Selling M3 for 330ci? Thoughts..

[pullinmyhairout]

So an e46 m3 has been my obtainable dream car since I got my DL. At 23 I finally bought one, put a motor in it, converted it to manual and have been racking up miles on her.

I love the car dearly and it is fantastic at autox, mountain runs, and the occasional track day it sees. However the high cost of the s54 and it’s race inspired power band has me considering selling the car, and dumping the money into a streetable track toy 330ci.

I believe I could finagle 10k for my car, buy a beat up 330ci for around 3500, fix the high mileage German car out of it, and then dump the remaining 5-6k into Coilovers, seats, diff, exhaust, etc...

I have two main reservations about this;
1. The m3 will hold its value and ultimately net me a profit if all goes to plan. Where as a modified 330ci will potentially loose me all the money I spent on aftermarket parts. So a loss of around 4-5k
2. The M3 is a car that was designed to be a streetable track car based off an e46.... so am I just selling the better car to make a shittier version?

I don’t think I have much concern on the power decrease since the s54 doesn’t make much power over a tuned m54 below a high rpm (I’m sure I’ll receive some arguments about this)

The main benefit I see is that I’ll have a reserve for aftermarket parts, I can personalize the 330ci without feeling like I’m ruining it and if I pop the motor it’s $350 at my pull a part... etc..

Any thoughts/opinions/experiences?


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[Mless5]

I don't think you're on the right path... M3 will hold its value if it isn't molested, great car even in stock form. There are too many that are modified yet neglected. Do the rod bearings, make sure you trunk floor is good and enjoy it as is. You don't have to take it to 5k RPM on the street, it has enough torque down low to daily drive it.

[Matt330LS]

Keep the M3. Right up front you said it's your dream car. Besides, the "collector value" of the car is already lost since you've replaced the engine and converted from SMG to manual. If it were my car I'd mod it how I wanted for the track and run the hell out of it.

And on another note (my opinion here) consider any money you put in to either car for track use as gone, never to be seen again. It's a hobby and supposed to be fun. You're not building a streetable track toy for the resale value, it's to put a smile on your face and get that adrenaline flowing.