[Resoelg]

A giant among giants. The best M3 (besides the holy Grail) ever produced IMO....Thanks for sharing this.

[Randy Johnson]

What’s your total cost of ownership over the 15 years? 100k?

[eljay]

Fantastic!

Thank you for sharing!

While most "car guys" would keep it collecting dust as a stationary object and brag about 30k mile garage queen, your 190k+ miles demonstrate the true passion for the car. It is a moving object and is meant to be driven. And given the array of cars between which you've split your driving life, the high miles on this one also speak the message loudly: you put your right foot where your mouth is. 😉👏👍

[My M3]

Happy birthday The E46 M3 is a great car Thanks for sharing

[cfm56d7b]

What a great post. Appreciation should easily exceed triple digits. I made my contribution.

What struck me ...

- Some cars are worth keeping. Yours is one of them!
- Good maintenance practices are a must. Wishing you another 200K miles and 2 new batteries

The color is just phenomenal.

[skinnyroots]

Great read. Funnily it was a good friend and his 325i that really got me to appreciate Bimmers. He's def part of the reason I own my F87 today.

How'd you keep the paint looking so fresh? Curious if it's ever been resprayed or if you have PPF.

[cehrl7]

You had me with the first picture of the Hot G.. I mean car.

[440i6MT]

This is front page material!

[My M3]

Was there something I missed 😀

[Supercar Ace]

Originally Posted by derrickcz

This is amazing.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by f80got6speed

That’s wild! The F80 is my 1st M3 and 2 years later I still love it! Let’s see if we make it to 15 😅

F80's a great! I hope you get to the 15 year mark!

Originally Posted by FrozenGT

This was the model that made fall in-love with BMW M…

Once I saw the color for the first time, I knew I had to have it

Originally Posted by alphawawa

Good stuff. My 2005 6MT TiAg/IR coupe has about 160k miles. It’d be interesting to see/know:

1. Total cost of ownership if you’ve tracked that.

2. Any issues with your seating? I have some stitching issues on driver’s seat as well as top center of rear seats.

3. How often you were changing oil before the spun bearing (mine went at 125k).

Thanks.

1. That's a really interesting question...I kinda want to know...but I kinda don't wanna know lol

2. As with any car that gets good use the interior is a bit worn on the high use areas, so the front seats are getting warn and have little tears on the sides. But hey it's 23 year old leather so it's natural.

3. I did full oil changes every 15k miles and usually had a few extra quarts to top it off added in there every so often.

Originally Posted by TurboT888

have never driven a 458 but from what have heard they are worth the money lol

100%. If you ever get a chance, drive one. It's what supercars are all about, that car is pure magic.

Originally Posted by BimmerPowered

Beautiful Post Supercar Ace! I agree with just about everything you said. I've had my '06 Silver Gray/Black ZCP for 11 years now and cannot ever think of parting with it. I don't even know what I would buy. I recently picked up an IS500 for daily /dad duties and while it's fun, it's definitely not an E46 M3. I've also 'theory-crafted' a blank check build for my car, but I haven't won the lottery yet to drop the $100K+ it would take to do it lol.

I love lamborghini's as much as you do, but my dream would be a 2000 Diablo GT/2001 VT6.0SE.

Awesome, welcome to the decade+ ownership club! It really is hard to think what you could replace it with, and the only other options seems to be with another one haha. Also nice to meet a fellow Lambo guy. Diablo's are epic and I'd love to scoop up a 98 or 99 Diablo SV...but prices on those have gone so far up you might as well get an Aventador lol.

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

love it! timeless

Originally Posted by MiamiFan13

Don't ever sell that car!!! Cars will NOT get better to drive. My 2nd fav BMW of all time...after the E30.

My family has adopted the car so they've forbidden me from selling it The E30 is a classic

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

“Other useless vanity metrics”… half-naked woman next to the car. Made me LOL.

I had the e46 M3 manual transmission as new. Great car. After a couple years it was just OK. Liked my e93 better, but that’s just me.

Gotta know how to advertise My best friend has an E92 and he prefers that car over the E46...the best part is that there's no wrong answers!

