The G80 BMW M3 is one of the coolest, fastest, and most advanced sports sedans ever made. So does that mean it will cost a fortune to repair after it’s involved in a crash? Not necessarily, as Mat Armstrong just bought a wrecked 2022 M3 and is fixing it in front of his YouTube audience.
We, and millions of other fans, love Mat Armstrong because he destroyed the myth of exotic cars. Specifically, he’s proven that Porsches are still cars, that a McLaren can be repaired and a Lamborghini isn’t just filled with expensive parts. His latest project is something a bit more obtainable, yet still quite exotic, the latest generation of the M3.
BMW has been making the M3 since 1986, but the current G80 is the most powerful and advanced version of the sports sedan. It’s also the most expensive, but it’s one of Mat’s dream cars, so he seized the opportunity and bought a wrecked example. The red sedan was reportedly going around 90 miles per hour (almost 150 km/h) when the car spun and crashed into a house.
The most severe damage is on the left rear quarter, where the M3 smashed into a brick fence. However, the front end is completely mangled, and the interior needs rebuilding because the airbags have been deployed.
Most people would walk away from such a car, but Mat isn’t most people. He gladly paid £32,000 for the BMW M3 Competition, knowing its average value (used) would be close to €60,000+.
You’d be surprised how cheaply he managed to fix the car. First, he disassembles the whole front end and finds it’s easier to just replace the whole “rad pack”. That’s the part that bolts onto the front chassis holds the radiator and the other coolers and also supports the bumper.
These parts come from a salvage yard, along with brand-new front wings and a new hood. Luckily, these are the same color as his car, so they won’t need repainting. New hood hinges are required, and they’re probably part of the £4800 he paid for the parts. However, the headlights are an additional £900.
The headlights are actually a huge hassle. Even though they look exactly the same, these second-hand parts don’t work on the M3 until Mat has the idea of swapping out the control modules.
The interior is, surprisingly, even cheaper to fix. He paid just £450 for a second-hand dashboard from a 3 Series, not an M3. It requires hours of hard work to screw back into place. New airbags reportedly cost just £500, including both sets of curtain airbags, knee airbags, and a steering wheel airbag.
We think Mat messed up his pricing because £500 should just get you one genuine M3 airbag, not the whole set. But we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. In addition, the seatbelts are going off to be refurbished by a specialist as they were stuck after the crash. That’s probably another £100.
The M3 will also need new panels for the rear end, but these are probably part of the salvage deal and can be seen in the back of the workshop. That leaves the new control arm and electronic handbrake module, plus a wheel for a potential cost of £1500 in genuine parts.
A brand-new OEM windshield is another $300. Although Mat Armstrong claims the salvage M3 rebuild only cost him €37,750 so far, it’s probably higher than £40,000 already. Several components are being covered by the sponsors of the build.
Mat Armstrong sponsors
Sponsors include Auto ID, which is the official supplier of the ADRO body kit in the UK. Yeah, he’s getting the Adro bumper for free, and we know one of those costs £3,332.50. They also supplied a set of DRL modules which changed the color of the lights from blue to yellow, worth about £200.
To jazz up the engine bay, Kies Motorsports supplied their brand new G8x series carbon fiber strut brace package, currently listed for $1,199 in the US.
Mat is sure to modify the M3 once it’s repaired, adding popular upgrades like wheels and coilovers. So the total cost of the build might be closer to €50,000 if he didn’t have sponsors. Of course, brands are eager to be involved in what’s to become the most popular G80 M3 rebuild videos on YouTube. Brands like Valvoline which provided free oil and coolant for the car.
We think it’s not actually worth it from a value point of view, considering the M3 will always have that serious crash in its CarVertical history. But from a content-making point of view, it’s genius!
