My E92 M3

[cerb4.5lee]

Never done a readers cars thread before this is my M3,





Just a few pics of my old Z4M & Cerb aswell,




Thanks for looking.

[Mastodon2]

I really like the look of that Z4M actually, a much better car than I think a lot of people give it credit for. That E92 M3 on the other hand, what an incredible machine, though praise is rightfully universal for that one.

[KennyGT]

Awesome m3, id love one! How does it compare to the m and cerb?

[KennyGT]

Awesome m3, id love one! How does it compare to the m and cerb?

[4340BB]

Lovely.
All of them.

[cerb4.5lee]

Mastodon2 said:

I really like the look of that Z4M actually, a much better car than I think a lot of people give it credit for. That E92 M3 on the other hand, what an incredible machine, though praise is rightfully universal for that one.

Thanks, the Zed is a really exciting car to drive & feels quite raw but the M3 is a complete allrounder as you say & it's surprising playful considering its size & weight & the engine is certainly the centrepiece.

[cerb4.5lee]

KennyGT said:

Awesome m3, id love one! How does it compare to the m and cerb?

Cheers, the M3 is quite a Jekyll & Hyde car at slow speeds it can feel quite ordinary but press the M button & explore the revs & it's intoxicating! The gearbox & ride let the Zed down a little but the engine & driving experience is very enjoyable.

The cerb is just an event to drive with a great sense of occasion & nothing compares to sound of it & I don't think the M3 gets close in that department, but the cerbs overall ownership experience is tainted with sadness as it never works when you want it to.

[cerb4.5lee]

4340BB said:

Lovely.
All of them.

Thanks

[mwstewart]

Wonderful collection, past and present. Gearboxes aside, I'd be interested to hear how the driving dynamics differ between the Z4 and E92; does either car feel better in any respect or behave particularly differently? Do you prefer the V8 engine or the S54?

[cerb4.5lee]

mwstewart said:

Wonderful collection, past and present. Gearboxes aside, I'd be interested to hear how the driving dynamics differ between the Z4 and E92; does either car feel better in any respect or behave particularly differently? Do you prefer the V8 engine or the S54?

Thanks tbh the biggest difference I find is the M3 feels so much more planted & sure footed than the Z4 & the chassis feels more resolved, nothing seriously wrong with the Zed's chassis it just feels a little unbalanced at times but makes for an exciting drive, the M3 will wag its tail nicely in slippy conditions aswell but early days so I am just getting used to it.

In terms of engines they are both awesome but I do have a soft spot for V8's so I will favour the M3 & at high revs it really proves its worth & gains speed really well & the induction noise is addictive, that said the Zeds engine does feel more lively at lower revs & has that lovely characteristic raspy metallic sound which I love too.

In a ideal world it would have been nice to own & run the two together...but I don't think I would have enough money for fuel!

[cerb4.5lee]

mwstewart said:

Wonderful collection, past and present. Gearboxes aside, I'd be interested to hear how the driving dynamics differ between the Z4 and E92; does either car feel better in any respect or behave particularly differently? Do you prefer the V8 engine or the S54?

I was looking at your collection in the readers cars section last night & you must be well chuffed running two M3's! they both look quality examples & you clearly love the S54 engine which I can't fault you for

Enjoy your lovely motors

[Lynch91]

That M3 is stunning, I aspire to have a z4m and a m3 at some stage! What was wrong with the gearbox on the z4m? Was it a manual or auto?

[cerb4.5lee]

Lynch91 said:

That M3 is stunning, I aspire to have a z4m and a m3 at some stage! What was wrong with the gearbox on the z4m? Was it a manual or auto?

Thanks, the gearbox was a manual in the Zed & it was just a little frustrating 1st to 2nd & I found it difficult to do any really smooth changes in it whatever gear you were in, they are known to be a bit of a pig, it just got on your nerves after a while, but I do love a manual gearbox normally.

[Loopyleesa]

One of my fav cars, a white E92 M3

[Mermaid]

Loopyleesa said:

One of my fav cars, a white E92 M3

The Alpine white does look stunning, and IMO better than than the other one (name escapes me)

[cerb4.5lee]

Mermaid said:

Loopyleesa said:

One of my fav cars, a white E92 M3

The Alpine white does look stunning, and IMO better than than the other one (name escapes me)

Thanks very much.

[mwstewart]

cerb4.5lee said:

Thanks tbh the biggest difference I find is the M3 feels so much more planted & sure footed than the Z4 & the chassis feels more resolved, nothing seriously wrong with the Zed's chassis it just feels a little unbalanced at times but makes for an exciting drive, the M3 will wag its tail nicely in slippy conditions aswell but early days so I am just getting used to it.

In terms of engines they are both awesome but I do have a soft spot for V8's so I will favour the M3 & at high revs it really proves its worth & gains speed really well & the induction noise is addictive, that said the Zeds engine does feel more lively at lower revs & has that lovely characteristic raspy metallic sound which I love too.

In a ideal world it would have been nice to own & run the two together...but I don't think I would have enough money for fuel!

Thanks for the interesting write up. Maybe it's the reduced wheelbase of the Z4 that contributes? Z4 is 2,495mm vs the E46 M3 at 2,725 mm. You have to give it to BMW, they do make fantastic machines

cerb4.5lee said:

I was looking at your collection in the readers cars section last night & you must be well chuffed running two M3's! they both look quality examples & you clearly love the S54 engine which I can't fault you for

Enjoy your lovely motors

Cheers

[Olivera]

How does the Cerb compare to the two BMWs?

[cerb4.5lee]

aruck said:

Very nice.
What did you think of the Z4M? Expensive to run?

Thanks I didn't totally gel with the Z4M after my Cerbera as much as I thought I would & tbh the M3 is far worse on fuel than the Z4M & has the same tax costs but my insurance has gone up twice since swapping my Cerb!!

The Z4 is a raw driving experience which I liked but the ride isn't great & the gearbox is a real pain in the backside to get any smooth changes, but I think the real reason was that after the V8 in my Cerb the Straight six in the Zed didn't get me going as much as I thought it would & I wanted another V8 that's why I bought the M3.

The engine is a cracker in the Zed with its lovely metallic rasp...but my heart lies with a V8 while I can afford one but there will come a time where I will downsize as fuel bills do grate a little.

Hope life is treating you well

[cerb4.5lee]

Olivera said:

How does the Cerb compare to the two BMWs?

Tbh it's wipes the floor with both the beemers in terms of sound, sense of occasion & pace in my opinion & if you could rely on a TVR to work when they should I would still have it as nothing compares unless you start spending serious money.

I just got to a stage after six years of ownership of the Cerb that I had ran out of patience with all the niggles it gave me but I still miss it lots & feel fortunate to have owned one for such a decent amount of time, I love bmw's a hell of a lot but they are very ordinary in comparision to a TVR

If My ownership of a TVR had gone better I would have purchased another one in a shot.

Edited by cerb4.5lee on Tuesday 2nd April 12:19