2002 BMW M3 User Reviews

I Love This Car! I Would Buy Another In A Heartbeat And May Never Sell This One. — It was a basket case when I bought it, poorly maintained, inappropriately modified, and badly repaired. I have put over $10 000 into fixing/putting the car right mechanically and just had over $20 000 in paint and bodywork done. I am into the car for just over $50 000 and there's no end in sight but I still love it. I am in the middle of turning it into a show car/capable GT...the customizing has taken on a life of it's own and may never be finished now. The E46 M3 is legendary for good reasons. It came with a normally aspirated 3.2liter inline 6 with 333hp at the flywheel bone stock. My car has a Remus exhaust and has been flashed (conservatively, we think the car is running about 350hp at the flywheel now). The enormous power is run through a 6 speed manual gearbox (the shift pattern on the stick shift lights up too, have I mentioned that I love this car?) and LSD differential. With traction control defeated I can cut the back end loose at will and I have 285/30ZR19 Nitto Invos on the rear. The acceleration is stunning from a "normal looking" car from 2002. It can be beat off the line but not often. The braking is good, I have heard that the brakes on the E46 M3 are a weak point but have never wanted for better braking. But I did just put cross drilled and slotted rotors on the car and I have yet to thrash it on a track or an autocross course. The handling is great but I may be replacing some of the stock components soon. The huge rear tires are rubbing a little and I am looking for something pretty specific from this car...I want to build a car I can count on on a track but that is a comfortable grand touring car. I am after an adjustable suspension where I can make it track stiff but then lower the damping rates for touring. On the highway I like a compliant suspension but huge antiroll bars so it soaks up bumps but still corners flat with no dive or squat under hard braking or acceleration. The general build quality on these cars is great...even though my car was in such rough shape when I bought it I haven't been surprised by anything that I've needed to fix on the car. It is solid on the road, the doors close with authority and sound like a vault doors, and there are no squeaks or rattles I can hear. There is a bit of a wind howl just behind the driver's side front window but I hope to figure it out and fix it soon. It has needed repairs but I can't really speak to E46's in general...like I said earlier, my car was rough when I got it. If you are looking at buying a car (this might just be the M3) from this generation (1999 through 2005, especially the older cars) check to make sure that the rear sub-frame assembly has been fixed - there was a design flaw and some of the rear ends tended to want to 'fall out'. The car looks amazing to me. I think that the E46 was the best looking of the modern 3-series cars (arguably, the E9 3.0CS was a better looking car but IMHO the body was too flexible and the performance can't hold a candle to the E46) and the M3 was the pinnacle of this series. The car looks amazing from every angle and the M3 is an understated supercar. It looks hunkered down, clean, and purposeful without screaming "look at me!" the way a Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari, or Lambo does. The interior is comfortable and devoid of distractions...a great place to spend some quality driving time. This car is NOT cheap to own. It slurps enormous amounts of premium fuel due to the fantastic exhaust note and the fact that I can't seem to avoid mashing down the go fast pedal. It scrubs the tread off the rear tires in about 10 000 miles and they are depressingly expensive to replace. Parts are pricey and you need to find a mechanic who you trust to work on the car outside of the dealer network, BMW factory rates are upwards of $140/hour at some of the shops in my area. Oil changes cost quite a bit too - the M3 engine needs a really specific weight of oil and it's not cheap or easy to find. Most E46 M3 owners run Castrol 10W60 but I've been using Total 10W50 for a year and a half with no issues. The Castrol costs $19/liter in BC and Alberta and I have been able to find the Total for about $11/liter. But an oil change is still over $120. And even with a great deal, the tires I put on the car last month cost me a little over $1100 for the four, and there isn't a spare or anywhere to put one. I think that these may have come from the factory with run-flats but I'm not willing to pay over $500 per tire and deal with the rough ride. The car is a blast to drive. It pulls strongly from 1500rpm through 7000rpm in all 6 gears. It makes amazing noises and I can't get enough of the beautiful engine and exhaust notes. I get envious glances from pretty much everyone on the road and just being seen in this car is instant entry into the "car guy" club. The handling is intuitive, the performance is incredible, and I love every second that I spend behind the wheel. I can't wait to take the car out on a track or an autocross course and really explore it's limits.

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

I ///m Power! — Back in the days when tuning hit its peek when I was in CEGEP. This was my dream car, and I prayed one day for it to be in my possession. That day came sooner then I had expected. At the time, I drove the Jetta around and mod it inspired by the M3. If you look back at the Jetta, it had M3 style wheels. When came time for me to buy a new car. I had not even look at the M3 as I was thinking it is still an unattainable dream. Instead, I was in search of a different kind of sports coupe. More reliable and cheaper in maintenance, an alternative to my dream M3; the Infiniti G35 coupe. In search of a Pearl White with black interior and 6-speed transmission, the G35 had far-fetched search criteria. However, I was fortunate enough to have ran into 4 of them in my path, yet none of them felt right. One lucky turn of events, a M3 Coupe in Alpine white rose to the market, without even putting in the search effort. Unbelievable find! I knew it had to be mine. After many trips to the bank, and thorough negotiations... The dream became a reality! This is love. Before this purchase I had tried many G35, 350Z, a Porsche 911 and a Audi S4, but it did not have the right feeling. What those cars where lacking is the balance of power, handling, and usability. I wanted a sports coupe, there eliminating the Audi. I needed the rear seats, thus G35 shot to the top of the list rendering the 350Z & Porsche useless, since the seats in the Porsche are made for anorexic kids and models. The G35 lacked a godly handling, such was found in the M3, given it did have a more musical exhaust howl. Undeniably, my heart remained with the M3. Once behind that wheel it felt like you where in control of one of Gods chariots! Stability, control, power... all in perfect harmony. To top it all off, it can still be used as a grocery getter given its spacious boot. The sound from the Inline-6 is incredible, a little too raspy to my taste but nothing short of the Beethoven musical notes of motorsports. Absolutely, pure driver's car. No gimmicky technology added, a completely unrestrained best yet still very civilized. The build quality is absolutely exquisite. Can you expect any less from BMW? One look and you can say it is bold, very solid, and German muscular. Yet very easy on the eyes as it isn't too busy. Even those side vents became an inspiration of plethora for many other car design today. The engine design is definitely one of the greatest, no wonder the ///M had been the power-plant for, even until today, one the fastest cars in the world; the Mclaren F1. Extremely great follow up, from the legendary E30 M3. The E46 M3 really lived up to the hype. Truly and undeniably the real last purest M3 of its kind.

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

Awesome — Handles nice and speed is tremendous.

Loves Being Driven Hard! — Can't really fault it, delivers everything you want from a car on all fronts.

Someday I Will Have A Nother — acceleration is just the best thing i ve ever drivin. Handling the M3 is one of a kind no dents and the tire are in great shap as well. Not sure how it would do in the snow but what a summer car. If you dont like a quick and sporty car then this one not for you

Primary Use: Family transportation