Spend My Money Good Sir

[GTBrandon]

Okay so after this whole debacle with my GT, I am hoping(key word) to get the dealer to buy it back. IF this happens, I am wanting to go back to basics a little bit and time-travel back to the era of the more driver-oriented BMW. I have somehow fallen in love with Jake's E46 Vert, and now I want one...But I have also seen the E93 engine being one of the best V8's and still a great car to drive. SO, here is what I'm looking for:

Manual Transmission(this will be my first manual I have ever owned)
Maintenance Records(I want to make sure this car wasn't beat into the ground)
Fairly Easy to Wrench On(I want something that I can do almost everything myself)
Fairly Cheap to Wrench On(I'm in college, can't afford to be dropping $1,000 every month)
Decent MPG (15+ preferably, nothing too crazy)
RWD (First RWD car and I want to learn the true dynamics of a car through this setup)
Will Last Throughout College (preferably until I have a salary and can get something else)
---Preferably a Convertible(Because I've always wanted one, so why not)

The E46 M3's are looking like they are in the $15-20k range, which is very appealing to me. E93's are in $25-30k which isn't terrible considering I'll hopefully be selling the GT, but leaves me less money for upgrades and maintenance.

So what do you all think? I am young and dumb so enlighten me with your infinite wisdom!

[JPolen01]

Either of those cars and fairly cheap to wrench on do not compute.

[RawrImAMonster]

Let me know if you want to take my M3 for a spin.

The biggest thing for E46's is the subframe/racp issue. It's a huge pain in the ass to fix and they will all (regardless of year) eventually have problems with that. Even reinforcing the mounting locations with whatever brand reinforcement plates will not necessarily fix the issue. You can still have separation of the trunk floor. For that to be fixed, you would need something like the vince bar that has been gaining popularity recently. If you buy one you absolutely need to pull up the trunk carpet and look for any signs of cracking or separation along the edges of the trunk floor. You should also check the mounting locations for the subframe to make sure there aren't any noticeable cracks.

Other things to watch out for on the M3: Rod bearings should be replaced roughly ever 120-150k (black stone oil analysis can help identify when). The vanos system has problems with the exhaust hub cracking. This can be bulletproofed for around ~500 in parts. You should probably look into replacing the cooling system around 100k. Valve adjustments should be done every 15k, but you can probably get by with 30k. This isn't nearly as hard as it sounds and I have everything you need to do it. As with any BMW, the rubber suspension parts need to be replaced somewhat often compared to other cars.

[*insertusernamehere*]

I think this thread can be a thing *when* the car gets bought back or sold. Running another "what should I buy" thread on a far reach hypothetical seems silly to me. What are you going to do when/if it doesn't get bought back?

[*insertusernamehere*]

Spend more time trying to figure how to get get it bought or sold rather than what's next.

[ScottyB]

E46 M3 is a bad idea.

do you need 4 seats?

[WRXtranceformed]

There is only one answer to your question and your requirements...and it's not another dang BMW:

[G.Irish]

^^^ I'm with Lee ^^^

The E46 M3 is not a good fit for your requirements. A E93 is better, but it is REALLY heavy. A C6 Vert will do the business here. Cheapish, plenty of parts, not hard to work on, fast.

I would say a 981 Boxster could fit in but it is by no means easy to work on and parts are not cheap. A Z4 might be a better choice here but I have no idea what their maintenance requirements are but the M54 is cheaper and not as demanding as the S54. You could blow up a regular Z4 and just find another junkyard engine fairly easily.

The E93 M3 is not a bad idea if you can find a lowish mileage example that's been maintained. You will have to deal with little problems here and there, but the only major thing is the rod bearing issue.

[rherold9]

I'd say ZHP but... that's not a vert. And it's slow in comparison to what you are looking for.

Z4 3.0si? Z3M?

edit: BRZ/FRS/86 or ND Miata <- those would be my personal choices.

[WRXtranceformed]

I'd say ZHP but... that's not a vert. And it's slow in comparison to what you are looking for.

Z4 3.0si? Z3M?

edit: BRZ/FRS/86 or ND Miata <- those would be my personal choices.

No man, you buy the Corvette, you drop the top, you get 27mpg highway, you put the lotion on the skin, you profit

What is it with all of you guys and old BMWs and Miatas

[GTBrandon]

I think this thread can be a thing *when* the car gets bought back or sold. Running another "what should I buy" thread on a far reach hypothetical seems silly to me. What are you going to do when/if it doesn't get bought back?

Never a bad idea to plan ahead. If I get the car sold then i'll need a new car lined up so I can get to work.

[GTBrandon]

E46 M3 is a bad idea.

do you need 4 seats?

Why is it a bad idea?

No I don't need 4 seats

[GTBrandon]

^^^ I'm with Lee ^^^

The E46 M3 is not a good fit for your requirements. A E93 is better, but it is REALLY heavy. A C6 Vert will do the business here. Cheapish, plenty of parts, not hard to work on, fast.
.

Can you explain why an e46 is a bad idea?

Also aren't there still big ticket maintenance items on the C6?

[GTBrandon]

I'd say ZHP but... that's not a vert. And it's slow in comparison to what you are looking for.

Z4 3.0si? Z3M?

edit: BRZ/FRS/86 or ND Miata <- those would be my personal choices.

