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I still enjoy driving my E30, and it's so far been more reliable than the CTS-V. I really should take some new pics of it. Much as I love BMW, nothing has the insane power of the GM LS series motors. I think every enthusiast should have at least one of each 
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Mar 28, 2008 08:45
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I've been thinking about grabbing a 3 or 5 series sedan with an inline 6 and a manual. I'd like to spend 10k or less as it'll be a DD - which of the E34/6/9/46 lines should I look at and/or stay away from?
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Aug 25, 2008 03:22
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Mesmerizing is those mono-wipers that they put on Mercedes cars before the DCX fiasco.
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Aug 25, 2008 17:16
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Why are 7 series so cheap? you'd think a car that expensive from 8 or 9 years ago would be worth a little more.
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Aug 26, 2008 04:53
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I want to get the top speed limiter removed on my M3. Dinan doesn't sell a flash for the E92 unfortunately, and I don't really trust active auto or turner's solution. Last time I got a flash from Turner it pinged like hell, and I'm not about to try that again on a 12.0:1 comp. motor. Any ideas?
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Apr 18, 2009 01:24
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Just in case any of you want a really cheap M roadster, BMW of San Francisco has one that's been on their lot for over a year and they're pretty desperate to sell it at this point.
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Jul 1, 2009 21:09
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Kenshin posted:Ok, so I now own a black 1999 M3 Convertible. Good start, I started with a 1989 240SX automatic  I'm on my 3rd BMW now though, that car's going to ruin you on everything else 
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Aug 6, 2009 02:19
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miklm posted:Also I never posted a thread about this, but we went to Switzerland & Germany this summer (it was our honeymoon) and I was able to visit the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, the Nurburgring (as a vistor, not a driver) and the BMW World/Museum in Munich, as well as top out our crap Renault rental at 122MPH on the Autobahn and drive all through the awesome Alps. We put 4500km on the rental car (had 300km when we picked it up) That silver M3 in BMW Welt is where I talked to one of the floor guys for half an hour and was sold on getting one. I never even test drove the car 
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Oct 13, 2009 23:16
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doogle posted:
drat, looking like that I'd expect your average dealership to look very askance, especially if you came in with engine problems.
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Oct 11, 2010 07:17
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You guys are doing it wrong if you think the V8 M3 isn't a good daily. Half the fun of the car is winding up the motor, and it revs fast with the way the car is geared. The torque is also 100% available from about 2500 RPM.
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Feb 12, 2011 06:59
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Realjones posted:I've seen the torque vs gearing wars on m3post. I certainly wouldn't complain about a v8 m3 daily. I just didn't think it was worth the money now to upgrade when I can just keep my car for a little while longer and get the TT version that will have much better fuel economy / low end torque (ie from 1200 rpm). There are no c63 owners posting "but look at the gearing" with regards to their torque. I honestly don't understand the argument - people complain about torque, but for example I have had no trouble keeping up with an E63, so it's not like the car is any slower for it. I don't find myself bogging across an intersection or what have you. I like it for the same reason I like the original M3; it's a small displacement, high revving motor with a great soundtrack. If I really wanted another big displacement motor I would have bought a GT500. I think the point people miss is that it's about personal preference for your power delivery, rather than a problem.
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Feb 12, 2011 20:18
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ozziegt posted:Yeah 2500 RPM is pretty low. Nobody is ever cruising around at 1200 RPM so why does it matter if the power is available down low like that. If I recall correctly your E46 doesn't hit peak torque until 3500, you better go trade it in right now for a CTS-V so you have enough displacement that you can lug the engine everywhere you go.
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Feb 12, 2011 22:12
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It's been 2 years today and 29k miles since I bought my M3. I just had the 30k service done because the timer ran out before the miles did, and they changed the plugs, diff fluid, brake fluid, oil and a few other things. I was also interested to note that the service interval has been dropped from 15000 miles to 12000 miles. Is BMW wising up to the fact that it's too long/far between oil changes, and that spark plugs don't actually last 100k? Anyway the car's been flawless over this time, never had to take it in for anything other than regular service and it's seen 8 track days. I've been thinking about working on sharpening up the handling and steering response on it. Do you guys recommend any places that do good suspension work on the newer cars? Dinan is close but I've been disappointed with the results of their work so far. pic from last year's hillclimb: 
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Apr 7, 2011 17:38
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SlapActionJackson posted:As wallaka pointed out, the service interval is adapted to your fuel consumption. Regardless, I hope you are changing the oil more frequently than that, especially if you are tracking the car. 12-15K is too long of an interval for an M engine, even with the TWS oil of the gods. I do change the oil an extra time between services, and it's a rare day that I don't exceed 100 mph at least once, so I can understand the change. I did a bunch of reading on it and I've come away with the knowledge that lowering the car more than 10mm will mess up the handling without drastically altering other components. I think my first stop will be to dial in the max negative camber possible (1.4deg stock) and go from there.
