BMW E46 M3 Manual - The 8,000 RPM German Icon You Need To Drive (POV Binaural Audio) 

What are your first e46 M3 memories? This one is actually for sale and you can reach out to Justin If you want it! Justin@bondgroupusa.com

I’m 21 years old and just bought a E46 M3. One of my dream cars. So much hard work to afford it but worth it! Every time I drive it, it feels like the first time.

Such a timeless design, the perfect amount of power, and sound. Thank you Tedward for driving my dream car 💯

Ah yes, one of the last BMWs before BMW designers went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs

The vice principal of my high school had an E46 330ci which I always walked by on my way in. It was a way nicer car than any other school staff drove. Just so nicely proportioned with that super clean look. When he replaced it with an E92, I was so disappointed. Yeah, it was probably faster, but it really lost something. The E46 series are still, to me, the best looking sedans ever made.

My Dad has owned an E46 M3 (6-speed manual) for twenty years now. He bought the car brand new in '02 with just seven miles on it, and I believe it just reached 98K. He still drives it and enjoys it almost every day. It doesn't look like a supercar, but it still keeps up with, and in many cases, outperforms supercars which are decades newer. He's taken good care of it, and it's been completely reliable. Those E46s are absolutely amazing. Even though I haven't driven or ridden in it in a while, I can still smell the leather and hear the engine turning over as if I'm sitting right behind the wheel.

Nothing like a good old N/A Inline 6. Despite being 30 years old, the 2 litre in mine is still smooth as silk.

I just started daily-ing my E46 M3 after 6 years of on-and-off reliability, so this video was a real treat. Everything you described about this car is spot on; it take corners effortlessly, climbs insanely fast at high RPM, steers like butter, sounds like a growling chainsaw, and can drift like it's on rocket-powered ice skates.

I got my 2005 E46 M3 back in February 2021 and drove it from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The joy of taking that car home from a distant town was immeasurable. I gotta admit tho the ownership of the car isn’t all candies and rainbows. The first month of ownership was notably painful, as it set me back a bit more than $5,000 on getting it right. The day after arriving from San Fran, I had the rod bearings replaced (some bearings were about to go to Belize, so that was a good call on my part). Two weeks after, I was scheduled for the VANOS job. At that time, I was getting a weird chirping noise from the hood, and I was hella scared to drive it (good thing I still had my dad’s Mini that time to take me to work). The time for the VANOS job came, and they found out that my water pump and fan clutch were shot, so they suggested having my entire cooling system redone, though I had the urgent stuff such as the water pump, thermostat, some pulleys, and fan clutch addressed by them while simultaneously working on the VANOS. That job was so expensive that at one point my bank account was hella empty. The radiator, hoses, and expansion tank were addressed a month after, the time when I got my finances together. I went for a Mishimoto radiator, so my car could handle the California heat. Ever since then, my car has been fairly solid. I got it when it was at 150.5k miles, and as of now it has 167.5k miles. It’s a solid daily driver and a canyon animal.

e46 m3 and e92 m3 are the two cars to make you fall in love with BMW. i think one of the reasons it's so good is that it's rewarding at any skill level.

Wanted one of these for 14 years. It will be 3 years with mine in December. Laguna seca blue with cinnamon interior - best car ever!

Ive never driven one, but my mechanic has one sitting in the back yard, started it gave it a few revs, the feeling just that alone gave me is insane, really want one but its a bit out of budget lol, great video as always Tedward keep doing what youre doing.

Drove one of these when they were new. What an engine! Didn’t realize at the time how the things that make it great would no longer be on M3s.

This is one of those “perfect cars” that will go down in history. Such a treat

Bought my first one at 18 and over a decade later own a Dinan S3-R 6 speed.. The e46 M ride never ends. Buy at your own discretion, one of the most addictive substances on the planet.

I've been waiting for an E46 video from you for a good while now.Great! This car for me is up there in my "utmost and utter respect" list which not many cars get on...It's just an incredible piece of engineering.

Ahhhh, such a cool car. So refreshing to see how responsive the throttle response is and the lack of rev-hang compared to most new manuals. Also, absolute facts on the low rumble at idle with these BMW I6s. I love listening to the cold idle in my E90 for this exact reason. Much better than the racket of the idle in newer turbo 4 cylinders.

My favorite M3 generation is the E36, i don't care is not the best, i just love the design. The E46 also has a very special place, is definitely an improvement, but for me is E36. Awesome video as always!

