E46 M3 Coupe / 6mt / Vorsteiner Csl / Bbk / Coilovers / Iforged / Adult Owned on 2040-cars

This is a prime example of a truly timeless automobile.  The E46 M3 has a beautifully structured design coupled with a world famous inline-6, producing over 300 hp and revving to 8000 rpm.  It is stylish, reliable, fuel efficient (most of the time), and practical. 

This car has an AutoCheck score of 82, which is higher than some E92 M3s, let alone most E46s.  There are absolutely no stories, accidents, recalls, or any other imperfections on the record of this car.  

I’ve wanted one of these cars since released in 2001.  I had the unique opportunity to purchase this one from a friend of mine, who also happens to be the owner of BrenTuning.  This was his personal vehicle that helped promote his tuning company.  He purchased around 50k miles and sold to me around 70k.  He did most of the modifications you see. I have kept it garaged, maintained, and detailed since purchasing in 2010.  I am an ex-detailer and remain passionate about the cleanliness of my personal vehicles.  For those of you that are in that world, the car is currently polished with Menzerna PO85RD and topped with two layers of Zaino Z5 Pro.

I purchased this car in 2010 when I moved to Texas from the Northeast.  It has never spent a night outside.  I’ve only used BMW OEM parts and fluids for any repairs and maintenance it needs.  It has seen rain less than 10 times since I’ve owned it.  Lucky for us Texans, it never rains here, and the car is always clean.  I daily drove this car for the first three years of ownership, but only put about 9,000 miles a year on it.  After that, I picked up another vehicle to alternate with.  More recently, I began working from home so this only gets used 1-2 times per week. 

My reason for sale is because it is time for something new.  I truly love this car and it will be painful to part with. I’ve had it since March of 2010, which is longer than I’ve owned any other car.  It is the most driver-centric vehicle I’ve owned, which will be hardest to part with.  However, someone deserves to give this one a go.  I’ve only put 3,000 miles on it since November.  It is truly special and receives regular compliments.

Condition

None nicer.  I don’t use that lightly.  I’ve sold a lot of cars before, both my own and as a consultant.  I’ve been to local M3 meets and put the 2006 Texas M3s to shame.  They are hard pressed to believe the age and roots of this car.  If you tell someone this car is 2002, they won’t believe you.  It is as clean as they come. 

The only cosmetic imperfections are with the elbow areas on the driver's console/door armrests (normal wear) and cracked lower portion of the front lip.  The driver's door titanium trim has a little bubbling as well.  I rewrapped the lip in 3M carbon fiber vinyl after a truck dropped a branch on a dark highway with nowhere to go.  When wrapped, you don’t even know there is damage. Thankfully the lip took the brunt of the impact and nothing else on the car, or under the car, was affected.  Unfortunately, they don’t make this lip anymore, so I had to improvise.  There are a couple of blisters on the rear driver’s side wheel-lip that have been there since I’ve owned it, but not worsened.  This is shoddy chrome work from iForged, but they refuse to repair it.  It didn’t bother me enough to have them re-chromed.  Other than that, what you see is what you get; an impeccably maintained and cared for E46 M3.

Overview:

•           Cold weather package (ski sock and headlight cleaners removed)
•           Premium package
•           16.9 Nav  (with OEM TV Tuner & DVD Integration)
•           Harmon Kardon stereo(Alpine speakers & Infinity Basslink upgrade)
•           PDC sensors
•           CPO car; while under warranty, all work done by BMW Dealer (receipts included)
•           Garaged since birth; no snow or salt, seldom rain (and washed afterwards)
•           LOW miles; 8,500 average per year, mostly highway; tracked 3 times in its life
•           Accident free.  The only paintwork is elective (Euro front bumper, rear CF CSL trunk)

Exterior Mods:

•           19x9 F, 19x10 R iForged Seneka wheels in raw brushed aluminum with 235/275 Michelin PS2 tires (70% tread)
•           H&R Wheel Spacers
•           V-CSL double-sided CF trunk, keyhole deleted (rare, discontinued item) fully painted + LED plate lights conversion; Dynamat license plate bracket; OEM Alpine White Trunk included in sale
•           V-CSL half rear lower carbon fiber diffuser
•           V-CSL GTS3 front carbon fiber splitter (discontinued)
•           OEM Euro bumper (reflectors, plate holes deleted; high durability paint)
•           Professionally rolled rear fenders for wheel fitment (over 10 hours of labor; find another one like this)
•           Cold weather front eyelid delete
•           Stealth corner and marker bulbs
•           LED Taillight conversion
•           39% Huper Optik tint
•           Philips 5000k HID Headlight bulbs (match the angel eyes)
•           Philips 3000k Yellow Fog light bulbs
•           Orion V2 LED Angel eyes, wired to hidden on/off interior switch

