The long version

This generation bottomed out hard enough in the mid-2010s that buying one became almost a rite of passage for enthusiasts priced out of newer M cars, and the crowd that piled in came with the DIY instinct to match — rod bearings inspected on a schedule, not a warranty claim. Values have since recovered without pulling the cars off track-day entry lists, because the ownership base that formed during the cheap years never really left. It is the M3 generation where badge and community still line up: bought to be revved to 8,400 rpm, not admired at idle.