Don't enjoy the looks of the Z3M or Z4, they look like the car my hot blonde psych teacher would have driven from high school. Miata, I don't want one because i'm not in love with the looks, and don't want the same thing as everybody else. Brz/FRS don't look good in convertible IMO.


Also, how can I reply to multiple quotes at once so I don't post 5 times in one minute lol

[G.Irish]

^^^ I'm with Lee ^^^

The E46 M3 is not a good fit for your requirements. A E93 is better, but it is REALLY heavy. A C6 Vert will do the business here. Cheapish, plenty of parts, not hard to work on, fast.
.

Can you explain why an e46 is a bad idea?

Also aren't there still big ticket maintenance items on the C6?

Fairly Easy to Wrench On(I want something that I can do almost everything myself)
Fairly Cheap to Wrench On(I'm in college, can't afford to be dropping $1,000 every month)

Those two things indicate that you don't really want to roll with a E46 M3 right now. You're likely to have to do some wrenching on it and some of the common things issues can be a pain in the dick to address. There are some shops that do BMW work in HBG and the typical issues are well documented but if the ease and cost of wrenching are primary concerns, the E46 M3 is not necessarily a good choice for a college student.

C6 Vettes have their issues but they're a bit easier and cheaper to work on. That said, Corvettes are not to everyone's tastes (including mine) but they're a solid choice. I still struggle with the question of whether I should get a C7 GS or Z06 and call it a day given the performance for the dollar.

Don't enjoy the looks of the Z3M or Z4, they look like the car my hot blonde psych teacher would have driven from high school.

Having hot blonde psyche teacher types being attracted to your car is a problem? :dunno:

[GTBrandon]

^^^ I'm with Lee ^^^

The E46 M3 is not a good fit for your requirements. A E93 is better, but it is REALLY heavy. A C6 Vert will do the business here. Cheapish, plenty of parts, not hard to work on, fast.
.

Can you explain why an e46 is a bad idea?

Also aren't there still big ticket maintenance items on the C6?

Fairly Easy to Wrench On(I want something that I can do almost everything myself)
Fairly Cheap to Wrench On(I'm in college, can't afford to be dropping $1,000 every month)

Those two things indicate that you don't really want to roll with a E46 M3 right now. You're likely to have to do some wrenching on it and some of the common things issues can be a pain in the dick to address. There are some shops that do BMW work in HBG and the typical issues are well documented but if the ease and cost of wrenching are primary concerns, the E46 M3 is not necessarily a good choice for a college student.

C6 Vettes have their issues but they're a bit easier and cheaper to work on. That said, Corvettes are not to everyone's tastes (including mine) but they're a solid choice. I still struggle with the question of whether I should get a C7 GS or Z06 and call it a day given the performance for the dollar.

Don't enjoy the looks of the Z3M or Z4, they look like the car my hot blonde psych teacher would have driven from high school.

Having hot blonde psyche teacher types being attracted to your car is a problem? :dunno:

Never an issue, especially not with the drop top :wink: But just not my taste in regards to looks of the vehicle as a DD.

This might be a stupid question, but is the C6 going to be any cheaper to work on, or only easier? I have heard that you need to drop the entire tranny out just to do clutch work, which doesn't sound very easy :dunno:

[Senor_Taylor]

I have heard that you need to drop the entire tranny out just to do clutch work, which doesn't sound very easy :dunno:

I'd like to find a car where you can do a clutch without removing the trans.

Are we really suggesting a C6 or an E46 to a college freshmen? Besides price and maintenance, how quick will these cars get egged or keyed? Especially living on campus. Just ask Alex Peery.

Why not a 330ci? They're great cars. Drive Castro's. You don't need an m3.


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[GTBrandon]

I have heard that you need to drop the entire tranny out just to do clutch work, which doesn't sound very easy :dunno:

I'd like to find a car where you can do a clutch without removing the trans.

Are we really suggesting a C6 or an E46 to a college freshmen? Besides price and maintenance, how quick will these cars get egged or keyed? Especially living on campus. Just ask Alex Peery.

Why not a 330ci? They're great cars. Drive Castro's. You don't need an m3.


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One of the points of buying this car is having something that I don't mind getting keyed or hit. I would prefer nothing happen but it wouldn't be the end of the world. And because powah, moar powah


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[Senor_Taylor]

I have heard that you need to drop the entire tranny out just to do clutch work, which doesn't sound very easy :dunno:

I'd like to find a car where you can do a clutch without removing the trans.

Are we really suggesting a C6 or an E46 to a college freshmen? Besides price and maintenance, how quick will these cars get egged or keyed? Especially living on campus. Just ask Alex Peery.

Why not a 330ci? They're great cars. Drive Castro's. You don't need an m3.


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One of the points of buying this car is having something that I don't mind getting keyed or hit. I would prefer nothing happen but it wouldn't be the end of the world. And because powah, moar powah


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Okay. So not an E46 M3. That's a lot of car to not care about getting keyed. A 330 seems like it'll check all of your boxes and be WAY cheaper to maintain.

Since we're apparently swinging for the fences here. Camaro SS? 2010+ Mustang GT?

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[GTBrandon]

But I'm open to driving the 330 and seeing the differences. I'm not saying I want the car to get keyed, but I'd rather an 2006 get keyed than a 2014.