E46 M3 v E92 M3

[thepony]

Anyone on here that has driven both - can they tell me

which sounds louder/nicer at 8000rpm?
what do they think of the interiors how they compare?
which they think is better looking?
will either "regular" E46 M3 CS / E92 M3 Competition Package - will they be regarded as future classics in 20-30 years to come as E46 is last of NA straight six / E92 is last NA V8?
how they compare to drive?

I have been looking for a nice E46 M3 (CS/CSL) with sensible budget 20-30k but could get a used E92 for that. Please help. Thanks very much.

[thepony]

dadofbud said:

You are in a great position if you have to make a decision like this, good luck to you and enjoy whatever you purchase

Thanks very much.

dadofbud said:

E92 M3 sounds fantastic, matter of opinion which is better, but I would say E92 M3.

E92 interior is streets ahead of the E46 M3, no question about it.

What car is better look, who knows ?

Dont you find the buttons too small on the heater controls of E92 and dont you miss the driver focussed interior of the E46 with its big buttons and it wrapped around you etc - i know this sounds really anal but i just noticed it when i sat in a E92 M3. Though i have never driven a E92 M3.

dadofbud said:

The E92 M3 is a better drive, GT like until you engage the M button as long as you have pre-saved the best performance settings and then there's very little in the market place that can give so much pleasure, the E92 hides it speed far more the the previous model but it appears to attract less attention from the police

Why does it attract less attention from the police the E92?
How does it hide it speed far more from previous model?

I think the
EDC - great idea. BMW invented it many years ago. Shame it was not on E46.
M Button is a great idea shame not in E46 in that you can save settings (Throttle mapping/EDC/Gear change speed) and have several characteristics of different types of vehicles in one.

What do the buttons do?
-Power?
-Sport?
-DSC OFF - presumably turns it off
-the one with skid marks what does that do is that not DSC?

dadofbud said:

If you have an eye on investment plus a great drive then Csl, if you want merc like comfort from a great performance BMW then E92 M3

If i could find a really great CSL i would keep it forever and it would do me. However, i cant find one that i am happy with as all been owned by lots of people/tracked/crashed/modified/or fked around then put back to standard/not serviced enough in my opinion - it is just so hard to find and who to trust in my opinion and so few if any at BMW Dealers too. Maybe i am expecting too much.

Either way it would be a garage queen as i have a regular BMW to drive about in.

Edited by thepony on Friday 7th October 21:54

[thepony]

PeteB said:

Having had an E46 M3 for the past 6 years and done over 60k in it, it has been by far the best car I have owned. It's been ultra reliable, comfortable, docile when driving round town, and the family and golf clubs all fit. Yet then, when you hit the sport button and turn the gearbox up (it's SMG) the car becomes a completely different animal and will compete with some much more exotic machinery. It really is a fantastic all rounder, and surprisingly economical (30 mpg on the motorway is commonplace) which is why I've kept it so long. So after a trip to my local dealer in April to buy a secondhand 325 for the wife, which ended up with me taking their demo E92 M3 out for the day, a couple of weeks ago I took delivery of a new mineral White E92 with competition pack. Put simply it's awesome. It does everything the E46 does, but takes it a stage further. The V8 sounds fantastic, the gearbox is sublime even in auto mode and with the EDC, despite the lowered 10mm suspension it really does ride almost as well as our Range Rover Sport family bus (which is now the wife's!).

I still have the E46, which I should put up for sale at some point, but while I quite like the idea of having a "classic" and a new one in the garage it has also given me the chance to drive them back to back and take them both out together a couple of times. The E46 is still a great car, and compared to the E92 more focused as a drivers car and the 6 cylinder still feels and sounds great. If I had the space and could convince the wife that our current 30 year old kitchen is fine I would keep the E46 as a toy. Before I bought the E92, I tried a 997 Carrera 2S just to compare and while the intention was to compare against the E92, I found myself thinking I'd rather have the E46. BUT given the choice between the E92 and the E46, the E92 wins every day of the week. It really has taken a fantastic cars best points and made each one better. Except maybe the fuel economy (which I'm naively telling myself it has stop start and it's still running in) and I only got the loudspeaker stereo not HK, its the better car, so if you can run to the E92 do it. If not a nice E46 which your budget will easily get you, is not a bad second choice by any means.

As said very nice write up and great to hear from someone who has owned both especially that can drive them back to back to provide me with good insight. Especially as you compared the driving experiences first and foremost not the image.

Were they about the same in terms of noise at high-revs by the way?

Lol seems everyone has said the E92 M3 (naturally) is better. Manual/SMGII does not bother me i can drive both.

Either way it will be a garage queen as i have a regular car to drive about in.

I think for now i will stick to searching for a E46 as it seems, the really good ones will be even HARDER to find in years to come. At least that way i can experience what it feels like to have a GREAT one. As mentioned would really like a good CS/CSL. I already put wanted ad though have yet to see any ones that interest me. I been a big fan of the BMW E46 M3 (Coupe and subsequently CS and CSL) since 2000 and i was 17 so i guess it has more emotional attachment to me if that makes sense. Before i could drive it was all i would ever read about so it means more to me in that way and the only BMW i ever wanted. I was starstruck everytime i saw one lol for all the variants of the BMW E46 M3.

If i ever want a E92 M3 Competition Package i hope there is an opportunity in the future for that to have one of the good ones providing i have enough to buy one of course.