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Out of all of the vehicles I have owned, the only one that I wish I could have back is my 2004 E46 M3 (6 speed manual). There has not been any car that I have driven that has felt the same or given me the same joy (my next sports car after the m3 was an 08 911 turbo). If you're a simple guy that doesn't care for tech features I'd say the E46 M3 is right up your alley. I still get excited whenever I see one on the road (my wife is probably sick of me pointing them out everytime and saying I wish I still had mine).
There will always be risks with purchasing a 15+ year old vehicle so my advice would be to spend a little more for something in great condition and get it inspected by a mechanic that has experience with e46's. Maintenance and upkeep going hand in hand with reliability and if you find one in good condition regular maintenance isn't too bad (don't know what the current situation with the oil is, used to cost me $100 to change it myself). Certainly you can expect you'll need to replace some parts especially anything that can wear over time.
Aftermarket wise there are so many possibilities and aftermarket tuners. I don't think you'll have any storage of mods to save up for and install. The sky is the limit (just don't mess with the original soul of the car as a high revving NA beast).
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