Buy 2 Classics or 1 F80

[Haywood]

Two of arguable the greatest M3 models with bespoke M engines or a turbo 6 M3 that will never be considered in the same breath as the above 2. I think the answer is obvious.

[rhyary]

Originally Posted by amrazM

buy an e92 and put the rest of the money into your business?

this

[203E90]

Originally Posted by Haywood

Two of arguable the greatest M3 models with bespoke M engines or a turbo 6 M3 that will never be considered in the same breath as the above 2. I think the answer is obvious.

You know when we talk this out, it is glaringly obvious.


A little update. Bought the Ford Transit and most of the equipment for my business. In the process I came across a spectacularly clean 2004 E46 M3 and pulled the trigger on it. PPI came back with valve cover and engine mounts needing to be replaced and Navi screen deterioration. Dealer is covering those cost. Pleasantly surprised and excited.

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by 203E90

You know when we talk this out, it is glaringly obvious.


A little update. Bought the Ford Transit and most of the equipment for my business. In the process I came across a spectacularly clean 2004 E46 M3 and pulled the trigger on it. PPI came back with valve cover and engine mounts needing to be replaced and Navi screen deterioration. Dealer is covering those cost. Pleasantly surprised and excited.

Nice. First mod: convert it to a 6 speed!

[Richneerd]

Pics of both the e46 and e92 please!

[Frozen]

Originally Posted by Richneerd

Pics of both the e46 and e92 please!

Here's my two:

[Richneerd]

Originally Posted by Frozen

Here's my two:

Yup way better than the F80.

[203E90]

Well sad news. Called the dealer today to get an update on the timeline of when he'd have the maintenance items done and the final bill of sale and he tells me he sold it yesterday and he'll let me know if the deal falls through. Are you f##king kidding me??? We just settled on a cash deal 2 days ago and he sent me the draft BoS, contingent upon the completion of the maintenance.

Guess since I never signed anything or provided payment, it's their car to do whatever with. Really pisses me off that at first he was so adamant about making sure everything is in perfect condition, we work a deal, and then he lets it go under me. The gentleman in me wants to say screw this dealer and walk. The businessman in me wants to call him back and say here's the money, why are you waiting to finalize another deal when I have your asking price in your face.

Maybe it's a sign.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by 203E90

Well sad news. Called the dealer today to get an update on the timeline of when he'd have the maintenance items done and the final bill of sale and he tells me he sold it yesterday and he'll let me know if the deal falls through. Are you f##king kidding me??? We just settled on a cash deal 2 days ago and he sent me the draft BoS, contingent upon the completion of the maintenance.

Guess since I never signed anything or provided payment, it's their car to do whatever with. Really pisses me off that at first he was so adamant about making sure everything is in perfect condition, we work a deal, and then he lets it go under me. The gentleman in me wants to say screw this dealer and walk. The businessman in me wants to call him back and say here's the money, why are you waiting to finalize another deal when I have your asking price in your face.

Maybe it's a sign.

Sounds like an easy walk.

[203E90]

I know this thread died down a lot but a little update and more thought. I've found a lot of people in my situation so I wanted to share the rest of this story.

I was able to find a VERY clean E46 M3 at a dealership. It is insanely clean inside and out and drives like new according to my dad. Im still deployed so I haven't had the chance to enjoy it. Its an 05 SMG car but that will change when I get back. I picked it up from a Honda delear in NC thats part of a network that includes a BMW delaer where it had all of its service done for the last 4 years. The dealer also outlined their "reconditioning" process and they took care of a lot of small updates that most dont like replacing bushings and flushing ALL fluids.

120K miles and it was originally listed for $24k I believe. When I found it, it was a Manager's Special at 21k, then dropped to 19, 17, and I pulled the trigger at $15.5K. I was real skeptical about how good it could be if they were dropping the price like this over about 45 days. GM said they had to start moving cars off the lot agressively to make room for their new inventory delivery, the other dealers in their network are in the same boat and most people at a honda dealership in Winston Salem, NC aren't cross shopping for 15 year old M cars so they dropped it to their bottom line to cover what they took it in for plus the $2500 in maintenance they performed.

I still took that with a grain of salt but being the nerd that I am I did look up trade in value on it and then compared it to what they are going for on BAT and other platforms and it could makes sense. Plus the COVID sales slump period we had. Trade in value is 6-10K so they might have paid 8K for it, put $2500 in it and still made decent profit at 15.5k. For it's condition, comprable LCI examples were selling for 20-25k at the time but the cheapest in the country I could find were private sales at 15k and needed some work. I wired the funds and my dad picked it up a week later. He drove it 250 miles back to his house and after I told him to take it easy until he gets used to it then open it up A LITTLE BIT to make sure everything is good, he proceeds to tell me about him racing C5 Corvettes on the way home.

