2002 BMW M3: It's Called Character Lines

They look good considering the side bolsters that stick out a foot.

Mine don't look nearly as bad as that (I have an 04 M3)...however, perhaps the Nappa Gray hides it more. Also, I'm a pretty tall and thin guy so I don't tend to drag myself against that bolster. 20k miles should not wear leather out like that.

My old 00 328Ci had 123k on the odo when I sold it (purchased new in 00) last year and had almost ZERO wear and tear on the (black and real) leather. It just depends on how you take care of it.

You'd be surprised how nice that leather would look after it's been treated with a good leather treatment such as Zymol.

The falling weather stripping is a common problem -- happened to mine as well. Glue is the best fix, seeing as the replacement part (which is not just the weather stripping but the surround that it is bonded to, as well -- it's called the "edge protector") is $225/side from Tischer BMW.

I'm actually more curious to know how the rear subframe mounts in your car are holding up. That's a notorious weak spot on all E46 coupes and sedans, M3s included (Google is your friend here). BMW NA has been good about covering the repairs of out-of-warranty cars, which is a good thing considering the worst-case-scenario fix (replacing the rear floor pan) is /unbelievably/ expensive (I've heard five figures at the dealer). Lots of owners go for prophylactic reinforcement as well -- Turner Motorsport sells a kit that can be welded on as long as the cracks have not grown too large.

My driver side bolster is pretty darn worn. It came that way when I bought it private party but the rest of the leather is mint.

If you have the adjustable side bolster option and your a bigger guy, you'll naturally rub up against the bolster entering/exiting the car, so for me its inevitable. (lol, not that I'm a lard ass by a longshot ;)

Window tint would help as well. I have a '95 black/black 7 series that's tinted out and those seats still look amazing.

The R8 was considerably more low slung causing more wear on the bolsters from entry/exit.

Leatherique that puppy and take new pictures.

Though it "looks" worn, it's not torn at all and there is barely any surface abrasion. That thing is holding up pretty decent given california sunshine/heat/no tint/poor care by editorial staff.

The new M3 red leather is far nicer color, IMHO.

"Leatherique that puppy and take new pictures."

That's an excellent product as well.

This is what I'd expect for the wear and tear of 7 year old seats. Considering the car is in sunny California. The original owner could have done a better job of maintaining the leather.

My grandma was the original owner of a 1984 MB SE with the original leather seats and upholstery that were in mint condition. She really took good care of her car, but she ended up letting it go a couple years ago as the engine hit over 300k and maintanence got costly.

Dcuerpo - I've seen so many old mercedes with, IIRC, vinyl seats (not leather, even on the high end models) that looked unbelievable after 20 years and 250,000 miles.

The 80's and early 90's mercedes had interiors that didn't wear well. They just didn't wear.

I had a 2003 325i with the god-awful leatherette interior. It got super hot in the summer, and it didn't have that leather smell. But, after I traded it in last year, the leather was still the same as the day I bought it.

It's called "patina."

Shivatron...the subframe mounts did indeed break apart on my 2000 328Ci. This was in early 2004 and the car had around 54,000 miles on it so it was just out of warranty. The dealership I purchased the car from did all of the work and maintenance on the car and gave me the bad news. Initially, I was quoted around a 10k repair bill (this was when the problem first started surfacing), however, the dealership really went to bat for me. The service manager spoke with BMW NA and explained to them that my car was not abused at all and that the subframe should be covered under BMW's goodwill policy. Initially, BMW NA balked and were only willing to pay 1/2 of the cost. In the end, the dealership insisted that I not have to pay anything and the whole repair was covered under warranty. It took the dealership over 3 months to repair the car and they ended up giving me a loaner X5 4.4i. I ended up putting 12,000 miles on the X5 in the time I had it.

My M3 has not had the subframe issue, nor has it had the rod-bearing issue. However, the real trailing arm busings (RTABs) and the SMG pump did fail. Other than that, it's been pretty reliable (so far).