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Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-20-2010, 8:41 PM Reply   
Im wanting to get a fun, fast, rwd sports saloon, and I've pretty much narrowed it down to either a gently used 335i, or a gently used m3.

My brain says get the 335i. plenty fast, plenty plush, and much cheaper, less maintenance, better mileage..etc. My other head wants an m3, even tho its pretty damn impractical. And while I could easily make the payments, the money I would save could go to a number of things. I got rid of my motorcycles (had a baby, so I dont have time to ride), so part of my justification is having a fun toy that i could track (which I probably would hardly do).

so what would yall do? be practical? or live a little?

Last edited by dizzyj; 07-20-2010 at 8:43 PM.
Old     (phatboypimp)      Join Date: Apr 2005       07-20-2010, 8:54 PM Reply   
I faced a similar decision a year ago.......C350 or C63........if I had a chance to do it again I would go C63.
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       07-20-2010, 9:39 PM Reply   
I would not own a BMW outside of the factory warranty. They're way too expensive to repair. The motors are bulletproof, it's everything else that fails.

[edit] Unless you find a spotless, well maintained E30 M3.
Old     (clayton191)      Join Date: Apr 2006       07-21-2010, 1:22 AM Reply   
This is wakeworld-- excess is the best ... m3 or bust my friend.

Last edited by clayton191; 07-21-2010 at 1:23 AM. Reason: idiot, typed wakeboard instead of wakeworld
Old     (buffalow)      Join Date: Apr 2002       07-21-2010, 7:16 AM Reply   
Switch up to an Any of the Chrysler SRT8's. Mad rear wheel muscle. Super plush inside. Not sure how they price in comparison to the older beamers, But way faster than the other two cars.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-21-2010, 7:36 AM Reply   
Ugh chrysler. I can't go there
Old     (wakedoctor)      Join Date: Dec 2004       07-21-2010, 7:41 AM Reply   
I don't see a chrysler handling like a bimmer.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       07-21-2010, 7:42 AM Reply   
CORVETTE BEST MUSCLE PER DOLLAR OUT THERE! better handling braking and just plain fast as s@#t.
Old     (alans)      Join Date: Aug 2005       07-21-2010, 7:50 AM Reply   
Corvette is nice for sure. But he said saloon, so obviously he needs a little bit of practicality, and the 335i and M3 Saloon is hard to beat. Unless you want a real car. Audi RS4 all day long!!!
Old     (puckinshat)      Join Date: Sep 2003       07-21-2010, 9:06 AM Reply   
If you want more bang for your buck and lower maintence cost, look at Infiniti G35. I was looking at the same cars you are and ended up with the G. Love it!
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       07-21-2010, 10:34 AM Reply   
Alright..... Here's my take, having spent street and track time in both cars:

The M3 is BAD!!! Right out of the box it's one of the most fun cars I've ever driven. Balanced, smooth, fast, fun. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

The 335 is a cool car, too. It is, however, much less balanced on the limit (more understeer). Also, the twin turbo motor is having it's share of teething problems. Most of them covered by warranty. The 335 is a stealth machine. It's way faster than it looks. Personally I'd buy the M3...

Until...

I went and drove a modded 335. The guy that I own my race car with just traded his 335i 4dr automatic in for a dealer special order 335i 4dr 6 speed with all the factory goodies. Suspension, exhaust, big wheels, braks, upgraded tuning. I had the car for a little while yesterday. It's FAST!! 3rd gear, spin the tires over any rise in the pavement, fast. It was really fun, balanced and could be pushed hard. I kinda fell in love with that thing. Now, that car had a sticker price of $68k. You've gotta be dedicated to spend that much on a 335. It's as much as the M3, but it's just as fast and way more stealthy, if that's what you're into.

Ok... The RS4. It's unbelievable. One of the guys here at work has one and I've stolen his keys on a couple occasions. It would have to be my top choice. One seriously sweet motor coupled to an awesome all wheel drive system. 60/40 power bias. When you push it hard it leans a bit toward tail out over steer. It's a completely different beast from a run of the mill S4, and definitely competes squarely with the M3. The RS4 gives you the nasty 4 pad brembo brakes, A super sweet interior.

Really, the comparison is between the RS4 and the M3. The 335 is a distant 3rd place. Sorry guys, maybe I'd consider a CTS-V, but no other american muscle car gets it done (4 dr that is).

