Which BMW is right for me?!

[Metroarea]

Hi All,

I have been umming and arring about which car to get next for a long time now, and have decided it's time to make the move. I have no experience buying or owning BMW's, so thought this was the place to come for some decent advise!

So.....my dream car for a number of years has been an E46 M3. Up until yesterday I was pretty much sure that would be on my drive asap. However I am now thinking of other, newer options, including e90 335i, E90 320i M sport, E90 32Od, e90 335d.

What is the right decision?! I'm obviously considering buying cost, running costs, mpg not so much as I dont have a long commute, looks, driving ability, residuals etc...so any help would be very much appreciated!

Thanks all

[obscene]

Get the E46 M3, just make sure it's been taken care of. If you really want one check out the E46fanatics forum (pretty much all yanks but a wealth of knowledge) and E46zone which is the UK lot. Plus the E46 looks MUCH better than any E90 ever will

[Nickbmwcoupe]

id have to agree e46 m3 would be the one! i want one aswell. you get a lot of car for the price there going for now

[aabbaa1980]

I would recommend the 335i above the M3. Reasons being:

- Same performance as the E46 M3
- 335i has better fuel economy
- 335i is cheaper to service and maintain.
- M3 is group 20 insurance.


Down sides;
- some 335's suffer from turbo issues
- not that special to look at unless its an M sport.
- Also quite common!
- The M3 has similar issues with mechanics and commoness!
- 335i prices are quite high on the 2nd hand market and will plumet soon when the facelifted 335i is released next year (will have single turbs)

[Mc lovin]

If you have deep pockets the E46 M3, running costs are eye watering...

[martin vr6]

Mc lovin said:

If you have deep pockets the E46 M3, running costs are eye watering...

One of the reasons i sold my M3 and bought a 335d, the M3 cost me a fortune in the 10 months i had it, the 335 5 months later hasnt cost me a penny

335i or 335d wins for me everytime on running costs alone

[David111]

M3 will be stunning but careful of running costs etc. This may not be an issue if you do low mileage though. I do 15000 a year and that put me off keeping an 'm' car I had. I have a 330i now. E90 with 80% of the performance but 50% of the costs! Deisel great but not a flat 6.... If your mileage isn't high I'd stick with the petrol!!

[henrycrun]

Z4 - 4x the fun

[David111]

Ok Z4 +1 .....!

[christer]

Metroarea said:

Hi All,

I have been umming and arring about which car to get next for a long time now, and have decided it's time to make the move. I have no experience buying or owning BMW's, so thought this was the place to come for some decent advise!

So.....my dream car for a number of years has been an E46 M3. Up until yesterday I was pretty much sure that would be on my drive asap. However I am now thinking of other, newer options, including e90 335i, E90 320i M sport, E90 32Od, e90 335d.

What is the right decision?! I'm obviously considering buying cost, running costs, mpg not so much as I dont have a long commute, looks, driving ability, residuals etc...so any help would be very much appreciated!

Thanks all

Only you can decide this - and it looks like you have a long way to go conisdering the diferent options listed - some of these are night and day ffs! What do you want out of a car? If you want to drive to work and get from A to B (and thats it) then the 320d above has all the others beaten hands down.

You dont give enough info for us to help......as I am sure you know......so good luck with finding a car for a budget and for a use that we know nothing about

[Metroarea]

christer said:

Metroarea said:

Hi All,

I have been umming and arring about which car to get next for a long time now, and have decided it's time to make the move. I have no experience buying or owning BMW's, so thought this was the place to come for some decent advise!

So.....my dream car for a number of years has been an E46 M3. Up until yesterday I was pretty much sure that would be on my drive asap. However I am now thinking of other, newer options, including e90 335i, E90 320i M sport, E90 32Od, e90 335d.

What is the right decision?! I'm obviously considering buying cost, running costs, mpg not so much as I dont have a long commute, looks, driving ability, residuals etc...so any help would be very much appreciated!

Thanks all

Only you can decide this - and it looks like you have a long way to go conisdering the diferent options listed - some of these are night and day ffs! What do you want out of a car? If you want to drive to work and get from A to B (and thats it) then the 320d above has all the others beaten hands down.

You dont give enough info for us to help......as I am sure you know......so good luck with finding a car for a budget and for a use that we know nothing about

Point taken!

