EVO v M3 ?? which one

[jase k]

I am just about to sell my TVR tuscan because the wife is 5 months pregnant and i will need a car with 4 seats and a boot when the youngser arrives!! Now my choices are either an EVO 7/8 fq300+ or an M3 coupe or cabrio?? Both these cars look great to me and i have been in a m3 which i must admit was nice (at the time though the tvr won) i have been looking at evos due to there power and reliability being fairly good?? and was wondering if anyone has had experinces of both?? Dont know much about the evo except for the various models and would like to here from a couple of ph'ers regards there thoughts on these cars... Which model to go for re power and reliability etc any what to look for....??
Thanks in advance for any responses Jason...

[rsvmilly]

Being sensible, the Evo is a very spacious car and is 4 door so much easier for getting the kiddie in and out of.

[chevy-stu]

Evo great car.. Probably rides harder than the M3 and services every 4500 miles may be a downside. The M3 seriously good car too tho, BMW service/parts super expensive tho. Try both see what you prefer..

[jase k]

What about performance etc?? Are these cars on a par with each other?? or is one of them a clear winner? I understand that the evo can be modded fairly easily but i dont think i would go down this route so am looking at uk cars that are standard. The reason for choosing these is the fact that they are both 300bhp+ and are similar performance to the tuscan that i am about to give up, how reliable are the evo engines as they produce a lot of power for 2 litres...

[wadeski]

if i were looking for an M3 competitor, surely a Skyline would be more equal in character than an Evo?

[jase k]

maybe, but i dont like them i'm afraid, soory

[jonner]

Id say M3...

[nickyandsi]

I Wouldnt bother getting either. Get a proper car like an Audi RS4 or RS6.

[Beemer-5]

Those Audis go quick without ever feeling like a sports car.

The M3 and Evo 340 are available from £20K and feel like they were made to run hard.

[Beemer-5]

To answer the original question, i'd say get a nice used Evo 340.

[speedmachine]

WHile the Evo is practical in terms or having 4 doors, I dont think its practical in terms of running costs. The MPG is not that good and servicing every 4500 miles could really put a hole in your pocket

I prefer the M3. Its a lot of car for that sort of money, The sound great and are really refined inside. In my opinion the M3 seems more like a car that can be driven everyday. Only problem will be getting your kid in and out.

[rsvmilly]

The services might be twice as frequent as the Beemer but they probably cost half as much.

You'll certainly get a lot of choice of Evos for the cost of a modern M3.

(I am actually considering changing my Evo for an M3, as the sensible option. I haven't driven one yet, though)

What is your budget?

[nickyandsi]

I myself own an Audi S4 and ive been in an RS6 and they are both very sporty in my opinion.You can also pick up a RS4 pushing 380bhp for 20,000,and as always Audi seem to be of a better build quality.

What im trying to say is for £20,000 consider all options first off.

[chevy-stu]

Gazboy said:

I quite fancy a Monaro VXR 6.0 myself.

that's a thought, £20k should get you a fairly new supercharged VXR..

[rsvmilly]

Gazboy said:

Also having seen some of my brothers service invoices the running costs of M3's is absolutely eye watering, especialy when things wear out.

That's what I'd heard. It defeats the argument that Evo's are expensive to run. (They are, but no more than their contemporaries)

[cactussed]

My 2c as follows (as am about to make almost identical decision myself...)

E46 m3 - going to be a complete shag to get in and out of the back as no rear doors. Also pricey to insure and maintain. Other than that, I'd love one.
Skyline - same as E46 m3, plus the rear seats are sculpted so may not take a baby seat. Boot space good but not huge. (will it fit a pram, shopping and other rhubarb?)
V8 M5 - bit of a bargin IMHO, nfi about running costs though.
E36 m3 - can be had with 4 doors, much cheaper, quick, fun and practical. Not sure of boot space tho or again, servicing as things wear out.
EVO - quick, four doors, safe, esy to drive around town but still fun. think the boot is quite large on them.
Audi S4 - no idea really but has everything on paper.
WRX - bit of a chav image but the 5door version ticks all the boxes and fairly cheap option. I'd prob go for this or the E36 4 door so I wouldn't cry too much when jam / crisps / crayons / bodily functions etc are spread all over the interior and you bang the daylights out of it constantly lifting tuff into and out of it. Put the extra 8-10grand into something fun...

[rsvmilly]

cactussed said:

My 2c as follows (as am about to make almost identical decision myself...)

E46 m3 - going to be a complete shag to get in and out of the back as no rear doors. Also pricey to insure and maintain. Other than that, I'd love one.
Skyline - same as E46 m3, plus the rear seats are sculpted so may not take a baby seat. Boot space good but not huge. (will it fit a pram, shopping and other rhubarb?)
V8 M5 - bit of a bargin IMHO, nfi about running costs though.
E36 m3 - can be had with 4 doors, much cheaper, quick, fun and practical. Not sure of boot space tho or again, servicing as things wear out.
EVO - quick, four doors, safe, esy to drive around town but still fun. think the boot is quite large on them.
Audi S4 - no idea really but has everything on paper.
WRX - bit of a chav image but the 5door version ticks all the boxes and fairly cheap option. I'd prob go for this or the E36 4 door so I wouldn't cry too much when jam / crisps / crayons / bodily functions etc are spread all over the interior and you bang the daylights out of it constantly lifting tuff into and out of it. Put the extra 8-10grand into something fun...

I agree with the WRX option. A bit softer on the road, too.

[Beemer-5]

Gazboy said:

I quite fancy a Monaro VXR 6.0 myself.

I had a re-mapped 6.0 VXR, with full sports exhaust, etc.

It had 440 bhp but never FELT that quick for some reason.
Heavy, i guess.

[Beemer-5]

chevy-stu said:

Gazboy said:

I quite fancy a Monaro VXR 6.0 myself.

that's a thought, £20k should get you a fairly new supercharged VXR..

More like £28K for a charged one.

[speedmachine]

If I had the money I would love the V8 M5, 4 doors, 400BHP and can be had in for in the region of 16,000. However I have heard that the running costs are similar to ta of a 911.

Saying that I think that with all the cars mentioned so far you have to kind of accept that they cost a fair bit to run. Performance comes at a price.

Back to the original question I still say M3 over the Evo. Failing that I would take the Audi A4 (if four doors are a must)

The idea of a 4 door e36 M3 evo and then about 10k on something Jap and fun sounds good. R33 GTR????