SHALL I SELL THE E36 M3 AND BUY A E46 330D
Discussion
thinking of buying a cheaper to run car that still has some poke and capable of doing the odd track day
i race a e30 in pbm anyway but sometimes take my road car on a track day or to the ring
realy like the 330d and the power and torque they can make so is this a good all round car for this
having never owned a disel and a string of quick cars ie skyline tvr m3 etc will this keep a smile on my face lol
i race a e30 in pbm anyway but sometimes take my road car on a track day or to the ring
realy like the 330d and the power and torque they can make so is this a good all round car for this
having never owned a disel and a string of quick cars ie skyline tvr m3 etc will this keep a smile on my face lol
Obviously for thrills a diesel 3 series will disappoint compared to an M division petrol car. However, as you said if you need a diesel to lower fuel costs then a 330d is probably the best out there (of the cars about when the E46 was new). I had an E46 330d and thought it was a great car - only changed because we needed something bigger than a 3 series. I went for another diesel BMW which tells you something (I do too many miles to live with less than 30 MPG from a daily driver).
Factoring in the cost to change is it really going to be cheaper to run an E46 330d instead of the E36 M3?
Factoring in the cost to change is it really going to be cheaper to run an E46 330d instead of the E36 M3?
Obviously for thrills a diesel 3 series will disappoint compared to an M division petrol car. However, as you said if you need a diesel to lower fuel costs then a 330d is probably the best out there (of the cars about when the E46 was new). I had an E46 330d and thought it was a great car - only changed because we needed something bigger than a 3 series. I went for another diesel BMW which tells you something (I do too many miles to live with less than 30 MPG from a daily driver).
Factoring in the cost to change is it really going to be cheaper to run an E46 330d instead of the E36 M3?
Factoring in the cost to change is it really going to be cheaper to run an E46 330d instead of the E36 M3?
I used to have an M3 Evo and more recently sold a 330d Sport that had been remapped. The diesel was a cracking car, hence owning it for over 2 years but it is no M3. Some people are trying to claim (see Scoobynet's Other Marques)that a mapped 330d would keep up with an M3 but lets be honest, it won't!
Saying that, as far as diesels go, a remapped 330d/35d is about as good as it gets and would be a great compromise as they do everything so well. The issue I had is that I missed the revs, on boost they are quick but you are forever changing gear. You will embarrass somebody's pride and joy though as they will see off most hot hatches.
Dynamically, they handle pretty well considering the amount of iron hanging over the front wheels and have BMW's decent weight distribution. A few choice mods and they can more than hold their own on a track I would guess. Ant and Pete seem to think so.
Saying that, as far as diesels go, a remapped 330d/35d is about as good as it gets and would be a great compromise as they do everything so well. The issue I had is that I missed the revs, on boost they are quick but you are forever changing gear. You will embarrass somebody's pride and joy though as they will see off most hot hatches.
Dynamically, they handle pretty well considering the amount of iron hanging over the front wheels and have BMW's decent weight distribution. A few choice mods and they can more than hold their own on a track I would guess. Ant and Pete seem to think so.
im under no ilusion that im going to keep the same performance as an m3 but hey i was seeing off m3 csl s and gt3rs round the ring in my standard tune e30 320i race car with 120bhp because i got it to handle and i have 13 years racing experience so given any car with twice the power and some half decent road holding then i will still embrasses some quicker cars .
its will be cheaper on fuel on the track and even better cruising there
i do only do a few track days with a road car as most of my stuff is with my race car so saving the money on day to day driving is my reason for going this route
its will be cheaper on fuel on the track and even better cruising there
i do only do a few track days with a road car as most of my stuff is with my race car so saving the money on day to day driving is my reason for going this route
like i said i know its not a patch on the m3 im not trying to match an m3 but a 3.0d is still going to be poky enough for everyday driving plenty of torque for those overtaking moments and fast enough to have a play on track every now and then dont try to think im trying to compare it to the m3 im not i just want to know what people think of them and are they as poky as people say surly with a mapped 330d the power and huge torque would be livley
stu77 said:
like i said i know its not a patch on the m3 im not trying to match an m3 but a 3.0d is still going to be poky enough for everyday driving plenty of torque for those overtaking moments and fast enough to have a play on track every now and then dont try to think im trying to compare it to the m3 im not i just want to know what people think of them and are they as poky as people say surly with a mapped 330d the power and huge torque would be livley
1) they are excellent2) if you get a facelifted car there is plenty of poke (211bhp rings a bell but I can't be sure on that)
3) mine was an Auto and returned around 36 MPG with mixed, enthusiastic driving - I guess a manual would be around 2 MPG better
HTH!!
Fox- said:
stu77 said:
surly if i do get a 330d that has to be the best diesel out there
No, thats the 335d. Or an A8 V8 TDI.That being the case I'd say he is correct - a 330d is the best diesel option put there.
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