E92 M3 or M135i
Discussion
marting said:
Gruber said:
What you need, chap, is a 1M 
Except for the V8, it combines the pros of both the M3 and the M135i very well indeed, and definitely has that "specialness" mentioned above.
I dont think you could pick up a 1M for OP's budget? Arent they over 40k still? Except for the V8, it combines the pros of both the M3 and the M135i very well indeed, and definitely has that "specialness" mentioned above.The OP doesn't seem to have stated his budget, so I'd agree that the 1M might be out of the question. But it would tick a lot of boxes for him and looks likely to be relatively depreciation free, even if (and it's a big if) they take a bit of a dip when the M2 eventually emerges.
irishsteve said:
I had the same decision as you back in January. Needed a practical, 4 door car which I could track a few times a year.
Went for the M3 as I figured opportunities to buy a mental V8 wouldn't come along very often in the future and it will hopefully be worth more than the M135i in a few years.
The petrol tank is highly annoying, and the sat nav is useless, but still 100% happy I made the right choice.
What's wrong with the petrol tank?!Went for the M3 as I figured opportunities to buy a mental V8 wouldn't come along very often in the future and it will hopefully be worth more than the M135i in a few years.
The petrol tank is highly annoying, and the sat nav is useless, but still 100% happy I made the right choice.
Gruber said:
marting said:
Gruber said:
What you need, chap, is a 1M Except for the V8, it combines the pros of both the M3 and the M135i very well indeed, and definitely has that "specialness" mentioned above.
I dont think you could pick up a 1M for OP's budget? Arent they over 40k still? Except for the V8, it combines the pros of both the M3 and the M135i very well indeed, and definitely has that "specialness" mentioned above.The OP doesn't seem to have stated his budget, so I'd agree that the 1M might be out of the question. But it would tick a lot of boxes for him and looks likely to be relatively depreciation free, even if (and it's a big if) they take a bit of a dip when the M2 eventually emerges.
I think the M135i looks better than the 1M.
jonah35 said:
A v8 m3 or a standard 1 series?
M3 all day and all night long
Quite. It's really not a difficult decision.M3 all day and all night long
The 3 series is eminently practical. It's a f@cking 3 series. I'll try that again: it's a 3 series. A 4 door saloon car.
There's nothing in it on practicality. It will be as good at doing everything the 135i can do.
The 1er is a 1 series with a capable but uninspiring engine. Lots of torque is dull. It makes for effortless but dull acceleration into licence-losing territory. Contrast a screaming V8 that pulls to over 8000 revs. 8000 revs from a 4l V8. That's a proper bloody engine and a pleasure to use every second of the day.
Who gives a s
t that it won't pull hard from 1500 revs?! Why the f@ck would you do that anyway? All the fun is getting the engine to sing, and only an idiot accelerates hard from just above idle.One is a decent sports saloon with an epic engine that deserves more praise than it gets. The other is a performance hatchback with a decent turbo (puke) engine.
^ quite.
Personally I don't get the hate for turbo engines.
Not saying the N55 is better than the V8 but I think there is a lot of bias against them. They don't drive like an 80s cosworth nowadays and to be honest haven't for some time.
For an every day car I'm inclined to say a turbo 4 (or in this case 6) might be a bit more useful for every day than a N/A V8 but the V8 would be 'special' on the weekends etc.
Personally I'm not a fan of the rear of the E92, I don't know why but it just seems to be missing something.
Either way, its horses for courses. I wouldn't want an unwarrantied 7/8 year old M3 on the drive just for bork factor.
Personally I don't get the hate for turbo engines.
Not saying the N55 is better than the V8 but I think there is a lot of bias against them. They don't drive like an 80s cosworth nowadays and to be honest haven't for some time.
For an every day car I'm inclined to say a turbo 4 (or in this case 6) might be a bit more useful for every day than a N/A V8 but the V8 would be 'special' on the weekends etc.
