How do you know if you should sell your E46 M3?

[05CherryM3]

Hey everyone,

Been on these forums for many years and never really posted. I feel like I'm reaching that point of adulthood where I'm unsure if keeping my M3 makes sense anymore. Quick little background-

Purchased the car in 2014 as the second owner. 2005 imola red over dove grey slicktop 6MT with 14k miles. It's all stock minus a few small OE alcantara updates to interior. It's always been a secondary car. I purchased it when I was in my mid 20s and I was busy with a few career switches, school, etc. Two years ago I bought my first house and I was ecstatic to have a nice large garage for it. Well, that's where it's been. I maintain it, have it detailed, and never drive it. I have no car friends, my wife gets violently ill as a front seat passenger, and I never find a purpose to get it out of the garage.

It's at 32k miles and that's embarrassing. My dream car since I was a kid and I've put 18k miles in 12 years. I'm not hard up financially but some more money to invest, add to savings, house projects and such would be nice. Thing is I couldn't imagine parting with it for less than 50k.

What do you guys and gals think? Sell? Keep it? During covid I was constantly approached with almost a blank check for this thing and now the market seems very particular. You guys anticipate any changes in 5-10 years?

[repoman89]

Take it to some track days and then decide. I also bought mine in 2014 and sold in 2024 after putting 13k miles on it. The track days I did with it were the most fun I’ve had with the car, the best memories I have of it and also what told me it was time to sell once I decided that wasn’t how I want to spend my time (if I’m waking up at 5AM and getting home at 7PM it’s going to be for hiking or mountain biking).

It’s a cool version of a 3-series that’s good for testing limits and driving fast, not really that exciting as a garage queen.

[davidinnyc]

You’ll have a buyer here if you do decide to part with it. Take it for a few hard(er) romps and see if it’s still something you want to take out on those cold weekend mornings for a few hours.

[sapote]

whenever you no longer can push down the clutch pedal, or when you leg starts to cramp up.

[01SG]

If you can put the money to a better use and you never use it, sell it. I don't see how you can't find time to drive it though. Take it the grocery store, daily it...you need to drive at some point unless you live in the city. Use it as a normal car.

Perhaps you're just not that into the sport of driving, unless you have something else you simply enjoy more. It doesn't make much sense to have an expensive garage ornament.

If you intend to have kids, they might enjoy it and you can make some great memories.

The only reason you seem intent on keeping it is for appreciation in value. I don't think the e46 is going to skyrocket any time soon, if ever. They are already valuable. I would bet a million bucks it never outpaces traditional investments. The only real shot at that was a LSB at full depreciation.

Bottom line: drive it or ditch it. I've put over 80k miles on mine in about the same time. Track days, cross country, weekends, daily, to the store...no car should sit idle unless it has historical value.

[Nate047]

I’m having a hard time imagining spending 18 thousand miles sitting in a grey interior.

Sell it and move on with your life.

[D-O]

One should never sell their E46 M3.

[Tbonem3]

It's just a hunk of metal

[Tbonem3]

I’m having a hard time imagining spending 18 thousand miles sitting in a grey interior.

Sell it and move on with your life.

Das ist kalt!

[E11even]

I recently sold mine and do not regret it. I found myself driving less and less for many of the same reasons. Loved the car but once I finished all the projects on it and had it relatively perfect it wasn’t as exciting. There’s always more cars and plenty of M3s. Easy to fill that void again if needed.

[PSUEng]

I go back and forth over the years myself on this same question; I've owned mine since 2007 and 25k miles. I'm now at 88.3k. I've done a lot to keep it in great shape and also have never DD'd it. I take it out when it's nice and with our crumbling road infrastructure, I'm selective where it goes especially considering prices of parts lately.

For me, I'll sell it when/if I can afford something else that really moves me. Right now, there is nothing so, I keep it. If I needed the money, I'd sell it. So, my answer: if you need the money, sell it. If you get $50k for it and that's your number, sell it. Cars don't like to sit, which can lead to other problems.

[E46fanatics…]

Yeah, motion sickness is no joke but if you can drive it by yourself as your “daily” driver, maybe put a thousand miles to see if it’s really something that you want to keep.

[bagger]

I recently sold mine and do not regret it. I found myself driving less and less for many of the same reasons. Loved the car but once I finished all the projects on it and had it relatively perfect it wasn’t as exciting. There’s always more cars and plenty of M3s. Easy to fill that void again if needed.

This is where I'm at right now. Mine is relatively perfect, but I really enjoyed the years getting it to the state it's in now. I have like double or triple into it what it's probably worth, and treat it with too much respect. This season, I'm driving it. To the store, wherever. But I'm still parking far away from everyone in the lot. Baby steps. It brings a smile to my face on every drive still, so I'm keeping it, and driving it (I usually drive 1k miles per year previously - currently has like 70k miles).

Going back to the OP situation, there's nothing like getting money into an investment as early as possible. You will certainly command a high dollar for what you have, no doubt. I imagine it will be extremely difficult to one day replace what you currently have if you sold and later wanted another. So one school of thought would be to sell your prized one, invest the money or whatever, and if you ever wanted another one - just get a pure "driver grade" one that you will drive more than the one you have today.

[oceansize]

The lesson? Don't go too far in restorations if you plan on enjoying your car. Like right now I'm working on my new to me 2005 mystic blue slick top stripper manual. I'm not cleaning every part, nor am I going to powder coat everything, extensively clean the underbody, or replace every less than perfect interior piece. I'm not going to repaint anything. I'm going to do the bare minimum when it comes to aesthetics and then drive the hell out of it every sunny day. I do keep my cars very clean and enjoy detailing.

[Obioban]

Either drive it or sell it.

When going out without the wife, why aren't you taking it? For that matter... how is she getting violently ill from your M3 specifically?

You're only 2 hours from NJMP. Maybe do an event there before making any decisions. A nice thing about tracking is it has a way of making detailing and keeping the car perfect feel... inconsequential and petty. Really lets you enjoy the car instead of constantly worrying about it.