GTP Cool Wall: 2001-2006 BMW M3
- Thread starter White & Nerdy
- 133 comments
- 8,502 views
- 8,227
- Drayton Bassett, North Warwickshire
- Duffers999
- Clark Duffy
A car ruined by the arses who now seems to own half of these , a lot now go around in drug dealer spec which help send this car in to uncool .
A CSL or GTR would creep in to cool for me and an M3 cabrio is as uncool as you can get.
A CSL or GTR would creep in to cool for me and an M3 cabrio is as uncool as you can get.
- 2,153
- Great White North
Cool. I don't usually care for these kinds of cars, but this one's pretty cool.
- 17,337
- United Kingdom
I wasn't flipping out.. Fanboyism?
I prefer HFS's 'Dyed-in-the-Wool BMW enthusiast' tag, apologies if my other single post in this thread came over as fanboyism 
. Anyhow, it seemed like an odd statement to make about this M3. FWIW, where I've seen your phrase used, it's typically to denote the low point of something, the point before which something really should have stopped. Having actually googled it I see where it comes about, and I still don't understand your opinion?Also, someone who has a really patronising posting style should really let their self importance die down a bit before posting on the web.
- 27,219
- United Kingdom
I'm not trying to stir things, and I can see what you're getting at, but I have to disagree on both these points.
Sound is very subjective obviously, but I've always found the E46 M3's exhaust note a bit disappointing. The rasp is there but it's a very tinny, metallic sound - an older E36 or E30 with a six-cylinder engine makes a much nicer noise - a full-bodied howl rather than sounding like an exhaust played through a tin can.
On the "E46 is one of the best 3-Series" point, I'm not so sure either. Taking off the rose-tinted spectacles for a moment, pre-facelift E46s have always looked a bit blobby and indistinct, visually. The facelift improved things a little, and it also improved the way they drove, since earlier ones were also pretty floppy in that regard. The M3 wasn't obviously, but you've referred to it in the wider E46 sphere so that's what I'm addressing.
Then there's deciding whether the E46 is actually among the great 3-Series, which gets the same spread of results as teenage boys being asked which womens' body part is their favorite, since virtually every generation has merit to someone.
That, and 3-Series tend to be better appreciated with time even if select models were a bit lousy in their day - witness the relative fondness for the E90 today after the Bangle-inspired furor at its launch. Pick ten GTP members at random and I guarantee their list of favourite 3-Series, ranked in order, would be very different.
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- 11,339
- The 51st state of america
- sparkytooth50001
Not my favorite bimmer.
meh.
meh.
Cano
Premium
- 20,758
- Cephiro
Man, you people in everywhere else than here seem to have a real douchebag-in-BMWs plague. Over here, thankfully, that is not the case at all and most of these, specially the M models, are driven by enthusiasts because they're still pretty friggtin' expensive as they came in very very imited numbers.
Regardless of who drives them, I've always liked them, specially in that weird-ass puke-ish yellow color. Cool car.
Regardless of who drives them, I've always liked them, specially in that weird-ass puke-ish yellow color. Cool car.
- 13,295
- GTPlanet
- Street-King-07
- Quattro Saltire
Sub-Zero. This represents the M Division at it's absolute peak before they went and made the X5M/X6M.
Wiegert
Premium
- 13,393
- United Kingdom
I would be generous enough to give both the CSL and GTR low cool votes, though for slightly different reasons (but mostly because they're not your typical M3). And I do find that cabrio drivers around here have the worst reputation of the lot. Predominantly driven around by kids who probably begged their dads to let them muck about in them.
There's only one thing I do like about the the E46 though, and that's the straight-6. The exhaust note may sound more synthetic compared to the S38 and S50-engined BMWs that preceded it, but I still have a soft spot for that straight-6 sound. Even if an M3 with a semi-race exhaust in GT5 does actually sound better than a real-life stock counterpart.
What's even more douchey is how some people do a half-arsed job of making their E46 318's look like an M3, while actively trying to act like the sort of person who drives them. I saw one prime example yesterday that I'm trying very hard to forget.
- 8,191
- Southern Louisiana
- GTP_Kent
I don't care what people think of me as I drive it, nor do I care what people driving it think of me or themselves.
Solid cool.
One of the best FR cars built after 2000.
Great engine, balance, handling, etc etc (but only as I've heard, never actually driven one).
Plus, it's not a bad looking car either.
Btw, I always take the sedan over the coupe. 👍
Solid cool.
One of the best FR cars built after 2000.
Great engine, balance, handling, etc etc (but only as I've heard, never actually driven one).
Plus, it's not a bad looking car either.
Btw, I always take the sedan over the coupe. 👍
- 34,949
- Indian Falls, NY
- slashfan7964
Uncool. Doesn't look that great, the motor doesn't sound that good, attracts douchebags...the only thing redeeming is the fact it's not a 4 door but otherwise wouldn't stand out in a crowd of cars at a stoplight. No thanks, I'll pass.