Ok well here's the background then - I just turned 30, I have a job where a certain amount of class from a car would not go amiss, I have recently moved from my former commute of 30 miles each way, to about 2 miles from work (the reason I am now considering the m3 as a serious purchase; I never would have bought one with that commute). So I will be commuting a short distance each day, but enjoying country roads at the weekend. I also have a gf and friends in the midlands and up north, so do a certain amount of long distance motorway and A road driving.

What do I want out of a car? I want a well made, ideally reliable, quick, good looking car (don't we all?) that will hopefully not drop too much value when it comes to resale. I won't buy new, so would probably go with an e90 with about 20,000 miles on it or an e46 m3 with about 40-50k. I have a feeling that the e46 may have done most of its depreciation, so as long as I dont pile too many miles on it will be the best bet in terms of resale value - plus I could get a decent one at £15-18k, which represents quite a decent saving on any of those e90's.

Like I say, I have no idea which of the above represents the best option - I have always always wanted an e46 m3, and this could be the only time I have no responsibilities, no commute, and the disposable income to run one - but I am getting seduced by a newer, more reliable, cheaper to run e90.

[BMWBen]

Metroarea said:

christer said:

Metroarea said:

Hi All,

I have been umming and arring about which car to get next for a long time now, and have decided it's time to make the move. I have no experience buying or owning BMW's, so thought this was the place to come for some decent advise!

So.....my dream car for a number of years has been an E46 M3. Up until yesterday I was pretty much sure that would be on my drive asap. However I am now thinking of other, newer options, including e90 335i, E90 320i M sport, E90 32Od, e90 335d.

What is the right decision?! I'm obviously considering buying cost, running costs, mpg not so much as I dont have a long commute, looks, driving ability, residuals etc...so any help would be very much appreciated!

Thanks all

Only you can decide this - and it looks like you have a long way to go conisdering the diferent options listed - some of these are night and day ffs! What do you want out of a car? If you want to drive to work and get from A to B (and thats it) then the 320d above has all the others beaten hands down.

You dont give enough info for us to help......as I am sure you know......so good luck with finding a car for a budget and for a use that we know nothing about

Point taken!

Ok well here's the background then - I just turned 30, I have a job where a certain amount of class from a car would not go amiss, I have recently moved from my former commute of 30 miles each way, to about 2 miles from work (the reason I am now considering the m3 as a serious purchase; I never would have bought one with that commute). So I will be commuting a short distance each day, but enjoying country roads at the weekend. I also have a gf and friends in the midlands and up north, so do a certain amount of long distance motorway and A road driving.

What do I want out of a car? I want a well made, ideally reliable, quick, good looking car (don't we all?) that will hopefully not drop too much value when it comes to resale. I won't buy new, so would probably go with an e90 with about 20,000 miles on it or an e46 m3 with about 40-50k. I have a feeling that the e46 may have done most of its depreciation, so as long as I dont pile too many miles on it will be the best bet in terms of resale value - plus I could get a decent one at £15-18k, which represents quite a decent saving on any of those e90's.

Like I say, I have no idea which of the above represents the best option - I have always always wanted an e46 m3, and this could be the only time I have no responsibilities, no commute, and the disposable income to run one - but I am getting seduced by a newer, more reliable, cheaper to run e90.

Let me get this straight - you're going to drive the two miles to work?? That's not going to be good for any car you buy... Buy some trainers and do it the way you were designed to

[0836whimper]

You only live once, M car all the way, others may looks similar on paper but they won’t give you the same experience or drama when at 9 or 10 10ths. You can always get a newer, more comfortable, duller car later in life.

But absolutely agree – driving any car, let alone an M3 two miles to work is ridiculous. Leave the car on the drive and get on a bike or run/walk.

[aabbaa1980]

911.

Why do the M3?

[0836whimper]

911's are boring unless they have the letters GT somewhere in their name.

(seeks cover)

[aabbaa1980]

0836whimper said:

911's are boring unless they have the letters GT somewhere in their name.

(seeks cover)

Boring? how so? have you driven or owned one? please explain.

[christer]

Metroarea said:

Point taken!

Thanks for this - for such a subjective thread it helps to know more.

As others have said 2 miles is not really too good for most cars, however if it takes 15 mins to drive then at least the engine will be sufficiently warm... I have 6 miles to the station each day and I drive my 550 there and back each day but it does take 20 mins each way so no problems with engine getting warmed up properly. 2 miles though is very short, but I do appreciate that it is still 30 mins walk each way and as we spend enought time at work each day as it is.....well I do understand...

