Talk me in or out of it. Went out in a mates 330Ci at the weekend and loved it, bit of a BMW convert, thought of buying it off of him but looking at M prices I might as well put a couple of grand to it and have a nice M3.
Thoughts please.

Sold

Thats one thing I did really like, no sound in the leon, the straight six just burbled and all we did was potter around town, nice feeling being in a subtle sports coupe with a bit of poke there when you want some fun.

So many more refinements too, the lights under the interior mirror, the n/s mirror moving down to watch the curb and just a less plasticy feel

haha, somewhere in general gassing there's a recent thread regarding a 996 v e46 M3, i got a bit arsey with a chap who said a 996 was a sports car and an M3 was a warmed over exec saloon.

everyone's allowed their opinion of course, but imo the s54 engine is indeed one of the finest engines ever made, and i did get a bit pissed off at it being referred to as 'warmed over'...

but yes, M3 is worth the extra if you:

a) do your homework prior to purchase, and,
b) don't do too many miles...

330ci very nice car however the M3 is a totally different animal.

S54 =

And does a 330ci look like this (sorry any excuse to post a picture of mine!)

As a previous poster said my advice have the M3 for weekends and do limited mileage - will still make you smile seeing it sat on the drive.



Go for it you only live once

No problem at all.

Another picture just for good measure



Mine is a CS which was introduced in 2005; basically half way between a M3 and a CSL. It has the CSL wheels (fronts are .5 inch narrower than the CSL), faster steering rack from the CSL, larger CSL brakes, M track mode traction control (less intrusive) and a few nice interior touches like the Alcantara steering wheel. However it doesn't have cruise control or any other buttons on the steering wheel.

At 10k your probably best going for the standard M3 as the CS does command a premium over the standard car. However if you can wait a little longer and get a CS in my opinion it is worth the extra but it depends what you want to use it for.

Must have options for me were:

Harmon Kardon (people say its poor but I disagree)
Built in sat nav (as above )
SMGII Paddle shift (Controversial!)

Both are awesome cars just for the engine alone.

The standard wheels do look great as well so you cant really go wrong in that respect.

No need to apologise it really is beautiful!
I was looking for as good an M3 as I can get for 8-12k really, been reading the buyers guide on M3cutters, a lot to look for!

I have not driven any yet so am unsure on SMGII as no idea if I would get on with it but seems a nice thing to have.

Id like Harmon Kardon too and the tilting mirrors

Thanks for the comments chaps.

Electric folding mirrors are a must for me as well. Particularly down here if you have an idiot coming right at you in the lanes.

You should be able to get a really good 05 - 06 for 12k.

I was adamant that I wanted a manual M3 and didn't even look at SMGII cars. That's until I drove one and absolutely loved it.

As Leins said really it's a bit clunky in real heavy stop start traffic (I would imagine - live in Cornwall so wouldn't know ) but it's fine driving through towns etc with slow traffic and some stop / start. When you get out on proper road and turn the settings up to s5 / s6 it feels fantastic. The gear changes are very fast and brutal in the top modes.

The only thing I cant get on with 100% at the moment but its probably me tbh is the down changes when pushing on. Because the gear changes are so brutal when changing down sometimes the gear change does unsettle the car a tiny bit i.e. because you cant heal toe its difficult to make the changes super smooth. As I said I don't know if anyone finds this as well.

That said after taking the car for an early morning blast across to Dartmoor the box started properly blipping on the down change which negated the problem. Usually to get mine to blip properly you need a tiny amount of gas on the down change. The sound when you get it right is just awesome. Whether I need a software upgrade to get a consistent blip I dont know.

Best thing is to drive both and see what you think. I saw the e46 M3 manual box (when warmed up) mentioned in the best manual boxes on General Gassing so it must be pretty good and I do understand the purist argument

Sorry for the essay

If this is all you did, and it was in a 330, you'll have a semi all week once you hear the M3 at 7500prm

Some love it some hate it, but it's a fairly unique rasp that the exhaust makes, and the engine as pointed out above is one of the finest made.

I've thought hard about selling mine recently, but each time I realise there is nothing out there at the same price that can do everything so well. I can see it staying with me as a daily driver for many years to come.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Splitty and Leon for sale M3 to come.

I was going for a 993 but, practicality as has been mentioned is important, I like the full recaros of the leon and big boot its handy when you need it and the useable seats and boot of the 3 series definatly are a plus, especially if you do want to go out with friends/family or give someone a lift somewhere.

Cant wait for that week long semi As said Iv been a bit of a BMW hater really, drove a mates E36 318IS and it did nothing for me. LCR made me smile, but the E46 is a different league again, the subtly lighting on the dash/console, the tilting kerb mirror and no squeaks! Just felt so solid and nicely built with nice touches.

I bought a CSL for weekend use and special occasions only, as it would be wasted on a daily commute or sitting in traffic. It doesn't go near shops, car parks, etc, but gets a good workout on proper driving roads fairly regularly. I have an Alpina E30 for similar purposes, and if it's raining out, neither car comes out of the garage. They are rarely used in the winter, another benefit of which is then being able to cut down on the tax expenditure here in the ROI (12 months tax for the 2 cars = €2700)

I use the train for all the boring stuff during the week, and that is my compromise which allows me to justify having the cars I have, but each to their own I suppose