Help! which 'M' ? - my dilemma
Discussion
Well ok, it's a pretty nice dilemma to have but here goes. I'm in a position to buy an early E46 M3 but will very much be buying at the bottom of the market and this has got me thinking that I could be buying a whole heap of trouble. So I've been looking at other M powered cars and here's my list:
E36 M3 Evo - I can get a throughly sorted example and I love the rawness of these cars.
Z3M Roadster - great car, but slightly unconvinced about the handling, etc
E39 M5 - Monster, and the only one of the 3 I haven't driven.
Running costs aren't that much of an issue as whatever car I get will just be for Sunday blasts and the occasional trackday. I probably do about 3-4k miles a year.
So, any advice?
Cheers!
E36 M3 Evo - I can get a throughly sorted example and I love the rawness of these cars.
Z3M Roadster - great car, but slightly unconvinced about the handling, etc
E39 M5 - Monster, and the only one of the 3 I haven't driven.
Running costs aren't that much of an issue as whatever car I get will just be for Sunday blasts and the occasional trackday. I probably do about 3-4k miles a year.
So, any advice?
Cheers!
If you can stretch to a e46 m3 then you can prob afford a e30 m3. Get one of those, that's my advice.
Ideal for the odd trackday and sunday blast.
Tough engines, brilliant on track, not too bad on fuel, good parts supply, no dearer to maintain than any other m car (in other words not cheap) and a potential investment.
Only downside is they can rot a lot more than any other m car. Mines got a couple of bits that need looking at, but being handy with the welder, I'll do it myself.
Ideal for the odd trackday and sunday blast.
Tough engines, brilliant on track, not too bad on fuel, good parts supply, no dearer to maintain than any other m car (in other words not cheap) and a potential investment.
Only downside is they can rot a lot more than any other m car. Mines got a couple of bits that need looking at, but being handy with the welder, I'll do it myself.
chrisr29 said:
If you can stretch to a e46 m3 then you can prob afford a e30 m3. Get one of those, that's my advice.
Not sure I agree with that - bottom of the market for E46 M3s seems to be c.£8-9k. Bottom of the market for an E30 M3 seems to be about £10k, and I'm not sure you'd be buying less trouble, given the age of E30 M3s now.I've just made the switch from an E36 M3 Evo to a post-facelift E39 M5, and both are great in their own way. E36 M3 is less "modern" feeling, more raw, bit noisier, smaller-feeling, E39 M5 is a lovely brutal big saloon, lots of toys, lots of composure, awesome V8-ness. Running costs for each seem pretty comparable (from the research I did anyway) i.e. not cheap.
Get some test drives in, and see which one you like most - I've never driven an M Roadster, but top down fun with such a nice engine sounds good
Quite a mix of cars! All very different.
As mentioned above I would consider the E30 M3. About the rust....mine has none whatsoever....but then it did spend it's first 15 years in Portugal.
I was offered an E46 Evo with 24,000 miles on the clock for my E30 M3 and I said no.
The M5 I guess would be my choice. Maybe more in juice, bills etc. But more bang for your buck and more rare.
As mentioned above I would consider the E30 M3. About the rust....mine has none whatsoever....but then it did spend it's first 15 years in Portugal.
I was offered an E46 Evo with 24,000 miles on the clock for my E30 M3 and I said no.
The M5 I guess would be my choice. Maybe more in juice, bills etc. But more bang for your buck and more rare.
Edited by hesnotthemessiah on Friday 25th March 09:46
I went for a Z3 as I was after a toy for the weekend and it hasn't disappointed. Was very tempted by an E36 M3 but didn't need the extra space and thought the Z3MR looked a wee bit special. The insurance quotes have been significantly less on the Z3 for me too.
There is currently an S54 Z3 in the classifieds with hard top for £8,995 - I'd be off to look at it in a shot if I didn't already own one
There is currently an S54 Z3 in the classifieds with hard top for £8,995 - I'd be off to look at it in a shot if I didn't already own one
St John Smythe said:
E36 M3 Evo - I can get a throughly sorted example and I love the rawness of these cars.