Personally I'm not a fan of the rear of the E92, I don't know why but it just seems to be missing something.
Either way, its horses for courses. I wouldn't want an unwarrantied 7/8 year old M3 on the drive just for bork factor.
ORD said:
Quite. It's really not a difficult decision.
The 3 series is eminently practical. It's a f@cking 3 series. I'll try that again: it's a 3 series. A 4 door saloon car.
There's nothing in it on practicality. It will be as good at doing everything the 135i can do.
The 1er is a 1 series with a capable but uninspiring engine. Lots of torque is dull. It makes for effortless but dull acceleration into licence-losing territory. Contrast a screaming V8 that pulls to over 8000 revs. 8000 revs from a 4l V8. That's a proper bloody engine and a pleasure to use every second of the day.
Who gives a st that it won't pull hard from 1500 revs?! Why the f@ck would you do that anyway? All the fun is getting the engine to sing, and only an idiot accelerates hard from just above idle.
One is a decent sports saloon with an epic engine that deserves more praise than it gets. The other is a performance hatchback with a decent turbo (puke) engine.
Spot on Ord. I came from a 335i to a E92 M3 and the engine is awesome compared to the 3 litre turbo. I really want an M4 but I am worried I will miss the lovely V8 screaming to 8400rpmThe 3 series is eminently practical. It's a f@cking 3 series. I'll try that again: it's a 3 series. A 4 door saloon car.
There's nothing in it on practicality. It will be as good at doing everything the 135i can do.
The 1er is a 1 series with a capable but uninspiring engine. Lots of torque is dull. It makes for effortless but dull acceleration into licence-losing territory. Contrast a screaming V8 that pulls to over 8000 revs. 8000 revs from a 4l V8. That's a proper bloody engine and a pleasure to use every second of the day.
Who gives a s
t that it won't pull hard from 1500 revs?! Why the f@ck would you do that anyway? All the fun is getting the engine to sing, and only an idiot accelerates hard from just above idle.One is a decent sports saloon with an epic engine that deserves more praise than it gets. The other is a performance hatchback with a decent turbo (puke) engine.
This should help make your mind up: http://youtu.be/YBcH_F6IA80
The second half of the video is on track, make sure volume is on full!
Admittedly the car in the video has the M performance exhaust, which is a reasonably expensive upgrade, but the OEM mod will run it close I believe, or may even better it?
The second half of the video is on track, make sure volume is on full!
Admittedly the car in the video has the M performance exhaust, which is a reasonably expensive upgrade, but the OEM mod will run it close I believe, or may even better it?
EricE said:
I'm planning to buy a new daily runabout with potential to do the additional track day and have my eyes on a used E92 M3 or a lightly used M135i.
The prices for a 2008 E92 M3 with 40k mls and a 2013 M135i with 10k mls are about equal where I live.
It's my understanding that both cars are about equally matched on the track when it comes to lap times. Has anybody here run both for an extended period of time?
M135i:
+ more useable everyday, up to date interior and infotainment
+ smaller dimensions
+ cheaper to maintain (fuel, repairs... would even have warranty on it)
+ unassuming looks
- no LSD, would have to retrofit
- looks like a dogs breakfast
- chassis setup a bit too comfortable for the track?
E92 M3:
+ far more "interesting" engine
+ sportier chassis (?)
+ LSD standard
+ prefer the looks although it may come off a bit chavy to the environment
+ lower depreciation
- cost of ownership, potential for eye wateringly expensive bills
- higher milage
- dated interior
- much lower torque so maybe not all that quick in traffic
Not a bmw man, but went in a 235 the other day, if it's the same engine it was amazing The prices for a 2008 E92 M3 with 40k mls and a 2013 M135i with 10k mls are about equal where I live.
It's my understanding that both cars are about equally matched on the track when it comes to lap times. Has anybody here run both for an extended period of time?
