E46 M3 maintenance comparison

[Powerhouse71]

Hi guys

I'm fairly new here and happy to be part of such a an informative and interesting forum. I have a quick question relating to e46 M3 maintenance vs MK6 GTI ED35 maintenance costs.

A brother of mine is stuck between choosing one of his dream cars the M3 vs a car that he sees as the same amount of fun he wants for now at a fraction of the maintenance costs (so he claims). What I would like to find out is if his statement is really true , I do understand that these cars are in no way in the same league but, the M3 is an aged legend compared to the GTI and that somehow makes me convinced that it is somewhat even marginally expensive to maintain.

PS I know I may upset some people with this comparison however I really need a well informed opinion on this
:ty::ty:

 

[SubLoaded]

10 likes on this post and I'll close this thread :biglol:

The answer is always E46 M3.

 

[MR_Y]

Hi guys

I'm fairly new here and happy to be part of such a an informative and interesting forum. I have a quick question relating to e46 M3 maintenance vs MK6 GTI ED35 maintenance costs.

A brother of mine is stuck between choosing one of his dream cars the M3 vs a car that he sees as the same amount of fun he wants for now at a fraction of the maintenance costs (so he claims). What I would like to find out is if his statement is really true , I do understand that these cars are in no way in the same league but, the M3 is an aged legend compared to the GTI and that somehow makes me convinced that it is somewhat even marginally expensive to maintain.

PS I know I may upset some people with this comparison however I really need a well informed opinion on this
:ty::ty:

The G6 GTI ED35, besides the motor (which I think is a heavily reworked G5 GTI motor?) and a few other bits and bobs, shares alot with the G6 GTI. There are 1000's of G6 GTIs in SA. This means that used parts (from those cars that were murdered by their owners) are abundant. The E46 M3, while a great car in its own right, does not have the same volumes in the used parts/spares market vs a hot Golf. This alone should sway the decision to the G6 GTI ED35.

However, a big BUT - the ED35 came only in DSG (open to correction here). So, if that DSG unit goes kaput, you need to fork out some big bucks - I think almost R100k for the full gearbox? (The mechatronics unit is a bit cheaper, but still not small money). In this case, a heavily molested manual E46 M3 may be a bit better for cheaper maintenance vs. a heavily molested ED35 DSG...

 

[AdiS]

I would imagine that the GTI is far cheaper to maintain, so if in the opinion of your brother, the GTI is as fun, then financially it is the better option.

My personal opinion is that the GTI and the M3 offer very (fundamentally) different driving experiences, so it is not a like-for-like comparison.

 

[Wes]

GTI parts will always be cheaper to source, 2nd hand or otherwise.

M3's were (and still are) expensive to maintain properly and because the cars are easier to attain does not mean that the parts prices have become more affordable.

He should do a cost comparison on regular maintenance items (expected lifespan on parts), normal service items, what to expect in terms of day to day running costs and take it from there.

 

[Crash_Nemesis]

The M in M3 for stands for ///More expensive.

There is a saying, being able to buy an M3 and being able to afford an M3 are two different things.

Unfortunately, maintenance on these cars is not cheap. Sure you can get parts second hand or from non BMW Genuine suppliers, but you're only fooling yourself. Also, e46 M3 parts are not always kept by BMW SA, so BMW usually needs to be bring the parts in from Germany. Many times I have had to wait 2-3 weeks for parts to be flown in.

Good luck.

 

[telegamer]

I just bought a E46 M3 3 weeks ago, I've spent R30k to date on bits and pieces, and preventative maintenance,not a cheap car to maintain, I love GTi's as well, but a direct comparison can't be made so to speak, M3's are not cheap to maintain, and parts can be stupidly expensive, not always the case, still awesome cars to own

 

[kilotango]

I just bought a E46 M3 3 weeks ago, I've spent R30k to date on bits and pieces, and preventative maintenance,not a cheap car to maintain, I love GTi's as well, but a direct comparison can't be made so to speak, M3's are not cheap to maintain, and parts can be stupidly expensive, not always the case, still awesome cars to own

just to add, when i was considering a M3 a few years ago, from the research i did... they had used alot of specialised parts for this model. not alot can be used from the general 3 series range.. whereas in a golf, im sure most of it is plug and play

 

[Powerhouse71]

Thanks for keeping me well informed guys, it really doesn't go unnoticed. :ty::ty::ty:

 

[flyitlikearental]

M3’s are getting stupidly expensive to maintain. Do yourself a favor and call the agents for replacement brake disks. As far as I know you can only get them from the agents. Stupid money. Then factor in you running a nearly 20 year old car and stuff like waterpumps, alternators, radiators and hoses etc etc will now start needing attention. And those parts are mostly agents only. Factor in a new clutch, you can get a clutch kit and dual mass flywheel from Diesel Electric, will cost about R15k. A bearing job, which is essential on a car you don’t know, will be another R20k’ish. A vanos rebuild is also going to cost something. Compared to the Gollof the M3 is a FAR superior car, but you are looking at 911 money to run it. The Golfies are much cheaper to run, seeing as there is way much more 2nd hand spares available for them.

 

[Rotinaj]

It's night and day.

M3 old car- not suited to the daily role just due to parts supply issues and running costs. It will be a weekend warrior only, to tell yourself anything else will be financially devastating

---

. In this case, a heavily molested manual E46 M3 may be a bit better for cheaper maintenance vs. a heavily molested ED35 DSG...

You are very uninformed.