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Let's just say: It's a cool car.
Well known for it's performance as a street and racing car.
*cough* *cough*
But the problem is many noblets own it, yada yada, and so on.
The fact is, it's a great car! Even it got killed by some ...
...
Gah...
Stereotypes.
To be, or not to be, still a "cool" fella. 👍
Well known for it's performance as a street and racing car.
*cough* *cough*
But the problem is many noblets own it, yada yada, and so on.
The fact is, it's a great car! Even it got killed by some ...
...
Gah...
Stereotypes.
To be, or not to be, still a "cool" fella. 👍
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- 22,551
- Arizona
- HamiltonMP427
Worst three series M in my opinion, those who can't really afford one now buy it by default to say "hey I have an M3 and who cares if it's two generations ago". The people who also drive them as @Zenith and @homeforsummer said as well. Those who bought them when they first came out were the typical frat boy business graduate that really had no idea and then bought one for his wife/girlfriend...uncool easily didn't even have to blink twice.
Also the "tuners" who own these and thought how amazing their 6 cylinder supercharger usually cry the hardest when they lose to someone in a four cylinder turbo that pulls harder... Also as I've said I'm a massive BMW hater and this is one of those cars that make me such.
Also the "tuners" who own these and thought how amazing their 6 cylinder supercharger usually cry the hardest when they lose to someone in a four cylinder turbo that pulls harder... Also as I've said I'm a massive BMW hater and this is one of those cars that make me such.
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- 4,213
- Puerto Rico
- motortrend
- 8,191
- Southern Louisiana
- GTP_Kent
That's a shame, never really thought of it until you mentioned it but I don't recall seeing a sedan at any point.
Definitely knocks a bit of cool off since I always take the sedans over coupes.
- 4,040
- UK
- ReTyger
Cool from me. I get a little tired of all the BMW discussions about E-this and that to be honest and find most BMWs (and dare I say it, increasingly German cars in general) a bit samey and uninspiring, but I do like some of the sportier models, and appreciate they are superbly well made cars. And yes they are driven by douches but for me personally this doesn't mark the car itself down, I like to judge them in isolation 
- 4,213
- Puerto Rico
- motortrend
don't worry, when there's will (and money) anything can be done. This looks even better than the coupe IMO, I am drooling over it.That's a shame, never really thought of it until you mentioned it but I don't recall seeing a sedan at any point.
Definitely knocks a bit of cool off since I always take the sedans over coupes.
I think driver/owner stereotypes are an immature way to look at cars. It implies you care more about how someone "looks" while driving a car than the intrinsic qualities of the car itself, which is uncool. There's also hypocrisy if, for example, you hand-wave the gay jokes about Miatas but your first thought regarding an M3 is "douchebag." Or if you consider the Miata a chick/gay car but hand-wave "stupid redneck" stereotypes when it comes to muscle/pony cars.
These stereotypes are so gleefully parrot-able that it amounts to behavior no better than regurgitating Jeremy Clarkson quotes. These aren't serious threads, but when members who chastise Top Gear squawking are perfectly willing to partake in good ol' fashioned stereotyping, it's eye-roll-worthy. Remember kids, sneering about exaggerated superficialities is OK as long as Top Gear weren't the first ones to do it!
My vote is Sub-Zero. Screaming NA inline-six, FR, impeccable balance, manual transmission, reasonable weight, timeless styling...it also emphasized handling and the driving experience when its rivals and other contemporaries were already gearing up for the horsepower wars ("ours is bigger than yours!"). The only way it could check any more boxes is if it was the CSL.
These stereotypes are so gleefully parrot-able that it amounts to behavior no better than regurgitating Jeremy Clarkson quotes. These aren't serious threads, but when members who chastise Top Gear squawking are perfectly willing to partake in good ol' fashioned stereotyping, it's eye-roll-worthy. Remember kids, sneering about exaggerated superficialities is OK as long as Top Gear weren't the first ones to do it!
My vote is Sub-Zero. Screaming NA inline-six, FR, impeccable balance, manual transmission, reasonable weight, timeless styling...it also emphasized handling and the driving experience when its rivals and other contemporaries were already gearing up for the horsepower wars ("ours is bigger than yours!"). The only way it could check any more boxes is if it was the CSL.
- 17,337
- United Kingdom
don't worry, when there's will (and money) anything can be done. This looks even better than the coupe IMO, I am drooling over it.
Nice Job!!
Looks spot on for a 4dr E46 M3... I love it (except for the blacked out kidneys 
)
- 22,551
- Arizona
- HamiltonMP427
So you don't know what the cool wall is about and think of this as more a like wall than anything else. This isn't the dream wall also. Also those of us taking the cool wall threads seriously aren't fangirls of top gear just the rules in which cool walls should abide by, if that's an issue then we can go further on about this, I have some spare time.
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