350 Russ Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I'm contemplating chopping the zed in for the m3, has anyone had one or driven one on here? And how does it compare? I'd like a manual one, I'm not really liking the reviews of the smg. I've had the zed 4 years now and still like it but life's too short to stick with one car all the time and prices of the m are starting to get cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 As a car, it's a better spec than the Zed, fewer rattles and squeaks from the interior, handles slight better, goes slightly faster, has 4 usable seats and a decent boot, and the SMG is great and I'd probably buy one if I had the money... BUT... It is a BMW, they're common as muck and generally speaking, they seem to cost slightly more to keep running. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Very, very good cars. The car is much more adjustable on the limit than the Zed, and it certainly makes a much better noise! Interior is of a substantially higher quality too as you'd expect, but as said above the running costs are substantially more: Brakes especially aren't cheap, a good friend of mine who owns an early SMG model was a tad shocked at the prices. As far as upgrades go, the brakes are the big weak point and the vast majority of owners upgrade the calipers and discs so if you can get one that has been done even better, if not expect to pay £2K for a kit. Electrics can be seriously expensive if they go wrong, but they don't tend to. The SMG can be a bit temperamental (control boxes and pumps are known to fail), but it is a brilliant piece of kit and set to the most agressive mode an absolute hoot! In pretty much every way that matters they're better than the Zed. But then they should be, seeing as how they were more expensive to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 As Ekona said they are very nice cars but make sure you can afford the running costs. I very nearly bought one before I changed my mind and went for my 313 zed. They certainly are coming down in price now and there are some bargains to be had. Theres also a lot of rough ones out there so make sure you know what you are looking at! An added bonus I found was that they were loads cheaper for me to insure than my zed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350 Russ Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 I've had a look at the running costs etc, and as I only do about 2.5-3k a year in it, I'm not fussed, that's good to hear about the smg, I was a bit skeptical about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Yep, they are superb cars, I personally find they feel a bit more "grown up" than a 350 but I wouldnt say no to one. Up there with a shout as best car in the world, great value, 4 seats, fast, reliable, Id have a manual though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyp Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 What a nice mature site - I've watched a few of these M3 threads on Pistonheads and they usually degrade into a slanging match, with the 350 usually getting a pasting as a competitor. Lovely cars - nearly bought one recently, but the fear of SMG pump failiure and elevated running costs over the 350z stopped me at the last moment - ended up going for a much more reliable and cheaper to run Boxster, go figure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Great cars, I had an SMG one previously and it's a great alternative to a zed, especially if you need the rear seats and the boot space. Yes, BMW's themselves are common, but you'll find that there's not that many E46 M3's on the road nowadays compared to when it was a current model and every rep/sales manager out there had one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Its a great car, we have a few we look after, and one of the owners is actually selling his 2002 model, which we recently fitted rear pads and discs too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamez Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 (edited) Accepting its not as reliable, not as good looking, more expensive to service/parts, not easy to fit a double din head unit in, and alot more to insure, After driving a couple Its what i'm looking at right now, if I had a standard zed i'd probably be in e46 m3 already only things is i'm finding it hard to let go as i love all my mods done on my car Edited September 5, 2013 by flamez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 It's a very different car personality wise as well, so make sure it's what you want before changing. It's a little more staid, a little more professional, and whilst I don't think that's a bad thing it's not for everyone. The hooliganism of the 350 is very catching and hard to let go of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie-B Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 (edited) Great cars. Just sold mine to my brother when i bought my 370z. The SMG is great I originally looked for a manual but got swayed by the SMG. Super fast gear changes, Thats where it has the upper hand over the 370z as we discovered. The exhaust rasp is like marmite love it or hate. I love it but it kinda sounds like a bag of broken spanners. Mine averaged 21 to 24 mpg so