C63 or e92 M3, or maybe something else i havn't thought of?
Discussion
Hope this is in the right area, if not please move to wherever 
So hoping some folks can give me an insight. I've had subaru's of varing levels of tune for about 15 years now. Classics and hawks ranging from 220bhp to 400bhp, including a classic impreza type R with a built 2.5. I've currently got a very rare 1 of 25 2006 STI Limited and im starting to ponder on a change in direction. My current scoob is running roughly 330bhp/360ftlb.
I want something more comfortable but still with some go when i want to have some fun. Budget is roughly 20k which seems to bring in a fair few options. I had a forray into an E46 M3 for 6 months a few years back and found it a bit boring going from a 400bhp scoob to a 330bhp M3.
Milage wise i do very little, 6 miles each way to work and back and prob 100 miles for the rest of the month so im not too worried about MPG. CUrrent scoob is in the Highest tax bracket so not too worried about that either.
With that in mind i started looking around at what might fit the bill. Seems to be german V8's figure highly in that sort of price and performance, current list is,
E92 M3 DCT
C63 AMG
RS4
XKR
Running costs all seem to be fairly similar, with specialist prices considerably lower than dealer. Reviews seem to be fairly even for the m3 and c63 which were my top two, so it kinda leaves me with a quandary of what route to go. Any advice, suggestions and experiances are most welcome.
So hoping some folks can give me an insight. I've had subaru's of varing levels of tune for about 15 years now. Classics and hawks ranging from 220bhp to 400bhp, including a classic impreza type R with a built 2.5. I've currently got a very rare 1 of 25 2006 STI Limited and im starting to ponder on a change in direction. My current scoob is running roughly 330bhp/360ftlb.
I want something more comfortable but still with some go when i want to have some fun. Budget is roughly 20k which seems to bring in a fair few options. I had a forray into an E46 M3 for 6 months a few years back and found it a bit boring going from a 400bhp scoob to a 330bhp M3.
Milage wise i do very little, 6 miles each way to work and back and prob 100 miles for the rest of the month so im not too worried about MPG. CUrrent scoob is in the Highest tax bracket so not too worried about that either.
With that in mind i started looking around at what might fit the bill. Seems to be german V8's figure highly in that sort of price and performance, current list is,
E92 M3 DCT
C63 AMG
RS4
XKR
Running costs all seem to be fairly similar, with specialist prices considerably lower than dealer. Reviews seem to be fairly even for the m3 and c63 which were my top two, so it kinda leaves me with a quandary of what route to go. Any advice, suggestions and experiances are most welcome.
While they’re all ‘obvious’ competitors, they’re all very different cars, IMO.
The XKR is the most comfort oriented, but other than a 5-min tickle, I’ve no direct experience.
The RS4 (which model?) felt great in 2006 when I drove one (B7), it was immense then. Don’t know how they hold up over time, I suspect quite well, bar the internet stories about needing a de-coke of the inlets (walnut blasting) to keep power where it should be. Rear-biased 4WD handling felt fine.
The AMG is the hooligan of the bunch. Oversteer on demand, a thumping bottom end & a howling top end. The engine defines the car in many ways, and it is special.
The M3 is conflicted. On the right road, it’s the best for the sheer technical exuberance of dispatching a road as quickly & neatly as possible. It’s also got another great engine. But it’s a very different engine to the others. (ok they’re all v8’s).
Day to day, the XKR isn’t just a tarted up ‘repmobile’, (somewhat tongue in cheek), but if attacking a road is your idea of fun, it’s the first casualty. It’s the best 2-person cruiser of the 4 though, it’s more GT than sports saloon.
I suspect (not much Impreza experience) the Audi will ultimately be ‘more of the same’. That’s fine, you’re obviously happy with the 4WD experience.
For me, it’d come down to the C63 vs. the M3.
Were I only able to have one car, then the C63 (estate please) would win, it’s got more accessible performance more of the time (and the sound), which is an overall merit when traded off against the M3’s scalpel-like ability to dissect the ‘right’ road that little bit better than the AMG, when you keep the M3’s revs between 6 & 8k, it’s a great way to travel. Image is a factor, the c63’s usability & noise is also why they’re so ‘reviled’ as a hooligan car too - the weapon of choice for the ‘german whip’ brigade.
An analogy - but related to the one-car choice above. I’ve a v10 M6, as well as a 500SL & a lwb 7-series. The M6 gets used for ‘driving’. Normal day-to-day commuting, etc. is not what it’s there for, and it feels out of place doing it. The other two get used far more because of this. Using an M6 in traffic every day is a great way to make you hate it. The M3 doesn’t have the SMG of the M6, but the engine characteristics are similar.
At the end of the day, what suits me might not work for you, but writing this brought back a few memories, so i’m happy! Go for a good long test in each, to determine what works best for you.
The XKR is the most comfort oriented, but other than a 5-min tickle, I’ve no direct experience.
