I Bought An E46 M3

This serves as the first blog post as a BMW "noob". A true beginner to BMW ownership. Some have talked about owning one, about being part of the community. And many have shared their unpredicted maintenance, sworn on their unreliability and depreciation. I took all of that into account and decided that this would be my time to own one.

I wrote a medium article about how I was able to achieve my dream car, the E46 M3. That article serves as my "thank you" to the Universe, to God, to my family and the reddit community for helping me research, encourage and empower me with the tools to understand what ownership of an M would look like. What it would feel like in my mind, in my heart and of course, in my wallet. The online forum have shared with me the worst case scenario and strangers have literally went out of their way to calm me down and to let me know that ... it will be ok.

As of today, three weeks have passed since my first purchase of a BMW. Not only any BMW, but the legendary, last analog BMW, the E46 M3.

If you are on this page because you were looking for some guidance yourself to purchase one, or if you are here because you are overwhelmed by all the negative (and positive) comments about this unique BMW generation, then I am here to tell you that I know how you feel. I will share with you, all of own accomplishment and struggles as a bmw "noob" (a complete beginner who have never owned a BMW before).

The beauty of owning an E46 M3 is that just right off the bat, everyone is going to own a car that is at least 14 years old (the last generation of the E46 was released in 2006), which means:

1. All of the issues have been discovered and resolved

2. Almost everyone who owns it, either loves it, or hates it. And I'm pretty sure they have shared it somewhere in the Internet

3. Most owners will be DIY-ers. They are car enthusiasts who like to work on their own cars and trust the connection with their E46

4. Parts are readily available

Before thinking of owning one, be sure that you are clear with yourself that you are buying a "classic" BMW. Something that you may need to work on your own. If you are a noob like me, that was a leap of faith.

I've owned Honda Accords all of my life. I trust the car dealership and the service department attached to it. I trust maintenance to be done at the dealership, where they are certified and I don't trust myself to work on my own cars. At least before I owned this M3.

This was the real reason why I bought this iconic BMW. I want to trust myself to work on my own cars because I want to learn. And the BMW community has proven to me that they are great teachers.

In the following blog posts, I will share with you everything that I've worked on in my 2002 BMW E46 M3 Convertible with SMG.

If you are already an M enthusiast, I know just by me telling you this, you have a comment to make already. But I also know that you are eager to share your expertise with everyone. I will try to make this a platform for you to do that.

But if you have never owned an E46 M3 (and this blog will only focus on the iconic generation), I am here to pass on to you my experience of fixing it, driving it, upgrading it and enjoying it, every single moment.

Here's to the M3 journey ahead.