The Quicker Picker-Upper By ktinsd on August 8, 2009 10:24 PM Great writeup. I've had good luck over the years using paper towels to wick out the excess brake fluid from the master reservoir. Just make sure to use something under the wet towel when you swing out from under the hood so you don't drip any on the paint.
We Call Him DIY Dan By stovt001 on August 9, 2009 3:53 PM I'm definitely interested in seeing more of this on the LT blog. I'd like to see a fairly balanced mix of DIY jobs, independent shops, and dealership visits. That will cover the whole range of car owners.
When I was a kid we just piled into a big sedan By eclogite on August 9, 2009 6:04 AM The fact that the family wants to take it on the family vacation AGAIN over a BMW 750 speaks volumes about the Flex. Thanks for keeping us readers in the decision loop.
By stephen987 on August 9, 2009 7:23 AM Excellent post. This kind of info--what's the thing like to live with on a regular basis--is the best thing about long-term testing. Keep it coming! One more thing, while I'm at it: these criteria are the reason that multipurpose vehicles (vans and van-adjacent things) keep on selling. The Flex, like the Enclave from last year, just plain makes sense as a family vehicle. You know, the way station wagons used to. (And no, the Audi doesn't count. It's too small for a family wagon, but it's great for packrats without kids.)
By felonious on August 9, 2009 10:39 AM That sure is a powerful sales pitch for the Flex! Too bad I'm so in the hole with my current family car, and my wife hates the hearse looks. :/
By stovt001 on August 9, 2009 11:14 PM Wow, let that roll around in your head for a little while. His family literally said "please don't make us go in the BMW. We'd much rather go in the Ford." I don't know whether that says more about Ford or BMW (I'd say Ford, if pressed) but it sure says something.
" ^ 'nuff said" Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor.
That's right, our 2002 BMW M3 is gone (Read the Long Term Wrap up here.) As sad as it is (for some of us-- the ones who weren't responsible for keeping the cabinet full of liquid-gold M3 oil), let's pick up the pieces of our shattered lives and take a walk down memory lane with the latest installment of Parting Shots. Walton said it best above, but follow the jump for more, and don't forget to leave your own Parting Shot in the comments.
Most of you said in no uncertain terms that it was too much car for someone that age. Others felt it was inappropriate for his family to fund this purchase. Still others were very negative about the outcome of putting a car like this in a young driver's hands.
But one commentor said something I really liked: "This kid's been in love with that model of M3 since he was 13. My guess is he'll be very careful with it. If anything, the worst that can happen is he'll damage the paint from over polishing it."
I'm not sure if this is true, but I'm going to keep this in mind. Because the kid bought the car.
Last week I got a quote from a wholesaler for our 2002 BMW M3. It was a good price but I was interested to see what kind of respons it would get on the open market.
So over the weekend I decided to throw it up on Craigslist. Maybe I could improve the wholesaler's quote. The TMV for this car is $18,400 and I decided to drop the price slightly to $18,000 since time was short.
Friday night I got an email from an interested buyer. Saturday I got several more emails. Sunday morning I got a call from a young guy who wanted to see it right away. "I'll be there in 30 minutes," he said. "I promise I'll be there." Well, since he promised...
Looking at the mileage records for vehicles in the Edmunds.com long term fleet I usually find that I get higher fuel economy than other drivers. So I was waiting for that effect to kick in with the 2002 BMW M3.
No dice.
Lifetime average for the M3 is 17.4 mpg and I only improved the efficiency to a measly 19.6 mpg on the last tank after driving 277 freeway miles. I couldn't even crack 20 mpg!
This car is impossible to drive calmly. It was never intended to provide good fuel efficiency. It was built to deliver driving pleasure and even at its advanced age it does that quite well.
Below are the fuel economy numbers for June 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.
As always, we were missing a few cars that were out of town or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.
Car
Best
Worst
Average
2009 Audi A4 Avant
26.8
17.5
21.9
2009 Audi S5
22.3
11.3
18.0
2008 BMW 135i
27.7
13.9
19.8
2009 BMW 750i
21.8
12.4
17.9
2002 BMW M3
23.5
12.3
17.5
2009 BMW M3
20.5
12.7
16.1
2009 Ford Flex Limited
26.7
13.7
19.2
2008 Ford Focus SES
40.6
16.6
26.7
2007 Honda Civic GX
47.3
12.7
31.6
2009 Honda Fit Sport
39.0
24.9
31.0
2009 Hyundai Genesis
24.4
14.3
20.4
2009 Infiniti FX50
21.8
10.7
16.9
2009 Mazda 6
29.3
19.4
23.5
2008 Mitsubishi Evo X GSR
22.6
11.0
17.0
2009 Nissan 370Z
24.4
13.7
17.9
2009 Nissan GT-R
21.8
11.5
16.4
2008 Smart Fortwo Passion
43.4
23.5
33.6
2009 Suzuki SX4
28.3
18.6
22.5
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
43.0
28.0
34.6
After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.
I don't know about you, but I can't afford a new BMW M3. But now, I might be able to afford a used one.
Our 2002 BMW M3 Coupe is going to be leaving home soon, and it will be my job to push it out the door. So this morning I took a look at what we paid for it and what we hope to sell it for.
About 18 months ago we paid $30,000 for our menacing, black, freeway rocket. It had 50,000 miles on it, definitely not a spring chicken. Still, the needle on the fun factor registered a high reading.
Now, our True Market Value price is $18,508 at 72,951 miles. That means the car has depreciated $11,492. If you were leasing the car, that would be the equivalent of $638 a month (before taxes and DMV fees). That's still a pretty steep monthly payment for me.
But on the other hand, that's a lot of car.
Philip Reed, Edmunds senior consumer advice editor @ 72,951 miles.
Last night, I had a choice of either the new M3 or the old M3 to take home. I took the latter, which no doubt has some of you scratching your heads. You see, the old M3 will be going away soon and as I haven't driven it in a while, figured I better get time in it while I can. Even though it was just for my traffic-filled six mile commute, it was worth it -- this morning I let it sing on the wide-open on-ramp to the 10 trapped-way. Of course, one last dance through the canyons is on the docket too. So yeah, I like it that much. Dare I say, I'm as smitten with this car as Mr. Sadlier.
Herewith are the 3 things I love and, uhhh, don't love about the car:
See this little knob between the M3's center dashboard vents? It controls the air temperature coming out of those vents and the two outer vents by the doors. And it does so with authority over the enitre automatic climate control system. Why this is silly after the jump...
Here are the fuel economy numbers for 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.
As always, we were missing a few cars that were out of town or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll add them as they come in and I'll let you know in the comments.
Car
Best
Worst
Average
2009 Audi A4 Avant
26.8
17.5
22.0
2009 Audi S5
22.3
11.8
18.0
2009 BMW 750i
21.8
12.4
18.2
2002 BMW M3
23.5
12.3
17.5
2009 BMW M3
18.8
9.6
15.4
2008 Cadillac CTS
32.5
9.9
19.3
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
22.3
10.3
16.0
2009 Ford Flex Limited
26.7
13.7
19.4
2008 Ford Focus SES
40.6
16.6
26.7
2007 Honda Civic GX
47.3
12.7
31.7
2009 Honda Fit Sport
39.0
26.0
31.5
2009 Hyundai Genesis
24.8
15.5
20.7
2009 Infiniti FX50
21.8
10.7
17.0
2009 Mazda 6
29.1
19.4
23.3
2008 Mitsubishi Evo X MR
27.2
11.7
17.3
2009 Nissan 370Z
24.4
13.7
18.2
2009 Nissan GT-R
21.8
11.5
16.5
2008 Pontiac G8 GT
24.0
12.0
17.5
2008 Smart Fortwo Passion
43.4
23.5
33.4
2009 Suzuki SX4
28.3
18.6
22.6
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
43.0
28.7
35.0
After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.
Would I buy one? It's a question I ask myself whenever I slide behind the wheel of a car. Would I drop my hard earned money on one of these? Would I want to own it? Drive it for years? Look at it in my driveway? Tell people it's mine?
It's also the question you the reader ask me the most. So I've decided to go through all the cars we now have in our fleet and decide whether or not I would buy one. I also included a few recently departed vehicles. Seems appropriate since they just left us.
The thing about the new cars in our long-term fleet is, they really shouldn't be having serious problems. We get 'em fresh off the lot and ditch 'em after 20,000 miles. Any modern car should be able to handle that.
When you're talking about a used performance car, though, that's a different story.
We added our long-term 2002 BMW M3 to the fleet in January of 2008 with 50,000 miles on the clock. People don't buy stickshift M3s to putter around at 3,000 rpm, so it's safe to assume that our example had already led a pretty hard life. And over the past 17 months, we've added almost 22,000 ...erm... "enthusiastic" miles to the tally, including drifting, autocrossing, repeatedperformancetesting, and generally treating the red hash mark north of 8,000 rpm as the "shift here" light.
Yet despite having weathered the full Edmunds treatment for an unusually long period, this thing absolutely refuses to break. You can almost hear it scoffing at us: "Is that all you got?" The M3 pulls just as hard and clean today as it did when we bought it, and it still feels tight. Color me impressed.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 71,826 miles
Having driven the 2002 BMW M3 for the weekend, I should've written this blog post on Monday, but I was dragging my feet, fearful of the Bavarian Backlash after I admitted I was so totally over the coupe.
But this morning a great thing happened. I took the M3 out to run a quick errand and turns out, I do like the car. It was my crappy weekend full of mindless errands that was annoying, not the M3 coupe's lack of rear doors or updated nav system. In fact, it wasn't the M3's fault at all that my kid was invited to two birthday parties in the same afternoon (one pool, one beach) that had her climbing in and out of the back seat, trailing wet towels and sand over my seat back as I ferried her from one group of shrieking girls to the next.
Once back in the M3 this morning BY MYSELF, the BMW and I had a perfectly lovely drive together.
Although it did make me promise to take home an SUV or a minivan this weekend instead.