M135i:
+ more useable everyday, up to date interior and infotainment
+ smaller dimensions
+ cheaper to maintain (fuel, repairs... would even have warranty on it)
+ unassuming looks
- no LSD, would have to retrofit
- looks like a dogs breakfast
- chassis setup a bit too comfortable for the track?
E92 M3:
+ far more "interesting" engine
+ sportier chassis (?)
+ LSD standard
+ prefer the looks although it may come off a bit chavy to the environment
+ lower depreciation
- cost of ownership, potential for eye wateringly expensive bills
- higher milage
- dated interior
- much lower torque so maybe not all that quick in traffic
I'm going to come at this from a completely different perspective.
Having owned an E90 M3, I went through an F31 328i to an M135i.
The M3 had an AC Schnitzer exhaust - every time I started it was an event. It was a brilliant car, epic engine.
I prefer my M135i though. The engine is anything but boring. Anything. It sounds great, and all this crap about fake noise is just that - drive through a tunnel with the windows down and the noise in the cabin is identical to the noise outside. It's accessible and fun.
Yes it lacks an LSD, an option I will be saving for. I will be tracking it this summer, and expect every bit as much fun as my M3 gave me.
That said, I'd take the opportunity to own that V8 while you can, it's a peach.
Having owned an E90 M3, I went through an F31 328i to an M135i.
The M3 had an AC Schnitzer exhaust - every time I started it was an event. It was a brilliant car, epic engine.
I prefer my M135i though. The engine is anything but boring. Anything. It sounds great, and all this crap about fake noise is just that - drive through a tunnel with the windows down and the noise in the cabin is identical to the noise outside. It's accessible and fun.
Yes it lacks an LSD, an option I will be saving for. I will be tracking it this summer, and expect every bit as much fun as my M3 gave me.
That said, I'd take the opportunity to own that V8 while you can, it's a peach.
Just to pick up on a few things that people have mentioned.
The M135i rolls much more than the M3, which isn't a problem in itself, but it doesn't change direction as tidily/dartily as the M3. It's much happier being driven smoothly and briskly, not raggedly. When you ask it to do ragged, it spins its inside wheel, rolls more than I'd like, doesn't feel like the front and rear end are working together. All of which, the M3 does.
As for noise, the engine is pretty much inaudible unless you're accelerating, but then I think the M3 is similar in that respect.
Re the tank size. I get around 210 miles before the fuel light comes on in the M135i. I'm not sure what the M3 would manage.
Depreciation looks like the major cost for the M135i. I'm expecting around £18k in 4 years, but built into the original price are the service costs so that's free, there's no MOTs to be done. Insurance is less than £200. Tyres are less than £350 for the rears. I'd say that over a 4 year period, the M135i ultimately costs a fairly similar amount to own.
The M135i rolls much more than the M3, which isn't a problem in itself, but it doesn't change direction as tidily/dartily as the M3. It's much happier being driven smoothly and briskly, not raggedly. When you ask it to do ragged, it spins its inside wheel, rolls more than I'd like, doesn't feel like the front and rear end are working together. All of which, the M3 does.
As for noise, the engine is pretty much inaudible unless you're accelerating, but then I think the M3 is similar in that respect.
Re the tank size. I get around 210 miles before the fuel light comes on in the M135i. I'm not sure what the M3 would manage.
Depreciation looks like the major cost for the M135i. I'm expecting around £18k in 4 years, but built into the original price are the service costs so that's free, there's no MOTs to be done. Insurance is less than £200. Tyres are less than £350 for the rears. I'd say that over a 4 year period, the M135i ultimately costs a fairly similar amount to own.
bennyboysvuk said:
Just to pick up on a few things that people have mentioned.
The M135i rolls much more than the M3, which isn't a problem in itself, but it doesn't change direction as tidily/dartily as the M3. It's much happier being driven smoothly and briskly, not raggedly. When you ask it to do ragged, it spins its inside wheel, rolls more than I'd like, doesn't feel like the front and rear end are working together. All of which, the M3 does.
