Post by alf on May 17, 2024 9:01:52 GMT
I was watching this:
And then had a look on Pistonheads at values, and was pretty shocked. E46 M3's are huge money, despite many of them having a lot of miles on them. You are looking at £30k-£35k for cars with 50-100k miles on them. Standard cars, not CS (certainly not CSL) models, some with that awful auto gearbox.
This, is crazy. Young people now may not believe us, but tidy not that old E46 M3's dipped well below £10k at one point. Which also means some of the cars asking silly money now, were owned by people unable to look after them properly, at some point in their lives. I personally (snob alert) will always view them as a car beloved of tattoed wanabe drug dealer tradespeople with snarling dogs, of the "stab you as soon as look at you" variety. They also are not that quick, don't sound that nice, have a ride totally unsuited to UK roads, and seem to cost an absolute fortune to run, with plenty that can go wrong, and quite a lot that will.
Contrast with.... The E9X M3. For me a shape that (as with many of the Bangle era) is ageing well, and an interior I personally always preferred and thought felt better quality than the E46, though millions disagree. Its plain but has aged better as a result. This car has one of the finest road engines ever made, BMW's reaction to the B7 RS4's V8. I've only driven them on track but it was a wonderful, wonderful thing and for me the unique engine makes the whole car special. It was also an engine shared with nothing else. And yet, these are sensible money by today's standards, many are £10k less than the E46's - and often lower miles too.
Last consideration: the E9X 335i. It was a very well sorted car, rumoured by some to have been lined up as the M3 in case the V8 version was scrapped on cost grounds. One of my nuttiest driving friends had one a long time, ending up in upgraded form with Quaife diff and so on, even stock it was very fast, and very well sorted. I'd fancy my chances in one against Joe Plumber mcTatts in an E46M3, I reckon he'd not see where I went, and thus not be able to stab me. And I'd be saving myself £20k compared to the E46...
Is it just me???
And then had a look on Pistonheads at values, and was pretty shocked. E46 M3's are huge money, despite many of them having a lot of miles on them. You are looking at £30k-£35k for cars with 50-100k miles on them. Standard cars, not CS (certainly not CSL) models, some with that awful auto gearbox.
This, is crazy. Young people now may not believe us, but tidy not that old E46 M3's dipped well below £10k at one point. Which also means some of the cars asking silly money now, were owned by people unable to look after them properly, at some point in their lives. I personally (snob alert) will always view them as a car beloved of tattoed wanabe drug dealer tradespeople with snarling dogs, of the "stab you as soon as look at you" variety. They also are not that quick, don't sound that nice, have a ride totally unsuited to UK roads, and seem to cost an absolute fortune to run, with plenty that can go wrong, and quite a lot that will.
Contrast with.... The E9X M3. For me a shape that (as with many of the Bangle era) is ageing well, and an interior I personally always preferred and thought felt better quality than the E46, though millions disagree. Its plain but has aged better as a result. This car has one of the finest road engines ever made, BMW's reaction to the B7 RS4's V8. I've only driven them on track but it was a wonderful, wonderful thing and for me the unique engine makes the whole car special. It was also an engine shared with nothing else. And yet, these are sensible money by today's standards, many are £10k less than the E46's - and often lower miles too.
Last consideration: the E9X 335i. It was a very well sorted car, rumoured by some to have been lined up as the M3 in case the V8 version was scrapped on cost grounds. One of my nuttiest driving friends had one a long time, ending up in upgraded form with Quaife diff and so on, even stock it was very fast, and very well sorted. I'd fancy my chances in one against Joe Plumber mcTatts in an E46M3, I reckon he'd not see where I went, and thus not be able to stab me. And I'd be saving myself £20k compared to the E46...
Is it just me???
