In 2001 with the release of the E46 generation M3, BMW finally offered the North American market the same power that had been enjoyed in Europe for years. Previous North American M3 versions had de-tuned and catalyst neutered engines, but the E46 generation was a world car, meaning everybody got the same screaming inline-6 to go with the nimble chassis. Find this 2002 BMW M3 for sale in Seattle, WA for $13,000 via craigslist.
The E46 M3 is powered by the S54, a 3.2 liter inline-6 that makes 333 horsepower and 252 ft-lbs of torque, propelling the 3600 lb coupe from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds. The E46 was available with a choice of conventional manual or sequential-manual-gearbox, but the SMG suffers from being balky at low speeds and recalcitrant at a boil - so stick with the DIY clutch version...like this one.
This particular car isn't some kind of honor student -- it has 170k miles on the odometer, but the title is clean and if the maintenance has been kept up to date as claimed, it could last another 100k miles. The S54 is a great engine and will need some expensive parts from time-to-time, but with luck you could drive this for a year or two and just pass it on to the next guy without losing your shorts.
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I just sold my 2002 M3 vert (6-speed, 82k miles) in 8/10 condition for 12k. Would have loved to have gotten more, but that was the best I could do. Understanding that the verts and coupes still appeal to a different audience, either I gave away my car or this price is high. My S54 was flawless in reliability, but even so, it's such an extremely high-strung motor that I tend to question its longevity.
ReplyDeletewelll.FWIW Kelly would say that Fleetwood got the price for the top condition convertible. This dealer, assuming the car is in the top rank of condition is priced at twice the Kelly evaluaton.....
ReplyDeleteJess sayin...now whats my originl owner '95 318ic worth? Nada mucho!
Pretty much right on for NADA book, which is what is used when financial institutions are considering loans.Nice color combo, beast of a car.
ReplyDeleteNADA's good for the banks but not for accurate values. The loan issue sort of goes out the window anyway on a 13 year old car with closer to 200k miles than 100k......not many lenders looking to take that on as security. Black Book (which reflects actual sale values) has this at clean retail at $10,725. Average (which this one looks closer to) is $8650. I probably wouldn't pay a dime over 10k, with $5k in the kitty for the inevitable used engine purchase down the road. Luckily (for now) used S54's are cheap and plentiful.
DeleteE46 prices are holding steady, E30 prices are ridiculous... and E36s can be had all day for $5k.
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