Drive the RS4. You wont regrett it.
Old     (Sly_Park_Mark)      Join Date: Mar 2010       07-21-2010, 10:35 AM Reply   
I'm not a huge fan of BMW, but the M3 is one of the best cars on the market for it's price. How much cheaper is the 335 that your looking at than the M3? Unless the difference is very significant, I think you'll be happier with the M3 in the long run. I know a LOT of people with M3s and every last one of them loves their car to death. I don't think the maintenance costs will be that much more, either.
Old     (bruizza)      Join Date: May 2009       07-21-2010, 10:50 AM Reply   
If those are the only 2 choices then go with the M3.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-21-2010, 11:40 AM Reply   
m3 is ~10k more for smilarly equiped. And I doubt I would mod either car.

Rs4 I have to look at. The ctsv would be nice but I just can't see spending that kind of money on a gm.
I'll probably end up with an m3. Dealer just called and offered 7k off the price of the one I inquired about.

Drool.
Old     (pesos)      Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Texas       07-21-2010, 11:52 AM Reply   
I got two lightly used e46 M3s and they were both a lot of fun. I like the audi I have now but it doesn't handle the way those cars did - the steering has that annoying made-for-the-ladies light feel.

If you are talking about the new M3 I have no experience, I'm sure they are fun - but a bit fugly.
Old     (phatboypimp)      Join Date: Apr 2005       07-21-2010, 12:20 PM Reply   
Do some research on the CTSV - I believe it is the fastest production sedan on the market. The performance is insane. One of the corvette collectors in my office can't stop talking about the performance and espeically at that price point. I have no personal experience.
Old     (ralph)      Join Date: Apr 2002       07-21-2010, 1:34 PM Reply   
RS4 FTW. Seriously cool car with that sound that makes the hairs on your neck stand up.
Old     (BCPMike0663)      Join Date: Apr 2010       07-21-2010, 2:01 PM Reply   
My wife has a 335 convertable and it is a great car. We bought it in 2007. We wanted the M but at that time they did not know when the M would be coming out. They said as least 10 months. I like our car but you gotta go with the M as long as you can afford it that way you don't look back and say I should have got the M. Plus the M looks bad ass. In probably a year or two we will trade in the 335 for an M.
Old     (steezyshots)      Join Date: Feb 2008       07-21-2010, 2:05 PM Reply   
As a current BMW owner I would say one thing. DO NOT BUY A BMW!
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-21-2010, 2:16 PM Reply   
Riley care to elaborate?
Old     (jarrod)      Join Date: May 2003       07-21-2010, 2:17 PM Reply   
haha...I think Riley has had some crazy problems like doors and windows not lining up. He's got a z4
Old     (steezyshots)      Join Date: Feb 2008       07-21-2010, 2:38 PM Reply   
Just like Barry Waste said the engines are great but everything else falls apart.

When I asked my friend at the BMW dealer what the deal was he said BMW's are really fun to drive for about 2 years then they fall apart.

I honestly will never buy another BMW and it's a shame cause I really like the 740. I owned a Lexus LS 430 before my BMW and I will go back to Lexus after this one, I really wish I would have just stuck with my gut and stayed there in the first place.
Old     (ottog1979)      Join Date: Apr 2007       07-21-2010, 3:48 PM Reply   
Generalizations...

I've owned two Beemers & loved them both. I'm up to 300,000 combined miles in them. Other than just usual maintenance, I've been stranded only twice: a fuel pump and water pump. These were also the only major replacement items other than usual maintenance. And on top of that, I haven't driven ANYTHING as fun as my 330i ZHP (excepting possibly, my previous motorcycles).

If you don't mind the maintenance and can afford it, go for the M3
Attached Images
 
Old     (steezyshots)      Join Date: Feb 2008       07-21-2010, 4:29 PM Reply   
I sold my Lexus LS 430 with 303,000 miles never had to do anything except brakes tires and oil. Brakes on my Lexus for a set of 4 if I remember right cost in the neighborhood of $500

Brakes on my Z4 $1200 and I have been through 3 sets that I can remember only have 70,000 ish miles on my car.
Old     (amo)      Join Date: Jan 2009       07-21-2010, 4:31 PM Reply   
I've owned 4 BMW's (530,545, '05 M3 SMG trans, '08 M5 current car) and a porsche boxter S. If you want a fun sporty car there is nothing that drives and handles like a porsche. I've enjoyed all my BMW's and loved my M3 (should have kept it) but my next car will be a porsche.

my 2 cents
Old     (ottog1979)      Join Date: Apr 2007       07-21-2010, 4:40 PM Reply   
Disc brakes are so easy, I do them myself. Already done front & back on the 330 for about $200 and 2 hours per "axle".

