BMW E46 330CI TEMPTATION? DO I GO FOR THE S3 (225)??

[TARMUNCHER]

Hi all please help if you have had experience of these two cars, I'd appreciate your opinions.
I had a e36 325i coupe loved it, wanted a e46 M3 but not enough cash, around 8K to play with.
Looked for a E36 M3 EVO but a minefield out there of tired examples that will end up costing me far too much to enjoy the ownership.
So Im split between the E46 330ci and Audi S3(225). However, although the S3 had plenty of poke at the higher end of the rev range it left me a little numb compared to my E36 driving experience.
Any thoughts appreciated!!!

[todd69]

BMW, lot more fun to drive

Both great cars in their own right but overall the 330ci wins, plus point for the S3 is that you could get it remapped and get 260bhp for £250, lot more expensive to get more power out the BMW.

[TARMUNCHER]

Hi,
Yes I did think about the remapping option on the S3, any ideas if it would make a great performance gain over the 330ci then?

[missing the VR6]

I think the S3 could be turned into a great car, certainly lovely inside and build quality is top notch, just needs a remap and some suspension work to get the best from it. I've only had a little go in one but I'd say it needs something to add a bit more steering feel, maybe ARB's?

[AudiSport]

Some arbs and a revo remap will leave you grining from ear to ear! The BMW is a great car, but not a patch on 260bhp with quattro!

[todd69]

TARMUNCHER said:

any ideas if it would make a great performance gain over the 330ci then?

Yes it would be quicker but IMO it's all down to what you prefer, turbo or N/A.

In the end you really need to drive both to make up your mind but my preference was the BMW, just felt like a more involved driving experience, even with having the lower bhp (after remap).

[pinseeker]

depends what you're after, bmw will be better drivers car and is bigger. however with simple rempa s3 is much easier to drive, fantastic traction and a bit quicker. (I had a similar choice 2 years ago and opted for the Audi). They're rarer and have better image imo -if you care what others may think!

the audi doesn't sparkle as much as i'd like top end to be honest though, however mid range punch is very good with only a small amount of turbo lag.