Is it worth spending a large percentage of car's worth on exterior mods?

[Aestheticus]

I'm currently in the market for a new daily driver and I'm very interested in the E46 prefacelift coupe. I've been shopping around and the average price of one goes for around 10 grand (not getting too specific including mileage, condition, etc. of course)

I've been doing some reading around the forum and already have a very good idea of what I want in terms of exterior mods. Right now I'm interested in:

-M3 rep bumper 299
-M3 splitters 125
-M3 side skirts 200
-M-Tech II rear bumper 245
-Orion V2s 160
-Undecided on wheels
-Undecided on method of dropping

So I'm looking at around 4500-6000 on exterior mods for a 10 thousand dollar car. How hard would it be for shops to color match white? That's the only color I'm interested in. All input is appreciated

EDIT: Here's a good idea of my vision for the car

[Aestheticus]

I'm trying to edit the original post, but for some reason it's not showing up so I apologize for the double post. Here's a good idea of my vision for the car:

[Matt Cramer]

Any reason you're not just starting with an M3?

I'm not big on exterior cosmetic mods myself; you can't see them from the driver's seat. And you won't get back the value of them when you sell the car. Should you do this because it makes financial sense? No. The only sort of sense it can make is "I have the money on hand, spending it won't take away from other things I need my money for, and I want it more than whatever else I could buy with $6000." Several of my own car projects have not made very much financial sense either, so I will not criticize you for your choice of what to spend the money on as long as you have the money available to spend.

The "Alpeinwiesse" paint uses pearl and not the easiest thing to color match, but I had to have it matched for a body repair when I had a deer head-butt the side of my E36. A competent shop can pull it off.

[Silverdogz]

No, spend it on performance mods.

[323i E30]

Do whatever you like OP, really.
When I was younger I enjoyed exterior mods a lot, 10 years later I can't care less for those and just want performance.
Things will or will not change in time, and then you can do whatever you like best at that moment imo

[M62pwrdE38]

I agree, its your car so mod it how you want. Personally, if I were looking for an E46 and had $16k to spend, I wouldn't even consider anything other than an M3.

[beshannon]

Is it worth spending a large percentage of car's worth on exterior mods?

IMHO, no.

Insurance may not/wont cover the spent dollars and later on only a few buyers might care about such mods.

Do what you want with your car but I agree with the rest, get a better/different car

[montaillou]

And you won't get back the value of them when you sell the car.

Which is why you should save the old parts, swap them back if you sell the car, then sell the mods separately.

[E36BMW3series]

Let someone else take the depreciation hit on the parts . . . . so wait until you have one around that look to buy. Shouldn't be too hard to find M bumpers, rims, and a drop.


Is it worth it? Throw more money into the exterior appearance of a money sucking liability. . . . . that's for you to decide. If it makes you happy, shoot for the stars.

[twastheglow]

I agree, its your car so mod it how you want. Personally, if I were looking for an E46 and had $16k to spend, I wouldn't even consider anything other than an M3.

This all day long. Half of your budgeted plan is to make it look like an M3. I guess I'm not understanding the logic.

[bucs19]

So you would be into it for close to 16k.... Why not buy an e46 M?? And save the hassle of paint matching and ordering exterior parts

[Aestheticus]

1. Where do you guys live that you can find an M3 for 16k? All the M3s I've looked at were in the low to mid 20s

2. Even if I found an M3 for 16k, the main reason for not buying one instead is due to long-term expenses. While the initial cost might be the same, I'm honestly not that mechanically inclined so most of the maintenance would be done at an independent shop. Over the years that's much more of a hassle for me. Now if you guys can convince me that long-term costs would still be fairly close with the knowledge that I am *not* that mechanically inclined then I might reconsider my decision

EDIT: I understand you guys' point of view, but I'm assuming most if not all of you are enthusiasts who do most of your own work. I don't consider myself an enthusiast like the majority of the community here. I'm just someone who appreciates a good looking car

[M62pwrdE38]

On my local craigslist there are about a half dozen asking between 12.5 and 18.5. On ebay, half the e46 M3s on there are in the same price range. They will be a little more maintenance, but usually nothing too scary or way more expensive than other e46s. You just need to find the right one.

[notMpowered]

Even up in Canada here where everything costs 1.5x what it does in the states by a general rule, I can regularly find e46 m3s in the mid teens.

[BimmerBreaker]

I would never spend more than 30% of a car's value on upgrades or mods, but thats because I have car ADD and like to go through cars quickly.

I really don't understand why people buy a $10k car (325i) then put $10k into it making it look like a $15k car (M3).