Lexus is a great car also. I owned a Toyota Supra back in the 80's and loved that car.
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       07-21-2010, 5:53 PM Reply   
Quote:
When I asked my friend at the BMW dealer what the deal was he said BMW's are really fun to drive for about 2 years then they fall apart.
That's funny.. My close friend is the head mechanic at one of California's largest BMW dealers. He said the same thing- " I wouldn't own a BMW out of warranty"

It's disappointing, too... They are probably the most beautiful vehicle on the road, in my opinion.
Old     (lfadam)      Join Date: Nov 2008       07-21-2010, 10:06 PM Reply   
Please dont mention Lexus in the same sentence as BMW or Audi.


The 335 and M3 are both sick, just depends on what you want. Fast car, more practical, more stealth, little less maintenance/price/frills-335. All out fast performance car that can still pass as somewhat practical as a sedan, go for the dream car-M3
Old     (alans)      Join Date: Aug 2005       07-22-2010, 4:46 AM Reply   
I have had 3 BMW's 2003 530i, 2005 330ci ZHP, and 2004 M3 SMG. Zero trips to the dealer other than scheduled maintenance, which is free. 330ci ZHP was my favorite

I have had 4 Audi's, 1999 A4 Avant Quattro 2.8 w/PES Supercharger, 2004 TT 3.2 DSG S-Line, 2005 S4, 2008 A4 1.8t. Zero trips to the dealer other than scheduled maintenance. S4 was my favorite.

Currently banging around in 2010 WRX, fast as heck and FUN to drive. When business gets better, probably will look for a new M3 sedan or used RS4.
Old     (steezyshots)      Join Date: Feb 2008       07-22-2010, 8:33 AM Reply   
Pretty sure Lexus is in a world of it's own now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRXUP-8Qyo4
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       07-22-2010, 10:04 AM Reply   
That LFA is totally over priced. Cool, but I'd take a Ferrari 599 over it in a second. I think it was motor trend that compared it to the Skyline last month. The Skyline was faster all the way to 100 mph. All that for less than 1/4 the price. If you want a badass car and want to blow some coin the new Mercedes SLS is soo sweet. I wouldn't mind an R8, either.

Heck, you could get a Carrera GT and still have enough coin left over to buy a Skyline as a dailer driver for what the LFA costs.
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       07-22-2010, 10:06 AM Reply   
Buy the M3 4 door and never look back.

Oh hey... while you're driving the Audi's check out a E63 benz, too. They're so fun. Absolute tire smokers. They out muscle the american muscle cars. Pretty much beat them at their own tire smoking game.

I love German cars. Smooth, fast and subtle.
Old     (pesos)      Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Texas       07-22-2010, 12:11 PM Reply   
I would love to find a nice used R8 that didn't break the bank.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-22-2010, 12:51 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by guido View Post
Buy the M3 4 door and never look back.

Oh hey... while you're driving the Audi's check out a E63 benz, too. They're so fun. Absolute tire smokers. They out muscle the american muscle cars. Pretty much beat them at their own tire smoking game.

I love German cars. Smooth, fast and subtle.
thats probably what i will do (m3) knowing me. if I got a 335, I'd alway be wondering if I should have gotten the M
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       07-22-2010, 2:12 PM Reply   
If you have to have a BMW buy the 335. You can make lots of horsepower fairly cheap..Forced induction FTW.
Old     (trace)      Join Date: Feb 2002       07-22-2010, 7:00 PM Reply   
I'll never own another BMW after our experiences with an 02 540i. It was under warranty the whole time, but just the hassle of it being in the shop more than once a month on average was more than I want to ever deal with again. That being said, nothing else feels like a BMW from a handling standpoint, but a lot of that is the super aggressive alignment, which also eats tires quickly.

I had a bug for a sporty sedan for a while recently. Drove a few G35's, Lexuses, and 05-07 CTS-V's. The CTS-V's are easily twice as fun as anything else I drove, and they can be found for under $20k these days. I've owned more GM's than anything else, and they've always treated me well. Ended up not buying anything, though.
Old     (sidekicknicholas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       07-23-2010, 7:10 AM Reply   
Quote:
That LFA is totally over priced
Yup.... but my hope is a resonable toned down model comes to Toyota.... a new supra?!
Old     (jarrod)      Join Date: May 2003       07-23-2010, 7:38 AM Reply   
^^ That would be dope.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-23-2010, 8:05 AM Reply   
trace: I do need to look at the ctsv, but I would probably stay > 09. Think I might drive one today. 550hp does seem fun , and I guess my gm truck has lasted greater than 250k miles, so I really dont have anything against the reliability of gm, just that everything they make seems a bit plastic.
Old     (sidekicknicholas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       07-23-2010, 9:46 AM Reply   
Anyone seen these.... hyundais new car, looks like its going to be pretty badass.


Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       07-23-2010, 10:59 AM Reply   
Hyundai is firing squarely at the BMW/Mercedes/Lexus/Audi market. IMO, they're doing a good job. If anybody thinks they're crazy, just think back to what Toyota did with Lexus.
Old     (buzz_grande)      Join Date: Mar 2004       07-24-2010, 5:10 PM Reply   
All good info. Just curious, any thoughts on teh Lexus IS-F? Looks pretty bad-ass.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       07-30-2010, 1:10 PM Reply   
More info on the 335i. No LSD. Why? Why have a 300+ hp engine going to 1 wheel?

So I think with basic upgrades I'm approching m3 price.

I also looked at the merc c63 amg. It's so mean. Totally different car but it's so loud and torquie. I wish the m had more torque. That's the main downside
Old     (jarrod)      Join Date: May 2003       07-30-2010, 4:35 PM Reply   
^^^^ Seems to me that the tradeoff for the 400 horsepower is more than worth it.
Old     (pittsy)      Join Date: Apr 2004       07-30-2010, 6:03 PM Reply   
M3!! I have one currently and its so much fun to drive. Currently I have 29,xxx miles and not any problems except replacing the rear tires for the 3rd time now. Great car!
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       08-02-2010, 12:31 PM Reply   
Doood... The AMG 6.3 motor is BADA$$. 500+hp and nasty amounts of torque. So much fun. The E63 is one of my all time dream cars.

Dizzy, yeah it's got an open diff, but it's got torque managment (like what toyota have done with their trucks). It applies the inboard brake on acceleration from tight corners therefore forcing toque to the outside (drive) wheel. They actually get off the corners awesome. The only thing they're not good for is smokey sideways burnouts.
Old     (rsanchez)      Join Date: Jun 2010       08-10-2010, 11:27 PM Reply   
Get the BMW, you won't be disappointed. I've owned a cls550 and a s63, I will never in my life own another mercedez, simply because they're way too much of a pain to maintain, and mine were both horribly unreliable. The ISF is nice, but it's a Lexus, if you can deal with that super annoying Navi (won't let you input addresses), it's something worth looking at. It does have this really cool second intake that kicks in at like 3,500RPMs and makes the car sound rediculous when driving hard - the down side of this, makes you want to floor it everywhere. Anyways, if you end up going the M3 route, depending on the year (you mentioned used), I'd get the DCT transmission. I didn't see on your profile where you live, but if you live anywhere at a decent elevation (ie: Colorado), you might end up being happier with the 335i because of the turbo. Also, if you buy used, keep in mind BMWs have 60k, 4yr warranty, I'd buy a car that wouldn't be within 1 yr of the end of the warranty when you goto sell it (that is, if you're planning on keeping it for a 2 years, make sure the car has 3 years of warranty left). The values drop a bit when they go out of warranty, and if you end up keeping it, they become like a third girlfriend, expensive and whiney.
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       08-11-2010, 10:28 AM Reply   
Rob, I'm suprised you had a problem with your benzes. In my experience they're super reliable. Moreso than BMW. You just never know whether you're going to get a good one or a bad one, I guess.

Otherwise, Rob is right on about the turbo cars. They can't be beat at elevation.
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       08-11-2010, 1:14 PM Reply   
Quote:
Otherwise, Rob is right on about the turbo cars. They can't be beat ..

There, fixed it for you.
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       08-11-2010, 3:17 PM Reply   
Ha, ha..... Alright. I love turbo cars too (in fact we only own turbo cars right now), but big displacement torque is hard to beat. That is, unless you have big displacement and turbo's. I'm thinking Mercedes SL65 AMG. Now that's a good combo!!!
Old     (rsanchez)      Join Date: Jun 2010       08-11-2010, 4:39 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by guido View Post
Ha, ha..... Alright. I love turbo cars too (in fact we only own turbo cars right now), but big displacement torque is hard to beat. That is, unless you have big displacement and turbo's. I'm thinking Mercedes SL65 AMG. Now that's a good combo!!!

