I know this is a g35 forum but from reading posts many bmw guys are over here and also many fellow g35 owners know alot about the m3. I'm considering trading my black 05m g coupe for a 02 m3. I love my infiniti but always wanted an m. My question is what changed on the m3 between 02 and present and I've heard that the 2002 is a less desirable year to have. Is this true and why? What are things to look at when buying a used m? Not sure what I'm gonna do but if I can trade with no money, I might do it. BTW, my g has 13,000 miles and the m I'm looking at has 40,000.
Thanks

 

Since it is an almost new G I would say keep it for a while until the second year next generation V8 M3 is out, then go for a 0 miles M3. I say second year so all the bugs of the first year production (if any) will be ironed out and you will have time to save for a decent down payment. You will never know what kind of treatment the 02 M3 has endured. Even if the seller has all the maintenance records (good question to ask!) showing the car was kept well I would wait for the next gen M3. Remember the 02 M3 may be out of warranty by now and anything that happens to it will be out of pocket for you. I would wait, because then you will get so jealous when you see me on my V8 from your I6.

 

I was considering a used 2002 M3 too, but the shorter warranty, less reliability and much higher price has pushed me away into a G35. I heard 2002 M3s had a reputation of blown engines, which was supposedly corrected by 2003. Don't remember what exactly was it. After all the money my cousin spent on maintaning or repairing his 540i without warranty and my research of 2002 M3s, I came up with the same conclusion as the guy above, to buy the M only if I can easily afford it brand new or year or two old with plenty of warranty left. Either way you go, good luck.

 

2002 had faulty connecting rods but most of them should have been taken carewith by the dealership. still would not buy anything less than a 2003 m3. IMO the e46 m3 had the best styling, i dont really like the e90 body, even the coupe which manay do like.
i would keep the G, unless you're getting an amazing deal on it. no need to trade in a brand new car for a used car with a lot more potential for malfunction. there is so much tuning done on that car and electronics that there is a large chance something could go wrong. M3's are also much more expensie to mod because you need to mod within the vanos system.
if u have any other question i work at bmw and so does my friend.

he drives an s52 m coupe

good luck on your decision

 

The 2001, 2002, and early 2003 M3 are less desirable because they are the models before the major upgrade. If you are going to get a used M3 look at only 2003.5 and up. The 2003.5+ has new software, new DSC units, LED tail lights, and the battery have been moved to the trunk. Of course the connecting rod issues are also gone. There are a few other changes but I forgot what they are. My advice to you if you want the best m3 for your money is to get a 2003.5. Many of those owners and second hand lots (non-BMW dealerships) won't know the difference and you can neg. a better deal because the car is almost 4 years old. You can easily tell by the taillights. If someone list a 2003 and it has the regular taillights then it's a early production model; whereas, if you see the LED in the back than there is a 95% chance its a 2003.5 (some people replace the original tail lights with LED units). And if you get a chance to inspect the engine bay there is also one other major difference: There is a huge empty spot on the passenger side where the DSC modulator used to be. It looks strange and therefore should stick out like a sore thumb. I have seen 2003.5 listed for 33K-36K. Good luck!

 

i heard 02's had a lil trouble with oil consumption....about a quart a month.