The current (E9X) BMW 3 Series comes standard with a shallow storage cavity aft of the shifter on the center console. It's kind of a joke, but at least I'm able to squeeze my cell phone and wallet into it. Our long-term 2009 BMW M3 sedan has the iDrive option, which replaces that storage cavity with the iDrive controller.
In other words, my wallet and phone are out of luck.
Sure, I could put my wallet in the covered bin under the armrest, but I can't put my phone in there (might not even hear it ring), and it's a pain to access anyway. So I end up putting my phone in the door-grab cavity and my wallet in the door map pocket. The E9X 3 Series with iDrive is the only car I can think of that makes me stoop to this level.
Personally, I have never kept a car more than five years. I let go of cars for a variety of reasons -- got bored of them, blew up an engine (or two), I wanted to go faster or my tastes have changed. Buzzing around town this weekend in our "old" M3 got me thinking -- is there and automotive equivalent to dog years?
Our old M3 was looking a little down recently. Specifically, the flocked (velour-like-covered) rubber trim strip that covers the inside edge of the driver's door weatherstripping was down and out. Armed with a tube of Permatex Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (under $3), I got to work.
I drove our new M3 like I meant it for the first time this week, and while I'm totally with Jacquot on the color choice, here's what I texted back to the office:
"A race car that seats five, with a supple ride and a killer stereo. Best all-around car in the world."
I stand by that assessment, but aftertaking our old M3 up the PCH to Oxnard last night (not once have I just driven this car straight home), I'm not sure I would trade it in for the new one if it were my car. TMV
for our M3 is about $19k, so I'd need another $37k or so to get into the new one. Even if I had silly money, I'd have to think twice about getting rid of the E46.
Yes, the aging S54 inline-6 is noticeably less powerful than the ridiculous S65 V8, but it's got every bit as much of that refined ferocity that sets M engines apart. I still prefer the looks of the old car, too, though it loses out on functionality to our E90 four-door (a curse upon you, BMW, for not making an E46 M3 sedan). For my money, I think I might keep the E46 and buy a new 328i wagon with that $37k.
In a previous post about the seats, some of you had asked how the red leather in our 2002 BMW M3 was holding up. I'd say that after seven years and over 70,000 miles, they look pretty good broken in. (However, the weather stripping coming apart is another matter. Yikes.)
Anyway, the below shot of the side bolster seems to be the only place where there's some wear on the seat. Compare that to our 2008 R8's seats after just three months in service.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 70,719 miles
Over the course of this year, you'll no doubt be hearing a lot of comparisons between our 2002 BMW M3 Coupe and our 2009 BMW M3 Sedan. No doubt, there'll be lots of Josh Sadlier pining for the old car as he weeps gently in the corner with a picture of his dear "Emmy." No, he hasn't admitted to naming the M3, but I just know he has.
So to kick off the festivities, I thought I'd weigh in about an area not typically discussed in regards to a BMW M3: how easy it is to drive in traffic. The old M3 has a rather stiff clutch pedal that feels like it's attached to a taut coil spring (at least according to my leg). It's marvelous during aggressive driving, but it grows tiresome in stop-and-go traffic. Other than our STI, it was the last long-termer I wanted to get stuck in gridlock with.
By contrast, I'd be happy to take the new M3 any day of the week. The engagement point can be a little tricky at first, but after three or four blocks, there was no more jerking about. Clutch effort is now much easier on the old hamstrings, but still manages to feel mechanical and communicative. Perhaps this is where the car has lost some raw charm, but on a day-to-day basis, I could live with that.
Oh, and the audio/nav interface doesn't make me want to rip it out of the car and chuck it onto the street. That's right, I'll say it, "Yay iDrive!"
When I scored the keys to the M3 last night, I couldn't resist going on an impromptu comparison drive. 2002 M3 with 70k miles vs. my recently acquired 2001 Prelude with 68k miles -- fair fight, right? Right, except for, um, the M3's rear-wheel drive and additional 133 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. In other words, the M3 is infinitely awesomer than the 'Lude. But the experience did remind me that Honda's classic VTEC fours are total gateway drugs for M power.
That's why I've had a thing for our M3 ever since I ran it through the gears for the first time. Like the Prelude, or my old Integra GS-R, or an S2000, the M3 has a motor that practically begs you to drive the whee out of it -- but unlike those torqueless wonders, the M3's inline-6 has good pull from as low as 3,000 rpm, and it just keeps building in a seamless surge until the rev limiter intervenes. It's basically VTEC version 2.0: same thrilling high-rpm thrust and soundtrack, with the added bonus of usable midrange torque. Ditto the M5's V10 and the new M3's V8. I suspect I speak for VTEC owners everywhere when I say that these Hondas are what you drive until you can afford an M.
I do wish the M3 had the Prelude's shifter though. The Honda takes that category hands down.
As I mentioned recently in a previous post, we bought our E46 M3 15 months ago with a tick less than 50,000 miles on its odometer. Well, last night I jumped in the black coupe to drive home and noticed its odometer read 70,000 miles exactly.
To commemorate the milestone I drove it home like I stole it. Great car.
I get this question almost daily from somebody, and my answer usually blows their mind. I say, "Well, everyday this guy Mike walks up to me with a clipboard that contains a list of 15 to 30 cars ranging from a Smart to a GT-R and he says, 'Scott, what do you want to drive home tonight.'"
Here are updated fuel economy figures for the month of March. We've listed the best, worst and average fuel economy numbers over the life of the vehicle. Keep in mind that some of these tanks may be based on a partial fill-up.
This is missing a few that were not available at the time I was compiling this list.
Car
Best
Worst
Average
2009 Audi A4 Avant
26.0
17.5
21.6
2002 BMW M3
23.5
12.3
17.6
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T
20.4
12.9
17.3
2008 Ford Focus
40.6
17.1
26.4
2007 Honda Civic GX
47.3
21.4
31.6
2009 Honda Fit Sport
39.0
28.0
32.1
2009 Hyundai Genesis
24.8
15.5
21.1
2009 Infiniti FX50
20.9
10.8
17.4
2009 Mazda 6
29.1
19.5
23.3
2008 Mitsubishi Evo X GSR
22.6
11.0
17.1
2008 Mitsubishi Evo X MR
24.7
15.0
16.8
2009 Nissan 370Z Touring
21.6
14.0
18.4
2008 Smart Fortwo
43.4
25.7
33.8
2009 Suzuki SX4
25.0
18.6
22.1
2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
43.0
28.7
35.6
2005 Volkswagen Jetta on Biodiesel
43.9
35.5
39.3
After the jump you can see the list sorted by average MPG.
This may be a silly thing to blog about but I like this feature on our 2002 BMW M3: the illuminated gearshifter. Now, I'm just speaking from the perspective of someone who jumps in a different car every night. I hate how when I'm driving a long-termer on the freeway and I can't tell if it has one more gear above 5th. I'm always afraid that I'll inadvertently shift it into Reverse.
Anyway, the M3's gearshifter actually has its own lights inside. I think it's the first time I've noticed that in any car. Are there other cars that have that?
I checked to make sure it wasn't the orange lights overhead that were illuminating the shifter by blocking it out with my hand. And sure enough, it glows on its own. Nifty!
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 69,844 miles
I wanted to give you guys an update on the vehicles we cover everyday on this blog. I think there's some concern out there that we have too many BMWs. We don't, it just looks like we do.
Fact is, the X5 is done. The wrap-up of its year long run with us will hit Inside Line thisThursday night. Our 2002 M3 is also pretty much finished. We've had it for 15 months, and have just been waiting for a new M3 sedan to arrive before we sold it off. Well, the new M3 arrived today. Don't worry, it's a 6-speed. No SMG. Or DCT. Or whatever they call it now. Look for it's intro to this blog in a couple of weeks and the wrap-up of our year long test of the E46 in about a month.
That leaves our 135i. It too will end its run soon. We'll have had it for 12-months sometime in May.
So, our timing may be a bit off, but the plan was to replace the 135i, the E46 M3 and the X5 with our new 750i and a new M3 sedan. So if you give it a month or two to play out, we'll be back down to just two BMWs.
When we bought our beloved E46 back in December of 2007, the 2002 BMW M3 had covered 49,750 miles. Well, that was 15 months and 20,000 miles ago.
The good news: We haven't spent a dime on maintenance since we had that alternator problem dealt with back in September around the 62,000 mile mark. Well, not unless you count tires. I'm also astonished at how tight this car feels. We don't baby it, believe me, yet there is not a squeek or a rattle to be heard. Tight as a drum, and I swear the suspension feels new.
The bad news: The steering and shifter are feeling their age. Especially the shifter.
By the way, a new M3 Sedan will be joining our fleet in April, and its arrival will mark the end of this car's time with us. I for one will miss it. Will you?
Anybody out there want to buy a well preserved 2002 BMW M3?
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 69,789 miles
I've driven our M3 enough now to have established a routine every time I get behind the wheel. Right after clicking my seatbelt, I reach down and enable the "Sport" throttle calibration and disable the stability control.
What the paint on our 2002 BMW M3 looks like with the odometer close to 70K miles, said without judgment. This is a picture of the passenger side front end, missing fog light courtesy of an errant cone during an autocross. I noticed the faux dirtiness when I had just gotten the keys back from the car washer. "Did they not clean the car?" I wondered looking at what appeared to be dried mud spatters on the front end. But when I touched it it was just worn. I wonder how much a paint job would cost?
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 69,190 miles
In the past couple of weeks we've had a lot of turnover in our long-term fleet. Some cars have gone bye-bye and we've gotten a couple of newbies. I thought you'd want an update.
Gone are the BMW X5, Audi R8 and Dodge Grand Caravan. There will be no more blogs on these cars, but look for an in depth wrap-up on each in the next few weeks, just like the one we published on our Mercedes C300 today. All three are already missed. The X5 and R8 were staff favorites, and the minivan proved to be great at moving people and things, even if we didn't always shower it with praise.
