I just sold my E36 M3 and now I'm going thru seller's remorse. :cry: Damn I loved that car.

So to bring my spirits up I've been checking out cars as diverse as G35 coupes (cheap lux) to Z06's (cheap speed). I'm slowly leaning towards an E46 M3 because it's the best all-around of lux and speed. The only thing I'm really concerned about is reliability. It's a little disconcerting reading about all of the issues on the forums.

I know the E36 had quite a few things to look out for but I'm not too familiar with the E46. What should I look for when checking out used E46 M3's?

Some things that I've read are cold start issues, clunking diff, and blown motors (I'm primarily looking at used 2002 M3's). What else? Any issues with shock mounts, vavle cover leaks, water pumps, radiator necks, rear toe bushings, etc.? And is it true that the S54 needs to have it's valves adjusted every 15K now?

Any help/info will be appreciated. :buttrock


-Lux

The 2002 and newer M3's are too new to have any significant issues. The clunking transmission noises are normal. The blown motor issue has been overblown and should not be an issue with newer vehicles. The forums will lead you to believe that problems arise more often than they really do because they represent a biased group of folks willing to put their issues on the internet. There are plenty of newer, low milage e46 M3's on the resale market so pick one with a clean history and by all means take it for a drive.

I have an 01 M3 if you're interested. info@milla-racing.com

Take Cencoast's advice, that blown motor issue did get way out of proportion like he said, afaik, s54 doesn't need valve adjustments every 15k, it doesn't have those common problemsl ike e36 m3's did (radiator, rtabs, etc...) if you're a serious buyer, i can locate one within your specs for a better price than any other dealer.

All e46 M3 are still under warranty (by date at least) so the engine issue is a "non issue." Why limit your search to 2002? Why not a 2001? They are the same car and are usually a few grand cheaper. Most of the recalled engines were MY 2002 anyway, but like I stated above, it's really a non issue, if it happens, it's covered under a 6 year-100k extended warranty.

I was able to find a much better deal on a 01 than on a 02 or 03. I would base your decision on Price, condition and mileage, over year.
This is just my opinion but I would rather have a perfect condition 01 with 10k miles, than an Ok condition 02 with 25-30K miles for the same price. I would even take that 01 over an 03 with 40k+ miles for the same price. I bet the price for all of the above would be around $41K +/- 2K.