Very simply, I'm entertaining the thought of selling my '05 RX-8 to get an '02 M3. Not just any M3, it's my brother's. He bought it new and has babied it ever since, going to his local dealer to have all of its maintenance handled. The price difference would not be the issue for me, so that is the least of my concerns. My question is, does it make much sense to get an older car in great condition, that is heavier, a different sort of handler (as my '8 has aftermarket springs and struts), and potentially has a more expensive repair future ahead of it? My '8 is in need of new plugs and coils in the near future, but other than that has treated me very well since 2006. Is the worry of my motor eating it (knock on wood) at some point enough to make the jump? For perspective, the '8 is my only car and it (or the M3) will be my daily driver for the foreseeable future.

I'm going to put some mileage on the car next weekend to get a better feel for it and will probably make a decision then, but in the meantime, I thought I'd ask for some fresh perspectives.

Cheers.

 

That's what would worry me. Sounds like he's taken good care of it, but if something were to go wrong, beemers aren't cheap to repair.

 

I would agree. Even though it's been meticulously maintained, anything that does eventually go wrong will cost a fortune to repair. Personally, I'd never get a "new" car that's older than the one I have either.

 

BMW's eat your wallet to death, I don't care how well you take care of it. I'm a service writer at a Euro repair garage, and BMW's and Audi's always need the most maintenance.

 

Hey, if you could afford the high maintenance, then go for it. I'm not asking you to do it, i'm just giving you my opinion.

 

Do you have any actual reason to think your rx8's engine is on the way out? Get a compression test and see whats going on, that should help make the decision easier for you. How many miles on your rx8, are you still within the 100k for the engine warranty?

 

I love my 8 as anyone else here... But my friend owns a Dinan M5 and it's a sort of crazy that you can't find anywhere else in the world. The boys over at BMW Motorsports don't **** around.

Careful driving it around, you may find yourself in love. again.

 

Both cars have 65k miles on the odometer. Thing is, the comments here about BMW repairs being expensive is indirectly echoed by some people thinking that the RX-8 is unreliable, and that the Renesis is a liability as it gains mileage. It's funny how cars and brands get these reputations. Fact it, I AM worried about the Renesis going forward. The fact that some people are on their third motor by 115k miles, while others have cleared 150k on their original motor leaves me with mixed feelings.

Well, surely I'll expect to pay more per repair for the M3 than the '8, but I'm still not sure which will have more actual issues going forward. The S54 is a bull of a motor, with sporadic VANOS failures seeming to be its only pervasive catalogued issue. I don't know. I'm so effing torn. I adore my car and it hasn't let me down yet, but a mint, non-flogged E46 M3 with a clean service history is super tempting. Bah.

 

I have to be honest and say that if I had the choice of a clean, mint, non-abused M3 (which is exceedingly rare) I would take it. I spent a number of years on e46fanatics and from what I could gather the M3 was a very well built car with few issues. True, Break My Wallets are expensive to repair, but there are many DIY to make it cheaper. Also, since it's still new, you could try setting aside some money each year as like a self-insurance against repair costs so that when it is a bit older and more run down you have a buffer to lean on. just my $0.02

 

seems like u make ur mind up, if i want it i could find me one , here in germany there is a lot of used bmw for sale but people are always complaining about how much they cost to get fixed even thought the BMW headquarters factory is like 2 hour drive from home.

 

Beautiful '8, man. I love it. Also, I definitely don't have my mind made up. There are arguments on both sides, for sure, and I'm just looking for other perspectives on this so I don't make an egregious mistake. I'm contacting local BMW shops now to see what I can expect in terms of repairs on an M3 between 65k-100k miles.

 

I think the 02 M3 is associated with a conrod bearing recall. Something you might want to keep in mind.

I personally wouldn't, even though I love the E46 M3 - not as a replacement. As an addition, yes.

This almost a comical generalization, but those hi-comp M3 I6's go boom when you redline whereas ours go pffft when we don't.

 

E46s are expensive. They're so packed and tight that any kind of work requires a lot of time, plus the usual repair parts cost.
Brake wise they're nothing too exceptional (as every motorsport bmw is), chassis wise you feel the mcpherson's limits soon. The power makes up for it though.

Dinan's m5 is a tuned car so that doesn't count. Alpina stuff is nice as well
The problem with the m5 is its dimensions\weight.

 

The bearings were replaced under warranty years ago, as was the differential.

...yeah. This may be more expense than I'm willing to take on, as even the local (and reputable) BMW garage told me that "The E46 M3 with the right care makes a wonderful daily driver, but by nature will likely be a bit more costly than your RX to own." Eish.

 

Castrol 10W-60 Motorsport oil = $15/liter. multiply by 6/7 bottles...hella expensive oil change.

M3's are definately not worth it. i work at a BMW dealership. if you think future repairs on an RX8 is going to be expensive, think a again. is it an SMG? cause that's even worse!

common problems:
window regulators
throttle body actuator/position sensors
VANOS
rear trailing arm bushings
differential noises
valve adjustments (shims)
....

 

It's a 6-speed...wouldn't take an SMG if handed to me for free. It's also worth noting that the suggested oil change interval is 15k miles, so at $125, it's actually cheaper than the $40 I pay every 3k miles for the '8. As for everything else, the points are well taken. My buddy has an '02 M3 that he tracks and had a VANOS oil issue, the bushings replaced and diff noises. My brother's doesn't make diff noises (yet).

I appreciate the perspective, man, thanks. Good to know what it's like from the inside. Guess I'm really rolling the dice maintenance-wise if I wind up with this thing. Nice car, btw...always loved it, wheels especially.

 

ok, well, seems you got everything in consideration. and since it's your brother's M3, there isn't anything you need to worry about. also, that 15k interval is too long, i don't care what BMW says...hahaha. E46 M3 is a great car, but it definately isn't the best car for anyone. if you're technically inclined and know a bit on cars, it's a great car.

thanks for the compliments btw.

 

Yea 15k seems pretty long, but even on the rx8 mazda will say to change every 5k to 7500 miles(depending how you drive) and I get a little worried when I go past 3k without a change when I am busy. So you cannot really rely on the numbers they give you.

 

My buddy had one, the E46 M3 is a great car, if you don't mind the high cost of maintenance then I say go for it. I had a 94'325is back in the day , stay on top of things and you will have a BMW that will las many years, don't and that car will become your worse nightmare. Performance wise ,I was always faster than my buddy in the corners in my 8 and he edged me out on the straits.

I say go for it.