Every time I drive our 2002 BMW M3 I can't help but feel like it's driving with a chip on its shoulder or something because it seems like either drivers of other similar sporty cars are trying to get me to race or cops regard it suspiciously. To both groups I just shrug and go on my way trying to be as nonthreatening as possible: hanging two car lengths back and going with the speed of traffic. Sure, the temptation is always there but I've been able to push it to the back of my mind.
I know other editors have hated on thearchaicnavigationsystem of our 2002 BMW M3 in past blog posts. Sure, it's best if you have lots of time to scroll through the alphabet to spell out your destination on the nav before you have to get where you're going. (Never navigate while you're driving, at least in this car!) And the map of your route is so tiny that it's useless. And when you don't want to use the nav, the default screen is the menu screen, not the audio screen or even just the map. All annoying issues, especially when you've already had exposure to more modern navigation systems, both portable and in-car.
But what I did appreciate about navigating toward a destination in unfamiliar territory with our M3 is that the guide gives you ample time to make the required maneuvers. When I was stuck in the dreaded traffic hell that is 110 North near downtown L.A. on my way toward Eagle Rock, the guide gave me an ample heads-up to get many lanes over to my exit onto the 5 North. I also like how she always says things like, "Prepare to turn right" or "Take the second exit." She doesn't talk all the time like other nav systems I've tried but she does give you the required info when you need it. In other navs I've used, I'd miss a turn since I'd be stuck in the right lane at the time they instructed me to turn left. *facepalm*
Yes, living with this 2002 nav system is like living with a cassette tape deck but it's better than nothing at all and still functional. So the next owner of this 2002 M3 may have to deal with this old-fashioned nav but at least the M3's fun driving ability is still timeless.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 68,434 miles
I was driving our 2002 BMW M3 around last night when I noticed that that red clown nose dimmer switch was missing from the rearview mirror. So, yeah, couldn't dim the headlights of all those motorists I left behind in the dust. Heh.
The mirror looks so sad without that red button that I did a quick search online just to see how much it would be to replace an E46 rearview mirror with dimmer. There seemed to be a wide range of choices with a wide range of prices, from the 99-cent one (opening bid) I found on eBay to the $50 defective leaky one (also on eBay) to a $300 oval mirror found on an M3 forum.
Haven't brought this up with the key keepers yet but in all honesty none of the other editors even noticed the dimmer was missing.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 68,308 miles
A month ago we mounted new shoes on our German Mustang. We ordered a set of Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires from www.tirerack.com to replace our worn Yokohama Advans. Why Sumitomos? Simply, they were cheap. Then we track tested them, which proved that if ultimate dry grip is your first five priorities then you should buy the Yoks.
Well, my tire needs are a bit more complex then that. And after nearly 2,000 miles of driving, I'm sold on these Sumitomos.
This week's textcast gets to the heart of the recent 135i vs. M3 brouhaha. Eventually. We promise. Click on the photos to enlarge.
(1:58:52 PM) Sadlier: Legacy GT: best car subaru makes. and quite possibly the best-handling family sedan, period. despite body roll and gooey steering. tell me why i'm wrong (2:07:14 PM) Magrath: I'll agree that it's the best car they make now that the Forester has jumped the shark. (2:08:07 PM) Magrath: As for the rest of your nonsense, self-contradictory nonsense....well, it's just not right. (2:09:07 PM) Sadlier: seriously, all that suspension needs is some firming-up. it feels like they started with a sport sedan and dumbed it down for americans (2:09:41 PM) Magrath: ...some firming up and some being better at being AWD. (2:09:45 PM) Sadlier: how so? (2:10:31 PM) Magrath: It doesn't rotate off throttle. It plows or oversteers. There's no middle ground that a good AWD setup can usually find. It was one of those things that I was glad was verified by the test data because I just thought I was bad at driving it. (2:11:43 PM) Sadlier: well, i definitely tossed it around with more abandon than any previous family sedan. you know what it reminded me of -- a softer and less sharp but more entertaining A4 (2:20:55 PM) Magrath: More entertaining = less stable? You're quickly falling down the hole of "less confidence means more fun!" (2:21:30 PM) Sadlier: that's my motto. the less confidence the better (2:21:34 PM) Magrath: Soon you'll have a '65 mustang with one seat, no carpeting, bias-ply tires and no seatbelts. (2:21:47 PM) Sadlier: now that sounds entertaining
By now, y'all know the M3's performance can be more thrilling than a ride at Six Flags. And that the sweet noises the engine makes when it's on the boil are enough to cause unmitigated lust (see Sadlier's last post). Yeah, you can count me among the M3 fanboys. But one part of the M3 that strikes me as another thing they got spot on is, to paraphrase the words of the Rolling Stones, under my thumb(s).
I've already waxed poetic about the great seats. Now, I'm talking about the steering wheel. A just-right diameter, a thick rim (but not ridiculously so, such as on the newer M coupe), perfectly-placed "9 and 3" spokes with thumb reliefs and even the M-specific red and blue stitching add to the sporty tactile experience that reminds you that you're piloting something special.
As they say in the auto trade, the feel of the wheel will seal the deal.
Last week Associate Editor Josh Sadlier went all Tom Cruise on us. (Although he did it via internet tubes instead of Oprah's couch, but hey, we take the soap boxes we can get.) He's in love, it's cute. But it's also scarred a scary amount of psychosis on his already shredded psyche. Like Katie Holmes, I think he's got Stockholm Syndrome.
Following the jump will lead you down a path to understanding why the 135 is a fantastic drivers car. Why the M3 is overrated and why Sadlier needs an M3 intervention. (That, or it'll be a fantastic waste of about 5 minutes.)
We've had a lot of desirable long-term cars over the years, but I think our 2002 BMW M3 has been praised more consistently than any other long-termer for the way it drives, bizarre Austrian rants notwithstanding. As the odometer approaches 70,000 and the e46 M3 generation marks the third anniversary of its demise, this is still arguably the most fun-to-drive car in our fleet, as I was reminded while caning the M3 through the canyons in Malibu on my lunch break today.
However, I do blame this car for causing one of my biggest professional headaches: the M3's 333-hp S54 inline-6 has become the standard by which I judge sporting engines, and most of them just don't measure up.
The 370Z's 3.7-liter V6? Reprehensibly truckish. The A4's new 2.0T? Sounds like a Scion. Evo X? A turbocharged blender. Hell, BMW's own twin-turbo six seems soporific compared to the M3's gloriously free-revving powerplant.
I still love me some V8 (Z06, R8, S5, current M3, any AMG product), but those extra two cylinders usually don't come cheap. Particularly in the $25-35k price range, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better motor than a used e46 M3's.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 67,202 miles
It's been raining here in LA the last few days. Several times with pretty heavy downpours. I spent most of the weekend on my couch not feeling well so the M3 was parked on the street the majority of the time.
When I got into the car this morning the trapped moist air had a strong stale laundry smell to it. It reminded me of a college roommate, not in a good way. I had to blast the air at full for a long time with the windows cracked to work the moisture and the smell out of the system.
I just wish it was that simple back in my freshman year with Doug.
Way back before the gas crisis, the housing crisis and the credit crisis, we did a comparison test between a new BMW 135i (very much like our long term BMW 135i), a new BMW 335i and our newly aquired long-term 2002 BMW M3 E46. The idea was simple. Where is your money best spent on a BMW hot rod coupe? And it played out like this:
335i: Great in every way, but unnecessarily expensive.
135i: Almost great in every way, the quickest of the bunch, but still unnecessarily expensive.
E46 M3: Still great where it counts, fast, although the slowest of the three. Also the cheapest by a bunch. Best looking too. And the most viceral. We have a winner.
Well, I just spent some time in our E46 and I just spent a night in our 135i. As much as I'm a lover of both, I would spend the extra bucks a month and buy a 335i sedan. Turns out I don't think it's unnecessarily expensive. For the extra cash you get the best drivetrain, the most refinement and the best interior. I also prefer the suspension tuning and directional stability of the 335i, even with the sport package, which I would hope to afford. The 135i is bit all over the place on the highway and it rides a bit choppy for my taste.
Still, the 135i is my second choice. Some lowering springs and a set of deep dish wheels to set it off and I'd be happy for a long time. Choppy ride and all.
And then there's our E46. It's a car I lust after. And owning one would be a privilege. However, I'm taken by the awesome refinement, the subtle tuning excellence and the turbocharged thrust of the new cars.
I was enjoying a carefree weekend with our long-term 2002 BMW M3 -- nothing demanding, really, I was just keeping an easy pace and taking care to baby the aging six-speed Getrag gearbox
. And that's about when the amber "low oil" light came on two miles from my apartment. It stayed on until I shut the car off.
There was a quart of the M3's preferred 10W60 synthetic in the backseat, but when I picked up the bottle, less than a half-pint was left. It was 6 p.m. on Sunday and I had evening plans, so I rushed to the nearest auto parts store. They didn't have 10W60, so I was forced to buy one of the two allowed alternatives per the owner's manual: 10W40.
Meanwhile, the low oil light had extinguished in the M3. I let the car sit for 40 minutes after returning home, and when I pulled the dipstick, the oil level was perfectly fine -- smack in the middle. Thanks, car.
So what we did learn here? Not a lot, but if I owned an E46 BMW M3, I'd keep a case of 10W60 on hand just to avoid running around on Sunday nights.
P.S. Ignore the brake wear warning light on the right side of the cluster. The brakes work extremely well, but the stock brake pad wear sensor has never been quite pleased since the installation of our Stoptech big brake kit.
Sure, our M3 probably didn't need upgraded brakes, but then again, it didn't need 333-horsepower either. Someone at BMW thought it might be fun - and they were right. Same goes for the brakes. They feel great and you can hammer on them endlessly without guilt.
They're not perfect though. Around town they're starting to squeak. It's like having a parakeet stuck in your ear. Kind of annoying to say the least. Not sure if it's something we can address easily. You'll also notice the considerable amount of brake dust on the wheels. Good thing they're dark to begin with.
The tenure of our M3 isn't going to last much longer and there have people often remark "Well, I should buy this car when we're done."
And just to answer a question you might have right now, no we don't gets deals on them.
