2005 BMW M3

We are delighted to be able to offer this gorgeous six-speed manual M3 E46 Coupe finished in Silver Grey and fitted with a black leather interior, it is showing just 49,000 miles.

First registered in December 2005, the vendor acquired the car for his wife in 2008 when the odometer was reading just 9,000 miles. With just two previous owners, it has always been fastidiously maintained – and the family has two other more modern BMWs in their fleet to take care of the heavy lifting, leaving the M3 to be enjoyed on high days and holidays alongside their Jaguar E-Type. It’s a fun car, used lightly and maintained regardless of cost.

As you’d expect, it has a full service record and is in nigh-on concourse condition inside and out with unmarked coachwork, new OE alloy wheels, and one of the loveliest interiors we’ve seen in an E46 for many years.

Being offered with a very sensible reserve price, it is only for sale as a recent wrist operation has sadly left her too weak to be able to drive a manual car, which means her beloved M3 is now looking for its next owner, someone who will fall for its charms and continue to maintain it in the manner to which it has become accustomed.

The metallic Silver Grey coachwork is in a superb condition, being unmarked and completely free of stonechips, scratches or even polish swirls. This is partly due to the owner’s loving care over the years, and partly due to a 2017 paint refresh and high-end correction by the same garage that has looked after the car for the past eight years.

The work it undertook was detailed, and we can do no better than to quote the man who carried out the work: “Originally coated with Si3D, it was time to up our game and introduce the new Si3D Ultra Detail. Using the Nanolex Car Care polishing system, we carried out a two-stage enhancement to the new paintwork. We then carried out a four-stage enhancement to the rest of the vehicle and proceeded with application of the coatings.

These were full preparation with Nanolex EX, followed by Nanolex Si3D Base coat. We then applied Nanolex Si3D High Density followed by NanolexSi Finish Top Coat once the Si3D had cured.

The rest of the car was cleaned with Nanolex Glass Ultra, Nanolex Si3D on the grilles and exterior trim, and Nanolex Tyre and Rubber Restorer.”

If you’ve been keeping track, that’s an awful lot of work to be carried out on a 15-year-old car, but the results speak for themselves.

The M3 was fitted with a new set of original unmarked 19-inch ‘M’ alloy wheels six years ago at a cost of £2,250, and they’re still in fabulous, unmarked condition. Only bought to replace the mildly oxidised originals (told you he is fastidious…) they’re shod with matching Continental tyres too, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems? Nada. Nothing. Not a thing. ‘S’all good, man, as Bob Odenkirk would say.

The black leather interior is in good shape, but then you’d have every right to expect it to be so given the car’s low mileage. But, even so, the rear seat still looks like new, and even the blue and red stitching on the ‘M’ steering wheel, a detail that often betrays an M-car’s age, is good.

It’s true that the driver’s seat bears some light creasing to it, but it is light and it is just creases; there are no rips, tears or other damage at all, and the whole lot are still as firm and supportive as the day the car rolled off the production lines. The front are multi-adjustable too, including the lumbar support and side bolsters, so you can adjust the amount of cuddle it gives you. Electrically, of course.

Other M-styling cues are present and correct, including the two chromed sill plates, the gearknob, and dials. Everything else, carpets, door cards, headlining, trim and dashboard, are in an equally good condition. It really is quite remarkable, and proof positive that this M3 has led an easy life.

The boot is as clean as the rest of the car, and wonderfully organised with the hidden CD multi-changer and the toolkit nestling in the lid of the boot.

The M3 benefits from a recent full brake overhaul, which included new brake disc and pads on all four corners, plus new brake lines and fresh brake fluid. The work, which cost £1,400, also included new power-steering pipes, new air-conditioning and alternator belts, and a new petrol filler cap. New ABS pressure sensors too, in 2017.

The vendor tells us that the work has left the car in fine fettle, and it drives exactly as it should, being powerful and responsive.

The engine bay has been very neatly detailed as you can see from the photographs, and the underside is good too, being clean, neatly undersealed, and lacking in the sort of surface corrosion that even the best cars are prone to.

NOTE: the car has had the cherished registration number removed, and now wears the number YG55 RNM.

The MOT certificate expires in September 2020. It was gained with no advisories and the online MOT history shows only a gradual accrual of miles over the years. The seller advises that the subframe has been checked recently and has been given a clean bill of health - the subframe is to standard specification and he stresses that there is no corrosion across the car.

It also comes with the original owner’s handbook and storage wallet containing the usual bumf, plus the stamped service history booklet. It also has a thick sheaf of paperwork to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give the vendor a call and as if they can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like them to concentrate on.

Despite being what many consider to be the best-driving M3 of them all, the price of the E46 has languished for years, possibly because no matter what they might say in public, most car enthusiasts are as interested in what a car looks like as they are in its dynamic behaviour.

And yet, we can’t help but thinking that the E46’s time has come; it’s a neat, understated design that just gets better with age; while so many of its Johnny-come-lately contemporaries are losing their gloss, the E46 just quietly matures; it’s Sean Connery, on 19-inch rubber.

This new-found popularity is starting to be reflected in the asking price, too. We’re seeing 25% year-on-year gains for 2019-20, and asking prices for the very best examples topped £40,000 a while ago.

Which makes the £21,000 to £26,000 we think this manual example will fetch very good value indeed. Offered with a reserve that is lower, this is your opportunity to get behind the wheel of one of the best in the country for less than you might have thought possible. And, who knows, if prices continue their upwards trajectory, you might do very nicely out of it in the long-term.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor’s garage in Chester; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.