Sell Tacoma for BMW M3? KEEPING TACOMA

OP: If I were to sell my Taco, the M3 would be a pretty sweet substitute, dont think there is a better all around sports sedan out there.

 

My next car is most likely gonna be 2nd gen mr2, keep it in the family lol

 

I have both. Love the E46 M3, had it first, was and is my dream car. Was my DD for almost 3 years and about as practical as it gets for the performance. But maintenance is not cheap even though I do it all myself and it has been mechanically 100%, running costs ~14cents/km (no fuel, insurance etc.). It's definitely a lot more dainty, gotta be careful, speedbumps, potholes, don't want it scratched/hit etc. That being said I love driving it. It feels great, one of the best drivers cars on the road, so much feel/interaction, has some creature comforts and is a blast in Autox and Track.

The Taco on the other hand is bulletproof, worry free and very practical/capable. Maintenance is easy and infrequent, running costs are much cheaper ~4cents/km. Makes a great DD, 4x4, travelling, house work etc. So many good memories and things I've been able to do that I could never do before. Everything on it is super cheap in comparison, maintenance and mods. $5k in the Taco gets you full proper suspension and front/rear bumper and some recovery gear. $5k in the E46M gets you full exhaust and you could half a second faster. Fwiw, the future mod list on my E46M has dropped to bare bones, whereas the truck is getting the full meal deal. Every mod on the truck means I can do more, mods on the car just mean I go a bit quicker in the few Autox/Track events.

If I were to have to go down to one vehicle, it would be the Taco for sure. It's just too capable, it can do everything the E46M can, just maybe not as fast or quite the thrill.

 

Didn't read the entire thread but to the OP, don't do it. Just don't.

If you're dead set on getting one to 1) write it off 2) spend a lot of money on maintenance or 3) become a BMW master technician. Google the problems with the E46 M3, they're real and they're scary. Don't even consider a SMG car. These cars don't age well, so expect to replace a lot of stuff no matter how reliable it turns out. BMW likes to use plastic in places it shouldn't.
I had mine for four years and while it never left me stranded and was reliable, it still ended up costing me a lot of money on maintenance. I do sometimes miss the car but they day I sold it was the day I could breathe a huge sigh of relief, no regerts at all lol.

 

Funny you mention a 2nd gen MR2. I sold mine this years after having it for over a decade. Nothing wrong with it but it was getting long in the tooth and didn't meet my needs anymore. I do miss the turbo spooling and the blow-off valve noise behind me though.

 

Ive been searching for a clean one at a decent price for awhile now, they aren't easy to find around here. What'd you sell it for?

 

I sold mine for just shy of $8k. I had spent a lot more than that over the time I had the car so it's not like I made money or even came close to breaking even. Mine had 200k miles but still clean and well taken care of, a lot of bolt on mods, and most importantly all the maintenance was in tip top shape (timing belt, water and oil pump, gaskets, seals, the works). I would have liked to get a little more due to the shape it was in but the market isn't that strong anymore. A guy came from a couple of states away and drove it back home, and the car got him there with no issues whatsoever.

 

Here is mine. Original owner. 73K miles. 93 Turbo, T-top. Got me through grad school, midwest winters, north east winters. Sits in garage now. I sold my 2007 Rio Yellow S2000 (bought new), so that I could keep the MR2 (garage space limited at that point in my life)

Only mods are TRD X brace, Greddy Exhaust, rear antennae shaved, 1998 TRD steering wheel, 1995 Rear tail light, front clear bumper lens.

 

I had a '99 M Roadster (with the S52 engine), that car was a blast.

If you can swing it, keep the truck and get an E36 instead of an E46. You can a decent E36 for under $10k nowadays and they're cheaper/easier to work on than an S54.

 

I hope you don't sell your Taco, I love mine, and actually passed up buying my friend's C6 Corvette in order to buy my Tacoma. You will never get what you want for your truck, and even if you do you won't get a fair price for the parts and time you put into it. I love my Tacoma, not just because it's a go anywhere, do anything truck, but because it's reliable, fun and honestly one of the cheapest cars to own. I don't know about you, but it's really hard for me to buy a used car because of vehicle history, you'll never learn how someone drove it from the Carfax or service history. I never plan on selling my truck, and actually now I want to get a second Tacoma. I think you'll like the M3, but I personally don't think it's worth it.

If you do buy an E46, watch out for small problems (that are actually big ones) like engine revving by itself on a cold start (I've witnessed it) and other inexplicable noises.

Just my two cents, but best of luck!

 

I see them for around $9k-$10k pretty consistently around here and they don't seem to last long. $8k isn't bad at all for a car thats over 20 years old though, thats a bit more than what my truck is worth and tacos sell like hot cakes.

looks awesome, almost exactly what Id want, just in white.

 

I still have my 2005 325xi, it's great to drive but expensive to own. Premium gas, insurance, maint, it's a lot. M3 is more.
I get 29-33mpg on the BMW. M3 will be 20-24 maybe. If you are getting a e46, get as late a model as possible. 2004-2005's are a lot less problems.

 

I had two different Toyota trucks, including one that saw a lot of dirt, before buying an Infiniti many years ago. Logged 160k on that car before replacing with an S4. Drove that for 18 months before trading it in on my Tacoma.

I once took an 11 hour drive from Vegas to Boise in the Audi. It was an amazing touring car and did pretty good in the corners as well. It was pretty one-dimensional, though. If kids or dog were involved we were usually taking the family 4runner. Same with camping, and pretty much everything else. As others have mentioned, maintenance costs were obscene - the dealer wanted to charge $1400 for a front/rear brake job, $55 for wiper blades.

I miss driving the S4, but I'd miss everything else a lot more if I traded back.

 

Keep the taco ! Ez Pz. My girlfriend was so excited to get a 4Runner but now she wants a bmw

 

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Have had several BMW's and Porsches and I believe (from my experiences) that the maintenance & parts are higher on a Porsche (than a BMW) but I believe that for it's performance ... the Porsche can be a very long lasting vehicle (if properly maintained).

Best bang for the buck, for longevity for a performance car (not including Corvette).

FWIW ... From other's experiences ... The Ferrari is much worse (performance to cost ratio) and the Maserati is a horrible example for a for expenditures & end financial loss.

 

Im very fortunate to have a Taco as well as an M5 and can say that I love both vehicles for what they were intended for (BMW = performance/sport driving, Taco = work truck/off road fun). If you do decide to go with the M3, be prepared for the maintenance costs as well as M Tax (everything for the M line of BMWs is significantly marked up). Even if you are doing all of your own work, M ownership is not cheap (insurance, tools, parts, gas, etc.).

That being said, pick whichever vehicle you feel better suits your needs.

 

No promise.

 

Haha I wish I could have a 911 gt3, but at 17 an e46 m3 is much easier to get

 

My mom had a BMW 535 I from right off the showroom floor it was junk. It had electrical issues big time. With the 10k miles we had it it left us on side the road 3 times. Fuel pump quit, water pump quit, and an electrical issue (dont remember the specific issue).

Note the BMW was not ragged on, it was driven like a normal vehicle.

She sold that for her Sequoia she has today. After 101k miles the car is running great!