We bought it used to see what the ownership would be like. I've loved this car. I love the sound, the ease of blip shifting, the power, the handling and the looks. But when I get into it during the day and see how the rubberized surface has been scratched up, the missing overhead light, and dangling trim it makes me wonder if our thoroughbred is on the backside of it's spunk.
A car like this need attention, and as it gets older it needs more and more. I don't think age is a deal killer. This M3 has plenty of big time pros, but the maintenance on a maturing performance vehicle isn't something to take lightly.
Would I buy it after it's tour is done? I thought about it a lot last night as I drove home from a late night movie. I pulled up next to a gray buzzard hunched over the steering wheel of his yellow GT500 at a stop light. Game on.
Once you get that rush of acceleration and growl of it's purebred engine, it's really hard to say it isn't worth it all.
After a week or so of waiting, our long-term 2002 BMW M3 is back on the road and rolling on a new pair of shoes.
Faithful readers will remember that we had beaten the E46's set of Yokohama Advans into submission and were in desperate need of replacements. As always, to www.tirerack.com we went, credit card in hand.
But a new set of Advans seemed boring. As much as we were impressed with the tire, we wanted to try something new, but what? We knew we still wanted a Max Performance Tire because the M3 rarely leaves L.A.and Spring is closer than we think, but beyond that we were open to anything.
Well, we ended up with a set of Sumitomos. Yes, Sumitomos. The company's max performance model is called the HTR ZIII and we figured they were worth a shot for two reasons.
1) They are dirt cheap. In fact, they are the cheapest max performance tire that comes in the M3's required sizes. And at $132 for each front and $153 for each rear they cost about half as much as a set of Advans or a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s.
2) We thought it would be fun to see what you get for that low price. Are they a steal or is this an example of half price/half performance?
We decided it would be fun to find out. Soon we will retest the car at our test track to sample the ultimate grip and extreme handling characteristics of the Sumitomos, and we'll surely report on their ride quailty and overall durability in the coming weeks.
As usual, www.tirerack.com and the crew at The Tire Rack made everything easy. The tires were shipped quickly and showed up as promised. We then zipped over to our favorite local tire installer, Stokes Tire in Santa Monica, and had them installed. They charged us $109. That's $100 for install / balance and $9 for hazardous waste disposal.
And so far so good. The Sumitomo name might not impress your buddies at the local hangout, but the tires look good, and they feel great. They've been on the car for about a week now and we have no complaints.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 66,698 miles
As you can see our beloved M3 is down with a flat Yokohama. We already pumped it up once, only to have it flatten again. Usually we would just get it patched, but all four Advans on the car are so worn (there are cords showing on one) that fixing it doesn't make much sense. And so the car sits waiting for some new shoes.
Anybody got any tires they'd like to recommend? As much as we liked the Yoks, we thought we would try something new. What tires should we get for the M3?
...I had nothing to do with missing tread on rear tires.
Above, is what remains of the tread on one of the rear tires on our 2002 BMW M3. No doubt these tires fell victim to gratuitous powerslides and general hooliganism brought about by our crack staff. I'm sure Ms. Riches' excellent adventure had a little something to do with it too.
While these tires would be perfectly safe for most of the year here in Southern California, the rainy season (read month) is fast approaching. Despite the fact that all California drivers are idiots, the roads and freeways here are notoriously bad in the rain. Improper drainage, poor lane markings along with massive hidden oil deposits that seep to the surface conspire to send everyone, even cars with fully treaded tires, careening into the wall when it's raining.
As much as I hate to err on the side of safety, it might be a good idea to buy some new tires.
Our 2002 BMW M3 has a few minor problems (curling trunk liner, missing dome light cover, loose trunk flashing) but at 65,000 miles there's still lots to love about it. Here are three things that come to mind and a short, highly opinionated reason why this raises my pulse.
1. Changing Redline on the Tach. When you first fire it up the redline, shown in glowing red, is about 6,500 rpm. But after it's hot the redline climbs to 7,500 rpm. I can imagine some Germanic voice saying, "Yes, I know you want to wind za crap out of it immediately. But you must wait until za vital oil is warmed and fully circulated before you may do so."
2. The fat, fat steering wheel. Is it too fat? Edmunds editors could debate this along with the great questions of existence, for hours on end. But my firm conviction is that it is just right. It is a constant tactile reminder you that you are driving a car that is a cut above everything else on the road, even when it is six years old with 65,000 hard miles on it.
3. Growls and snarls. This M3 is like an athlete who's so good he doesn't have to advertise it all the time. So a threatening growl is your normal exhaust note. But step into it and you find another whole level of snarling performance awaits you.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but our 2002 BMW M3 picked up what looked like a nasal secretion while visiting California Speedway yesterday.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an ancient piece of chewing gum. Our crack forensics team says the M3's projecting and sticky front tires picked it up off the parking lot somewhere and spit it back onto the rear quarter-panel.
Chances of something like this happening were improved by the Stoptech brake upgrade we installed a while back, a move that required 10 mm worth of front wheel spacers to gain the required caliper clearance.
Perhaps it's time for a pair of Yosemite Sam "Back Off" mud flaps. The paint looks OK so far, but...
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing at 62,345 miles (I think)
On a whim, I signed up for an autocrossing school Saturday at California Speedway's Lot 12 in Fontana. And on a whim, I requested our 2002 BMW M3 to experience what's left of the sticky Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 tires we put on in February
.
Autocross school is better than a championship for a novice like me, as I probably got 15-16 laps in for the whole day -- about 3 times as many as you'd get in official timed competition. Somewhere during my third lap, I realized I was driving one of the trickier cars out there -- perhaps topped only by a Canadian-built, not-a-kit-car Cobra.
Which is to say that driving a E46 BMW M3 around an autocross course is very, very fun. Any combination of steering and throttle input (and not anything close to full throttle) had the back end coming around. The M3 offers good feedback through the seat and the steering wheel, though, so the slides were easy to predict and catch -- well, most of the time.
I was torn: Part of me wanted to turn some cleaner runs and quicker times, but another, equally impassioned part of me wanted to get the tail out through every corner. In the end, we sort of compromised. My times came down a bit, and I created my own enormously entertaining, hands-on course in car control.
Rarely have I ever had this much time and space to play with a powerful, rear-wheel-drive car. The Stoptech brakes also felt great when I got on them hard. The only casualty of the weekend was the right foglight. It was already missing its protective casing and when it knocked against a cone, the lens cracked. The light still works, but when I noticed it was bouncing out of position on the freeway, I yanked it out.
I am now intrigued by the idea of using an E46 M3 as a hooligan autocross car, a counter to all the WRXs and Miatas out there. Video and photos shot by Loren Wong (SubyTrojan) submitted for your enjoyment.
I needed to check our long-term 2002 BMW M3's oil level and tire pressures in preparation for a weekend autocrossing school (photos of that coming tomorrow). I'd guess I've never checked the oil in our M3 before, because I was surprised when this little finger extended out after I yanked the hood release in the footwell.
What a cool idea. I don't have to look like I don't know what I'm doing at the gas station, fumbling under the hood panel for an unseen latch. Instead, I just pull this external lever and a second later the lovely north-south inline six appears before me. Every car should have this convenience.
The oil level checked out fine, but I added air to the tires.
Couldn't resist taking the M3 for a nice long drive this weekend. Actually, I took the motorcycle out first, and after seeing how scenic and clear the roads were (who says there's no fall in California?), the M3 got the call the next day. Not sure I really need to go into all the reasons why this car rules, but here are a few.
I'm not really bothered by the interior wear issues in our long-term 2002 M3 that the other Josh highlighted recently. Considering that it's six to seven years old and hasn't exactly received meticulous care, this cabin is looking pretty good.
But I'm not so high on the busted trunk piece shown above, the thing you grasp whenever you open or close the trunk. I remember thinking it felt pretty flimsy when last I grabbed it (while loading CDs for my S.F. trip), but at least it was still kind of attached. Seems a clip or two has given way since Jay first pointed this out back in May -- when I opened the trunk to get our trusty roll of paper towels for oil-checking purposes yesterday, it nearly came off in my hand.
Occasionally, when driving a car I really like, the distinction between "wear" and "patina" isn't so clear. Such is the case with our M3. This car is old and used in many ways that our fleet of new machinery isn't. But most of us don't care. In fact, I find some of the M3's worn bits somewhat endearing. Like a tired pair of jeans or, in my case, a nasty old ball cap, some of this stuff is cool. And some of it, well, isn't.
The driver's side seat bottom bolster, which has been abraded by every manner of denim and polyester for six years, still looks stunning.
The usual amount of drool was dripping onto my "I <3 M3" T-shirt when I scored the keys to our 2002 long-termer the other night. That is, until I noticed the screw embedded in the driver-side rear tire. Zoinks! A visit to our friends at Stokes Tire Pros was clearly in order.
The puncture was perilously close to the sidewall, they informed us, but a replacement tire was going to run us in the neighborhood of (gulp!) $460 installed. We told 'em to give patching it a shot. They ended up being pleased with the patch job -- "Should be good for awhile," said the patch doctor -- so we're rolling with it for the time being.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 63,890 miles
Our E46 M3 is a runner to be sure, and hopping in for a run through the gears reminds you just how solid and capable a car it is. The straight-6 revs like a weedwacker and makes noises so scintillating you'll cackle out loud and keep the sunroof open so you can howl along with it. The chassis is still rock solid and provides feedback that's direct enough to make you feel like you're chatting with the contact patches. After a week with time in the E46 M3, the latest M5 and new 135i, it begs the question, where's BMW's DNA headed?
Jeez, if I had a dime for every wannabe car guy who told me his BMW shifted like a dream. The used-up six-speed manual transmission of this 2002 BMW M3 shows you the weaknesses of the Getrag manual transmission, especially when it's been forced to endure years of abuse like this one has.
Sure, the transmission works, but it's clearly led a hard life. Second gear is barely accessible when the car is cold, even when you double-clutch it as if you were driving some kind of weak-ass British car from the 1950s, a time when synchromesh was some exotic new technology. I'll bet that most people just grip the gear lever and rip it, muscling it into place.