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Apr 8, 2011 14:50
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Crustashio posted:I can attest to this. Before buying I'd look into seeing what is different. Can you deal with waiting 6 weeks to get parts directly from a warehouse in germany? The only differences between those were cosmetics - mechanicals are the same.
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Apr 9, 2011 23:25
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Catastrophe posted:Pfff you guys with your fancy E92 and E46 cars... Perfect post/avatar combination.
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Apr 10, 2011 18:07
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heat posted:Google Maps does dictate your every turn, if you want, and it does it better than most GPS units I've seen! I use this on an almost daily basis, which is why I wasn't all that concerned that my M3 didn't have nav. Too bad my wife's phone isn't very good with google maps.. probably time to upgrade!
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Apr 13, 2011 22:09
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KaiserBen posted:Random fact of the day: S62 blocks are incredibly light. I finished the teardown of the blown one out of dad's car, and I can pick up the block at arms length without a problem (and I'm no bodybuilder). Guesstimating ~75lbs for the bare block. Not sure how much weight was dropped by the newly installed window into cyl #5 though :P How did that happen? And where do you work that you're working on one? And if it's a performance shop, can I have a discount? Also can you take some pictures?
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Apr 14, 2011 05:55
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Bay area BMW dealers are all pretty terrible. Weatherford was by far the worst, some annoying little old bitch of a woman there tried to get me to sign a contract stating I would purchase a car for a specific price before she would even run my credit report. I went in there several times over the years, always hating the people who worked there when I left. BMW of SF has a good service department and one non-rear end in a top hat in the sales department. The day I was buying my car another salesman badmouthed the dude I bought the car from after asking who I was working with. At least the salesman I was working with got promoted to manager as of the last time I was in there. I like using the brand's used car search engine against dealerships when shopping used. It's really hard to argue with you when you're showing them a significantly lower price for a comparable car a $150 flight away.
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Apr 28, 2011 06:02
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Deceptor101 posted:You'll be glad you waited on a more powerful engine if you find one. Is it weird that my car started out burning oil and gradually stopped?
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Apr 29, 2011 04:10
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Paradoxish posted:
Patience and scouring will win the day here. You just have to pay attention to records mileage and most importantly service history. You'll want one that's had the cooling system done at this age unless miles are absurdly low, and if you're still looking for a 5 series the E39 with the N54 is surprisingly light for its size. IIRC it's only about 70 lbs heavier than a 330 and handles great due to the lighter motor up front. Keep looking.
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May 1, 2011 06:12
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Delimited the new M3 and took it to a runway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BHjLNfoxC0 It turned out that even with mods like a downpipe, full exhaust, remap, etc the 1Ms there were about 10MPH slower through the traps. The F10 M5 there was really fast but had a bunch of problems with drivetrain limp mode.
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Apr 29, 2012 17:02
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Crustashio posted:The sad part is that attitude is stupidly prevalent among "luxury" car owners. I overheard coworkers talking one day about how much their A6 and escalade cost new. Completely ignoring the fact that they both bought them used several years after they came out. The escalade owner recently sold it and bought a 335i, and now calls me the "BMW guy" and asks stupid questions. He was the tipping point (along with DBW throttle) to dump my e46 and go back to an older 3. I found dubstep on the CiC hard drive in my current E92 M3  On the bright side the owner being "one of those guys" he never really used it, so I ended up with an engine that's pretty much new inside and a clutch with lots of life left.
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May 8, 2012 14:03
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Voltage posted:Think I cracked the 3rd coolant expansion tank on my 330ci, pretty exciting! Is there any way to avoid this or are they all total poo poo and just constantly crack? Hahaha wait YOU have an E46? Yes the cooling system is a wear item, and depending on the temps where you are you may well be overfilling it. Doing so will cause more cracks.
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May 9, 2012 23:26
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Voltage posted:Why is that so funny Sorry, I confused you with Lowclock. He lost the title you have after being banned a while back. Edit: which is ironic considering I learned the hard way why you pay that extra money. Das Volk fucked around with this message at 13:00 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 12:52
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That's why you buy an E46 M3 / E39 M5 and save some cash for maintenance instead. Because really, who wants to spend $25K on 200hp?