Love it! Also rod bearing failure is EXTREMELY rare. People think it's common because all you see on forums is people with the rod-bearing failure lol. It's really not that prevalent.

Thanks for reviewing older cars like this 🤙👏👏👏

Finally! The M3 with the MOST torque! 😍

A wonderful piece of German engineering! Great video Tedward!

I remember getting in one of these for the first time. Seating position, steering wheel position... Everything fit like a glove. Just like the MK4 Supra.

picked one of these up 2 weeks ago. absolutely stellar car, and got it for a pretty good price. near mint condition too

I have a base model 325i with an auto and I absolutely love the sound and feel of that car so it would be such a treat to drive the epitome of the E46 platform.

Thank you making this video. I love your videos and watch every one I can. I've owned my E46 M3 for 12 years after desperately wanting one for 10. Watching you drive (effectively) my car was enlightening. I don't disagree with a thing you said, except for what you said several times about the S54's torque. The engine makes ~80% of its torque already by ~2k rpm, which I think is astonishing for a relatively small, NA engine. I continue to be astonished at how well that little car gets out of its own way almost immediately. I say this as an owner of an E60 M5 (also a manual). The S85 V10 in the M5, despite its much-bigger 5 liters and 10 cylinders, has laughably little torque...until it begins to come alive around 4k rpm and beyond. The E46's S54, IMO, is a torque MONSTER when you consider that it's a relatively-small, high-strung, high-revving straight-six. I talk about all of this plenty on my channel here: ru-vid.com/show-UCyipgoL8ejKhxHGHhmRQaqQ

12:16 I can't be the only one that witnessed the hot mess that Camry made of the merge

The best looking M3 without a doubt! The one to have!

As a kid getting into cars I was mainly into Japanese imports. But whenever I saw that "///M3" on the trunk lid I knew it was something special. I got a chance to move an e46 m3 with the smg transmission. It was all stock but it sounded like it already had headers on it, I remember the way the engine felt. That smooth rumble and vibration. It sounded and felt like a race car with a stock exhaust lol

I’d take this over any brand new economy car any day fr no cap

My friend literally just bought one, in this same color, too. I have to say I am even happier for him after watching this. What a sound! And what a great-looking little car as well.

Great review! I have never had the opportunity to drive in an E46 M3 yet, so it was cool to see this.

Those geese were not impressed... but we always are! Keep up the great content!

Learned to drive stick on an e46 M3. It will forever be my favorite car

my granddad had a 2004 e46 325ci convertible before he got dementia. that car is now mine. i'm absolutely in love with it. driving it never gets old. i imagine the m equivalent must feel like heaven.

Mines been sitting for 4 months I really need to drive it! I had an 2002 and have a 2005 now, I had my rod bearings done at 160k miles by Rogue Engineering and they were all severely worn, so all years need replacements

My favorite car of all time for everyday and track. Had mine forever and don't plan to sell it any time soon 156k miles. Had rod bearings done while back they found no issues with the ones they took out. But better safe than sorry. Might be the most underrated car, not sure why it's not skyrocketing in prices yet.

I just bought a 325xi E46 and while it's not fast, the E46 chassis is really good.

Proud owner of basically the same car from the same year. Love it more than my F30 daily.

2 friends of mine had one of these for a few years. One had one that used to be turbo'd..... yeah that blew a hole in the block after a year and a half. The other was stock and is still running, just with another owner. Great cars.

I had a silver ext, fox red int. '06 M3 (6spd) convertible a few years ago. It's the one vehicle that I TRULY miss aside from my s2k. Riding around hearing the 6 screaming with the roof down was a thing of joy.

I had a coupe and vert e46 m3. Both 6 speeds. I now own an e92 m3 dct. I miss the e46 and I will own another one in the future. E46 is a classic. Probably my fav design

Definitely for me, I’ve decided it is better to skip exhaust and go to intake mods for the nice induction sound under load. Truly a dream car, great video Tedward!

Folding mirrors was an optional extra, some E46 M3's do have it but not many.

I bought an M3 new back in 2004 and this really brings back memories. Thanks for posting!

Totally agreed, this is peak M3 for me even though it isn't the best at everything. That ENGINE, it is peak inline 6, the rasp is fantastic, the powerband is just right. It is a true gem. 😘👌

the best m3 bmw ever made, absolutely sensational car imo.

