E46 M3 v 135i - how different?

[cerb4.5lee]

john banks said:

cerb4.5lee said:

It proves what a cracking motor it is though because anyone who has owned one cant find anything to replace it with or if they have sold it they miss it like mad so it must be a great car when you get to know it.

Must be talking about a different car or entirely different expectations. My E46 M3, which was a good example at 7000 miles old was poor apart from the exterior and interior, the rally reps I owned either side of it made it look silly as a performance car. Brakes and suspension were woeful, the engine at 7900 RPM in 2nd gear at full throttle was occasionally interesting but not stellar in any way. On anything but a smooth, dry surface in a low gear it just didn't accelerate very well. 0-100mph was something like 12 seconds.

I was just giving the E46 M3 the benefit of the doubt to be fair because I pretty much hated my E92 M3 and never understood what the fuss was about with them, I have read so much positivity with the E46 M3 though but don't get me wrong it didn't impress me either when I drove it.

Its nice to see that someone else shares my view for a change.

[john banks]

I bought the E46 M3 against my better judgement on the hype. The test drives available weren't enough to see its composure falls to pieces on a B road. Neither for that matter was the test drive of the GTR, but my initial impression of it being over firm and unrefined I should have trusted, along with the first week of ownership impression that it was no Evo in the wet and that just changing the tyres doesn't fix that.

[aeropilot]

Comparisons here between people who have owned E46 M3 & E92 M3 and moved to a 135i.

http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=69...

[Driver101]

aeropilot said:

Comparisons here between people who have owned E46 M3 & E92 M3 and moved to a 135i.

http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=69...

This thread here pretty much covers most of it. A few pages to read.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

The best car is nearly always the one you own.

The worst car is the new model or the one you can't afford.

[anonymous-user]

Driver101 said:

The best car is nearly always the one you own.

The worst car is the new model or the one you can't afford.

I think this is the most accurate quote ever made on PH and applies to 90% of posters I reckon

[TREMAiNE]

St John Smythe said:

Driver101 said:

The best car is nearly always the one you own.

The worst car is the new model or the one you can't afford.

I think this is the most accurate quote ever made on PH and applies to 90% of posters I reckon

Not true.

My RX-8 is much better than a Ferrari 458.

Its irrelevant that I can't afford the Ferrari, I'd rather have 57 RX-8's than one 458!

[1Addicted]

I tuned my 135i's ECU, swapped most of the suspension components for those of an E90 M3, LSD, better cooling, exhaust and wider tyres. It was, for all intents and purposes, a 1M without the wide body, yet with more power.

Even after all of that, it didn't feel like an M, as it could never put a smile on my face like their NA engines could or Rev so freely and, without butchering the body, it would never look like an M, just another tuned car. It did however absolutely destroy most things that it should never have been able to and handle like a 1M/M3 so the fun factor was there, if not a little scary at times due to its heavy power delivery in the mid-range.

I personally get more enjoyment out of working a large NA engine and for that, I like the E46, but prefer the E92 M3 as it points more precisely.

Edited by 1Addicted on Tuesday 6th January 15:01

[nitrodave]

I've driven both cars in standard form I'd rather an e46 m3, but they are getting on a bit and can be a bit costly to run.

I fitted a jb4 to a manual 135i a couple of years ago and it was the most amazing bang for buck mod I've experienced. A few hundred quid, an hour to fit and an extra 100bhp made a big difference to the acceleration. It was let down by the soppy rear end an open diff though.

[anonymous-user]

S54 vs turbocharged N54, that's not really a question is it?

A decent E46 is only going to rise in value.