My all time favorite BMW is the e46 M3. Yet I've never owned one. Most BMW owners claim it's expensive and not for the faint of heart. However, there is a small minority who will say it’s affordable.

The most challenging aspect is to get a precise amount for the maintenance cost. Without knowing the maintenance cost of an M3 how can anyone make a practical decision to buy one? I decided to call 20 independent auto-shops and BMW dealerships in the San Francisco Bay Area to get quotes for the following services:

Fluids & Filter

• oil and filter change [low : $150, avg : $209, high : $399]
• coolant fluid flush[low : $150, avg : $236, high : $479]
• brake fluid flush[low : $128, avg : $220, high : $449]

Tires

• tire replacements (front and rear): avg $921.80

Here’s what I took away from the research:

1. It’s incredibly expensive at many dealerships although a few dealerships are affordable
2. It’s affordable at many auto shops although a few shops are incredibly expensive.

For non-DIY’ers the make or break factor comes down to one thing, your mechanic. It’s best to find a mechanic that uses high quality parts but also charges a fair hourly labor rate. I’m sure I left out crucial services that are needed to maintain the m3 and if so, please comment below.

My intention is to do more research projects like this and gather prices for common services across all sorts of cars. If you are interested in these types of research projects let me know.