I'm this || close to picking up an '04 M3 'vert, black on black, SMG, in very good interior and good exterior condition, with hard top, for summer fun and 1-3 HPDE per year. The thing that's holding me back is 120k miles on the car, which appears to have been well-maintained but has the original radiator at least and no service records. A local former BMW dealer tech gives it the thumbs up, and it drives very nicely. I drove my last E46 328i from 100k to 168k miles with only two major issues, both coolant system related - overflow tank split and ironically the water pump I put in for preventative maintenance failed. Yes, a coupe is better for HPDE but I can only find sunroof models and they're a tight fit for my head, and the price is certainly right on this one. Why shouldn't I buy this?
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July 1, 2011 1:04 p.m. pigeon Dork
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July 1, 2011 1:12 p.m. jonny330 New Reader
i say buy it, although i would rather have a manual, but if the price is right go for it.
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July 1, 2011 1:14 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork
pigeon wrote:
Why shouldn't I buy this?
I would say because it has no roof and no one on earth knows how to fix an SMG car but in both cases I would be projecting my own personal preferences.
If you dig it... there really isn't any reason not to.
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July 1, 2011 1:18 p.m. Ian F SuperDork
Knowing little about their durability, maintainence requirements or repair/replacement costs, I would do as much research on the SMG as possible before pulling the trigger.
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July 1, 2011 1:29 p.m. Steve Chryssos Associate Publisher
Do it......
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July 1, 2011 4:07 p.m. ansonivan Dork
I say go for it, it's one hell of a fun car even missing a pedal and a roof.
Worst case scenario:
- you grow tired of cowl shake and general floppiness
- SMG takes an expensive E36 M3
- purchase 318ti
- install S54 and 6 speed transmission sans the SMG parts plus regular shifter/slave cylinder
- drive sideways until you have a stroke from smiling too hard
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July 1, 2011 4:57 p.m. amg_rx7 HalfDork
'Verts and track days don't mix.
Coupe and track days are a OK.
I'd rather have a Boxster with a roll bar. Or a C5 Vette. Or my RX7. :)
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July 1, 2011 7:12 p.m. wbjones SuperDork
since you're asking us for help, that really means you've already made up your mind and really are asking for our blessings
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July 1, 2011 8:39 p.m. corytate Reader
Do it if you love it, but if it were me I'd have to get a laguna seca blue coupe with a manual=]
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July 1, 2011 9:20 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
I would wait for the coupe too.
Don't let the cooling issues scare you. If you do the work yourself.. it is only a couple hundred bucks
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July 1, 2011 9:57 p.m. motomoron HalfDork
There are essentially no HPDE sanctioning bodies who will allow convertibles w/o roll bars which pass the "broomstick test".
If you don't have a 'vert and need a track day car - buy a nice Miata and a built e36 M3 coupe. Same money, each one better at what it does than a single Swiss army knife.
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July 1, 2011 10:14 p.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork
IIRC when I looked at the purchase of a Miata for HPDE purposes, I noticed that the SCCA PDX regs will allow one with a factory hardtop w/o a rollbar.
I'd still wait for a coupe, the combination of convertible and SMG doesn't make for that great a track car.
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July 1, 2011 10:47 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
motomoron wrote:
There are essentially no HPDE sanctioning bodies who will allow convertibles w/o roll bars which pass the "broomstick test".
Broomstick test?
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July 1, 2011 11:01 p.m. pigeon Dork
mad_machine wrote:
motomoron wrote:
There are essentially no HPDE sanctioning bodies who will allow convertibles w/o roll bars which pass the "broomstick test".
Broomstick test?
Driver's head must be 1" below a broomstick placed across the windshield header and the top of the roll bar.
My local PCA region allows 'verts as do a couple other track day organizations that run at Watkins Glen so long as the hard top is on, so I could get my track time in. Of course if I were really smart I'd just rent the Spec Miatas that SCDA has for $895 for my track time.
I daily drove a Miata for 3 years, I want something with power. E36 M3s locally run 8-10k and this car is about 15k. I'm still not decided.
If I go coupe I'll have to add seats to get a bit lower (I know there's a pair of Recaros with side mounts for E46 coupes in the 20xx classifieds right now) due to how I fit. I could get a coupe with 97k miles and lots of track time but a known service history for $16k but it has some rust starting that would need to be addressed, then add in $1k for seats plus some other minor issues it has and it's a bunch more money.
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July 2, 2011 5:36 a.m. Per Schroeder Technical Editor/Advertising Director
I've been pretty hot and bothered by E46 M3s lately--although I like mine in competition-package flavor with no sunroof--I've been seeing more of those around lately.
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July 2, 2011 10:17 p.m. corytate Reader
look what i found:
01 laguna seca blue coupe 6 speed manual