Interior Mods:

•           OEM Titanium trim
•           Full LED conversion
•           OEM ZHP leather shift knob with matching 6spd boot
•           Custom installation of K40 radar detector and laser jammer into center console
•           Custom installation of adjustable bass gain for Infinity Basslink

I.C.E Mods:

•           Full integrated K40 Laser/Radar/Diffuser setup built underneath car (cockpit controlled)
•           OEM 16.9 NAV with most recent NAV software, in-dash TV Tuner, and DVD integrated into trunk
•           All speakers upgraded to Alpine Type-X (with Dynamat) on OEM amps, replaced “separates” OEM tweeters with new
•           DICE Silverline IPOD Integration with new wiring
•           Full rear seat, and rear trunk has Dynamat underneath carpet for noise/drone absorption
•           Infinity Basslink with remote bass gain setup next to hood release

Engine/Drivetrain Mods:

•           AFE S1 coated heat shield box. Large Pro-S AFE dry filter (just cleaned with OEM recharge kit)
•           SAMCO black intake arm boot
•           Custom section 1 rasp terminator with (2) 18” Magnaflow resonators, 100% rasp elimination
•           Zerotek rear muffler section (low, clean exhaust note)
•           Custom PC/BT Tuned DME file for modifications (301 rwhp on current tune; 100 octane and emission tunes included)
•           Rogue Engineering (Street) Transmission mounts, New OEM motor mounts and Guibo @ 70k
•           UUC Big Boy clutch stop

Suspension Mods:

•           BC Racing ER-Series inverted strut coilovers (30-way adjustable); car currently has the 8k street springs installed
•           BC Racing adjustable camber plates, -4 camber to +4 (verified)
•           BC Racing front endlinks and FSM/RSM’s
•           PowerFlex RTAB bushings
•           OEM strut bar (from 2003+ models)
•           OEM rear end links replaced at 70k
•           OEM spring pads replaced at 70k
•           OEM front L/R wheel bearings/Hub assemblies replaced at 70k

Brake Mods:

•           AP Racing 14.8” Big brake kit, 6 pot front, 4 pot rear using Euro CSL floating rotors
•           DS2500 Street pads all the way around (40% life remaining)
•           Stainless steel brake lines F/R with Motul Fluid

Exterior Maintenance:

•           OEM Bosch headlight lenses
•           OEM Corner lights
•           OEM sidemarkers
•           OEM foglights and trim
•           OEM grills
•           ALL interior trim replaced under warranty at 70k
•           OEM E46 M3 steering wheel tri-M stitched at 70k
•           Front & Rear BMW Roundels
•           New side mirror glass from heated mirror discoloration

Interior Maintenance:

•           Shifter trim
•           New Rearview Mirror (infamous glare film failure)
•           ZHP Shift knob/boot
•           New center console
•       New OEM Window Switch
•           OEM trunk carpet mat
•           OEM rubber mats 

Engine/Drivetrain Maintenance:

•           All Inspection I and II’s completed by BMW Dealership, along with all CPO work
•           New Bosch Mini Cooper Battery (4 months old; much lighter than E46 battery)
•           OEM Motor mounts
•           OEM Transmission mounts
•           OEM Guibo
•           OEM Front control arm bushings
•           OEM Rear end links
•           OEM Vanos filter
•           OEM Throttle Positioning Sensor at 80k
•           OEM Sunroof Shade Track Replacement at 88k
•           Blower motor cleaned and lubricated at 89k
•            OEM Rear Differential Fluid at 90k
•            OEM Transmission Fluid at 90k
•            OEM Fan Clutch at 95k
•            OEM Serpentine Belt at 95k
•           OEM Front L/R wheel bearings/Hub assemblies
•           All services 15k, 30k, 45k with all OEM parts used, including valve adjustment
•           Always ran OEM fluids and filters, nothing else
•           Tire pressure checked biweekly
•           Every rattle, squeak fixed before bumper to bumper warranty was up, including the rear deck
•           All TBS and Recalls completed
•           BMW M Castrol Synthetic Oil and OEM filter every 7500 miles (twice as often as recommended)
•           Does not burn oil in between oil changes
•           Always ran Shell V-Power 93 octane or Chevron 93 octane
•           Chevron Techron injector cleaner every 3,000 miles
•           A/C fully charged

