Pix man!

Yea, right now I'm feeling a pass on this one.

There's an other one in WA I hope to see soon, it should serve as a good comparison. So I guess we'll see.

I've heard you can do a compression test to find out about any damage; does that work?

 

Yeah, you could take the care to a BMW mechanic and have a compression/leakdown test performed to see if the motor was overly abused. You should also request the seller get a PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) from a BMW dealer. I think they run about $150 but if the seller is motivated they'll pay for it - basically there is a list of items that are inspected and the person doing the inspection notes any problems or whatever the find.

to 1SICK - AW/IR is so freakin' hot on an E46 M3. That was the color combo I had looked for for so long. My co-worker was also looking for that exact combo with SMG though.

Speaking of my co-worker, he gave up on his search for an AW/IR when the seller of one he really wanted backed out on him. He did however just pick up a '04 Carbon Black on IR.

 

Good advice. If you aren't thrilled with it, and confident about it, keep looking. That's ALWAYS the correct choice for me, and I'm guessing it would be for others as well.

 

Next question, not specific to the e46 but is relevant to my search:

What can anyone tell me about these car auctions? If a dealer got the car at auction, should I just be avoiding those all around?

 

People I know that have experience with this say its a mixed bag when looking at cars purchased at auction thought most are ok. Lots are repo'd and not bad at all; some of it is just people living beyond their means, losing their jobs and not being able to afford to keep their car. Even if the dealer did buy the car at auction and it is visually OK, has a good service history, and has not been in an accident, it really doesnt matter if it was purchased at auction or taken as a trade. The important thing is about how it was treated prior to being sold at auction and that you should still be able to get info on, provided you know someone who can obtain that info for you from a BMW dealer.

 

Its my fav combo on this car. THough I love the rare yellow and Imola blue as well.....Funny I'm up looking at them on Autotrader now

 

^^^^ I really liked the Phoenix Yellow too then one day I was starring at one and a girl told me it looked like metallic Grey Poupon and I have never been able to look at it the same way since... haha

 

 

My friend recently got one. E46 M3 Supercharged by Active i believe... so sick. I do feel scared riding in his car though because his Gruppe M exhaust is so damn loud. We got pulled over twice in 3 days but both we got let off. Maybe because its Euro? =P

 

As the other guy said, it's a mixed bag.

It's BEST to avoid any from public auctions, but sometimes there are some really clean ones in the dealer auctions. I don't know if you can tell, but when you drive a poorly maintained car, it feels different then a well maintained one.

Try to get any reports from the auctions, carfax, and autocheck.
If you see one from the auction, try to get it fully inspected (check for frame damage or any "hidden" accidents) as these auction cars tend to be shady.

 

Ok guys ... big time bump a thread ... we had a little mini meet today in Vancouver and there were pix taken (courtessy of Kaydee, dude, you're a good photographer )

Here's a teaser shot & a link to the thread (more pix to be posted as the week goes on)

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/can...ml#post5054013
Starting next spring I will be open to mod ideas

 

Nice shots!! Love the pics in front the building Congrats on the M3!!

 

It is about time! Congrats Fay! How is the drive compared to what you had before?

 

Congrats on your M!

 

These are all the camera work of Kaydee