Quote:
Originally Posted by Obioban
You can get a decent feel for e46 M3 running costs here: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=190111
My car has been pretty flawless. I've had it from new and it is now at 120,000 total miles and ~4000 track miles. It gets driven year round, including a trip to detroit in Jan every year (has seen -30º there).
In that time, I've had the following failures:
alternator (80,000 miles)
throttle position sensor (90,000 miles)
subframe (42,000 miles)
2 coils
I have done a fair bit preventatively (cooling system and bushings every 100,000 miles, trans and diff fluid on the OBC indicated inspection intervals, etc), but you should be doing most of that with every car. Mine has been incredibly reliable, especially with the way I drive it. Easily the most reliable car I've ever owned.
It often seems to me that the babied e46s are the ones that have issues. There's only two significant issues that the car suffers from:
1) subframe mount failure (~$1000 to have fixed, Turner kit locks it down forever).
2) VANOS exhaust sprocket tab failure. Only effects probably 3% of the cars out there, but if it happens to you it has a decent chance (maybe 20%?) of taking the engine out. You can lock that down forever with a Dr. VANOS cryogenically treated exhaust cam gear ($850 for part, ~$500 for labor) and Z4M exahust cam bolts.
Read through the thread I linked. If you follow that, you're pretty unlikely to have any significant issues. |
Thanks mate, really great insight!
