Any luck at junkyards?

[Mackshackm3]

Has anyone had luck in their home city finding m3’s or any e46’s in general at their local junk yard (for pulling parts?). I’m in the Houston surrounding areas and haven’t been to one in a decade but when I used to frequent this places I never saw bmw’s or Mercedes just sitting there waiting for parts to get picked…..seemed like the junkyard management would strip them out and put all the parts on eBay. All I saw laying around for picking were old 90’s American cars, Saturns, Buicks, fords chevys etc

just wondering what everyone’s experience has been finding our cars at these places. Just looking for small replacement trim pieces etc…..not looking to get a 4.10 diff or anything fancy lol

[oceansize]

With the advent of copart and specialized strippers/sellers on ebay I've not seen a single M3 in a junk yard anywhere close to my area but I quit looking years ago. Perhaps larger metropolitan areas are different.

[Cubieman]

If one was ever in Lincoln, NE there would be line of people. Even non-m E46's are fairly rare and are picked clean very quickly at my local junkyard.

I imagine in CA junkyards it may be different, seems like 60% of the M3s live in CA.

[Obioban]

Tons of BMWs, never any M cars. They're worth too much in parts to end up in junk yards.

[usdmej]

never seen an M3 at a junkyard but plenty of normal E46s.
be careful on pulling any interior parts though, a lot of them have been weather exposed and, depending on your standards, not worth transferring to your car.

[bigjae46]

In houston there are a bunch of dismantlers that scoop them up. Be very wary of what you buy. Extreme caution is advised.

[sev]

Ive seen a few m3's in the junkyard but they were stripped shells. Lots of e46s though. Ive picked so much stuff.

This is in So Cal

[Tbonem3]

The only real deals you can find are parts that are on both m3 and 323ci, for example

[timpnw]

I've had alerts set up for a couple of years now for the Pick n Pulls here in the PNW. Not one M3. If you have ever been to a PnP, you got to get there before the buzzards do.

[Mackshackm3]

In houston there are a bunch of dismantlers that scoop them up. Be very wary of what you buy. Extreme caution is advised.

im in Houston area….that’s a pretty stern warning…can you elaborate a bit more? Any recommendations on where to go (even if it’s just regular e46’s)

[jet_dogg]

You drive an m3 and you're looking for parts at the local pick a part?

Smh...

[Thoglan]

You drive an m3 and you're looking for parts at the local pick a part?

Smh...

There is literally nothing to gain by thinking you're above parts from a scrapyard. There are so many generic parts across all of the E46 range that there is no reason to not get used for a fraction of the price. I've probably saved thousands over the years.

[jet_dogg]

There is literally nothing to gain by thinking you're above parts from a scrapyard. There are so many generic parts across all of the E46 range that there is no reason to not get used for a fraction of the price. I've probably saved thousands over the years.

Sure there is; literally time, patience, and energy all of which are far more valuable than a few bucks. That is, unless you don't value those things then I suppose it's worth it.

There are also forum classifieds and ebay so I can't imagine the need for anyone to ever visit a junkyard. In fact, this thread is proof positive that there is no need because clearly people are surviving without doing so.

[Thoglan]

Sure there is; literally time, patience, and energy all of which are far more valuable than a few bucks. That is, unless you don't value those things then I suppose it's worth it.

There are also forum classifieds and ebay so I can't imagine the need for anyone to ever visit a junkyard. In fact, this thread is proof positive that there is no need because clearly people are surviving without doing so.

Maybe you're just old I actually enjoy picking through the cars and getting the good bits, I can think of so many parts on my car that would have cost 10x what they did if I had got them from anywhere else. Seat rails, door trims, exhaust for my 330ti compact build, sway bars, anything small enough to fit in your pockets is basically free. Not to mention the environmental benefit of reusing stuff otherwise destined for the tip if you're into that.
Different for you guys in the states but ebay is usually pointless for me once you factor in shipping.

[jet_dogg]

Maybe you're just old I actually enjoy picking through the cars and getting the good bits, I can think of so many parts on my car that would have cost 10x what they did if I had got them from anywhere else. Seat rails, door trims, exhaust for my 330ti compact build, sway bars, anything small enough to fit in your pockets is basically free. Not to mention the environmental benefit of reusing stuff otherwise destined for the tip if you're into that.
Different for you guys in the states but ebay is usually pointless for me once you factor in shipping.

I can respect that.

Yeah bro it's different here, lots of vultures 😂