£5-8k. E46 330Ci vs E46 M3?

[nsi]

jaedba2604 said:

fozzymandeus said:

Apologies if this has been covered, but have you factored in the enormous costs of repairing all of the things that will be wrong on the M3 at that price; for example the big holes there will be in the chassis floor near the rear subframe?

Just a thought.

it is not factual - you have stated that things WILL be wrong, that is not the case.

you're being deliberately contentious to try to make your point. you're probably a trainee lawyer.

I do understand his point, though. A £5k M3 will likely have more stuff wrong with it than a £10k one. Hence my budget's different now than it was when I started the thread. (I'm not able to change the title though.)

[jaedba2604]

Clutch - wears with miles
Diff - wears with miles
Brakes - wear with miles

All ££££ on an M3, less so on a 330.

[jaedba2604]

nsi said:

jaedba2604 said:

fozzymandeus said:

Apologies if this has been covered, but have you factored in the enormous costs of repairing all of the things that will be wrong on the M3 at that price; for example the big holes there will be in the chassis floor near the rear subframe?

Just a thought.

it is not factual - you have stated that things WILL be wrong, that is not the case.

you're being deliberately contentious to try to make your point. you're probably a trainee lawyer.

I do understand his point, though. A £5k M3 will likely have more stuff wrong with it than a £10k one. Hence my budget's different now than it was when I started the thread. (I'm not able to change the title though.)

He has a point yes, he's not elucidated himself though; my problem is that he has said there will be things wrong with it, not every £8k M3 has holes in the boot floor, some £25k CSL's have holes in the boot floor. i am being trivial, but he was heing flippant.

[Fox-]

nsi said:

Ok, cheers. Here's a revised estimate assuming longer tyre life and different fuel costs.

20k out of the rear tyres on a 330Ci? You say you are going to run Eagle F1's, you are no way going to get 20k out of them on a 330Ci and 15k out of them on an M3. I've run Eagle F1 GS-D3 and Assymetric and fitted them to other cars in the family - best life out of them is looking like 15k on the back of a lightly used Z4. On my 530i they were good for 10k. Contisport Contact 3's have yeilded about 13k or so this time, though. Even on my Ford Mondeo many years ago I didnt get much more than 10k of them on the driven wheels.

But a far cry from 20k or 15k on an M3!

The Pilot Sport's are known for lasting longer - but also costing much more, so its as broad as it is long. Safe to say, do not budget on 2 rear Eagle F1's every 20k because you will be quite disappointed.

[nsi]

Fox- said:

nsi said:

Ok, cheers. Here's a revised estimate assuming longer tyre life and different fuel costs.

20k out of the rear tyres on a 330Ci? You say you are going to run Eagle F1's, you are no way going to get 20k out of them on a 330Ci and 15k out of them on an M3. I've run Eagle F1 GS-D3 and Assymetric and fitted them to other cars in the family - best life out of them is looking like 15k on the back of a lightly used Z4. On my 530i they were good for 10k. Contisport Contact 3's have yeilded about 13k or so this time, though. Even on my Ford Mondeo many years ago I didnt get much more than 10k of them on the driven wheels.

But a far cry from 20k or 15k on an M3!

The Pilot Sport's are known for lasting longer - but also costing much more, so its as broad as it is long. Safe to say, do not budget on 2 rear Eagle F1's every 20k because you will be quite disappointed.

Ok, but that's not what the other guy said.

[jaedba2604]

I think if you're far below 15k day to day driving on a set of tyres you'd need to look at your style. that seems excessive to me - i've always worked on 20k between changes.

[a_bread]

nsi said:

Ok, but that's not what the other guy said.

Fear not. Your budget of £200 per tyre is kind of right for MPSs on a 330Ci (they're not all the same price because front and rear are different sizes but you won't be far wrong with £800 for the set, and as you have shown, the M3 tyres are a bit more). On this basis I would put 20-25k for the 330Ci based on my own personal experience. How much tyre life you want to take off for the extra 110bhp and the possibility certainty that you will drive an M3 more aggressively from time to time in line with its greater ability, is debatable. If you go with the Eagle tyres they will be cheaper, but I'd say you have allowed for the Pilot Sports with your budget.