Detailing Maintenance:

•           Washed bi-weekly with foam gun, two bucket method, and sheepskin mitts
•           Wheel wells, tires, and undercarriage degreased and dressed with water-based protectant
•           Deionized (no towel) water rinse and air dry
•           Annual detail includes clay bar, Menzerna polish by machine, and Zaino Z5 Pro to protect
•           Periodic polishing of wheels, calipers, exhaust, and lighting
•           Engine bay cleaned by hand with quick detailer, APC, and microfiber towels
•           Interior is dusted, vacuumed, wiped with quick detailer after each wash
•           Interior is steam cleaned and leather conditioned 2-3 times per year
•           No smoking, food, or drinks (aside from water) are permitted in the car
•           Back seats used less than 5 times

Turn Key vehicle:

•           Completed sorted out
•           Full compression motor that doesn’t burn oil
•           Professionally dyno tuned (smooth, consistent power through entire range)
•           All fluids are fresh and new along with filters (at or before recommended intervals)
•           Rock solid suspension components and alignment
•           Plenty of tire and brake life remaining

Condition report:

• Exterior: 9+. All panels line up and all paint work matches.
• Interior: 9. As mentioned, the driver's armrests are noticeably more worn and the driver's door trim has a little bubbling.  Driver’s seat shows slightly more wear than the rest.  No cracks, gouges, ghosting, or scratches.  Slight pixilation in NAV screen in two small areas. 
• Trunk: 10.  I never use it.  If I do, the items are in bags or I put additional blankets down.  There is no sand or dust on anything.
• Engine Bay: 9+. One small mar on the strut bar paint from where it contacts the hood insulation, which is normal.  Emblem on engine was replaced due to heat discoloration.  Over my ownership, I’ve removed most of the items to polish, clean, and protect-by hand. 
• Paint flaws: 9+. Barely a mar on the entire vehicle.  Very faint pitting on front bumper and side skirts.  Anything larger than a ball point pen tip has been touched up, leveled out, and polished.
• Tire tread: 70%; Michelin PS2s all the way around.
• Brake life: 40%; Low dust pads.  Depending on driving styles, you have at least 7,500 miles before thinking about pad replacement.
• Fluid life: Transmission/Diff fluid completed within last 6,000 miles; Oil done 3,000 miles ago.
• Filters: Air/Oil/Vanos/Cabin filter have been replaced or recharged within 10,000 miles.

Performance/Observed street driving characteristics:

• 301whp (~360 bhp) on 93 octane
• Brakes are daily driver friendly. They don’t squeak and don’t need heat to bite well. They do not dust much at all.
• Suspension has linear springs and 30 way adjustable shocks (currently set at 12 in front and 16 at rear – pretty soft); rides better than a stock M3 progressive springs.  No rubbing, even with passengers in rear.
• 13.2@108 in 100 degree weather (previous owner, current mods)
• 18 MPG city / 27 MPG highway
• Passes inspection 100% of the time when “Inspection Tune” is loaded and readiness is set.  Software, cable, instructions, and file are included with the car.
• The car is incredibly reliable and practical.  I struggled with two throttle sensors after purchasing and, after the second (first was faulty), it hasn’t given me an issue since.  Other than that, it starts up without an issue and runs stronger than new. 
• The sub-frame has been inspected and is intact; all recalls performed; all service bulletins performed

FAQ:

• $500 non-refundable deposit is due within 48 hours as a commitment to purchase.
• The remaining amount is due within two weeks, in the form of certified funds.
• I will ship the car, but at the new owner’s expense.  The car must be picked up within one week after it is paid for. 
• I will not part the car out.  The sale includes the stock trunk and a few various parts along with any OEM fluids remaining.
• I am agreeable to a PPI by a local, trusted shop, after verifying the buyer.
• The car can be shown by appointment; I am located in Central Austin.
• If you have specific questions or picture requests, feel free to email me.