Advice on E46 M3

[Ferrer]

i like the way you think. perhaps a 318d?

He lives in the US and they don't have diesels. But an old E30 318i/320i or some kind of japanese rear drive coupe/saloon would be perfect.

Also narrower tyres would mean you'd get sideways at even lower speeds.

[Type17]

If you're not hell bent on a European Car, why don't you look to our friends in the east? Nissan 300ZX/350Z? maybe a Toyota Supra? Supra would be great. Tonnes of power, RWD, loads of after market support, and with a budget as huge as yours a Supra won't molest your pockets. Consider AWD too, maybe a 3000GT or a Dodge Stealth. I have a 3000GT VR-4 and it's hellishly quick.

[h22a]

not in my experience..not by a long shot.

ok so your saying an E36/E46 costs the same as an early 90's porsche to keep on the road?

[jump15vc]

If you're not hell bent on a European Car, why don't you look to our friends in the east? Nissan 300ZX/350Z? maybe a Toyota Supra? Supra would be great. Tonnes of power, RWD, loads of after market support, and with a budget as huge as yours a Supra won't molest your pockets. Consider AWD too, maybe a 3000GT or a Dodge Stealth. I have a 3000GT VR-4 and it's hellishly quick.

Haha, my dad drives a 350Z and has owned several 300's over the years, they're both great cars and the 300 especially has a special place in my heart so i would consider getting the turbo. the supra may be an option but i like that i can get the extended warranty on a bimmer, which i wont get on a car thats been out of production for 10 years

[clutch-monkey]

ok so your saying an E36/E46 costs the same as an early 90's porsche to keep on the road?

i'm not saying anything.
i know an E36/E46 costs more than a N/A 911 to maintain. not least because they break down more, and also services under used warranties are all subsidized. running costs for BMW are a little f*cked actually, not enough to put people off though.

[h22a]

i'm not saying anything.
i know an E36/E46 costs more than a N/A 911 to maintain. not least because they break down more, and also services under used warranties are all subsidized. running costs for BMW are a little f*cked actually, not enough to put people off though.

i find that amazing, my mate who worked at both melbourne porshe and melbourne bmw seemed to think the bm was cheaper to maintain.
From your exp whats the average service cost 1000-1500?

[F1_Master]

why the hell does everybody want a fricken bmw? they are over priced for what you get and the reliability is crap. when you need to repair something (which happens on a monthly basis) it costs much more than it should, simply because it says "BMW" on it.

Look at this newb. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Go do some research, and then come back because I've had BMWs for a long time, and the reliability is absolutely amazing.

[clutch-monkey]

i find that amazing, my mate who worked at both melbourne porshe and melbourne bmw seemed to think the bm was cheaper to maintain.
From your exp whats the average service cost 1000-1500?

usually ~$170 for a minor service (once or twice a year depending on judgement and useage), $500 for the annual major service and that's about it.
of course the older models probably need a few replacement parts though, which is *usually* quite affordable for a 911 but not for the models like the 968.
i do have troubles servicing mine on my budget as i do it after every trackday (equivalent of 14,000-22,000km of road use with each track day). gradually doing more of it myself though.
some of my colleagues had a late model 3 series, a saab, and a 5 series and they seemed to spend a lot more on servicing (dealership prices maybe)

[NSXType-R]

i'm not saying anything.
i know an E36/E46 costs more than a N/A 911 to maintain. not least because they break down more, and also services under used warranties are all subsidized. running costs for BMW are a little f*cked actually, not enough to put people off though.

Hmm, didn't know that the service on a BMW could be more than a 911.

I thought that the 911 was semi-exotic, so it had to be by default more expensive.

I guess it's because of parts supply...?

[sansev]

I would strongly recommend any MB. Maybe a C-Class (W203) could fit to your price.