You could just stop budgeting and start buying

[Fox-]

jaedba2604 said:

I think if you're far below 15k day to day driving on a set of tyres you'd need to look at your style. that seems excessive to me - i've always worked on 20k between changes.

I don't drive particularly hard - its more the case that UHP tyres such as the Eagle F1 and CS3 prioritise grip over life.

[jaedba2604]

Fox- said:

jaedba2604 said:

I think if you're far below 15k day to day driving on a set of tyres you'd need to look at your style. that seems excessive to me - i've always worked on 20k between changes.

I don't drive particularly hard - its more the case that UHP tyres such as the Eagle F1 and CS3 prioritise grip over life.

That's a fair point..

[Clivey]

My vote goes to the 330 for all the reasons others have mentioned. You'll get a nice example and will definitely be able to afford to run and maintain it properly with no worries. It'd be heartbreaking to buy an M3 and see it fall into a state of disrepair because it's not the right car for your budget. Unless you decide you have more to spend of course...

[gaz1234]

I have owned both Mr Foxy Bingo. The M3 fuel costs are not much more than the 330 on a run.

[NickXX]

330ci's don't look like this.

[nsi]

Cheers for your help!

a_bread said:

You could just stop budgeting and start buying

I'm an accountant.....

[nsi]

NickXX said:

330ci's don't look like this.

They do a bit, though.
I think the 330Ci ClubSport looks pretty good actually. You do miss the bonnet bulge (and the power/suspension/diff/wheels/brakes of course). Actually, that got me thinking: Can anyone list the major mechanical bits which are different between the two cars? Also, how does the redline compare?

[prg1]

I have no experience of the 330. The m3 I have had for one year.
I have just worked out my running costs for this year.
£8k, includes full set of contis, oil service, air con service, mot, tracker, insurance, tax, petrol and depreciation. That is for just under 12K miles.
Make of that what you will.

[jaedba2604]

prg1 said:

I have no experience of the 330. The m3 I have had for one year.
I have just worked out my running costs for this year.
£8k, includes full set of contis, oil service, air con service, mot, tracker, insurance, tax, petrol and depreciation. That is for just under 12K miles.
Make of that what you will.

66p a mile? Much like my 64p a mile quoted above, also based on ownership...

[NickXX]

nsi said:

They do a bit, though.
I think the 330Ci ClubSport looks pretty good actually. You do miss the bonnet bulge (and the power/suspension/diff/wheels/brakes of course). Actually, that got me thinking: Can anyone list the major mechanical bits which are different between the two cars? Also, how does the redline compare?

Visually, bonnet bulge (and alumnium bonnet), flared arches front and rear to hold the wider track.

100% locking M-Diff is a hoot, and then of course there's the engine. The redline is at 8k, and it reaches it in a much more aggressive manner than the M54 in the 330 (which you'd expect with the extra 112bhp).

[NickXX]

prg1 said:

I have no experience of the 330. The m3 I have had for one year.
I have just worked out my running costs for this year.
£8k, includes full set of contis, oil service, air con service, mot, tracker, insurance, tax, petrol and depreciation. That is for just under 12K miles.
Make of that what you will.

To counter this, I have had my M3 for nearly 3 years/18,000miles now. It's cost me £715 in servicing, £350 in tyres, £100 in repairs (broken rear spring - replaced it myself), £2,500 in insurance.

[Sir_Dave]

If you want some proper motorway mpg figures, from an owner of 2 x 330ci Sport, a 320d Sport and an e46 M3, have a read here:

320d Sport: http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...
330ci Sport (5pd): http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...
330ci Sport: (6sp): http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...

e46 M3: http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...

The M3 is utterly brilliant, far far better than the 330, which is just a motorway barge imho. Unfortunately, mine is also my house deposit, which might need to be turned into cash quite shortly

[Clivey]

Sir_Dave said:

The M3 is utterly brilliant, far far better than the 330, which is just a motorway barge imho. Unfortunately, mine is also my house deposit, which might need to be turned into cash quite shortly

For you to think that a 330i is "just" a motorway barge, you've been spoilt (good for you!). A 320d is a motorway barge, but not any of the I6 petrol E46s. I "only" have a 320i at present, but it's so much better than Mondeos, Vectras etc. on a country road.