much better than the 370z Well ballanced good handling cars. I had mine for 5 years and it was time for a change. Bad points with them are where the subframe fixes to the shell cracks. There are kits to reinforce the area but you would be looking as the best part of a grand to have the work carried out. To be honest i ran coilovers on mine for 4 years and when i got the subframes inspected prior to selling it all was fine. They go through rear srpings and trailing arm bushes alot. servicing can be a little dear but if you find a good indi specialist you'll be laughing. I loved my one but the front of the sils and one of the rear quarters was beginning to break out in rust. The rear Quarters have a good lip that dirt can sit in. I cleaned there fairly often but the tin worm still won in the end. Any other quetions feel free to give me a shout. I've been heavy bmw forum user and run a local bmw forum for a good while now.. I never had an issue with the smg pump. To be honest i think it was more of an issue with SMG 1 (e36) than SMG 2 (e46). There is a relay that goes which will cost you £14 to replace I have heard of folk having issues with coils. A set of front disk will cost you just over £300 for ATE's if you shop around. They are huge drilled and vented jobs. The standard brakes are fairly cr4p though. I stuck on some braided hoses, grippier pads and some 5.1 fluid which made all the difference. Edited September 5, 2013 by Richie-B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 I love M3's but think they look like complete chav wagons when people start adding wings and kits to them. Given the lines and JDM nature of the zed, it's a much better car if you are in to modifying cars.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Very good point. Most German stuff gets modified mechanically not externally (wheels excluded), so if lairy bodykits are your thing then probably not a good idea either. That does my head in with 911s, as unless it's a Turbo no-one bothers trying to modify it at all, so you ask a question on a forum and it all goes quiet because no-one does anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie-B Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 I think when your modding german you need to get out of JDM mode. CSL ducktails are always a winner on an e46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nero_slk Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 E46 is a very risky car... I had a E36 M3 Evolution with 330bhp a few months ago, and it feels slowish until 5.5k rpm .... The engine is very similar to a honda, it loves high revs.... Personally i would think twice- only due to subframe issues, vanos issues, and SMG is usually a NO NO! Agree with Richie- CSL ducktail is amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 E46 is a very risky car... I had a E36 M3 Evolution with 330bhp a few months ago, and it feels slowish until 5.5k rpm .... The engine is very similar to a honda, it loves high revs.... Personally i would think twice- only due to subframe issues, vanos issues, and SMG is usually a NO NO! Agree with Richie- CSL ducktail is amazing! Rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 E46 is a very risky car... I had a E36 M3 Evolution with 330bhp a few months ago, and it feels slowish until 5.5k rpm .... The engine is very similar to a honda, it loves high revs.... Personally i would think twice- only due to subframe issues, vanos issues, and SMG is usually a NO NO! Agree with Richie- CSL ducktail is amazing! Rubbish. I remember the rear subframes and Vanos being E36 issues, not E46 issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 E46 is a very risky car... I had a E36 M3 Evolution with 330bhp a few months ago, and it feels slowish until 5.5k rpm .... The engine is very similar to a honda, it loves high revs.... Personally i would think twice- only due to subframe issues, vanos issues, and SMG is usually a NO NO! Agree with Richie- CSL ducktail is amazing! Rubbish. I remember the rear subframes and Vanos being E36 issues, not E46 issues. They are also weak points of the E46 also, but every single car out there has stuff written on the internet that should be avoided like the plague when the reality is that the cases are isolated, so for someone to advise someone else not to buy a certain car because of these issues is ridiculous. Even more so when said person owned an E36 not an E46! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Very, very good cars. The car is much more adjustable on the limit than the Zed, and it certainly makes a much better noise! Interior is of a substantially higher quality too as you'd expect, but as said above the running costs are substantially more: Brakes especially aren't cheap, a good friend of mine who owns an early SMG model was a tad shocked at the prices. As far as upgrades go, the brakes are the big weak point and the vast majority of owners upgrade the calipers and discs so if you can get one that has been done even better, if not expect to pay £2K for a kit. Electrics can be seriously expensive if they go wrong, but they don't tend to. The SMG can be a bit temperamental (control boxes and pumps are known to fail), but it is a brilliant piece of kit and set to the