Which is where the problem starts, I think. You need a pretty stout clutch to transmit as much horsepower as this, and the action of the M3's clutch pedal is predictably long and heavy as a result. The trouble is, it takes a real effort to get the pedal all the way down, and it's doubtful anyone really makes the effort. Instead they just force the shift lever into gear, and its light-effort action fools you into thinking that everything is all right. And since the Getrag has such a notchy feel as you slide the lever into the gate, you might not even realize that the actual gear engagement is getting worse over time.
This seems to be the BMW way of doing things, as even the BMW 2002 was notorious for its balky gear engagement. It just shows you that a light-effort, short-throw gear lever might feel great, but it's not a good match with a heavy, long-throw clutch and a drivetrain that winds up as much as this one does.
The transmission is the most complex, expensive component in a car, a real masterpiece of precision engineering. As a racing driver can tell you, it's the one component in a car that you should never abuse. Unfortunately, as this M3 shows, the transmission is the one component in a BMW that is most likely to be abused.
Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Inside Line @ 63,843 miles
Yesterday I drove my daughter in our long-term 2002 BMW M3 to Hollywood's El Capitan Theater to see High School Musical 3.
I took the wrong way out of the Hollywood and Highland parking garage, and subsequently went north instead of south on the 101 freeway.
Trying to consult the navigation system on the freeway was a joke. Although I was only doing 60-65 mph, the nav system couldn't keep up on the scale I needed in order to read the names of the upcoming exits.
Seventy-five percent of the screen blocked out in yellow, flashing "Generating Map."
Don't think I'd have had the same issue with a current nav system.
I have a handful of recurring thoughts when I'm driving our long-term M3, most of them having to do with desperately wanting to own it. But last night I couldn't stop thinking about how it sounds. It's ferocious. It's a snarling tiger rapaciously pouncing on its prey. It's Riswick at a James Bond memorabilia convention. No other car sounds like this, whether you're blipping the throttle on a downshift or banging off a 2-3 upshift at 8,000 rpm. It demands to be driven with the windows down and sunroof open -- even if you have to don a fleece and crank up the heat, as I did yesterday en route to the original Tommy's in downtown L.A. at 10 pm.
Which got me to thinking about Das Vaterland and its automotive soundtracks. It's easy to buy into stereotypes of German austerity and soullessness, but outside of Italy, I think the Germans have got the best-sounding sporting cars on the market. Practically any Porsche sounds sublime, of course, but what's remarkable to me is the recent rise of the bad-ass German V8. Audi's 4.2-liter V8 rumbles with an awesome combination of attitude and refinement, and AMG's 6.2-liter V8 bellows like a Detroit big-block that was sent to finishing school. In fact, the least aurally impressive high-performance German V8 might well be the 4.0-liter V8 in the current M3, and it's certainly no slouch.
In any case, you gotta give props to our M3's inline-6. Definitely one of the most distinctive-sounding engines in recent memory.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 63,355 miles
Everybody expects the 2002 BMW M3 to be fun when allowed to run free. And it is. Uncorked, unchained, visceral, throw-you-head-back-and-laugh-with-manic-glee fun.
But for me, the most remarkable thing about this car is how well-behaved it can be in more mundane situations. Its suspension is taut enough to connect you to the road, but it's not stiff to the point of banging me around on a quick trip to the grocery store. Unlike many other performance cars, it's not a one-trick pony. From its cooperative handling to its roomy trunk, it's a choice most people could easily live with.
All in all, I find the M3 very practical, especially when you consider that we got it for just 30 grand. It's a beast when it needs to be, but it knows how to be perfectly civilized as well.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 63,313 miles
If you had $20,000 to $30,000 to drop on a performance car, would you end up with an E46 M3? And if you did, what year M3 would you chose?
Having the keys to someone else's M3 (in this case, Inside Line's 2002 M3) makes me think of stuff like this. No question in my mind -- the E46 is one of the all-time greats. It's great enough that you think of liquidating what's left of your 401K to live the dream. (No, I really don't know what the "dream" is. Presumably, it involves Halle Berry somehow.)
There are a lot of things to love about our E46 M3. One of my favorites is how it never lets you forget that it's different than all other 3 Series. Yes, it's a BMW, and it has leather upholstery, automatic climate control, a navigation system (albeit a crappy one) and a backseat. But lurking underneath all that luxury is a real sports car.
Just sitting still, it looks agressively purposeful thanks to the widened fender flares, pumped up hood and wide rear tires. When you're piddling around parking lots in first gear and push in the stiff clutch, the transmission clunks like a muscle car's. On the freeway, the engine can still be heard above wind and road noise. And when you drop the hammer, the engine rips to a furious crescendo while the shifter satisfyingly connects from gate to gate.
There's a mechanical soul to the M3. And every time I hop in it, I know it's going to be a fun drive.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 63,012 miles
Based on Edmunds TMV, the optional factory navigation system on a 2002 BMW M3 commands an average of $524 for a private-party deal. Based on my time with our long-termer, I'd tell prospective buyers to make sure to find an M3 without the factory nav.
Technology has definitely advanced in the last six years. The nav's dial-based interface is clunky and the screen is low resolution. Take your $524 and buy a quality aftermarket system. Our last portable navigation system round-up review article can be found here.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 62,868 miles
If you've been following the progress of our long-term 2002 BMW M3 the past 10 months, you know that the sublime driving experience has been tempered with some maintenance and upgrade expenditures. Here's the fistful of dollars tally so far:
$1,173 -- alignment and new rear control arm bushings. $1,273 -- Yokohama tires and install. $1,532 -- door lock and power steering hose repair. $3,140 for the Stoptech brakes and install. $870 -- 60,000-mile service. $1,900 -- Alternator and FSU repair.
Obviously, we didn't have to go with the M3's upgraded tires and brakes ("We could have gone cheaper with factory replacement brakes and rock hard Pep Boys specials, but what fun would that have been?" quipped Oldham earlier.) Or we could have tried to use independent shops or our own wrenches more often. But it is what it is. Which is, erm, a grand total of $9,888, or about $1,000 a month since we've owned it.
For reference, the now departed 1983 Ferrari 308 cost us $4,625 in total maintenance.
I've always thought the variable redline tachometer in the M3 was a cool feature.
When I got into the car the other morning it was light up to 6,500 rpm. Even though I've stared at this gauge many times, it was at that moment that I noticed for the first time it lights up to 4,000 rpm.
It sent a cold shiver up my spine.
I've never lived in a climate where block heaters were needed. My hat's off to you folks who weather that kind of cold, but I'd rather stay here on the southern coast.
That's a bummer. Don't worry, like everything else on this car, it'll only cost $3,465,765 to fix. Well, that's if we use the dealer. At an independent shop it'll only be $1,987,976.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 62,361 miles
I was thinking the other day (always a dangerous proposition, I know) and wondering how all the current (or really, really recently departed) Edmunds/Inside Line long-term vehicles stack up against each other in fuel economy, at least the fuel economy we've been recording during their time with us. So I made a list. For you and for me. In case we were both wondering.
The only current vehicles missing from my list are the Audi R8 and the Dodge Grand Caravan, and that's because no one has entered any fuel data into the tracking spreadsheet for those vehicles yet. The very top and the very bottom of the list aren't going to surprise anybody (I don't think), but the middle is kinda interesting. Seeing the Rondo and the WRX so close to each other made me raise my eyebrows. Ditto the Ford GT's spot above the Veracruz. Ready to check it all out? Follow the jump with me.
By now, you've all figured out that we kinda like the way our M3 drives. So I won't go over that...at least for today. In terms of daily-driver comfort, the M3 is likewise endearing. Light, progressive clutch, easy shifter, a sport suspension that doesn't violate my vertebrae. And these sport seats with their hefty side bolstering look like they mean business. They do, what with power adjustments for the seatback wings and 4-way lumbar support. They've also got adjustable thigh bolsters, 3-mode heaters and a driver memory. After I ran a fast 5k the other day, I appreciated these perfectly-supportive seats even more as I spent the rest of the afternoon running errands.
It's pretty rare to hear a bad word spoken about our long-term 2002 BMW M3. Okay, it happens -- rubbery shifter, CD changer in the trunk, maintenance issues, etc. But when it comes to the way our Bimmer drives, no one not named after a European country has expressed anything but admiration for it.
Enter a college buddy of mine, code name Professor Tea Bag, who's in town to start a Ph.D program at UCLA but can't move into his place till Monday. Last night we drove the M3 over to his new neighborhood -- and when I say "drove," I mean the usual drill in this car: windows down, sunroof open, zero-to-the-speed-limit acceleration runs from every stop, ferocious throttle-blips on every downshift.
Two days ago Erin Riches alerted you to a warning lamp that's activated on our Long Term 2002 BMW M3. You had your own thoughts and guesses on the cause. At last count you were split, 4 / 3 for battery and alternator. There were also a few write-in votes: Bad connection, voltage regulator and something about an Eagle Talon (Which hits a bit of a personal soft spot; my first car was a turbo AWD DSM.) and a wholesaler. Good guesses all, but we had a bit of information that you didn't. A bit of information that our guys over at Summit Automotive relayed in passing, "Might want to keep an eye on the alternator. They tend to go on these cars around 50. Maybe 60 [ thousand miles]." So we knew what we were getting into.
While we certainly had a good experience at Summit, independent shops do have drawbacks: time constraints and parts availability are the major ones. Keeping that in mind we decided to use our local BMW dealership, BMW of Santa Monica for the repair. Not only did they have the parts in stock, but they could see us that very same day. Besides, we hadn't used them in a couple of years and this blog is as much about the service shop as it is the car. And so, at 1:23pm on Wednesday, I dropped off our M3 at Santa Monica BMW.
The alternator warning light (shaped like a battery and illuminated in red, in case you can't tell from this phone camera capture) started coming on last night in our 2002 BMW M3. At first, it only stayed on a for a few seconds, but now it stays on for a good minute before it extinguishes.
Most likely, we will be paying another visit to our indie shop, Summit Automotive. We'll let you know what happens.