The RS4 (which model?) felt great in 2006 when I drove one (B7), it was immense then. Don’t know how they hold up over time, I suspect quite well, bar the internet stories about needing a de-coke of the inlets (walnut blasting) to keep power where it should be. Rear-biased 4WD handling felt fine.
The AMG is the hooligan of the bunch. Oversteer on demand, a thumping bottom end & a howling top end. The engine defines the car in many ways, and it is special.
The M3 is conflicted. On the right road, it’s the best for the sheer technical exuberance of dispatching a road as quickly & neatly as possible. It’s also got another great engine. But it’s a very different engine to the others. (ok they’re all v8’s).
Day to day, the XKR isn’t just a tarted up ‘repmobile’, (somewhat tongue in cheek), but if attacking a road is your idea of fun, it’s the first casualty. It’s the best 2-person cruiser of the 4 though, it’s more GT than sports saloon.
I suspect (not much Impreza experience) the Audi will ultimately be ‘more of the same’. That’s fine, you’re obviously happy with the 4WD experience.
For me, it’d come down to the C63 vs. the M3.
Were I only able to have one car, then the C63 (estate please) would win, it’s got more accessible performance more of the time (and the sound), which is an overall merit when traded off against the M3’s scalpel-like ability to dissect the ‘right’ road that little bit better than the AMG, when you keep the M3’s revs between 6 & 8k, it’s a great way to travel. Image is a factor, the c63’s usability & noise is also why they’re so ‘reviled’ as a hooligan car too - the weapon of choice for the ‘german whip’ brigade.
An analogy - but related to the one-car choice above. I’ve a v10 M6, as well as a 500SL & a lwb 7-series. The M6 gets used for ‘driving’. Normal day-to-day commuting, etc. is not what it’s there for, and it feels out of place doing it. The other two get used far more because of this. Using an M6 in traffic every day is a great way to make you hate it. The M3 doesn’t have the SMG of the M6, but the engine characteristics are similar.
At the end of the day, what suits me might not work for you, but writing this brought back a few memories, so i’m happy! Go for a good long test in each, to determine what works best for you.
I found the E9x M3 a bit too quiet, if you're used to loud Scoobies and like the noises that the C63 makes you'll probably hate the M3. You can get exhausts and whatnot but it's just not a 'good' sounding V8 (when compared to the AMG and the Jag).
I've not actually driven a C63, and not had much experience with an M3, but from owning a CLS63 and an E93 335i I can say I have more fun driving the BMW. It's half the power of the Merc and doesn't sound as nice, but it's a much more fun place to be. Maybe the C63 is a better comparison though.
We considered an XKR convertible, and it was a lovely car, but as above it's a GT, it's not really fun.
I've not actually driven a C63, and not had much experience with an M3, but from owning a CLS63 and an E93 335i I can say I have more fun driving the BMW. It's half the power of the Merc and doesn't sound as nice, but it's a much more fun place to be. Maybe the C63 is a better comparison though.
We considered an XKR convertible, and it was a lovely car, but as above it's a GT, it's not really fun.
The only answer is test drives as the C63/M3 are very different to drive with the RS4/IS-F somewhere in between.
The C63 (which I went for) is a torque rich beast & for 350 days of the year is the better car than the E90 M3 (which is the car my brother went for) but when you're fully lit even the 63 has to give best to the M3.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Out of our two cars (my CLK63) my brothers M3 has been more maintenance heavy but if you're not prepared to hurt your wallet every now & then, I'd say don't buy any of these.
With the M3 I'd be looking for a saloon, they IMO look better & are a rare sight:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The RS4 is another cracking car but not as enjoyable IMO as the others, but you may prefer it they are spec dependent though so check out the spec on one that catches your eye.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The IS-F is well worth a look too it's an underrated car but very reliable & cheaper to run (main dealer pricing is on par with Indies for the others) than all the cars listed above.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The XKR is another good car but being a slightly bigger car it's a bit less chuckable but is a tour de force on a long run, try to get a facelift model.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
As I said test drives
Have a read of these threads:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
The C63 (which I went for) is a torque rich beast & for 350 days of the year is the better car than the E90 M3 (which is the car my brother went for) but when you're fully lit even the 63 has to give best to the M3.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Out of our two cars (my CLK63) my brothers M3 has been more maintenance heavy but if you're not prepared to hurt your wallet every now & then, I'd say don't buy any of these.
With the M3 I'd be looking for a saloon, they IMO look better & are a rare sight:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The RS4 is another cracking car but not as enjoyable IMO as the others, but you may prefer it they are spec dependent though so check out the spec on one that catches your eye.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The IS-F is well worth a look too it's an underrated car but very reliable & cheaper to run (main dealer pricing is on par with Indies for the others) than all the cars listed above.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
The XKR is another good car but being a slightly bigger car it's a bit less chuckable but is a tour de force on a long run, try to get a facelift model.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
As I said test drives
Have a read of these threads:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edited by ZX10R NIN on Tuesday 8th May 22:36
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