Discussion
Hi there,
My first post in the BMW area!
I'm thinking of coming out of my Maserati GranTurismo 4.7 to release some cash and getting a V8 M3 Cab as a fun but practical replacement. They seem good value at the moment and wanted your thought on what's good, bad, what to look for, what are they like to own etc. It would be sitting alongside a 997 Carrera GTS and one concern would be are they too similar, having never driven a performance BMW previously (except a little blast in the previous gen M3 cab many years ago).
My first post in the BMW area!
I'm thinking of coming out of my Maserati GranTurismo 4.7 to release some cash and getting a V8 M3 Cab as a fun but practical replacement. They seem good value at the moment and wanted your thought on what's good, bad, what to look for, what are they like to own etc. It would be sitting alongside a 997 Carrera GTS and one concern would be are they too similar, having never driven a performance BMW previously (except a little blast in the previous gen M3 cab many years ago).
My brother in law has had his a few years now and has been really happy with it, the DCT is a must to get the best from the engine and EDC(electronic damper control) is a worth while option too.
I have driven it a few times and I thought with the roof off the noise was great and it didn't really feel any different to drive to the coupe I had, you do get to really enjoy that high rev V8 in the cab because in the coupe you just can't hear it.
He likes the fact he can get his kids in the back and he just uses it on sunny days mainly, there isn't much room in the boot with the roof down though.
I have driven it a few times and I thought with the roof off the noise was great and it didn't really feel any different to drive to the coupe I had, you do get to really enjoy that high rev V8 in the cab because in the coupe you just can't hear it.
He likes the fact he can get his kids in the back and he just uses it on sunny days mainly, there isn't much room in the boot with the roof down though.
My E92 M3 was a manual and I wanted the manual because you don't get many V8's nowadays that are mated to a manual, but the ratios are long and at 8400rpm in third its 110mph so it's not easy to exploit its potential and most of the fun is between 6000rpm and 8400rpm.
The DCT does seem to suit the engine as it hides it's relative torque light nature better than the manual though, but I never considered the DCT as I just prefer a manual for its extra involvement.
The DCT does seem to suit the engine as it hides it's relative torque light nature better than the manual though, but I never considered the DCT as I just prefer a manual for its extra involvement.
I love V8s and Manuals (past and present cars include TVR V8S, Griff 4.0, Griff 500 and Maserati GT-S Semi Auto). I am not that worried about light torque feel to the engine as speed is not the no.1 objective and the current Maserati is not a torque fest but a high RPM thriller, (although 7500rpm is lower than the M3 is makes a lovely racket).
Interestingly I chose a semi auto in the Maserati due to extra involvement over a full auto and the DCT although effective sounds like it will not involve as much as the manual. The car is really just for fun so I am not concerned about ease of use or outright performance (moved away from 2 997 Turbos as lots of speed can equal less fun) so manual may be the way to go.
Shame i will never get beyond second gear in the UK......
Interestingly I chose a semi auto in the Maserati due to extra involvement over a full auto and the DCT although effective sounds like it will not involve as much as the manual. The car is really just for fun so I am not concerned about ease of use or outright performance (moved away from 2 997 Turbos as lots of speed can equal less fun) so manual may be the way to go.
Shame i will never get beyond second gear in the UK......
c4sman said:
cerb4.5lee said:
That's a cracking car history mate 
Thanks cerb4.5lee guessing from your username you might be a trevor fan also?I ran an M3 V8 cab for a few months and the engine is simply awesome. I was never a fan of low revving, lazy but torquey engines, which is how I previously thought of V8's, but the BMW changed that. It's a screamer that loves to be driven hard. The flappy paddle gearbox is a delight when being driven hard too. Around town though, it can be a bit slow and dimwitted at times. This is mainly in auto though.
Performance is certainly up there and 3 figure speeds come along all too quickly. Almost as quickly as fuel stops, as the tank capacity is pretty dire. As an A road and motorway tool the V8 was great, but I found it too large and a bit too heavy for having a weekend hoon in the back roads of Cornwall. I'd take my E30 over the V8 every time.
I like cars that shrink around me and I simply didn't get that from the V8. I also like to be able to use all the available power, all of the time, but without travelling so fast as to be a danger to myself and others. Personally, I prefer the E46 M3 as a drivers car and the E30 is my favourite over all. As quick, capable and fun transport though, especially as a convertible, the V8 is great. It does need to exhaust mod' to release some decibels though. Especially on auto blip as it drops down the box. I'm such a kid and absolutely loved that.