Erin Riches, Inside Line Senior Editor @ 62,186 miles
The best thing about our M3's stock 18-inch wheels compared to the optional 19s? Their finish. Instead of brightly polished spokes, the 18s have a slightly duller, matte gray color. I think BMW calls it ghost chrome, but I could be wrong about that. More importantly, a nice coat of brake dust barely shows up. In fact, you would have to neglect this car for weeks before you would ever notice the wheels were seriously dirty. And trust me, if you owned this car, or I owned this car, neglect would not be a problem.
Within minutes of setting foot in Summit Automotive in Marina Del Rey, two things were apparent: The first is that these guys are real mechanics. From the dot-matrix printer to the yellowing CRT computer monitor to the desk-pad, covered in scribbles that, once examined, turned out to be fairly complex diagrams of automotive components, everything in the office was functional on a fundamental level. These guys are not salesmen and they certainly aren't showman. Nobody was wearing a suit and, even at the early hour we retrieved our M3, everyone had a little grease on their hands.
The second thing we realized was that, for the past two days, our M3 was in excellent hands and we wouldn't have to ban Desmolicious for his suggestion.
Not to be outdone by the brash little 135i, our long-term M3 also headed north for the holiday weekend. We saw it all, the M3 and I -- stop-and-go traffic from L.A. to Santa Barbara, glorious vistas and vectors along the incomparable Big Sur Coast Highway, and various attractions in San Francisco, from a fort called Battery Rathbone-McIndoe (above) to the Golden Gate Bridge (post-jump). Now, nearly 1300 miles later, I'm ready to take my well-known M3 fanboystatus to a whole new level:
If I had to choose one car from our fleet to drive every day, this would be it.
Just about a week ago Inside line Editor-in-Chief Scott Oldham alerted you to the fact that our 2002 BMW M3 was due for an oil service. And as this blog is for you guys, he opened the door for you to determine our course of action: Do it ourselves? Take it to a BMW dealer? Or go local?
We read the responses and weighed our options carefully. We were all set, Dickies coveralls laid out nicely, to do the job ourselves when we looked into our BMW's history. Turns out the M3 is a hair more complicated than the bitchin' Camaro we learned to turn a wrench on. M3's, we found out ( SubyTrojan gets some serious credit here), require some major services to be performed during their normal life cycle (Inspections I and II in BMW-speak). The first one should happen after the 1,200 mile service, the first oil service-- figure at about the 30K mile marker-- and includes a myriad of checks, changes, adjustments and alignments. The first owner of the car had this service performed under warranty at the required time. Their record keeping and watchmaker precision with services is one of the highlights of this used car. The second service -- one that includes new plugs, a change of transmission fluid, diff fluid, engine oil, air filter and microfilter along with a valve adjustment-- had not been done. This interval happened at some point between the original owner selling the car and us buying it. What luck.
I called BMW of Beverly Hills to see what this service would run. North of 2-grand somewhere. I blacked out after I heard "two-thou...". After hearing the first portion of the price, Oldham made the executive decision "Let's go local." And so we did.
In a response to the original thread frequent rabble rouser Desmolicious chimed in, "
Go to Summit Automotive - they are an indie BMW/Alfa shop in Marina Del Rey. I have been happy with their service.
721 Washington Blvd
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 "
So that's what we did. If this goes wrong, Desmo, it's on you...
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 60,200 miles
So, last night I had an opportunity to drive our 2002 BMW M3. Normally, The Man doesn't let me near the nicer, more performance oriented cars in our long term fleet. Something about him being worried about me cutting the exhaust off the car and running straight pipes. Just because I did that on my personal car, doesn't mean I'd do it to the M3. Even if I did, I'd totally put it back...
Tomorrow we will have owned our long-term 2002 BMW M3 exactly 9 months. In that time we've driven it a few clicks past 11,000 miles and I think everyone here will tell you it has been a positive experience. Even with 60,000 miles on its odometer the M3 feels new.
Sure we've just put some new, larger Stoptech brakes on it (which feel great by the way), and we splurged for some sticky Yokohama tires from www.tirerack.com, but those were both purchased because of want not need. We could have gone cheaper with factory replacement brakes and rock hard Pep Boys specials, but what fun would that have been?
None is the answer for all you haters out there.
When we bought the car it had just been serviced and its engine freshly lubricated, so we knew it was going to be a while before we'd have to pay for an oil change. Well the time is creaping up. Car says it will want fresh oil in 850 miles everytime you fire it up.
Meanwhile, the low oil light is on again, so we're just going to kill two birds with one stone. But where should we get the oil changed? The local BMW dealer? An independent shop? Jiffylube? Our own driveway?
You tell us. We might even listen.
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 60,158 miles
I drove the M3 this past weekend and it wasn't until I was about the leave the office when I read Riswicks' blog about the failed A/C fan. CRAP! This thing has a dark leather interior, it gets hot quick and retains the heat. It was going to be an oven on wheels!
Not being completely aware of the afore mentioned problem I was cursing myself for picking the M3. Thankfully, as I left the garage, the fan sputtered back to life. Good thing too since it was fairly hot around town. It wasn't blowing super cold, but what I got out of it I was mighty thankful for.
But later that night the oil light came on. The tank was nearly empty anyways so I checked the the levels I filled up. The dip stick registered in the lower quarter of the normal range. I didn't add anything and the light was off as I drove away from the station.
But on Sunday it came back on. This light was getting annoying, but I'd rather resolve it than ignore it. I figured the level was getting low anyways and the sensor was probably picking up under spec levels as the oil sloshed about. A little top off wouldn't hurt, right?
A quarter quart did the trick. No light, plenty of cool air and I was a happy driver.
No seriously, our M3 literally does not blow. As I typically do when driving the M3, I immediately shut off the A/C, put back the sunroof, rolled down the windows and popped open the rear vents -- perfect nice-weather motoring. When the stereo started being drowned out by a nearby truck in traffic, I rolled everything back up and hit the "Auto" button to bring the HVAC system to life. Nothing happened. I overrode Auto by turning up the fan to max. Nothing. I turned off and on the A/C button. Nothing. I pressed the airflow direction button and felt around for air. Nothing. The BMW HVAC controls aren't the simplest in the world, but I knew I wasn't screwing it up. Also, it was working the night before.
When I drove in this morning, it still wasn't working. I think it's just the fan, however, as I could feel A/C coming out of the vents when I was driving at high enough speeds for the natural air flow to come through. I hope nobody's planning a Death Valley adventure in the M3 this weekend.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the strengths of a big brake kit like this one lie not in its ability to reduce a car's single-stop distance from 60 miles per hour, but rather in its ability to endure sustained high-temperature operation by adding thermal capacity and maintaining consistent pedal feel.
Stoptech's brakes do exactly that. Even so, 60-to-0 stopping tests are a standard around here and both our previous M3 brake tests we performed from this speed. So, if for no other reason than to have an apples-to-apples comparison, we repeated this test with the new brakes.
And, what do you know, there wasn't a huge improvement. The M3 stopped from 60 mph in a previous test on these tires (Yokohama Advan Neova AD07s) in 109 ft. Last week it recorded a best stop of 107.6 feet and settled consistently at 108 feet. More importantly it could have repeated this test all day. Repeated stops from 60 mph don't approach overheating the system. In fact, it takes a few runs to get the pads up to temperature so the first few stops were longer than stock -- a compromise made by high-temperature pad material.
This result does speak to the fact that Stoptech's brakes maintain the M3's stock front-to-rear brake proportioning -- something which is commonly overlooked in many aftermarket kits. This balancing act is crucial to proper brake performance.
The real test will be during aggressive street driving which is what the Axxis Ultimate pads we're using were designed for. Look for further updates after we've had the M3 in the mountains.
Also, the M3's brake pad wear warning light is still on because the installer thought the aftermarket pads wouldn't work with the stock sensor. We've since been told that it will and are planning to reinstall the sensor later this week. Check back here for updates.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor @ 59,202 miles
Before hammering on our new brake set up, Stoptech requires a relatively simple bed-in procedure. Pad-bedding demands a minimum of two series of ten partial braking events from 60 to 10 miles per hour. Each series is performed without letting the brakes cool between braking events. Then, after ten partial stops, the system is cooled to ambient temperature. After cooling another series is repeated. We performed two series of braking events.
This achieves two goals. First, it conditions the pad material by driving manufacturing resins out of the pads. Second, it creates material transfer to the rotor, which is essential in achieving proper friction characteristics for optimal performance.
In practice, this is a smelly, but necessary, procedure. About half-way through the first series of stops the pads begin to smoke something awful. Here's what they look like:
A more accurate title for this blog is: Having the Big Brakes Installed. We hired Lucent Motors to do this job for us. This West L.A. shop specializes in high-end German hardware. In fact, while on site, our M3 kept some excellent company:
Here are most of the Stoptech parts needed for the brake upgrade we've got planned. Not pictured are the stainless steel lines for all four corners. The rotors on the left are the company's patented Aerorotors(TM) which use an aluminum hat and are part of the front big brake kit. The stiff four-piston calipers and steel lines should reduce compliance and improve pedal feel. The rotors on the right are Stoptech's slotted Sportstop(TM) rotors (purchased individually with lines). Motul Racing Brake fluid will further the system's heat tolerance. Grand total: $2,640.
As I mentioned last time, we'll be using Axxis Ultimate pads which Stoptech recommends for "aggressive street" use. If we plan extensive track time for the car, we'll likely need pads designed for higher temperatures. Still, this system will substantially increase our brake system's total heat capacity over stock and should be more than capable of handling any hard street driving the car will see. In other words, this should solve our fade problem.
As several readers already mentioned, we aren't anticipating a substantial decrease in single-stop distance from 60 mph (our usual brake test). Distance reduction in single-stop tests from this speed is more likely achieved through stickier tires or weight reduction.
Look for details on installation tomorrow.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor @ 58,933 miles.