My mom had a325 when u were in highschool and I let her sell it because it was an automatic. 2nd buggest regrets in my life, today it's the tattoos on my arm and I almost cried watching this video hearing that motor. One day, ima have it one day

Another amazing therapy drive. Always love the videos. Makes me more mindful of my own cars and appreciating their pros and cons. Typing this in my 92 legend coupe, that I bought because of your reviews! If you ever want to experience a clean 260,000 mile 5 speed legend, you're more than welcome to take it for a spin!

I love my 2004 m3.

I have been looking for what first car to get when I get the money and for the past three days have watched a ton of content on the BMW E46 - out of a sudden, you post this. The universe is trying to tell me something 👀

This design really was an end to an era for BMW. The 3 series that followed after were still great looking but there was something so CLOSE to perfect it was something of a fever dream. The E46 was amazing in so many ways and will forever be a classic. The subtle widebody was something else that's for sure!

I test drove one today, and i really think its my next car coming from a GT86. Absolutely adored these cars for years and the induction noise is incredible. Does feel oddly similar to my 86 tho just more premium

new sub ,love your videos bro, keep it up, informative and entertaining

I think this is my dream car, Absolutely love the E46

My first car was a '00 323i. I dreamed of a M3. Got the chance to drive one, and that is the best vehicle I have EVER driven.

I was literally just looking at buying one of these yesterday lol

My son has a 2002 M3 Individual, 6-speed manual, manual seats w/cloth inserts, and no sunroof. He's the second owner. He too busy to drive it much anymore. I've been on him to sell it while the prices are high.

Every time I see one of these all I can think about is how awesome Need For Speed: Most Wanted (2005) was. I'm pretty sure that game was also a reason people wanted to rip around in one of these gorgeous monsters.

I just bought a 2012 BMW 128i M Sport pkg and I think it's the closest thing I can get to the E46 M3 without selling a kidney. Would love to see you review a 128i ;)

One of the best cars ever made. I replaced mine with an E92 M3 but still miss the E46 a lot.

Tedward really needs to make a Porsche 944 video. An extremely underrated car that deserves more love

Excellent video my friend - spot on about the size; E46's are perfect!

This is my favorite generation of the M3, I adore the clean timeless looks, the colors, and the engine with its high revving metallic inline 6 engine. For anyone who currently owns this hold on to it even if it’s garage kept💪🏾. Does anyone else prefer N/A power over turbo?, I mean don’t get me wrong there are turbo motors that I like but mostly for just the torque. This and GT350 are the two cars that I would love to own one day, RWD, N/A, manual, analog gauges, and of course the engines!.I just need to learn manual but I’m a little nervous any tips for cars that are forgiving when learning manual?, thank you.

Great video! I had a 2005 BMW 352i. With only "184 hp", it was and absolute blast to drive. I fell in love with BMW in high school. My friend had a hand me down 1987 E30 covertible. Silver with red leather seats. We would drive and drive and drive.......From that point I told myself I had to get one. In 2009 I bought my 2005 3 series with 80k miles on it. Put another 80k on it before I sold it. Feel the itch to get another one!

Not a fan of BMW but when this came out. I was really impressed. I am more so Honda and Toyota fan. These E46 M3 are such a timeless beautiful design.

You need to hop into a Camaro ZL1 with the 6 speed I feel like you'll enjoy that car massively. Big power and torque with great driver feel and shifter feel.

Best video of the E46 I’ve seen, as an owner I have the same reaction to you going quiet as you go through the revs ❤

Yep .. much love for the S54. I have an E85 Z4 M Roadster ..awesome car.

It wouldn't have been a proper e46 if the airbag light was off! My favorite M3 as well!

Always a pleasure to see you drive , with respect and also the narration is really good with in depth knowledge of the machine and the history. keep doing the good work

Its so insane how the value of E46 M3’s have just skyrocketed

the golden era of BMW-s.

Great video! You should do a video on the BMW E34 540i. BMW only made it for 1 year 94/95 and it was a 6 speed V8! Such a cool and rare car.

My roommate back in college 2004-2005 had a at the time brand new M3 with the smg trans. That car was crazy fun I got to drive it a few times. I’m currently in the market for a 04-06 m3.

Owned 3 of these before. I find myself looking for my 4th

Had an 2006 e46 manual. Very fun and engaging car to drive.

