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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vanquish" data-source="post: 189850" data-attributes="member: 84">Okay, we'll let you know if we come across one. In fact, there are more SMG M3s for sale these days compared to traditional manuals. Anyway, SMG or manual - it's a personal choice. I've tried a 325i Sports with SMG and apart from full-bore / spirited driving gear changes, the gearbox is a bit too clunky for me during normal driving and in the city. The 7-speed SMG III as found in the new E60 M5 comes close to perfection from what I've read. Anyway, it's not really an auto + manual gear box in a single chassis but it's essentially an automated manual transmission that also has the ability to perform like a fully automatic transmission despite having done away with the traditional torque converter and planetary gear setup. P/S - Please check the history of the early batch E46 M3s if you're buying one as they were prone to the infamous crankshaft-bearing problems which was resolved by BMW in the later batch cars. The straight-six S54 engine is a brilliant piece of engineering work but being at the end of it's development life, it is far from perfect. Fine one that's not been abused and well looked after for your peace of mind and hassle-free motoring. Cheers,VaN.</blockquote>