E46 M3 vs E92 M3 reliability and running costs

[brokenbmw]

Hi,

I am considering purchasing either a late E46 m3 or an early e92 M3 (out of warranty obviously) I have heard that M3's are generally very reliable BMW's although parts are expensive. I am a bit skeptical of both these vehicles due to past BMW experiences with similar cars. I have not had much luck with BMW's recently and a couple of years ago i vowed never to buy a used BMW again, but alas, here we are. These were my BMW's and their reliability:

1977 E21 320i: Bullet proof car. Nothing on it that couldnt be easily fixed. Over engineered and unbelievably reliable for a 30 y/o car (when i had it)
1988 E32 735il: Again exceptionally reliable. Tank of a car. Only issue i had was headgasket
1989 E34 535is: same as above
2001 E38 740il: About 5 years when i got it. The most unreliable POS car I have ever owned. Really poor quality vehicle in every respect. Had nothing on the E32 apart from power.
2008 E Ive forgot 135i manual: Bought this car brand new, was very unreliable, at least 10 trips back to the dealer under warranty for repairs, lots of problems. They had a file on my car as thick as the bible.

So yeah im worried that due to the era's, the E46 M3 will have similar issues to my E38, and the E92 will just be way to complicated and break all the time like my 135i.
Out of curiosity did the E46 M3 get the plastic garden sprinkler system cooling system components like the E38?

What are your thoughts? I'd def go the manual on either.

Thanks

[apollo322]

Ive had a great time with my E46M3 and its been exceptionally reliable. I've spent maybe 4-5k mak in repairs including new tires and brakes in the past 6 years owning the car. I couldn't recommend one more.

[Silverdogz]

Eh, the e46 M3 has issues with the VANOS blowing up and the rear subframe collapsing, that said that are a little easier to work on than the E92 and probably cheaper if you're a diyer