Originally Posted by yocubed

Great story and an absolutely beautiful machine. This is the exact car down to the color and trans that began my passion for BMW and M cars specifically. I remember my college chem profesor had a LSB on black manual E46 and I got a chance to ride in it a few times and I've been hooked ever since. Thank you for the review and I agree don't ever sell it. A legendary vehicle!!

Thank you! I have a lot of great memories with this machine and hopefully many more to go!

Originally Posted by Tallest

well this is a forum post like the good old days.

Bringing it back old school style. I used to be way more active on here setting up meetups and drives, but social media platforms have replaced a lot of what the forums do. However, there's beyond too much knowledge on here on everything you need to know about these cars so I'm happy to see they are still alive and well!

Originally Posted by derrickcz

This is amazing.

Thank you

Originally Posted by Resoelg

A giant among giants. The best M3 (besides the holy Grail) ever produced IMO....Thanks for sharing this.

My pleasure I love sharing my passion and enthusiasm with people who can appreciate these awesome machines!

Originally Posted by Randy Johnson

What’s your total cost of ownership over the 15 years? 100k?

That is a really really good question...I have all the service records so I suppose I actually could add it all up

Originally Posted by eljay

Fantastic!

Thank you for sharing!

While most "car guys" would keep it collecting dust as a stationary object and brag about 30k mile garage queen, your 190k+ miles demonstrate the true passion for the car. It is a moving object and is meant to be driven. And given the array of cars between which you've split your driving life, the high miles on this one also speak the message loudly: you put your right foot where your mouth is. 😉👏👍

Exactly, I completely agree. these machines have souls and are meant to be driven and shared with the world, not hidden away to never feel the fresh air, warm road and the thrill of speed

Originally Posted by My M3

Happy birthday The E46 M3 is a great car Thanks for sharing

Many thanks and it was my pleasure!

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

What a great post. Appreciation should easily exceed triple digits. I made my contribution.

What struck me ...

- Some cars are worth keeping. Yours is one of them!
- Good maintenance practices are a must. Wishing you another 200K miles and 2 new batteries

The color is just phenomenal.

Thank you so much and yes, with some good upkeep these cars will last. It does shock me how I managed to average about 8 years of battery life with each battery...seem this car is more efficient than a lot of EV's

Originally Posted by skinnyroots

Great read. Funnily it was a good friend and his 325i that really got me to appreciate Bimmers. He's def part of the reason I own my F87 today.

How'd you keep the paint looking so fresh? Curious if it's ever been resprayed or if you have PPF.

Honestly I just wash it regularly and wax it every now and again. Keeping it garaged has also been a huge help. The paint is all factory original except for the front bumper (which was replaced after a lot of rock chips), the hood and rear bumper, which where resprayed. I think after my next respray I'll actually clear bra the whole car, but honestly the paint has held up really really well.

Originally Posted by cehrl7

You had me with the first picture of the Hot G.. I mean car.

I know how to get attention

[VANOS]

Originally Posted by Kaizer84

Beautiful car man, I’ve always wanted a Laguna Seca E46 M3. The car that sparked my interest in the brand as a kid. Maybe one day.

Same here man, what a great car! I still love em till this day, especially a Laguna Seca Blue E46; my mouth drops to the ground when I see one on the road, beautiful bmws.

[TEGRITY]

Congrats on the milestone OP! So refreshing to read such a story.

[LemonOne]

Great read!

I've owned my E46 M3 since 2016 when it had 60k miles, and I continue to drive it every day. It now has 170k miles, and I simply can't stop driving it. You're correct; many people don't keep their cars long enough to truly understand them. I intend to keep mine until the wheels fall off, and I'm even considering refreshing the car with EAG.

[MT6]

Ultimate write up on an Ulimate M3

[Supercar Ace]

Originally Posted by VANOS

Same here man, what a great car! I still love em till this day, especially a Laguna Seca Blue E46; my mouth drops to the ground when I see one on the road, beautiful bmws.

Same...funny how I'll spot another LSB when I'm in another car...but those rare times when I'm in mine and see another...🔥🔥🔥

Originally Posted by TEGRITY

Congrats on the milestone OP! So refreshing to read such a story.

Thanks! I love sharing my experiences as much as I love hear about them from others

Originally Posted by LemonOne

Great read!

