Is there a better way to spend £15k than an E46 M3?
Discussion
wyldstalyns said:
Benbay001 said:
Why does a third car need to be practical and seat 5?
Surely if youre going out with the whole family you arent going to be driving it like you stole it.
Because one of the other cars is an F355 - which is so impractical as to barely be considered a “car” at all!Surely if youre going out with the whole family you arent going to be driving it like you stole it.
Thus with a kid coming need 2 usable cars. The other’s an old Jeep Cherokee XJ which I love— so a lot of the options above would round off the garage nicely!
So far I’m most tempted by the RS4 probably, but need to look into a couple of others I’m less familiar with.
Leon R said:
V8RX7 said:
tejr said:
E92 m3
Lots of alternatives, but nothing really beats it at that price.
it'll remain pretty saught after long after the alternatives have been forgotten.
I agree it's a very capable car and perhaps that's what the OP wants.Lots of alternatives, but nothing really beats it at that price.
it'll remain pretty saught after long after the alternatives have been forgotten.
It's not fun though - that's why people pay more for the E30 M3 even though it's worse in every measurable way.
I haven't driven one but based on what you're after I'd say E92 M3. This one looks pretty tidy for your budget: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Our buying guide needs updating but still worth a read on some of the main things to look out for: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/general/bmw-m3-e9...
Our buying guide needs updating but still worth a read on some of the main things to look out for: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/general/bmw-m3-e9...
cerb4.5lee said:
I'm predictably in the middle when it comes to the E92 M3. I thought that it was great fun when I was sliding it around and lighting the rear tyres up for sure, but for the rest of the time it felt pretty ordinary to drive/sit in to me. As a do it all car though I think that it is one of the best out there though, and that is why the E36/E46/E9x M3 have been so popular over the years I reckon.
I might very well got shot down on this. But we took one along to the ring a couple of years ago and being in it...felt extra ordinarily ordinary. Unless you were on it constantly it just felt like any other 3 series, it was quiet for a v8 i thought. Around the track it was good, very good, but it lacked zing. I don't know what it was. It was a good spec too, not a dog. It just didn't feel the way an m3 should feel. The f80 on the other hand had a lot more "something" about it. Horse for courses and its just another opinion. If i was after a v8 and practical for a family then it would have to be the ISF - that really does have something about it and sounds much better IMHO - more like a v8 should. Lexus build quality is great too in comparison to my time with BMW's.
I guess the only way to know is to really drive all the options and see which you like best. At the end of the day you are the one living with the car, no matter what peoples opinions are, yours is the only one that counts.
stevekoz said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I'm predictably in the middle when it comes to the E92 M3. I thought that it was great fun when I was sliding it around and lighting the rear tyres up for sure, but for the rest of the time it felt pretty ordinary to drive/sit in to me. As a do it all car though I think that it is one of the best out there though, and that is why the E36/E46/E9x M3 have been so popular over the years I reckon.
I might very well got shot down on this. But we took one along to the ring a couple of years ago and being in it...felt extra ordinarily ordinary. Unless you were on it constantly it just felt like any other 3 series, it was quiet for a v8 i thought. Around the track it was good, very good, but it lacked zing. I don't know what it was. It was a good spec too, not a dog. It just didn't feel the way an m3 should feel. The f80 on the other hand had a lot more "something" about it. Horse for courses and its just another opinion. If i was after a v8 and practical for a family then it would have to be the ISF - that really does have something about it and sounds much better IMHO - more like a v8 should. Lexus build quality is great too in comparison to my time with BMW's.
I guess the only way to know is to really drive all the options and see which you like best. At the end of the day you are the one living with the car, no matter what peoples opinions are, yours is the only one that counts.
If Merc/Lexus offered a manual gearbox, then I would find it very hard to choose between the two I reckon. I'm an engine man and the M3's engine doesn't get me going like the C63/ISF engines do.
cerb4.5lee said:
I personally prefer both the C63 AMG 6.2 V8 and the Lexus ISF 5.0 V8 engines. I'd have both of those over the M3 for sure. The problem I had was that I prefer a manual gearbox, and both the Merc/Lexus are auto only
That's my issue too, combined with the fact such cars only come alive at higher speeds I went a somewhat different way and bought a IS200 with an LS400 V8 in it. 
V8RX7 said:
That's my issue too, combined with the fact such cars only come alive at higher speeds I went a somewhat different way and bought a IS200 with an LS400 V8 in it.
Now that sounds like a lot of ludricous fun! Always though the is200 needed more power in it. My friend had the altezza rs with the beams engine and that was fun. God knows what it would be like with a v8 in it. Lots of tyre smoke and circles i can imagine (where permitted of course) ??stevekoz said:
V8RX7 said:
That's my issue too, combined with the fact such cars only come alive at higher speeds I went a somewhat different way and bought a IS200 with an LS400 V8 in it.
Now that sounds like a lot of ludricous fun! Always though the is200 needed more power in it. My friend had the altezza rs with the beams engine and that was fun. God knows what it would be like with a v8 in it. Lots of tyre smoke and circles i can imagine (where permitted of course) ??
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