I fell in love with the E39 and owned a 540i and M5 (when new). I enjoyed the V8s more than the raspy E46 M3, although I have driven a few. On track too. I believe there are 5 or 6 still owned by local CCA member friends. Most are well maintained and kept immaculate. Regarding modern BMWs, test drive the latest X3M. I just did quite well at an autocross in my 2020 X3M. Amazing high revving performance & great handling, while bowing to the luxury SUV crowd. And the latest LCI has improved the ride and low-end performance. PS: My friend does E39 head unit swaps with a more modern one (E70 X5 era I think). E46 swap should be the same.

7:52 actually, one of the first ever sport sedans is the Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super introduced in 1963. It was one of the first ever 4 door cars to be produced with lighter weight and more power to double as a mass manufactured family sedan and a touring car. I always thought the M3 was genesis and the last word for a car you can fit 4 people in and scare them to death when you step on it. I only know that because I've been a rabid M3 fan my whole life and always wanted one, but then, the new Alfa Romeo Giulia QV came out, and I ened up getting that instead. It wasn't until becoming a huge Alfista that I learned about how much Alfa has given the world, and the first Giulia is no exception to what they could achieve. Of course, Alfa never got the recognition or sales they deserved, and have always just been a niche thing amonst a small cross section of car fans. But, I do agree that BMV perfected the super saloon. Its crazy tha the new Giulia Quadrifoglio has been called "the M3 killer", when many years after the first Giulia was gone, forgotten, and basically killed, BMW took that idea and brought it back to life.

Favorite RU-vidr with one of my dream cars! Great video!

one of the last vest feeling it's harshness is the cool factir

I own one, and what you said about it wanting to be driven hard is so true! It's so hard to drive slow.

timeless looks, visceral engine.

Timeless design

Absolutely love mine. I just wish these cars had better steering and no unibody/floor issues.

As I continue the endless fight of chassis slop in my Benz c207 chassis & know that a 6 speed will never happen as long as I stick to Benz, I REALLY needed this today. I'll keep getting my wrenching skills up to par to be ready for BMW ownership as soon as my bank account is also ready. Thanks!

Hopefully will be getting an E46 as my law school graduation present to myself :)

UK viewer here. A long way off but I do miss my E46 320D sometimes, was such a good size compared to cars today, and that steering... still haven't found anything that replaces it. Too bad it was only ES spec and starting chucking up huge bills at 150k miles else I'd still have it! Would love to drive the M3

Don't have an BMW, let alone an E46 M3 (would love one) but having a working ancient navigation system is great, feels like you are back in the early 2000s with your 20 year old navigation system guiding you in your car. (experience from my dad's b5 RS4, which you as an American have surprisingly reviewed which is amazing 👍)

S54 engine itself is iconic as 333hp was pretty big when it was released I love in-line 6

Lovely beemer having engine note like a Porsche which I love

I had a built S54B33 with a CSL airbox thrown in my E30 and it's an absolute riot

I had a E46 and at the time I absolutely loved it I thought it was the best-looking car on the road I had offset 18in BBS wheels on coilovers it was beautiful...... But now I have an E 92 I think the e92 platform looks a lot better but I like them both but the lines on the e92 are just hard to beat they killed it with that design

Dream Car. ❤️ Not the fastest but the classiest!

12:10 was the best pull. didnt touch limits but it was significant

Its an emotion. Every nfs mostwanted players knows it🥺💗

Used to watch you before i had a car and license and it really scratched the itch i had to drive , great video

Sweet...my fave M3 version!

This is the last true Bmw M3. Just a masterpiece!

I accidentally bought an 04 E46 M3 when my wife spent way to long at the dealership trying to buy a car. After an hour and a half of boredom, I looked at the salesman and said “give me the keys to that car. I want to drive it while you guys Dick around.” We bought a car that night. The M3… with SMG… She hated it. I loved it. I kept it, and she got no car that day. 15 years later, I’ve rebuilt everything (stock), relocated SMG hydro pump to drug well, and handled all of the Big 3 +1, except for the RACP reinforcement-which is next. This car is a keeper… and some day it (the SMG) will be worth more than the manual 6-speed; because right now, eberybody is dissing SMG/converting to manual. BIG MISTAKE. The SMG is incredible. Don’t believe the conflicting false narrative. Modify it (SMG), maintain it, and relocate it for ease of servicing, and you’ll NEVER want this awesome car in its manual version.