You might remember Chris Walton's post early last month about our M3's brake pad wear warning lamp appearing on the instrument panel. Turns out, this problem hasn't fixed itself. In fact, we knew long before the lamp came on that the M3's pads (and probably rotors) were on their last legs. The first signs of wear began to show when we compared the M3 to its newer cousins at a racetrack earlier this year. As the day progressed and the laps piled up, the M3's middle pedal became less and less confidence inspiring. But driving the car on the street doesn't seem to create any drama. Still, the light has been on for too long and we've decided to act.
We're getting nuts. Ok, maybe not nuts, but we're going to install big brakes on our M3. After visiting a local dealer for unrelated service several months ago, we know that simply replacing the M3's front pads and rotors is a $1,041 job. Stoptech's 332mm four-piston brake kit for the E46 M3 cost $2,195 and comes with bitchin' red calipers and two-piece rotors which use aluminum hats. Also included in the kit are Axxis Ultimate pads, stainless steel lines and fluid. It's an investment, but the more capable brake system should keep us from having to worry about brakes at the track (or anywhere else) again.
Look for a test of the Stoptech system in this space later this week or early next week.
While driving our long-term M3 in the past, I've used the tape deck to play my iPod or portable XM radio. However, the sound quality is so craptacular, I decided to take a trip down memory lane. I dug out my mammoth CD collection book, popped the M3's trunk, then pre-selected the six discs I wanted to listen to on the journey. Given the '90s nature of this exercise, I decided to sample from CDs left over from the Clinton era: Oasis, Dave Matthews, Coldplay's Parachutes, Collective Soul, Ben Folds, Eve 6.
Having had a 2000 Jetta with a similar six-CD changer, I was used to this trunk-mounted song and dance -- I never thought of it as that big of a deal. In retrospect, though, it's just a massive pain in the ass. On road trips, I'd often make pit stops to change CDs even if the gas tank and my bladder were A-OK. Using the M3's changer has an added pain with a magazine that features six individual trays that must each be popped out to switch a CD. My Jetta's magazine had a little switch that would eject all the discs from the magazine at once -- much quicker.
I remember being quite impressed by my buddy's 1997 Volvo 850 that had an in-dash three-CD changer. The thing would pop in and out of the radio faceplate when switching discs and made a bit of a racket, but dang it was cool. How things quickly change. Considering that the M3's trunk-mounted changer and equally ye-olde navigation interface seem oh-so-quaint now, I can only imagine what today's selection of iPod connections and iDrives is going to seem like in 10 years. I'll report back in 2018.
I'm not one to criticize our beautiful, fast, comfortable, ageless and affordable M3, but I will. It's the shifter that's bugging me. I remember driving this generation M3 when it was new and the stick felt nearly flawless. Easy to move through the gates, yet solid when notched into gear.
The stick in our long termer is still fluid form gear to gear, but the engagement feels a little too rubbery. You can find the gates, but when you're locked into gear there's too much give in the stick. It's a small price to pay for a car that's so great everywhere else, but if it were mine I might look into an aftermarket piece to stiffen things up a little.
Well, I wish it had the optional 19-inch wheels-- I don't think those 18s do the car justice.
And I wish it had the model year 2004-and-up tail lights -- I just can't get down with the awkward-looking backup lights on our '02. It's like an early version of the X3 mismatching tail light syndrome (credit goes to Automotive Editor John DiPietro for pointing this out and thereby causing my permanent obsession with e46 M3 tail lights).
And...ummmm...
Did I mention that I lust after this car?
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 58,309 miles
I don't often get the chance to drive our long term M3, so when the slot became vacant to a bottom feeder on the chain such as myself, I jumped at the chance.
I was running to a photo shoot last night. I quickly hopped in and got running into East LA. My mind was focused on the traffic and what I want to do with my assignment that night. It wasn't until I got back into the car did I notice how time has flown by. No, not because it was 10pm or that I had multiple missed calls, it was the nav system graphics.
I had occasion to transport my daughter in the M3 this weekend. No surprise here: coupe-u-lar body styles make inserting and extracting a child seat and said child more difficult. At least the M3 has a couple tricks up its sleeve.
As I drove our long-term M3 last week with the windows down and sunroof back, I reveled in the luscious engine sounds amidst a beautiful Southern California day. As I pulled into the Edmunds garage and briefly considered going back out just for the hell of it, it dawned on me how much of a wise buying decision this M3 was. Here is a car that with the right care will be a classic someday, a car that is more fun at six years old than most cars are at mile 1 -- and we bought it for less than 30 large.
In between spouts of doing actual work (if you can really call what I do "work"), one of my favorite diversions is to trawl eBay motors for used cars that fit into the M3's bargain future classic category. I'll spend time looking at mid-80s Porsche 911s or first-gen Boxsters, or checking out BMW M Coupes or old Aston Martins (not so much bargains here). I'm not sure why I think it's fun, maybe it's my great desire to have a Leno-sized garage someday...
Thanks in part to the fan-freaking-tastic driving experience (Al Austria's post is completely wrong) there hasn't been much mention of the bits of the car that don't have an M preceded by three stripes on 'em
This weekend, with temperatures hovering in the low-mid 90's, the only things I was happier to have in this car on my jaunt through the canyons than, of course, the screaming inline-6 and ultra-grippy Yokohama Advan Neovas were the power-operated rear vent windows.
Giving the otherwise trapped air a place to go with the windows down, utilizing these little guys instantly cools the interior and reduces that nasty wind buffeting caused by an open sunroof.
It's a handy feature that I wish was available on more cars. Things like this --and sliding doors -- shouldn't be relegated to the land of the mini van...
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 57,000 miles
After Herr Österreich's instantly infamous Twilight Zone post about our long-term M3, I started to wonder about my unstinting infatuation with the car. Was I just another hoodwinked journalist who reflexively associates the blue and white propeller -- and the M badge in particular -- with automotive excellence? It was a burning question, so I grabbed the keys last night and gave our black Bimmer a good 60 miles' worth of enthusiastic exercise. Here's what I found: (1) the Austrian must not have been driving the M3 hard, and (2) my infatuation has if anything intensified, for reasons discussed below.
Al forgot to mention in his M3 post which is totally misguided an interesting difference of opinion, that a little warning lamp appeared on the dashboard yesterday. I couldn't get a decent photo of it, but it looks something like (O) that. The owner's manual says only to have the brake pads checked out, but we've suspected the brakes have been close to the end of their useful life since we drove the tar out of it in Josh's brilliant comparison test against a current 135i and 335i.
It turns out it's the brake pad wear warning lamp that is connected at the other end to that little sensor you see pictured above...
Remember the Twilight Zone episode ("The Eye of the Beholder") where this woman is in the hospital awaiting plastic surgery to fix her heinous face? At one point in this episode the woman's mug is all bandaged up, and the surgeon is calming her, telling her he believes he has corrected her appearance to look normal -- like everyone else. But when the surgeon removes the bandages, he and the nurses recoil in horror -- the procedure is a total failure. She has retained her pre-operative appearance.
The camera then exposes her face -- she's a gorgeous blond! The camera pans over to the surgeon and the nurses -- they're hideous, porcine freaks.
Were well aware of the fact that dealer service isnt cheap, but getting our BMW M3 fixed was still a shocker. We took it in for a sticking door lock on the drivers side door and after a once over by the dealer we got the bad news.
The door lock actuator motor needed to be replaced. It was going to be roughly $300 for the motor and $400 for labor. Apparently BMWs technicians were going to use chopsticks to disassemble the door panel before replacing the worlds most complex door lock motors...
We expected a few problems when we bought our used BMW M3. Not major issues, but the kind of little things that wear out, break off or otherwise stop working from normal wear and tear. This weekend the drivers side door lock started to stick, a situation which required the indignity of having to reach in and open the door from the passenger side. I made sure to do this out of sight from any bystanders in order to maintain the M3s reputation, but by the end of the weekend I was leaving it unlocked to save the trouble...
When I opened our long-term 2002 BMW M3's trunk to fetch my man-purse gym bag filled with chainsaws, the handy handle decided to come with. Repeated use has apparently taken its toll. Squint at the little image above and you can see the floppy result of a retaining screw which has pulled through the plastic.
Here's how that piece of plastic should fit:
Should be an easy fix, and the trunk is still accessible...
Call me lazy or even paranoid, but I like the fact that the M3’s passenger side mirror tilts down when you throw it into reverse. It takes all the fear out of curbing those beautiful deep dish wheels. And judging by the pristine condition of our 18s, the little extra help has worked.
In the 5,000+ miles we’ve driven the M3 since we bought it late last year, we have yet to give you an update on the fuel economy. And while you generally don’t buy an M3 for its fuel economy, we thought somebody still might be curious about it.
Best tank: 22.4mpg Worst tank: 13.0mpg Lifetime average: 17.9mpg
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com @ 55,341 miles
Count me in the seeming minority of those who prefer the new M3 to the last-generation model. I'll leave direct comparisons between the generations to the forthcoming Inside Line comparo, but there is one area where my preferences are clear. I drove our '02 M3 home for the first time last night, which meant a typical slog through traffic. While the M3's stiff, relatively short travel clutch is a treat in free-flowing traffic and in aggressive driving, it feels like a rubbery SoloFlex setting in stop-and-go...
We bought our black 2002 BMW M3 exactly five months ago. We paid exactly $30,000 for it on 11/21/07. And since that day we've driven the car almost exactly 6,000 miles. The day we drove her home from the Santa Barbara, California BMW dealer the odometer read 49,042 and just the other day it crossed the 55,000 mile mark...
After a long weekend with the 2002 BMW M3, I can join the chorus of voices praising this car for its stunning capability in any situation. So many aspects of this car are so commonplace now that we almost take them for granted, like a tire pressure monitoring system or a sport button for the throttle, or defeatable stability control, but they were still relatively new at the time, and make this car such a wildly capable machine.
And they serve so many purposes. Feel like canyon-carving?..
Oh boy, does red leather get hot. I had the M3 parked in my driveway instead of my garage yesterday. I went to hop in around 1:00 PM and when I opened the door I felt a wave of heat hit me. Heat and that lovely older car fragrance of slightly dusty leather...