Performance is certainly up there and 3 figure speeds come along all too quickly. Almost as quickly as fuel stops, as the tank capacity is pretty dire. As an A road and motorway tool the V8 was great, but I found it too large and a bit too heavy for having a weekend hoon in the back roads of Cornwall. I'd take my E30 over the V8 every time.
I like cars that shrink around me and I simply didn't get that from the V8. I also like to be able to use all the available power, all of the time, but without travelling so fast as to be a danger to myself and others. Personally, I prefer the E46 M3 as a drivers car and the E30 is my favourite over all. As quick, capable and fun transport though, especially as a convertible, the V8 is great. It does need to exhaust mod' to release some decibels though. Especially on auto blip as it drops down the box. I'm such a kid and absolutely loved that.
e21Mark said:
I ran an M3 V8 cab for a few months and the engine is simply awesome. I was never a fan of low revving, lazy but torquey engines, which is how I previously thought of V8's, but the BMW changed that. It's a screamer that loves to be driven hard. The flappy paddle gearbox is a delight when being driven hard too. Around town though, it can be a bit slow and dimwitted at times. This is mainly in auto though.
Performance is certainly up there and 3 figure speeds come along all too quickly. Almost as quickly as fuel stops, as the tank capacity is pretty dire. As an A road and motorway tool the V8 was great, but I found it too large and a bit too heavy for having a weekend hoon in the back roads of Cornwall. I'd take my E30 over the V8 every time.
I like cars that shrink around me and I simply didn't get that from the V8. I also like to be able to use all the available power, all of the time, but without travelling so fast as to be a danger to myself and others. Personally, I prefer the E46 M3 as a drivers car and the E30 is my favourite over all. As quick, capable and fun transport though, especially as a convertible, the V8 is great. It does need to exhaust mod' to release some decibels though. Especially on auto blip as it drops down the box. I'm such a kid and absolutely loved that.
That's great feedback. I do wonder if I should save myself Some cash and go for the previous generation car. I'm struggling with the lure of another V8 however!Performance is certainly up there and 3 figure speeds come along all too quickly. Almost as quickly as fuel stops, as the tank capacity is pretty dire. As an A road and motorway tool the V8 was great, but I found it too large and a bit too heavy for having a weekend hoon in the back roads of Cornwall. I'd take my E30 over the V8 every time.
I like cars that shrink around me and I simply didn't get that from the V8. I also like to be able to use all the available power, all of the time, but without travelling so fast as to be a danger to myself and others. Personally, I prefer the E46 M3 as a drivers car and the E30 is my favourite over all. As quick, capable and fun transport though, especially as a convertible, the V8 is great. It does need to exhaust mod' to release some decibels though. Especially on auto blip as it drops down the box. I'm such a kid and absolutely loved that.
e21Mark said:
I ran an M3 V8 cab for a few months and the engine is simply awesome. I was never a fan of low revving, lazy but torquey engines, which is how I previously thought of V8's, but the BMW changed that. It's a screamer that loves to be driven hard. The flappy paddle gearbox is a delight when being driven hard too. Around town though, it can be a bit slow and dimwitted at times. This is mainly in auto though.
Performance is certainly up there and 3 figure speeds come along all too quickly. Almost as quickly as fuel stops, as the tank capacity is pretty dire. As an A road and motorway tool the V8 was great, but I found it too large and a bit too heavy for having a weekend hoon in the back roads of Cornwall. I'd take my E30 over the V8 every time.
I like cars that shrink around me and I simply didn't get that from the V8. I also like to be able to use all the available power, all of the time, but without travelling so fast as to be a danger to myself and others. Personally, I prefer the E46 M3 as a drivers car and the E30 is my favourite over all. As quick, capable and fun transport though, especially as a convertible, the V8 is great. It does need to exhaust mod' to release some decibels though. Especially on auto blip as it drops down the box. I'm such a kid and absolutely loved that.
That's great feedback. I do wonder if I should save myself Some cash and go for the previous generation car. I'm struggling with the lure of another V8 however!Performance is certainly up there and 3 figure speeds come along all too quickly. Almost as quickly as fuel stops, as the tank capacity is pretty dire. As an A road and motorway tool the V8 was great, but I found it too large and a bit too heavy for having a weekend hoon in the back roads of Cornwall. I'd take my E30 over the V8 every time.
