2006 BMW E46 M3-Silbergrau over Black Nappa Leather, 6-speed, 19″ Competition Wheels, Premium & Cold Weather, HK Sound, 45k miles and gorgeous!

A little known fact is that I am a recovering BMW addict…. This is a painful topic, so bear with me…. Up until about 15 years ago BMW truly made the “Ultimate Driving Machine” and I was a BIG fan! As a father of 4, pragmatism said that I needed a car with a legitimate backseat, a car that could be used as everyday transport BUT that still was a delight to own and operate…. enter BMW… I owned a litany of greats including many E30’s, E24, E28, E32, E34, E36 and of course E46’s. They were magical, combining a great everyday car that had amazing steering, rev happy inline 6-cylinder motors, linear RWD handling characteristics and German build quality. I was SOLD! I probably don’t need to tell you what happened, but suffice it to say the BMW went in the “German Lexus” direction (which was a sales success) and left us enthusiasts out. Modern BMW? Sadly, not for me!

So in my humble opinion the E46 M3 might just be the zenith car before BMW pivoted towards greater sales success but a weakening of their core attributes. It combines a 8,000 rpm 3.2 liter inline six with a 6-speed manual and rear wheel drive. A minimum of driver aids and technology all wrapped in a design which screams traditional BMW with just enough vents and flares to tell people it means business. Suffice it to say it’s an EPIC car that I think will look well bought well into the future….

This particular M3 was purchased as a Certified Pre-Owned BMW from BMW of Bellevue by a longterm client of mine when it was ~18 month old and had 20k miles on it. He is a lifelong car enthusiast, in fact owning many of the most iconic cars from my childhood, going to his garage has always been a delight…. Over the past 16 years he has enjoyed this M3, in fact other than a 911SC he has owned this car longer than probably 100 cars that have come thru his collection, this should tell you something….

The challenge with most of these cars is they have traded many hands, oftentimes with owners without either the financial ability, desire or mechanical empathy to do right by the car. You know what I am talking about…. This car has always been loved by a mature owner who appreciated the car for what it is. The body and paint are gorgeous on the car, other than some minor nicks on the front end that you would expect from ~45k miles, it’s remarkable. The interior is likewise spotless!

Upon the car arriving at my shop we did the following service/updates:

• Full inspection, annual service oil and filter, replace fuel pump and relay
• Replace A and C Pillar interior trim with new OEM (common issue as the material pulls aways), new ZHP shift knob (original comes with as well), new front cowl trim (these get brittle)
• Full Detail and Paint correction

The car has a few nice modifications that were installed when almost new:

• Bilstein PSS9 Coilovers
• OEM BMW ZHP 19″ Wheels (Original OEM 19″ are included as well!)
• Cat back Rogue Engineering stainless exhaust (original included as well). Weighs 30lbs less than stock, yet very mellow with no drone but sounds brilliant at 7,000rpm….

The car comes complete with all the original books, 2 keys, service history and the removed original parts. Just a heads up, the mileage will be climbing on this car as I plan to DRIVE it until it sells…. It has been too long since I have had a BMW I love in my garage! If you are tired of looking at junk and have your heart seat on a E46 M3……