That's the thing with the internet,
you have heard plenty of issues with the SMG M5s,
but nothing of those with no issues.

And the stories we heard about the issues with SMG M5s on the internet only represent a very small portion of the SMG M5s worldwide.

And the severity of the issues are sometimes blown out of proportion.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not diminishing any SMG issues. Just hoping for those interested in SMG M5s research and read everything before deciding if its for you or not.

 

Is there some kind of difficulty going into a BMW dealer and having testdrive?

That's what you need to do. Take a bank statement (if it's healthy) or your dad with you if you are worried about them not taking you seriously.

 

i have been pretty active on the m5board.com and that is where i get my information. i was also pretty active on e46fanatics and almost never heard of any m3 smg issues. but consider this: bmw currently will not and does not enroll the new m5's in it's certification program. the e46 m3 is enroll-able. that tells me something right there also.

and that is why i am asking about people's opinion on reliability of SMG with m3's...

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

I love the 6 speed manual in my car, couldn't imagine the car with anything else. Too pure!

 

+17 for 6 speed... preferred it over the SMG when I had my E46. Unless you sit in LA traffic most of the day, 6 speed is where its at.

 

DSG or 6speed, I wouldnt settle of anything less. I really dont see why a 6speed is trouble in traffic. I dont mind it at all, an automatic puts me to sleep.

 

I agree wholeheartedly, We had an SMG II E46 M3 cabriolet...I found it to be boring, and the automatic settings are agrivatingly worthless. Audi's DSG transmission by contrast is everything the SMG should have been and more.

Jeremy

 

SMG is great. M5 is great, no problems to date.

Chose SMG because:
1. San Francisco roads aren't the best for driving stick comfortably or without burning through your clutch like a madman, and the thought of carelessly stalling on a 75 degree incline near my house didn't seem fun.

2. Lazy to play the clutch + stick game all day, ontop of already worrying about how to dodge every single pothole on the f'd up roads of San Francisco.

3. M5 SMG was the comfort, efficient daily driving choice; not the daily tracking/racing one...though every now and then I put the punk rice-rockets in their place when they rev their pos next to me.

Conclusion:
All depends on your driving habits and needs.

 

for me it is a daily driver and i have been driving a stick for years now and it is a big pain in the but in chicago traffic. i do like it though. i am refusing an automatic so that really limits my choices of a vehicle - either an audi or m3. which audis have the dsg? only the low powered ones right?

 

Same here.

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=96184

Care to comment?

 

I don't even know why pple who've never owned one would even be giving car recommendations based off only 3rd-party forum comments...

Get active in the actual car, not on the boards before you base a conclusion.
Mine is a 2007, 8900 miles, no issues whatsoever.

 

Well I'm 17. On top of that, E46 M3s are rare to find at dealers now (at least the one I looked at). Also, even if I did find one, I heard it takes some time getting used to. I do suppose, though, I can drive one if I find one...

 

My exact thoughts.

 

i saw that thread but i really dont wanna go into counting how many threads there are saying people have problems.

but my point was really a question earlier:

How is the reliability of the SMG II on the m3's?

 

I'm looking for an E46 M3 actually, but may put it off until the new V8 E92 debuts in hopes of the prices getting driven further down on the E46.

I don't discriminate against SMG beyond just some playful ribbing, but having gotten a decent amount of seat-time in both (more in the manual trans.) I just prefer it more. At the same time, the SMG is definately a smart choice if you sit in a lot of traffic like we have in southern california. Maybe I need some more seat-time in an SMG and somebody to better demonstrate it to me.