Hi everyone-

I'm looking to finally return to my sports car roots and trade the X5 in for a pre-owned M3 convertible.

I'm having a hard time finding any dealers willing to let an M3 convertible with navigation and SMG go for anything under $50K out the door -- and that's with 3X,000 miles on 2004 or 2005 models. Does that really seem right?!

ALSO: I do a LOT of driving around california -- how tiring is the noise with the top up on long drives?

AND: before anyone criticizes me for wanting the SMG, let me just say that I've always driven proper manuals until the X5 and love it as much as the next guy, fully enjoying the thrill of properly executing the perfect heel/toe downshift. BUT -- my buddy recently got a Competition Package M3 with SMG and has let me play with it a lot ... it is absolutely intoxicating and I really enjoy it.

Also- any technical changes and/or warning between 2004/5/6 models? I heard the 2003 and earlier models had blown engine problems .... but 2004+ should be no problems right?

And finally: in terms of maintenance/reliability ... please tell me the M3 will be better than my terribly trouble-prone 2001 X5 4.4?!

Thank you!

 

*02/14/07 W PALM $43,800 3,832 Avg BLUE A
*02/13/07 OHIO $38,000 4,289 Below MYSTIC 6
*02/08/07 ATLANTA $43,750 5,654 Avg BLACK 6
*02/08/07 W PALM $40,700 12,251 Avg BLUE A
*02/07/07 SAN DIEG $42,000 9,941 Avg RED A
*02/01/07 RIVRSIDE $45,000 11,089 Avg WESTMGRY 6
*01/31/07 W PALM $42,500 14,800 Avg White 6


Thats a list of everything through manhiem in the country for the last couple months, you cant tell much detail from it but it gives a vague idea if that helps at all. all are 2005 cabrios

 

With the top up, there is road noise, but it's not bad. It doesn't get annoying on long drives. Although I rarely drive with the top up.
The M3 is one of the most reliable cars I have driven. Very tough car. I really really drive it hard. I have had 2 and never had a problem. Although my friend had problems with his '04 SMG. I guess it's just luck of the draw, but all in all, it's a great. Really enjoyable drive.

 

excellent, thank you for the feedback!!

 

i have a 05 with 11k miles--Mike

 

How about an '06 Z4M with virtually NO miles...I have one for sale? LOL.

But to answer your questions...at least for my Z4M, wind noise definitely isn't a problem, top up or DOWN. For the Z4, I guess BMW got the aerodynamics right, so the wind doesn't quite travel into the cabin. With the top up, unless you're traveling over 100+ mph, it's very quiet. Of course you can't compare to an enclosed car, but for a vert, much better sound insulation than the POS Sebring I drove.

As for reliability, M3s are rock solid. I had an '02 M3, which I kept for 3 years and 35,000 miles. My car fell within the batch that could potentially have problems, but I had the recall done and the car was flawless except for window trim falling due to the hot SoCali weather.

And finally, in terms of price, $50,000 is a bit too high, given the mileage. Mid 45s would be about right. Cheers!

 

I owned a 2001 M3 Vert for 2 years in the Northeast and did a lot of top up driving. The road noise isn't a problem on long rides but you do have to watch out for squeaking noises where the top meets the body of the car. There are some easy fixes and some more complicated. For me, keeping the rubber gasket well lubricated all but eliminated the squeaking. However, other M3 owners had to have the gasket replaced with a different system. I believe there was actually a service bulletin on this that you could look up if it becomes a serious problem.

I also agree that $50s for an M3 Vert with >30K miles in the 04 - 06 range is too high. There are many solid examples of these for sale on M3Forum at better pricing than you are finding at your dealer. Check out the for sale section here:

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/forumdisplay.php?f=75

Peace,

Steve

 

very informative, everyone, thank you for the ongoing responses....

 

The top is fully lined and road noise is not an issue to me. It is a great daily driver, you will really enjoy it.

 

I bought my 2003.5 vert in April 2005 for less than $50k and it only had 7800 miles on it. This was a private party transaction. I would think that you should be able to find something in the high $30's .... low $40's with cpo warranty for a 2004. Add about $5k for a 2005.

David

 

I have an 03.5 coupe and love it. Did I say I love it?

 

good to hear all the positive comments.... thank you

 

I've got 30K miles on my 01.

I've only ran into one serious problem with my 01. It started to misfire prety bad one day. I had it towed to the dealer and it was already a known issue with the ignition coil. That was covered under warranty.

As for noise. Yes.
It's a convertible - I just turn my music up.

 

i have a cab as well.... not too much road noise but it SQUEEKSSS... have to put silicone lubricant every other month. takes care of the problem. oh yeah M3's just use one kind of oil, castrol 10w60. and valve adjust, inspection 1 and 2 every 30k miles.