ as above but substantially lower mileage or some very attractive mods (OEM CSL rims for instance).
That's how I'd value E46M3s. This car definitely doesn't fit as "really neat".
Thanks for the informative feedback! 🙌
300 is way to much for pre-face lift for sure, 200 i would say yes BUT only if u get someone eagle eyed to go have a look..oil leaks appear lekker when you have a proper test drive also and to check oil and temp
Noted, thanks!
So I think you need to look past the nice colour and wheels which IMO are the only things that make this car look nice.
Interior shows a pretty careless ownership and as others have pointed out, it's likely an SMG to Manual conversion as evidenced by the SMG cutout in the Instrument cluster.
Unless this car has lots of service records, you're in for R100k+ to make it reliable and clean.
Values on E46 M3 have definitely gone up, so I can't say whether this is priced correctly or not, but it doesn't strike me as a well maintained turnkey option.
Yea you speak true words; the color and the wheels is what really caught my attention unfortunately. Damn, im just itching to own an M3 man so end up being blind to what really matters.
Also, thanks for pointing out the cutout in the cluster; I passed that information to the seller and he appeared just as shocked as I was
there is a vert on the same site for same price and its facelift
getmorecar.co.za
This does look nice, but I much prefer the hardtop man
I bought my E46 M3 recently and the car is clean but always account for unseen items as these cars aren't cheap to maintain. I bought almost everything from BMW directly (some items were cheap and some expensive) as there aren't many places that have second hand parts available so most previous owners have taken shortcuts in order to save money but will ultimately cost more in the long run.
Also check if all the main common components have been done i.e rod bearings, rear subframe reinforcement and the vanos system. If not you can factor that into the price negotiation
As the previous members have mentioned it being a preface model the price is a bit on the heavy side but prices on these vehicles have been climbing
I would definitely consider having a look at the car first I had a look at few examples before buying mine, all looked good on pics but in person it was a whole different story. If you're not sure what to look out for on these cars I'd suggest you ask someone who does to accompany you or to go have at the car themselves
True, the prices are climbing and I am willing to spend up to 350k for a sought after e46 M3. Been getting notifications on these for the past 2months and my patience is running thin
Guys thanks so much for all the feedback. Im glad I asked the question on this forum 🙌