I like cars that shrink around me and I simply didn't get that from the V8. I also like to be able to use all the available power, all of the time, but without travelling so fast as to be a danger to myself and others. Personally, I prefer the E46 M3 as a drivers car and the E30 is my favourite over all. As quick, capable and fun transport though, especially as a convertible, the V8 is great. It does need to exhaust mod' to release some decibels though. Especially on auto blip as it drops down the box. I'm such a kid and absolutely loved that.
skeeterm5 said:
For what it's worth I owned a manual v8 coupe rather than cab and kept it less than 3 months. Personally I found it all a little dull. I fear you would too going from the Maser and with the 911.
I just didn't find it special at all.
S
Interesting view. I'm not expecting the same thrill as the Maserati or 997 GTS (which I'm keeping for "sporty" driving), as the M3 would be costing about 50% of the Mas value. However I also don't want it be dull for £25k older car. I just didn't find it special at all.
S
What made it dull for you?
The car looked great, it was really well specified, and properly built.
But..
There was never any sense occasion at all in driving the car, it just never felt special. It was so well built that everything felt far too muted and refined which takes away any ‘feel’. The engine noise is not all that impressive, again due in large part to the refinement.
Now I have no doubt that if I drove everywhere like I was on a race track, revving to the red line and balancing the car on the throttle around every corner then it probably is an immense car. However the real world sort of punctures this motoring journalists view of driving and therefore you are only ever using 50% of the car. Given that and when you add the refinement back into this mix you might as well be driving a 330, or heaven forbid a 330d.
This where something like a Maser has the M3 beat, it has character, it has noise, it is different, the M3 has none of this.
I guess the other dynamic in the equation is what you are used to, if the M3 is a step up then you are probably shouting at the screen at the sacrilege of my post. If you have stepped down to an M3 you are probably nodding and if neither applies then this is just my opinion as an alternative view point.
Personally I stepped down to an M3 and regretted it with a week, within 3 months I sold it back to the BMW dealer I purchased from.
S
But..
There was never any sense occasion at all in driving the car, it just never felt special. It was so well built that everything felt far too muted and refined which takes away any ‘feel’. The engine noise is not all that impressive, again due in large part to the refinement.
Now I have no doubt that if I drove everywhere like I was on a race track, revving to the red line and balancing the car on the throttle around every corner then it probably is an immense car. However the real world sort of punctures this motoring journalists view of driving and therefore you are only ever using 50% of the car. Given that and when you add the refinement back into this mix you might as well be driving a 330, or heaven forbid a 330d.
This where something like a Maser has the M3 beat, it has character, it has noise, it is different, the M3 has none of this.
I guess the other dynamic in the equation is what you are used to, if the M3 is a step up then you are probably shouting at the screen at the sacrilege of my post. If you have stepped down to an M3 you are probably nodding and if neither applies then this is just my opinion as an alternative view point.
Personally I stepped down to an M3 and regretted it with a week, within 3 months I sold it back to the BMW dealer I purchased from.
S
Edited by skeeterm5 on Saturday 12th March 20:02
skeeterm5 said:
The car looked great, it was really well specified, and properly built.
But..
There was never any sense occasion at all in driving the car, it just never felt special. It was so well built that everything felt far too muted and refined which takes away any ‘feel’. The engine noise is not all that impressive, again due in large part to the refinement.
Now I have no doubt that if I drove everywhere like I was on a race track, revving to the red line and balancing the car on the throttle around every corner then it probably is an immense car. However the real world sort of punctures this motoring journalists view of driving and therefore you are only ever using 50% of the car. Given that and when you add the refinement back into this mix you might as well be driving a 330, or heaven forbid a 330d.
This where something like a Maser has the M3 beat, it has character, it has noise, it is different, the M3 has none of this.
I guess the other dynamic in the equation is what you are used to, if the M3 is a step up then you are probably shouting at the screen at the sacrilege of my post. If you have stepped down to an M3 you are probably nodding and if neither applies then this is just my opinion as an alternative view point.
Personally I stepped down to an M3 and regretted it with a week, within 3 months I sold it back to the BMW dealer I purchased from.
S
I can relate to so much of what you say and mine left me very flat too, you've summed the car up very well. But..