For your money, I'd get a cosmetically beat M3 with a good drivetrain and spend your upgrade/mod money on getting the car back in shape.

[Preppy]

No. Don't spend that much in mods.

As others have said, just spend more up front for the e46 M...

[Aestheticus]

I appreciate everyone's input. Since I'm not really mechanically inclined, I guess I was hesitant to look at sites like Craigslist. I looked at sites like Autotrader and the cheapest E46 M3 was 19-20k. The rest were 22k+, but that's an expected markup by dealers. I never considered purchasing from a private party, again, because I'm not so mechanically inclined and feel like I'd get suckered into buying a car that has its own little hidden problems I wouldn't be able to catch. I guess my mindset was if a car was being sold at a dealer then there would be a better chance of it being in good shape than if I was buying from a private party.

My next step now is to just do more research on what to look for when purchasing an E46 M3 so I can make a much more educated guess on the condition of the car. I'll be more open to looking through sites like Craigslist once I feel more confident in my knowledge of cars. Like I said a few times already, I just appreciate a good looking car and would have all the work done at an independent shop.

I already know two big things to look for in an E46 are subframe cracks and cooling system problems. I'll do more research on specifically the M3 and then take a look at some for sale by private sellers. I'm glad I asked here first. I was unaware that an E46 M3 could be bought in the teens because I wasn't open to private sellers in the past.

[notMpowered]

TAKE IT FOR A PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION!!!!! Any trustworthy indie BMW shop is going to give you good insight about wether the car is going to be a headache or not. I've purchased cars from individuals who have proven themselves to be a hell of a lot more trustworthy than any dealership. The only scumbags I have ever encountered when buying a car was purchasing a CPO VW from one of the biggest VW dealerships in Western Canada. I'll never buy a VW again as a result.

[twastheglow]

TAKE IT FOR A PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION!!!!! Any trustworthy indie BMW shop is going to give you good insight about wether the car is going to be a headache or not.

This. This. Then this again. This simply cannot be stressed enough. The $100-150 it costs for the inspection could not possibly be more worth it. Narrow down your search to the one you're most interested in based on your own research, price, condition, mileage, maintenance history/receipts etc. and schedule for a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) at a shop you trust. That will take most of the anxiety out of buying the car.

Not that maintaining the car is going to be significantly more than a non-M E46 (sans the S54 valve adjustment), but this wouldn't be a bad time to become that "enthusiast whom works on his own cars like us". This forum offers more than enough info/advice/help to get you up and running and working on your own car. Start small and go from there. My $.02.

[montaillou]

...because I'm not so mechanically inclined and feel like I'd get suckered into buying a car that has its own little hidden problems I wouldn't be able to catch.

TAKE IT FOR A PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION!!!!!

+1000!

I can't believe how many times I read on here how someone's bought a used car, there's something wrong with it right away and they never had it checked out before they bought.

A PPI from an indy will come in the $150-$200 range, certainly a sound investment for something you're about to drop $15k on. Make sure that the indy works on BMW's (most don't). Ask in your local sub-forum for a good indy, if there's one in your area these people will know. A dealer will probably charge around $200.

If the seller won't let you take it for a PPI...don't buy it, ever.

[freeagnt54]

If you are not mechanically inclined then it's probably not a good idea to buy a 10-15 year old bmw or any car of that age.

[twastheglow]

If you are not mechanically inclined then it's probably not a good idea to buy a 10-15 year old bmw or any car of that age.

You're assuming he cannot afford to pay someone to "fix" them. He's only stated that he wasn't considering the M due to maintenance costs. Who knows what he thinks it will cost to maintain one? Maybe he thinks it'll cost enough to not warrant buying one since he's stated this car is for daily driving.

I will however agree with your statement if you're not only not mechanically inclined but also not financially stable enough to cover the cost of repairs.

[BimmerBreaker]

You're assuming he cannot afford to pay someone to "fix" them.

If he cant afford a $15k BMW he probably cant afford to keep a $10k bmw in good shape, M or non M... just my .02

[twastheglow]

If he cant afford a $15k BMW he probably cant afford to keep a $10k bmw in good shape, M or non M... just my .02

Where in any of his posts did he say he couldn't afford it?

Just because that's what he's looking to spend, doesn't mean he can't afford more. Besides, based on his first post, he's already looking at dumping "$16k" into a daily driver

[M62pwrdE38]

If a good one shows up at a dealer for $19k, you could always offer 15-16. The worst they can say is no, but if its been on their lot a while, you could very easily be driving off in it.