So I have my dream M3 and so far its flawless. Drives tight, no rattles, all rasp lol. Seats are perfect except very little wear on the driver seat thigh bolster. Even the touch points and commonly worn parts inside look brand new. The trim around and under the radio is perfect. The center console rear cover rolling door thing is in perfect condition and WORKS. Affordable, very clean, higher mileage, well maintained deals are out there.

So whats next?

I do want to start or continue my M collection but first I need a daily to replace my E90 335 and thats where this thread started. I love how aggressive the F80 is but I originally thought about the cost bennefit of getting both the E46 and E92 over just one F8X. Well after continuing to watch the market and look deeper in to the E92, that gap is getting smaller and the fun factor for me is higher with the F8X. The emotional attachment to that V8 at 8,000+ rpms from the E92 is a high factor but I'd need to add some mental security for me to enjoy that. I'll get to that.


HERE'S MY ANSWER

Going to buy a 340i to replace my daily and get the F82 somewhere between winter 2021 and spring 2022. I dont need it right now. Its very much a want and novelty. Even though the E92 stands a better chance of increasing a little in value in that time frame, I am also factoring in the service and preventative maintenance I would like to put in to one for my own mental security. I'd buy the F82 and wouldn't be compelled to swap the crank hub asap but those rod bearings on the E92 would be haunting me and yes I know that problem might be a little overblown but still. Even the E46 will get rod bearings and the manual swap as soon as I get home. I'll pick up the E92 pretty much under the same conditions that I found the E46. Find just a perfect situation or a dealer that cant move it in their area and jump on it but I can wait it out and hope I dont regret it if they become insanely popular. That could be next week or 2 years from now. Coming from all turbo cars in the last 10 years, dallying an E92 M3 like a civilized person is going to be difficult for me lol. I dont know how you have the discipline to not bring that to at least 6k leaving every stop light and if you're already that high....why stop. I think the E92 has more presence with its sound, styling, and driving character. Just want to get something I cant throw a load of miles on and still have my speed fix then continue the M collection. I'm pretty sure the E92 will come before the F82 though.

Who knows. In 5-10 years, the US might outlaw new V8 engines and people will want to snatch up all the famous V8s over the years so I might need to be more aggressive on my E92 acquisition.

I'll drop the E46 pics later.

[Yvette]

Congrats on e46!
Seems like finding a clean e46 is much harder these days.

[Dlpfcb]

I currently have the E46 M and E92 M and hands down that would be my choice. They are 2 different beasts and are both a blast to drive. F80 will plummet more soon and they will never be hard to find. But E46 and E92 are coming a little harder to find each year.

[Texaz3]

F80 prices will come down quite a bit once new M3 is released. That's just how this works - people will get rid of the "old hat" and get the "new shiny toy".
E46 will continue to go up, and E92 seem to have bottomed out and starting to gain traction again.

[GORDON.M3]

Two classics, F80s are horrible in terms of retaining value. Great day-to-day car but no-where close if pushed to the limit compared to an E92 when heavily modified.

The E92 chassis is a lot more confident and stable on the track heavily modified when compared to an F8x on the same level, S65 with the linear power delivery it is easier to control and carve the right lines in comparison to the torquey S55 engine.

The F80 truly shines when it's on the street, torque is far better for stop and go and definitely more "fun" due to torque when in comparison of having to rev-out the E92.

I would personally buy two classics and spend the money to refresh them. But if you wanted a car that could really put some power down on the street then the F80 is a no brainer.

It all depends on what you want to do with them. But I can tell you now, all the previous generation cars before the F80 are a better weekend car.

[gio14]

No brainer..e46 and e92!

[203E90]

Little update here guys. I found an M4 at a great price and started putting a deal together but the dealer required me to be there in person to sign the paperwork and I couldn't get there before month end so they wouldn't hold the car until next week. Kind of felt defeated until 2 days later I found another M4 with better options at the same price and lower miles. Great price actually. I reached out to that dealer expecting the same story but actually pushed the deal through. Had a friend whos an indy BMW tech go check it out and gave it the OK so I pulled the trigger. Only down side was since I couldn't get there in person this week I couldn't trade my 335 so I'll be selling it eventually. Didn't want to miss out on this deal.

So now I have the E46 and the F82... and the E90 335(for now). While I agree the E46, E92 M3 combo would be the start to a killer collection, I like dailying the F82 more than the E92. Sounds like arse but it will work better for me personally.

Seeing how this thread started off with me having to make a choice because financially getting both the E46 and F8x would've been too much at the time, I've definitely had a good year. The business is actually taking off. Overwhelming at the start but very grateful to be too busy rather than worried. i also took advantage of the market when COVID hit and got out WAAAYYYY ahead so I have a lot of breathing room now and a still have a decent portfolio.

[DanMpower]

Congrats dude. It took 5 years but the aftermarket as finally been able to fix the F8x exhaust.

Wait and get the Active Autowerkes Equal Length exhaust for the M4. It legit sounds like a Porsche 718 GT4 with exhaust now.