To M3 or not to M3.. that is the question

[Michael. 2313]

10 minutes ago, Matth5 said:

 

"f'ing 335" describes my feelings these days lol.

 

Oh dear. But is it modified or stock? 

[Matth5 471]

4 minutes ago, Michael. said:

Oh dear. But is it modified or stock? 

Pretty decently modified with various suspension and performance upgrades, MHD Stage 2+.

Putting out a whopping 0hp at the moment...Working on getting the engine replaced after it seized on a trackday back in December

[Michael. 2313]

Oh wow. Guess these things happen. Did you work out what let go? 

[KwS 2421]

F'ing 335i sums up my ownership of one too TBH. There was always something that wasn't right, even after thousands had been spent doing all the common failure points. I wouldn't do it again.

I'd love an E90 M3 though, but that bearing thing would scare the hell out of me. Even if its not as bad an issue as the interwebs says, its still got to hang in the back of the mind.

[Matth5 471]

1 hour ago, Michael. said:

Oh wow. Guess these things happen. Did you work out what let go? 

Not exactly. I have a few guesses. Some oil starvation might have dealt the finishing blow, I did drive it hard that day...

Edited May 14, 2020 by Matth5

[Michael. 2313]

I miss the old days of the M20 and M30s when all you really had to worry about was the valve lash adjustment every so often

barely 200hp &  25L/100km is the downside though haha. 

[GorGasm 563]

To be honest, E60/E92 M car ownership isn't THAT bad provided you get one that isn't a bomb and you own it longer term.  You could get one that doesn't need anything other than basic services for a few years, or you might be unlucky and get one where every single sensor decides to die and the bearings go, in that case you are f**ked.

Given that my very tidy M5 went for $20k and only had 90km on the clock, add another 7.5k on it for for bearings and $5k for clutch and at $32.5k it's still a pretty capable and unique car for the money.

The big worry for me is the perceived costs and reliability driving away potential buyers at resale, so you potentially are stuck with the car for a long while, or will have to lose a bunch on resale.

If you are going to own long term then you may have to squirrel away $7.5k for bearings depending on mileage, but just factor that into the purchase and spread it over the ownership period.  Mid length ownership is the potential trap in my opinion.  You should own one for a very short time or a very long time to either avoid the risks or spread the cost out.

/braindump.

 

As for the cars themselves?  Amazing open road vehicles.  When driven through the country side there isn't much you could want to be honest.  They're just a joy to drive.

 

 

 

 

[NakiTouring 54]

2 hours ago, GorGasm said:

To be honest, E60/E92 M car ownership isn't THAT bad provided you get one that isn't a bomb and you own it longer term.  You could get one that doesn't need anything other than basic services for a few years, or you might be unlucky and get one where every single sensor decides to die and the bearings go, in that case you are f**ked.

Given that my very tidy M5 went for $20k and only had 90km on the clock, add another 7.5k on it for for bearings and $5k for clutch and at $32.5k it's still a pretty capable and unique car for the money.

The big worry for me is the perceived costs and reliability driving away potential buyers at resale, so you potentially are stuck with the car for a long while, or will have to lose a bunch on resale.

If you are going to own long term then you may have to squirrel away $7.5k for bearings depending on mileage, but just factor that into the purchase and spread it over the ownership period.  Mid length ownership is the potential trap in my opinion.  You should own one for a very short time or a very long time to either avoid the risks or spread the cost out.

/braindump.

 

As for the cars themselves?  Amazing open road vehicles.  When driven through the country side there isn't much you could want to be honest.  They're just a joy to drive.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, nice summary.  I guess I only owned mine for a very short time.  Enjoyed it while I had it and deferred those pending expenses to future owners.  You'll see a lot out there that have had a few owners over the years, probably for the same reasons.  It doesn't take long for the potential repair costs to become a large percentage of the car's value, which of course puts people off and is then exacerbated by the rapid depreciation as a result.