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      02-27-2021, 08:34 PM   #1
waggles02673
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High miles????

So thinking of purchasing a 04 2 owner M3 with 130K miles on it. Current owner has owned car for 10 years and has all service records. Car is an SMG model and might consider swapping to manual. What is considered high mileage for these cars if taken car of and no mods? Car will also be used a 3rd car for us and not a daily driver. Thanks
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      03-01-2021, 12:50 PM   #2
JayR_e92
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If it was well taken care of, with regular maintenance these cars are good for hundreds of thousands of miles. More so if they've had the preventive items done as well - at that mileage RP's bearings done would be expected or at the very least have a lengthy history of recent oil analysis. Subframe inspections, or a reinforcement have been done. Also vanos being serviced. Valve adjustments. Some items are more important than others, but the biggest thing is having it properly inspected before buying it. Look for rust, check the driveline, guibo/driveshaft/rear diff for worn bushings or play.

In short, just make sure to do a good inspection of the car inside and out and plan to have some extra money put aside to do some refreshing.
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      03-01-2021, 01:55 PM   #3
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Nothing wrong with high mileage E46 M3s if properly maintained
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      03-12-2021, 12:26 PM   #4
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130k lol
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      03-14-2021, 02:02 PM   #5
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If you can DIY, then it is not bad. At 130k miles, it is going to need a few parts refreshed.
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      03-28-2021, 11:47 PM   #6
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haha that is not high at all...follow what JayR said
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      04-09-2021, 03:25 PM   #7
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At 130,000 miles, every bushing/bearing/ball joint, and the shocks should have been replaced already if you want it to drive properly (true of any car of that mileage). From a reliability perspective, at minimum it should have a new cooling system and belt tensioners/idlers done already.

Far more detailed answer of what should be done when:
https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...ockdown-thread

130,000 is nothing, but it'll be crap if it's received... BMW scheduled maintenance. My two e46 M3s are 160,000 miles (including >20,000 track miles) and 205,000 miles. Both drive like new and reliability wise I wouldn't hesitate to drive either across the country tomorrow (and have). But, I maintain them to the schedule above.
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      04-18-2021, 10:11 AM   #8
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I'm considering a 05 M3 SMG with 107K mileage. The car is in excellent cosmetic condition. Only concern is there isn't much records. Although it was recently inspected by the BMW dealership and they didn't see anything of concern except new rear struts being needed.

Obioban- Thanks for sharing your checklist.

What about the SMG?
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      05-06-2021, 03:16 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aj6543 View Post
I'm considering a 05 M3 SMG with 107K mileage. The car is in excellent cosmetic condition. Only concern is there isn't much records. Although it was recently inspected by the BMW dealership and they didn't see anything of concern except new rear struts being needed.

Obioban- Thanks for sharing your checklist.

What about the SMG?
The SMG will shit itself eventually. Usually at around 100,000 miles.

I have an 04 with SMG and the pump just failed at around 107,000 miles (last week). I'm now excited to get a manual swap done and also take care of the rod bearings.

Case in point, if you buy a high mileage SMG, be ready to either get the pump replaced or shell out $3000-$4000 for a manual swap and you get lifetime warranty on all the parts.

Other than what was mentioned above, these are phenomenal cars that will last if taken care of and serviced.
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