Do you have a problem with owning 2 cars? You could get a cheap beater for less than £2k for the commute and an M3 for the rest?

I would definitely take a look at costs - because you don't seem to be an "all-out up for car ownership regardless of cost" type of person. Usually, the absolute killer is depreciation. It does depend on the vehicle in question though. Yes, an M3 will cost more to run than a 335i but this has probably more to do with age than anything else (of course an M car will cost more anyway, but once cars get to 5-6 years plus the maintenance costs will go up regardless). With anything new, it may cost you zero in maintenance but you will lose your shirt and anything else in depreciation. A 335i these days could be had for around £20-22k which is not *that* much more than £17k odd for an M3 - but it will probably depreciate a little more. This is just the practical sensible part of the discussion.

On the other side of the equation is the passion and enjoyment side of the plate. You need to drive some of these cars I guess, because if you put any value into this side of the equation then only you can decide how much more (or not) you enjoy an E46 M3 over an E90 335 for example. If you are considering diesel cars though, I am guessing that the M3 magic may be a little lost on you (no offence intended) - because the diesel cars are fairly rapid on their own right.

Its a difficult one, but if you drive some it should help to focus your interest. I would probably go M3 and a cheap runabout personally - the additional cost of owning 2 cars you wills ave in deprecation and maintenance which will come as a result of using it as a daily short-run driver. Probably.

[Metroarea]

christer said:

Metroarea said:

Point taken!

Thanks for this - for such a subjective thread it helps to know more.

As others have said 2 miles is not really too good for most cars, however if it takes 15 mins to drive then at least the engine will be sufficiently warm... I have 6 miles to the station each day and I drive my 550 there and back each day but it does take 20 mins each way so no problems with engine getting warmed up properly. 2 miles though is very short, but I do appreciate that it is still 30 mins walk each way and as we spend enought time at work each day as it is.....well I do understand...

Do you have a problem with owning 2 cars? You could get a cheap beater for less than £2k for the commute and an M3 for the rest?

I would definitely take a look at costs - because you don't seem to be an "all-out up for car ownership regardless of cost" type of person. Usually, the absolute killer is depreciation. It does depend on the vehicle in question though. Yes, an M3 will cost more to run than a 335i but this has probably more to do with age than anything else (of course an M car will cost more anyway, but once cars get to 5-6 years plus the maintenance costs will go up regardless). With anything new, it may cost you zero in maintenance but you will lose your shirt and anything else in depreciation. A 335i these days could be had for around £20-22k which is not *that* much more than £17k odd for an M3 - but it will probably depreciate a little more. This is just the practical sensible part of the discussion.

On the other side of the equation is the passion and enjoyment side of the plate. You need to drive some of these cars I guess, because if you put any value into this side of the equation then only you can decide how much more (or not) you enjoy an E46 M3 over an E90 335 for example. If you are considering diesel cars though, I am guessing that the M3 magic may be a little lost on you (no offence intended) - because the diesel cars are fairly rapid on their own right.

Its a difficult one, but if you drive some it should help to focus your interest. I would probably go M3 and a cheap runabout personally - the additional cost of owning 2 cars you wills ave in deprecation and maintenance which will come as a result of using it as a daily short-run driver. Probably.

Good points - thanks for that. I appreciate the commute may not sound worth driving, but it does take 15-20 mins in the car, and isn't a particularly nice walk! Plus I work late and never really know what time I am going to be able to leave the office. I would always rather have the option of egtting in the car and driving home if I've had to staay at work until late and it's raining - maybe I'm just lazy! However I probably would walk in the summer, so that will help with mileage and engine wear I guess.

I think the diesel thing is a bit of a throw back to my mindset when I had a long commute - I have never considered one before, and to be honest given the mileage I do now it is probably completely pointless to consider one now!

I think all paths are leading to the m3. At the end of the day, I have always wanted one, and even if I can get similar performance from a more modern car, this is probably the only time I will be able to have one, run one, not pile the miles onto it, sell it for a no too significant loss, and then get a more "sensible" option down the line.

I think I have answered my own question! I'm going to go and drive a few and see what I think, but can't see too far past the m3 at the moment.

[MidlandDan84]

If you want one and can 'afford' one that get an M3....i would and probably will in a few years.

IMHO if you didnt get an M3 you will always have the 'what if' factor......and dont worry about economy its pointless

[infradig]

I am 46,have loads of kids,do 1000 miles a week and have an e39 diesel.

GET AN M3!!!!Stop pussying around and get one before its too late.