I've owned my E46 M3 since 2016 when it had 60k miles, and I continue to drive it every day. It now has 170k miles, and I simply can't stop driving it. You're correct; many people don't keep their cars long enough to truly understand them. I intend to keep mine until the wheels fall off, and I'm even considering refreshing the car with EAG.

Awesome, I love hearing stuff like this! I am considering a full blown "make it factory fresh" resto from a few places that specialize it, my only fear would be that it'd be so clean I'd not want to drive it any more...tough decisions to be made...

[TX552]

I bet in 15 years NO ONE will say the same thing about any EVs.

[Supercar Ace]

Originally Posted by MT6

Ultimate write up on an Ulimate M3

Many humbled thanks !

Originally Posted by TX552

I bet in 15 years NO ONE will say the same thing about any EVs.

I'm betting you won't be wrong...and I don't think we'll see the massive EV push we're seeing now. Hybrids are likely the better option for the future, but there will always be a need for proper, purity of joy driving machines so I'll also be excited in 15 years to see what else has been made.

[NotSharocks]

I'm at 13 years with my 04.

It's a car that does everything decent for not crazy money in comparison.

I've been fortunate to spend time and own some other cars and there's nothing that would make me sell mine for something else.

It's always ADDING cars lol.

Nice to see there's some long term owners here, most of what's here is all about the new stuff.

[ChrisM4]

Great post and review, your M3 (and other cars) are amazing.

I’ve had a ton of different fast cars (no exotics mind you but a lot of powerful/modified domestics like the CTS-V wagon with manual trans, ZL1 Camaro, 5th gen Corvette, SRT’s, modified STIs etc. and am on my fourth M car.)

My current ‘24 M4 Comp x-Drive is literally the best car I’ve owned. It’s like a super car with all weather capabilities, bottom 11 second quarter mile time at 123mph, 0-60 in 3.0 seconds on an unprepped surface, handles like it’s on rails. It’s just insane how capable it is. I love everything about it and even though I’m leasing it intend to buy it out at the end of the lease and keep it long term. Hoping it stays reliable and I can get 200K out of it as well.

[M2Cmtl]

Great post! This was "THE" car I drooled over in College, same color. Still an amazing color.

[Supercar Ace]

Originally Posted by NotSharocks

I'm at 13 years with my 04.

It's a car that does everything decent for not crazy money in comparison.

I've been fortunate to spend time and own some other cars and there's nothing that would make me sell mine for something else.

It's always ADDING cars lol.

Nice to see there's some long term owners here, most of what's here is all about the new stuff.

Congrats on the decade+ ownership club! And you're right, some cars are just keepers so all you can do is ADD

Originally Posted by ChrisM4

Great post and review, your M3 (and other cars) are amazing.

I’ve had a ton of different fast cars (no exotics mind you but a lot of powerful/modified domestics like the CTS-V wagon with manual trans, ZL1 Camaro, 5th gen Corvette, SRT’s, modified STIs etc. and am on my fourth M car.)

My current ‘24 M4 Comp x-Drive is literally the best car I’ve owned. It’s like a super car with all weather capabilities, bottom 11 second quarter mile time at 123mph, 0-60 in 3.0 seconds on an unprepped surface, handles like it’s on rails. It’s just insane how capable it is. I love everything about it and even though I’m leasing it intend to buy it out at the end of the lease and keep it long term. Hoping it stays reliable and I can get 200K out of it as well.

That's a great list of cars you have under your belt! And yes, the new G platform cars are wildly insane with their speed, handling and most importantly...they finally got the interiors fully on point! I hope you get to 200k miles as well

Originally Posted by M2Cmtl

Great post! This was "THE" car I drooled over in College, same color. Still an amazing color.

Thank you

[NB STIG]

Thanks for sharing the love story for your Laguna Seca M3. I know there are "better" cars out there that are faster, more reliable, more capable, more luxurious, etc. BUT, there is something special about an M3 e46...I guess some would say it has a soul. I own a 2005 BMW M3 ZCP in Interlagos Blue and I absolutely love it. My car has currently 83K miles and it brings me joy every time I turn the key on and I hear the amazing S54. Again congrats and many more happy miles...