- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.2i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
252kW, 365Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 9.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
2 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2001 BMW M3 review: Used car guide
The final six-cylinder BMW M3 is on its way to being a classic. By DAVID MORLEY.
The pick of the BMW bunch
Among the faithful, very few cars seem to stir up the same strength of emotion as BMW's M3.
Originally designed as a four-cylinder, the M3 grew an extra two cylinders in the 1990s and emerged as one of motoring's most accomplished, narrow-focus sporting cars.
And while its M5 stablemate packed on the kilograms over the years, losing the razor-sharp responses of the first version we saw here, the M3 never allowed middle-age spread to set in.
Now, of course, BMW has bowed to the inevitable and has plans to fit the new M3 with a V8 engine.
We would love to be able to reassure you that the result won't lose the essential M3 flavour, but there are no guarantees. While we are certain the new M3 will be more powerful and faster, for many it won't be a "real" M3 without that classic, rippling in-line six-cylinder engine.
Of course, that will also mean for them that the current model, the E46 M3, which was launched here back in 2001, will be the last of the proper M3s.
So, even if its sheer brutal performance wasn't enough to ensure classic status, the lineage will.
So much for the philosophical argument. What, then, are you buying in a second-hand M3?
Based on the two-door E46 3-Series body shell, the M3 throws away much of the original 3-Series mechanical package and replaces it with some serious hardware.
The 3.2-litre engine is not huge by six-cylinder standards, but add BMW's variable valve timing and a host of other performance tuning techniques and it gives a monster 252 kW of power at an equally staggering 7900 rpm. Torque is also huge at 365 Nm. The M3's engine is one of a very few non-supercharged engines that can crack the 100 Nm per litre barrier.
Suspension is independent all round and is beautifully damped, even though it's obviously biased towards high-speed handling rather than ride quality. The M3 manages to absorb the worst bumps and lumps while still giving the driver plenty of feedback through the steering wheel. As a driver's car, they don't come much better.
Perhaps the most contentious element of the M3 is its optional sequential manual gearbox. While a conventional gearbox internally, the SMG uses a computer-operated clutch instead of a driver-operated clutch pedal.
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You shift the gears manually through the selector or the paddles on the steering wheel. There's also a fully automatic mode.
In automatic mode the gearbox is stilted and jerky with lousy shift quality.
Shifted manually, it's a bit better, but the changes are not smooth.
The SMG's element is the race track, where it can be fully exploited. But elsewhere it's more of a pain. We should also point out that not everybody agrees with this assessment of the technology, but we're sticking to our guns on this one.
Fortunately, there's a perfectly good conventional six-speed manual gearbox that not only works efficiently, but also as smoothly as the driver's skill levels will allow.
Standard equipment and safety levels are high, in keeping with the car's place at the top of the 3-Series tree, and the M3 is beautifully built by people who obviously care about such things.
It's a tremendous-looking car and, while it doesn't have the swoopiness of some coupes, it does have a purposefulness to it and a better back seat than many sporting two-doors.
While the quality and build integrity helps the M3 survive the rigours of the road, it is important to watch out for crash-damaged cars that have not been properly fixed. These are seriously fast cars and even with all their safety gear, they were often faster than their drivers' reactions. So watch for mismatched paint and have the entire car checked out by somebody who knows the breed.
The M3 can also be hard on brake pads and rotors, so check both for thickness and be wary of any pulsing through the brake pedal, suggesting warping.
You'll also pay plenty for insurance, but that's simply a reflection of the model's high purchase price and its propensity for expensive repairs.
Find the right one, though, and look after it properly and you'll be driving one of the great road cars.
Need to know
- Check the brakes carefully. Fast cars give their brakes a hammering and the M3 is no exception.
- BMW's service intervals are notoriously long (too long, some would say), so make sure none have been skipped.
- A few M3s have been raced in events such as Targa Tasmania, so make sure you're not inadvertently buying an ex-racer.
- Make sure the car is Australian-delivered. A handful were privately imported from South Africa and Asia and are worth less money.
What to pay
Model | Year | New | Now |
M3 | 2001 | $136,500 | $80,800 |
M3 | 2002 | $141,100 | $89,400 |
M3 | 2003 | $142,000 | $99,000 |
M3 | 2004 | $143,100 | $108,000 |
Source: Glass's Guide