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May 11, 2012 14:24
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rscott posted:It's basically the same performance envelope of an E30 M3, except not 20 years old and with more modern safety features? I guess if you're bench racing this is an acceptable calculus but in that case just buy a year or two old Camry V6 and be all smug about your HP/$ ratio or something. BraveUlysses posted:Yup, horsepower is really the only thing that matters. Have either of you actually driven an M5 or an M3 of the generations I mentioned (or anything that isn't a shitheap)? Do you have any idea how stupid you sound comparing them to a Camry? Keep the BRZ / FR-S circlejerk in its own thread.
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May 11, 2012 17:32
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I'm probably a terrible person for bringing this up now, but did you notice the build date on that donor car? I'm worried that it might have Nikasil liners 
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May 12, 2012 01:10
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I grabbed the 2012 Premium CiC nav updates off of Usenet and got a freebie code from the local dealership. It took several hours of copying, but it brought the nav forward 3 years and now I can search by postcode 
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May 27, 2012 23:15
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ynotony posted:Is it weird to cross shop an e46 M3 (ZCP) and a 335i? For about $25-30k I can get a good example of both. But my dilemma is I've been driving a ZHP for years, and don't like the idea of spending that much money to get an upgraded version of the same e46 I've been driving. It'll be like buying $15-20k in upgrades for my current car. Keeps the same interior/vintage/exterior. I guess financially it makes sense but the E46 from a handling and steering feel perspective is more rewarding to drive than a stock E90. I strongly preferred my E46 and my white E92 M3 with the upgraded suspension bits to my blue E92 and other 335s I've driven, I think the E9x stock handling setup leaves something to be desired. Having lots of experience with both generations and models I'd go for the E46 M3 but shop outside of California. Too many people in CA hold onto those cars (a certain group of people especially) and want too much money for them.
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Oct 10, 2012 15:42
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Koirhor posted:My M3 is now on the water, probably end up at the dealer right around Memorial Day weekend, might not be able to take delivery until June 1st since I will be on vacation, bonus to that is BMW Financial might knock their interest rate down a bit more for June. How long does it take from deposit to delivery to get a build-to-order car from them?
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May 19, 2013 23:17
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Don't those E36 motors tolerate stratospheric revs with the right springs?
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May 20, 2013 02:16
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I posted in the new car thread about this for Imperador do Brasil but I wanted to reiterate for the E92 owners that removing your clutch spring is the best mod you can do for these cars. DIY here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195777
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May 23, 2013 18:06
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Jealous Cow posted:Just got an invitation to this year's ultimate drive event, including the $1000 rebate offer. Looks like they're doing it again. Can you apply it to any vehicle you want, or just the one you drive?
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May 24, 2013 22:17
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Crustashio posted:Fits like a glove. Where do you get nice, purpose-built tire covers like that?
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Jun 3, 2013 01:03
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If you spend 60-80k on a vehicle then kvetch about MPG you're doing something very wrong.
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Jun 4, 2013 19:15
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I wouldn't bother with an AWD BMW either, I'd go with an Evo X or an up-optioned turbo Subaru of some ilk. Audi AWD systems are pretty good too if you want to go German, but there's a higher overall reliability risk. Anyone know if Merc 4Matics are any good? I know the GLK can kill some snow if it needs to.
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Jun 6, 2013 02:12
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MrChips posted:You might be surprised just how high the take rate for manual E46 M3s was in North America. My understanding is that it was something like 30-40% for the life of the model, with a slight edge to the SMG. I still had to order a manual, although it doesn't help that it's at the end of the model run and the only cars left in dealerships are frozen/LMR editions optioned with everything under the sun (cars no one buying at this stage wants.)
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Jun 9, 2013 17:53
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I'm not keen on re-starting Das Volk's Home for Abused German Cars again but I may make an exception for this one if the price is right. Has the usual "idiot owner" problems, has been sitting for ages and ages, but has a straight body, mostly is complete and I think could be a good restoration candidate. The owner claims that the car is mechanically sound, needs a shift linkage and some cosmetic work but otherwise driveable. What should I offer the guy? It's got 115k on the clock and has been sitting there for a very long time, I'm thinking a year or more, but again for the right money I would like to go all Wheeler Dealers on this and bring this modern classic back from the brink. 
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Jun 14, 2013 23:16
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From what I can see it's going to need springs, probably shocks, seats, new seatbelts to replace the ridiculous red ones in it, I'll probably ditch those riammzzz for some smaller/lighter stockers and a whole lot of cleaning. There's also tons of cobwebs on it.
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Jun 14, 2013 23:56
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