Is This the Best BMW Race Car? | Spec E46 

It is amazing how much prices are going up.

Okay,so buying a used m4 is the same price that’s the reason i came to this video to find the best bmw track car for the money

When you spec a $5k diff for a $5k car you’ve lost the plot for inclusivity in racing. Love the class if this spec wasn’t so inane.

@@Bigredrt@Bigredrt I've got an m4 and am now thinking about building up a spec e46, but it's true, the prices are just getting worse and worse. At this point might as well race my f82 that's already track ready.

Spec 128i is next

How much did the new build cost ?

I bought it lightly used for $48k with spares. It's a very clean build.

How far up the west coast does spec e46 go? I'm in Portland/Vancouver area and would like to participate someday

The e46 is a great platform.

Needs to be a 330i or 330Ci. It can be any year, with the caveat that the ECU must be the early MS43 version (up to late 2002).

330i only, ZHP have some different parts that aren't allowed so if you want to avoid extra work, don't get the ZHP. 5 speed or 6 speed both are ok but the 6 speed is heavier and is a little tricky to use with the exhaust since the spec exhaust is meant for the 5 speed transmission mount. But we made ours work.

@@MSWracing Thank you for clarifying this for me, I appreciate it!

@@RevMatchTrackDays Thanks for the info, much appreciated!

you want the newest year 330i/ci that you can find with the lowest miles possible. if you don’t mind having less space and want a car that’s ever so slightly lower and wider than go with the Ci. if you need the space then the sedan is actually marginally lighter than the coupe i believe. all E46 cars will need to have their coolant system, vanos system, disa valve, subframe/strut towers, and all gaskets will need to be inspected and serviced no matter the miles, they’re 20 years old. lifter tick is common. as far as the chassis any and all factory rubber will need to be replaced if it hasn’t already. steering guibo, control arm bushings, rear trailing arm bushings, driveline bushing, differentials bushings, transmission bushings, engine mounts, and rear camber arms should be swapped. if the car is on factory i serviced suspension that will likely be 20 years old as well and probably should be serviced/replaced. wheel hubs could also need replacing in rare cases.

Nope. The great thing about many BMWs is the companies that make many of the parts for BMW l8oe Lemforder keep making parts. They aren't beholden to BMW.

Gotta look. I've never paid more than $1500 for a donor and I've bought probably 20.

@@MSWracing I wish I had better investigative skills then because I can't find any at that price range unless maybe they're automatics.

@@cccEngineer find ones with trashed interiors, bad paint, damaged front bumpers/fenders, etc. Automatics aren't a deal breaker, just calculate in around $1200-1500 in used parts to convert it. The upside of automatics is that they haven't been over-rev'd. The cars are over 20 years old, so all rubber parts need replaced. I don't care if the bushings are shot or if the trim is messed up. You just want a solid, rust free chassis.

@@MSWracing I'll be looking into it. I was considering the platform years back when it was more up and coming in the northeast. I was more akin to the e36 though as it was cheaper.

A Spec3 can be bought turn key ready to race for 15k and turns laps on a few seconds slower. Consider that if you can't find anything in your budget.