most agressive mode an absolute hoot! In pretty much every way that matters they're better than the Zed. But then they should be, seeing as how they were more expensive to buy. I agree with you but its better on paper but not for me. Don't get me wrong I'd love one but I personally found for me anyway it didn't give me the same feeling the Z did. The e46's have bushes everywhere and they tend to fail but they are usually very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Very, very good cars. The car is much more adjustable on the limit than the Zed, and it certainly makes a much better noise! Interior is of a substantially higher quality too as you'd expect, but as said above the running costs are substantially more: Brakes especially aren't cheap, a good friend of mine who owns an early SMG model was a tad shocked at the prices. As far as upgrades go, the brakes are the big weak point and the vast majority of owners upgrade the calipers and discs so if you can get one that has been done even better, if not expect to pay £2K for a kit. Electrics can be seriously expensive if they go wrong, but they don't tend to. The SMG can be a bit temperamental (control boxes and pumps are known to fail), but it is a brilliant piece of kit and set to the most agressive mode an absolute hoot! In pretty much every way that matters they're better than the Zed. But then they should be, seeing as how they were more expensive to buy. I agree with you but its better on paper but not for me. Don't get me wrong I'd love one but I personally found for me anyway it didn't give me the same feeling the Z did. The e46's have bushes everywhere and they tend to fail but they are usually very good. I agree that the Zed has a lot more soul and the V6 and low down grunt make it a great car. For me, the M3 is the best alternative that can accommodate kids in the back...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Very, very good cars. The car is much more adjustable on the limit than the Zed, and it certainly makes a much better noise! Interior is of a substantially higher quality too as you'd expect, but as said above the running costs are substantially more: Brakes especially aren't cheap, a good friend of mine who owns an early SMG model was a tad shocked at the prices. As far as upgrades go, the brakes are the big weak point and the vast majority of owners upgrade the calipers and discs so if you can get one that has been done even better, if not expect to pay £2K for a kit. Electrics can be seriously expensive if they go wrong, but they don't tend to. The SMG can be a bit temperamental (control boxes and pumps are known to fail), but it is a brilliant piece of kit and set to the most agressive mode an absolute hoot! In pretty much every way that matters they're better than the Zed. But then they should be, seeing as how they were more expensive to buy. I agree with you but its better on paper but not for me. Don't get me wrong I'd love one but I personally found for me anyway it didn't give me the same feeling the Z did. The e46's have bushes everywhere and they tend to fail but they are usually very good. I agree that the Zed has a lot more soul and the V6 and low down grunt make it a great car. For me, the M3 is the best alternative that can accommodate kids in the back...... I also like the fact that everyone thinks its just a e46 but if you see a petrol head they will look or give you that nod. Also its better on the motorway in it's more refined. The engine is just something else though, its metallicy and it pulls hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nero_slk Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 E46 is a very risky car... I had a E36 M3 Evolution with 330bhp a few months ago, and it feels slowish until 5.5k rpm .... The engine is very similar to a honda, it loves high revs.... Personally i would think twice- only due to subframe issues, vanos issues, and SMG is usually a NO NO! Agree with Richie- CSL ducktail is amazing! Rubbish. I remember the rear subframes and Vanos being E36 issues, not E46 issues. Just my knowledge/oppinion. Both e36 and 46 have similar S series engines Checked google just in case- all what I said is true... but I guess it depends how lucky you are... SMG does sound amazing on papers (all of its features etc) I did not say- dont buy it... just be aware of possible faults and check before you spend ) (would love to try a M3 e46 myself) P.s if you do get 1- ebay, bmw scanner 1.4.0 for 17£ might save you thousands!!! That thing is very easy to use, and will show everything, from a engine or suspension fault, to a non working mirror or heated seat Best of luck if you get 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtB Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Never driven one, but I think the Estoril Blue looks fantastic Apologies if I've just started a "best colour" argument! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollowPoint Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Estoril blue was just clubsports on the E46 chassis and just M3 Evos on E36. I have an E46 clubsport I'm now selling, in estoril blue Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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