As for noise, the engine is pretty much inaudible unless you're accelerating, but then I think the M3 is similar in that respect.
Re the tank size. I get around 210 miles before the fuel light comes on in the M135i. I'm not sure what the M3 would manage.
Depreciation looks like the major cost for the M135i. I'm expecting around £18k in 4 years, but built into the original price are the service costs so that's free, there's no MOTs to be done. Insurance is less than £200. Tyres are less than £350 for the rears. I'd say that over a 4 year period, the M135i ultimately costs a fairly similar amount to own.
I would probably, at a push, guess that the M3 would cost slightly more over 3 or 4 years due to much higher serving/repair costs. The M135i rolls much more than the M3, which isn't a problem in itself, but it doesn't change direction as tidily/dartily as the M3. It's much happier being driven smoothly and briskly, not raggedly. When you ask it to do ragged, it spins its inside wheel, rolls more than I'd like, doesn't feel like the front and rear end are working together. All of which, the M3 does.
As for noise, the engine is pretty much inaudible unless you're accelerating, but then I think the M3 is similar in that respect.
Re the tank size. I get around 210 miles before the fuel light comes on in the M135i. I'm not sure what the M3 would manage.
Depreciation looks like the major cost for the M135i. I'm expecting around £18k in 4 years, but built into the original price are the service costs so that's free, there's no MOTs to be done. Insurance is less than £200. Tyres are less than £350 for the rears. I'd say that over a 4 year period, the M135i ultimately costs a fairly similar amount to own.
I really don't see the difficulty in the decision, though. We all have years to drive around in cars with turbos, fake engine noise, etc, and the days are dwindling when we can have that V8.
There's a similar thing going on with Porsches. You would have to drag me kicking and screaming away from a NA flat six and into a car with a 4 cyl turbo!
ORD said:
I would probably, at a push, guess that the M3 would cost slightly more over 3 or 4 years due to much higher serving/repair costs.
I really don't see the difficulty in the decision, though. We all have years to drive around in cars with turbos, fake engine noise, etc, and the days are dwindling when we can have that V8.
There's a similar thing going on with Porsches. You would have to drag me kicking and screaming away from a NA flat six and into a car with a 4 cyl turbo!
I completely agree on the V8 vs turbo thing.I really don't see the difficulty in the decision, though. We all have years to drive around in cars with turbos, fake engine noise, etc, and the days are dwindling when we can have that V8.
There's a similar thing going on with Porsches. You would have to drag me kicking and screaming away from a NA flat six and into a car with a 4 cyl turbo!
Costs wise though. I think it'll only be £3-400 more per year, which isn't much in the grand scheme of things.
ORD said:
jonah35 said:
A v8 m3 or a standard 1 series?
M3 all day and all night long
Quite. It's really not a difficult decision.M3 all day and all night long
The 3 series is eminently practical. It's a f@cking 3 series. I'll try that again: it's a 3 series. A 4 door saloon car.
There's nothing in it on practicality. It will be as good at doing everything the 135i can do.
The 1er is a 1 series with a capable but uninspiring engine. Lots of torque is dull. It makes for effortless but dull acceleration into licence-losing territory. Contrast a screaming V8 that pulls to over 8000 revs. 8000 revs from a 4l V8. That's a proper bloody engine and a pleasure to use every second of the day.
Who gives a s
t that it won't pull hard from 1500 revs?! Why the f@ck would you do that anyway? All the fun is getting the engine to sing, and only an idiot accelerates hard from just above idle.One is a decent sports saloon with an epic engine that deserves more praise than it gets. The other is a performance hatchback with a decent turbo (puke) engine.
cerb4.5lee said:
M3 fanboys much!! To listen to some of you on here the V8 M3 must be the best car in the world bar none, the chassis and the LSD are high points granted but its not all that as a package in the daily grind and other cars do that so much better for me.
It's wasted in the daily grind Imo but what cars do it much better ignoring running costs? 
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