There was never any sense occasion at all in driving the car, it just never felt special. It was so well built that everything felt far too muted and refined which takes away any ‘feel’. The engine noise is not all that impressive, again due in large part to the refinement.
Now I have no doubt that if I drove everywhere like I was on a race track, revving to the red line and balancing the car on the throttle around every corner then it probably is an immense car. However the real world sort of punctures this motoring journalists view of driving and therefore you are only ever using 50% of the car. Given that and when you add the refinement back into this mix you might as well be driving a 330, or heaven forbid a 330d.
This where something like a Maser has the M3 beat, it has character, it has noise, it is different, the M3 has none of this.
I guess the other dynamic in the equation is what you are used to, if the M3 is a step up then you are probably shouting at the screen at the sacrilege of my post. If you have stepped down to an M3 you are probably nodding and if neither applies then this is just my opinion as an alternative view point.
Personally I stepped down to an M3 and regretted it with a week, within 3 months I sold it back to the BMW dealer I purchased from.
S
Edited by skeeterm5 on Saturday 12th March 20:02
OK, so this would definitely be a step down for me. And the Mas has a character like nothing else from a 2mph crawl to 20-100mph blast (not on the public road obviously...). But I want to release some cash from it and thought the M3 might be the best bet for fun/character/cost/practicality. The Mas is actually super practical as a full 4 seater and decent boot (I do need 4 seats for the little one).
So for you guys who have got out of the M3 due to lack of fun/character, where did you go next and what would you suggest in my situation for a fun car, not necessarily dynamically brilliant or stupidly quick. Also (as you may have stepped up from your M3s), what would you recommend in my situation of wanting to spend under £25k for a practical 4 seater toy.
I guess the other character option might be a C63 saloon?
So for you guys who have got out of the M3 due to lack of fun/character, where did you go next and what would you suggest in my situation for a fun car, not necessarily dynamically brilliant or stupidly quick. Also (as you may have stepped up from your M3s), what would you recommend in my situation of wanting to spend under £25k for a practical 4 seater toy.
I guess the other character option might be a C63 saloon?
Edited by c4sman on Sunday 13th March 09:02
I think the V8 M3 just needs a few changes, such as the exhaust mod, which is easy and cheap to do.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=134...
Combine this with a wheel / tyre upgrade (for more aggressive aesthetics more than anything) and I think it'll make for a better package all round. A wheel that looks like those offered on the latest M cars would really work well. (just my opinion obviously)
I think the convertible V8 is pretty hard to beat in bang for buck stakes and just needs a few tweaks to make it feel a bit more special.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=134...
Combine this with a wheel / tyre upgrade (for more aggressive aesthetics more than anything) and I think it'll make for a better package all round. A wheel that looks like those offered on the latest M cars would really work well. (just my opinion obviously)
I think the convertible V8 is pretty hard to beat in bang for buck stakes and just needs a few tweaks to make it feel a bit more special.
e21Mark said:
I think the V8 M3 just needs a few changes, such as the exhaust mod, which is easy and cheap to do.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=134...
Combine this with a wheel / tyre upgrade (for more aggressive aesthetics more than anything) and I think it'll make for a better package all round. A wheel that looks like those offered on the latest M cars would really work well. (just my opinion obviously)
I think the convertible V8 is pretty hard to beat in bang for buck stakes and just needs a few tweaks to make it feel a bit more special.
Although not adverse to mods, I am a little reluctant to buy a car that needs it just to feel right. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=134...
Combine this with a wheel / tyre upgrade (for more aggressive aesthetics more than anything) and I think it'll make for a better package all round. A wheel that looks like those offered on the latest M cars would really work well. (just my opinion obviously)
I think the convertible V8 is pretty hard to beat in bang for buck stakes and just needs a few tweaks to make it feel a bit more special.
c4sman said:
Although not adverse to mods, I am a little reluctant to buy a car that needs it just to feel right.
I tend to think this too and it should be right out of the box, the C63 will deliver more character and it's engine is the high point for sure, although I didn't get on with my M3 Coupe I do think the cab offers something different.I think with the M3 Coupe because of its reputation you think it's going to be an amazing car but in reality it just isn't, but the expectations are different with the cab and I think being able to hear the engine/exhaust far more and the flexibility of roof up or down somehow actually makes it the more appealing car.
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