Z3M Roadster - great car, but slightly unconvinced about the handling, etc
E39 M5 - Monster, and the only one of the 3 I haven't driven.
I've never been in an E36 Evo, nor a Z3M Roadster, but I've just bought an E39 M5.Z3M Roadster - great car, but slightly unconvinced about the handling, etc
E39 M5 - Monster, and the only one of the 3 I haven't driven.
It's utterly amazing. Get one
If its weekend toy your after its easy, the Z3m roady all the way. Not that I'm biased in any way but I had exactly the same decision a few years ago, my budget was bigger and I ended up spending half what I intended and I'm now on my second one, never regretted it for a minute.
If you can stretch to an S54 they are one of the rarest ///M cars (only 73 RHD were made worldwide).
£1,500 sorts the suspension (KW3's and H&R ARB's), put on some yellow stuff pads and your sorted for the best VFM summer fun IMHO ;-)
If you really want a true weekend toy don't waste your money on 4 seats, far too practical, everyone has them lol
This is what its about for me, quick early Sunday morning blast over to the Horseshoe pass and Evo Triangle, why take those extra seats with you ?
If you can stretch to an S54 they are one of the rarest ///M cars (only 73 RHD were made worldwide).
£1,500 sorts the suspension (KW3's and H&R ARB's), put on some yellow stuff pads and your sorted for the best VFM summer fun IMHO ;-)
If you really want a true weekend toy don't waste your money on 4 seats, far too practical, everyone has them lol
This is what its about for me, quick early Sunday morning blast over to the Horseshoe pass and Evo Triangle, why take those extra seats with you ?
naefeart said:
As your requirement is for a sunday car - the Z3M is the only car that fits the bill out of those you have mentioned. It sounds like you already have a daily driver.
The Evo and the M5 are both daily drivers, fine cars that they are - but they aren't sunday blasters.
Definitely, I would say the Z3M is the only "weekend" car The Evo and the M5 are both daily drivers, fine cars that they are - but they aren't sunday blasters.
the E36 Evo is an amazing car for a Sunday blast though, as well as being an excellent daily driver 
naefeart said:
As your requirement is for a sunday car - the Z3M is the only car that fits the bill out of those you have mentioned. It sounds like you already have a daily driver.
The Evo and the M5 are both daily drivers, fine cars that they are - but they aren't sunday blasters.
+1 My thoughts exactly... Go for a good Z3M roadster..! I have driven all of the cars in question. E39 M5 is a great car, but for me it's more a daily driver for fast highway blasts then a track car (to heavy). e36 M3 EVO (with some modifications) is good track car, but I don't find it a special car for weekends. It's sits somewhere between the M5 and Z3M. The Evo and the M5 are both daily drivers, fine cars that they are - but they aren't sunday blasters.
I also wanted something special for sun, fun and trackdays. I ended up with a Z4M roadster... If you don't want a roadster, maybe a Z3M coupe is good choice. Better track handling then Z3M roadster. Whatever M car you choose...get some modifications on your brakes if you are going to do a lot of trackdays.
Edited by Franzino on Tuesday 29th March 19:15
I have a cracking E39 M5 facelift for sale if you're interested. I have owned 3 E46 M3 CSLs and a regular E46 M3 and while they were all stunning cars the E39 M5 to me has been the ultimate all rounder. It's pace has surprised me considering its weight but at the same time it seems nimble. The torque is outstanding and then on top of that you get all the comforts such as nav, electric seats, sunroof etc. etc. etc. Cruise on the motorway at 80mph but if you want and then come off and hoon it down some A roads. In all honesty all your choices are cracking cars but what I found about the E39 is that they are 1) rarer and 2) owned more by enthusiasts thereby making it easier to find a decent one.
Take a look at mine in the classifieds section.
Take a look at mine in the classifieds section.
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