The contrast of these two M3s in the Inside Line garage couldn't be ignored. Our long-term 2002 BMW E46 in black, and the 2008 BMW E92 M3 in white. The infamous Spy vs. Spy conflict had come to the automotive realm. Is this a great place to work, or what?
After replacing the worn ContisportContact rubber on our long-term M3 with four new Yokohama Advan AD07 tires (225/45R18 front and 255/40R18 rear) from the Tire Rack we headed back to the track for a retest.
So the long-term BMW M3 scared the hell out of me this morning. But it's supposed to be a "thrilling" car, so maybe I'm just an old stick in the mud. Regardless, when I looked down and saw the oil light on next to the speedo my blood pressure shot up considerably. My first instinct was to reach up and turn off the key, but at 40 mph on the heavily-trafficked, narrow and twisting Malibu Canyon Road -- with no pull off space in sight -- I didn't see that as my best immediate option. Instead I quickly lifted off the throttle and pushed in the clutch pedal. As luck would have it I'd just passed the highest point on this route through the Santa Monica Mountains, which meant I could realistically coast for the next 3-5 minutes (depending on traffic speed).
I don't know what I did. I must have saved an entire class of quadraplegic kids from a burning schoolhouse, because the Gods smiled, took on the benevolent form of Deputy Managing Editor Caroline Pardilla, and handed me the keys to our 2002 BMW M3 last night. Good God!
There does not exist a word or phrase of such otherworldly grandeur to describe how this car feels. I have always been a BMW guy, from my 2002 tii to my current 535i, but I always forget how incredibly good they feel, the stunning competence in which every part of the steering, shift action, clutch, brakes, and loud pedal work so seamlessly...
Recently I found myself in Pahrump, Nevada. It's about an hour north of Vegas. I had stayed late for a photo shoot and was leaving the next morning before dawn to make it back to LA by noon.
Coming out of Pahrump, you drive through the southeastern edge of Death Valley...
Driving our Long Term BMW M3 the other night, a warning flashed across the pixelated display. It was the M3 after all, so naturally my brain assumed it was the traction control giving me a stern warning. It wasn't, low oil -- not low traction-- was the culprit.
M3's are known to burn a little oil, especially if you really drive 'em so it was no real surprise...
Here's something I really love about our 2002 BMW M3: I could afford it.
I've long been a fan of buying used cars. But never have I felt stronger about how it maximizes your dollar than when you buy an older performance car. We paid $30,000 for this car, roughly half of what a new one costs. While it is half the price it is almost as much fun as a brand new one. Sure it's a little loose in the transmission and suspension. And the beautiful red leather has been worn smooth. But five minutes behind the wheel and all regrets melt away.
I spent the weekend in the M3 pretending I was a different person, someone who has rarefied taste (perhaps a wine swirler) a man who knows quality when he sees it and demands the best, dammit. The M3 was the perfect costume for me. I had to go to a fancy OC raquet club (not a "racket club" mind you) and I was careful to park near the front door. As I pulled out of the parking lot I let the German engineering growl disdainfully at lesser vehicles around me.
When you really like the car you're driving, it's natural to feel protective of it. And so it is with our 2002 BMW M3. I took extra care when parking it in this Culver City garage, centering it within a compact space. You can imagine my dismay when I returned from dinner to find this sloppily parked Eclipse Spyder GS beside it...
By some amazing stroke of luck, I ended up with our 2002 BMW M3 last night instead of the Honda Fit that I was scheduled to drive. Wee! (OK, the above picture isn't the best picture of the BMW but I thought it was pretty cool that it had the Ferrari, our other used long-termer, in its sight.)
Anyhow, as a play on Brian Moody's analogy between a cute girl and the G35
on his G35 post yesterday, I found our luxurious and very fast M3 to be like that extremely good-looking guy who seems to have lived a charmed life and who, in turn, is wayyy out of my league. It's not that I'm down on myself, it's that it's sort of intimidating and I wouldn't be able to appreciate it the way it SHOULD be appreciated...
Last week we ordered a new set of tires for our 2002 BMW M3 on Tire Rack. The plan was to buy the stickiest set of tires we could get in the original equipment 225/45R18 front and 255/40R18 rear sizes. We thought about going with R-compound tires, but Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 "extreme performance summer" tires
were the best we could do in our size. These Yokohamas sell for $263 per front tire and $321 per rear tire.
Our tires arrived over the weekend, so today we drove over to Stokes Tire Pros and had all four of them mounted. The whole process only took 15 minutes. Installation cost $105. You'll recall that we already had an alignment performed at the BMW dealer, so mounting and balancing was the extent of it.
I've spent the better part of two days writing Edmunds.com vehicle reviews for the various iterations of Bentley Continental GT. It offers no less than 17 different leather colors, with customers able to select any two to apply to several areas throughout the interior. It makes playing around on the Bentley Configurator a great way to drop a few hours at work.
But even with 17 leather colors available, how many of you would choose colors outside the black, grey and beige spectrum?..
Here's the bill for our recent M3 repairs. Look closely and you'll find a grand total of $1,173 for a four wheel alignment and replacement of rear control arm busings. Several of you have suggested that those bushings crack prematurely and our Long Beach BMW tech confirmed this adding "it's especially true on cars that are driven hard." Guilty as charged.
The good news? I'm about $1,200 closer to getting a free flight on Jet Blue thanks to the BMW's hefty bill and my American Express card...
Our M3 has been making an odd noise - a thump, thump, thump sound at very low speed. The tires also seem to be wearing unevenly - chunking on one rear tire too.
This morning we dropped it off at Long Beach BMW. About an hour later, our service advisor Anthony called us and recommended the following:
Replace front pads and rotors - $1,041
Replace rear control arm bushings - $800
Four wheel alignment - $280
4 new OE spec tires - $1,331
We believe the thumping noise is tire related and the dealership all but confirmed this. Therefore, we're going to replace the bushings, get the alignment and hold off on the brakes...
Ok, it's pretty rare I'd get the keys to such a car. But when the opportunity arises, I grab that brass ring.
It just happened to work out in my favor yesterday in a multi car transfer/trade. I was to take our M3 back to the office after running an errand in Torrance and car swapping with another editor. I was cautioned not to hammer our M3 as it has a bad shoe. The driver's side rear tire is showing a little bit of thread, so no power slides. Dang, I like slides.
It's not for the reason you think though. I didn't get it because I was speeding down PCH or...dancing in and out of slower-moving freeway traffic. Nope, our 2002 BMW M3 got a ticket just for sitting still. That's how bad ass it is...
There was an eight-hour window of sun and mostly dry pavement on Saturday, so I took the long-term 2002 BMW M3 into the Malibu canyons. This was easily the most enlivening experience of my weekend, which I'll admit was a little quiet.
But that doesn't take away from what a special car this is. In retrospect, my mention of its somewhat soft off-the-line response seems almost foolish. The 3.2-liter six has an explosive mid-range and a free-revving character that the comparatively mild-mannered twin-turbo 3.0-liter (in the 335i) could never match in stock form.
The driving rain we've experienced over the past week in Southern California ain't the best companion for the ulitmate driving machine. As such I had to behave myself in the long-term BMW M3, but I wasn't the only one. On my way up PCH I saw another M driver excercising (or not) his M5 in the rain.
Our long-term car behaved itself as long as I did...
My first drive in our long-term 2002 BMW M3 came last night during a torrential downpour (not shown), and my first thought was: It sure doesn't have the rapid-fire off-the-line response of any BMW 335i I've ever driven.
This is absolutely true, of course: The M3's 3.2-liter inline six doesn't make its peak torque of 262 lb-ft until 4,900 rpm. The twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 3.0-liter in the 335i hits you with 300 lb-ft at just 1,400 rpm. (The weight difference between the cars appears to be a little over 100 pounds in favor of the M3.)
In retrospect, it's not as if I needed more torque on saturated streets...
I sincerely hope that within the next 11 months, one of our M3’s pistons goes rocketing through the hood. Or we receive a service bill for a mysterious $2,000 “valve adjustment.” Short of such calamities, it’s likely that I’ll continue to believe that I should buy this car when its year is up. I don’t need a car, certainly not a $30,000 one, but the thought enters my mind every time I drive it. As much as I love the Ferrari, it does not generate the same response...
I drove our 2002 BMW M3 home during the middle of the week - big mistake. Don't get me wrong; the car is fine. But on this particular day, traffic choked my route more than usual. Let's just say I didn't get to savor any of the M3's finer points.
So I'm going to talk about door stickers instead. I can tell by your sharp intake of breath that you can hardly wait for this one.
I received an e-mail this morning in regards to a TSB ( Service Information B11 02 03
) for our new used Long-Term M3, and to all M cars with early-- produced between October, 2001 and February, 2002-- S54 engines. The oil-pump and connecting rod bearings need to be replaced or, as was so delicately put in the message, the car could "puke its bottom end out."
It's been a while since a 2002 BMW M3 ventured to a test track, but with 50,576 miles on the odometer, our black M3 showed definitively that it still is one heck of a machine. While the 0-to-60 and skidpad are a little off "historical" numbers for it, the braking was dead-on and the slalom was actually better. It also beat the M3 Competition Package we had back in early 2005. Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton immediately knew this M3 felt better through the slalom than any previous edition of this generation he'd tested, guessing 50,000 miles had softened up the dampers making them more compliant and less likely to force a slide. As the above picture shows, though, sometimes a slide can be a good thing.
Things were different back then. In naught-Two the world was a simpler place. Fewer iPods, no Zunes (who am I kidding, there still aren’t any Zunes) and Bluetooth was more likely to be associated with pirates than wireless communcation. And, apparently, in Germany at least, the cassette tape was still a viable music medium. That’s right folks, behind the fancy tilting Nav. screen (which there will be many posts about in the future) is a tape deck.
We've added a 2002 BMW M3 E46 to our long-term fleet.
We think it's the best M3 ever made. Ours is black with a dark red interior. It has heated front seats, a power moonroof, a navigation system and was built before iDrive...
