£40-45K Budget. Which Car?
Discussion
As a recent e92 330d > e92 M3 convert I can safely say the M3 drives like a completely different car to a standard e90/91/92, almost unbelievably so. I've driven around 10 of them in 2/4 door, diesel/petrol variants. Even tops the E91 320d Touring which is surprisingly good at doing donuts in a field with 2 people on the roof holding on for dear life but thats a story for another time.
Even though the M3 has sportier suspension and same size rims even the ride quality is much better. It feels much more rigid and the wider track gives it a much pointier front end. And the engine, well, not much else compares full stop. I love Porsches and plan on owning 911s in the future but the 4L V8 sounds way better than any 911 I've been in (including a G series turbo and a 993 Carrera 4s). Obviously you'll have the pick of E92/F80/M3/M4 with low miles at this budget in 2 or 4 door flavours. You can get a great e92 M3 sub 30k although very few 4 doors (e90) M3's around.
Even though the M3 has sportier suspension and same size rims even the ride quality is much better. It feels much more rigid and the wider track gives it a much pointier front end. And the engine, well, not much else compares full stop. I love Porsches and plan on owning 911s in the future but the 4L V8 sounds way better than any 911 I've been in (including a G series turbo and a 993 Carrera 4s). Obviously you'll have the pick of E92/F80/M3/M4 with low miles at this budget in 2 or 4 door flavours. You can get a great e92 M3 sub 30k although very few 4 doors (e90) M3's around.
tenmantaylor said:
As a recent e92 330d > e92 M3 convert I can safely say the M3 drives like a completely different car to a standard e90/91/92, almost unbelievably so.
Can't agree with this having had both as well, the interiors are pretty much identical so neither feel special, and the 330d spoilt me with it's on tap performance so the M3 left me flat in that regard, agree that the chassis is a vast improvement over the standard M sport though for sure. cringle said:
Do not buy an M4. Especially if coming from a 4WD. The traction issues are awful. I had one for 2.5 yrs as a daily, feels like I lost 2.5 yrs of driving pleasure in my life! Got an S5 now, boot it everywhere and the smile on my face has returned
This just shows how different we all are and a lack of traction equals fun for me, whereas being able to put all the power down I find a little boring. cringle said:
Do not buy an M4. Especially if coming from a 4WD. The traction issues are awful. I had one for 2.5 yrs as a daily, feels like I lost 2.5 yrs of driving pleasure in my life! Got an S5 now, boot it everywhere and the smile on my face has returned
His budget would get him a newer M4 than you're talking about. They are now completely different to the early ones you're talking about.I've got a 997.2 turbo and a new M4 competition pack.
Been using the M4 as a daily fir the last 3 months, fantastic car, no problems with traction as long as you are gently with the throttle, can't mash the throttle like you can on a 911. Also a bit heavier on the fuel than I was expecting, however a small price to pay.
Been using the M4 as a daily fir the last 3 months, fantastic car, no problems with traction as long as you are gently with the throttle, can't mash the throttle like you can on a 911. Also a bit heavier on the fuel than I was expecting, however a small price to pay.
cringle said:
Do not buy an M4. Especially if coming from a 4WD. The traction issues are awful. I had one for 2.5 yrs as a daily, feels like I lost 2.5 yrs of driving pleasure in my life! Got an S5 now, boot it everywhere and the smile on my face has returned
Not my idea of fun to be honest, but everyone is different.The fact you have to modulate the throttle input to get the best acceleration from a car in various road conditions is part of the enjoyment of a car for me.. but then I am a big supporter of manual gearboxes too, so I suppose it's only logical that I see involvement as a higher priority in my 'must have' list for a car than others... and I'll sacrifice the few fractions of a second and pub bragging rights over 0-60/100 times that come with cars that have a combo or all of DCT/DSG/Stronic, 4WD and launch control boxes ticked.
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