There's no replacement for displacement!
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       08-11-2010, 6:14 PM Reply   
Sure there is- Density by compression does a fine job at replacing displacement. Don't underestimate the ability for small displacement motors to produce large amounts of torque when boosted.
Old     (sidekicknicholas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       08-11-2010, 8:26 PM Reply   
Quote:
Don't underestimate the ability for small displacement motors to produce large amounts of torque when boosted
Most of the little ricers make more HP/Torque per liter... Honda S2000s are like 120hp/l and I'm almost positive Mitsu Evo 9 is like 200+ hp/L (turbo though)

thats pretty good if you ask me.

Last edited by sidekicknicholas; 08-11-2010 at 8:29 PM.
Old     (rsanchez)      Join Date: Jun 2010       08-11-2010, 8:54 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by barry View Post
Sure there is- Density by compression does a fine job at replacing displacement. Don't underestimate the ability for small displacement motors to produce large amounts of torque when boosted.
Obviously, I was just using a common muscle car saying . Although I'm no fan of boosted out ricer motors...
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       08-12-2010, 12:30 AM Reply   
Quote:
Most of the little ricers make more HP/Torque per liter... Honda S2000s are like 120hp/l and I'm almost positive Mitsu Evo 9 is like 200+ hp/L (turbo though)
Evo IX is a 2.0 291hp soooo, 145.5 hp/l

That HP/L stuff sounds impressive, but it really doesn't mean much, especially when most have almost no/unusable torque. The Honda guys must have invented that useless, but impressive sounding bit of information. My lug nuts have more torque than most Hondas.
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       08-12-2010, 10:47 AM Reply   
"My lug nuts have more torque than most Hondas." Ha, ha, ha.

SL65 AMG Twin turbo, V12.... 700+ lb/ft of torque. If you haven't experienced that type of grunt, then you need to. There is nothing cooler than being absolutely pinned in your seat at freeway speeds as the tires squirm looking for traction.

IMO, the biggest downfall to turbo power is the lack of throttle response. Really only a big player at the track, but I really like quick, snappy motors. Turbo's sap some of that. Even the newer variable vane and smaller turbos.
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       08-12-2010, 12:19 PM Reply   
Quote:
IMO, the biggest downfall to turbo power is the lack of throttle response. Really only a big player at the track, but I really like quick, snappy motors. Turbo's sap some of that. Even the newer variable vane and smaller turbos.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Lack of immediate usable power. When I stab the throttle I get a response, I have to wait for boost to build for full power, though. I actually prefer the progressive building of boost- There's no feeling like it.

Except 700 lb/ft of torque on tap, of course.
Old     (trace)      Join Date: Feb 2002       08-12-2010, 12:57 PM Reply   
I see dizzyj at the gym pretty regularly. He ended up getting a red stickshift M3. I haven't seen it yet but it sounds sweet. I'll tell him to post some pics next time I see him.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       08-12-2010, 7:36 PM Reply   
m3 baby! this car is so bad ass!!
Attached Images
  
Old     (barry)      Join Date: Apr 2002       08-12-2010, 7:45 PM Reply   
That's very nice! Congrats on your purchase.

horsepowerfreaks.com has quite a few 600-750 whp E46's running around. I'm sure they can assist you.
Old     (pittsy)      Join Date: Apr 2004       08-12-2010, 10:02 PM Reply   
Awesome...MR is a cool color! I have Jerez Black myself! Let the mod bug begin! And get rid of those reflectors asap with color matching ones!
Old     (rsanchez)      Join Date: Jun 2010       08-13-2010, 2:11 PM Reply   
I love the color, Which transmission did you get?
Old     (kwipp)      Join Date: Jan 2009       08-14-2010, 9:07 AM Reply   
Check out m3forum.net if your looking for an oem based group of people. bimmerforums.com is good, but there alot of styling stuff that is very subjective. Also alot of misinformation in this thread but I guess thats why this is a wakeboard forum and not a car forum.
Old     (dizzyj)      Join Date: Jul 2003       08-16-2010, 9:02 AM Reply   
I got the manual trans. This car is too much fun to be shifting with buttons
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       08-16-2010, 10:19 AM Reply   
Georgeous car, Dizzy. You're going to love that thing.

Kevin, misinformation? Please be more specific. I think there are a lot of guys here that know a lot about cars.
Old     (rsanchez)      Join Date: Jun 2010       08-18-2010, 8:53 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by dizzyj View Post
I got the manual trans. This car is too much fun to be shifting with buttons
The manuals nice but the new SMG is great. Nice car either way.
Old     (ottog1979)      Join Date: Apr 2007       08-18-2010, 9:12 AM Reply   
Sweet! I would have picked the manual trans also. Enjoy!

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