Anyone owned an M3?

[andy watson]

Hi fellers,

Been thinking of buying an M3 for sometime,Test drove a E46 SMG on Saturday.......wow what a machine I want one!!
Just wondering if any of you chaps have owned or have any experience? Good or bad welcomed

Thanks

 

[Lowtimer]

Can't stand the SMG box and think it is the invention of the devil. Apart from that I think they are good cars, but why not get a proper manual one?

 

[GPF]

Hi Andy,

The only experience I have is coming across one on a couple of track days.

The 951 gave it a right good spanking.....

 

[Copperman05]

As with most BMW's its a decent car, with a sh*te image...


Edd

 

[jemstone29@hotmail.c]

HI, do not have a M3 but have a 330i tourer. I know these things are all subjective but it is the worst car I have owned even allowing for it being a Friday afternoon on the factory line job. Parts failure is alarming as is paintwork and bodywork condition. I have 18" M rims and boy these eat tyres and will crack / smash just by looking at a pot hole.

Engines are good and strong and general feel of the car is good. The problem is I'd rather have a lot of other stuff on the market for 75% of the price or under.

As said this is a personal opinion and for every bad one there is a good one

Good luck

 

[andy watson]

Hi Lowtimer,

All my other cars , other than the 44' are always auto due to the ease of town driving but mainly due to left knee football damage, when I get caught in traffice for long periods in the 44' it kills me!

The Z4 we have is auto with paddle shift and have no issues, what is your dislike of the SMG based on? There are a lot of different views on this.

 

[Chrishazle]

I will never forget test driving an M3 Evo in about late 97, probably mid 98. At BMW Otford, their ex demo machine that IIRC they wanted north of £40k for. It had the steptronic box, could not get a smooth gearchange in auto or manual unless I drove like a lunatic, plus it nearly killed me. In manual mode, stopped at a roundabout without changing down manually, found I was still in 4th when I went to pull onto the roundabout, nearly got T boned by a car coming from my right 'cos the M3 bogged down. A few months later I bought my 968 tip coupe - which I would still have but for a hankering for a 968 tip cabriolet - which has been mine for nearly a year.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

If you want, or need an auto, then that's what you'll be getting. I'm not sure that having a couple of fancy flappy paddles to make you feel like an F1 driver is a real replacement for a manual box, so it's always seemed a bit fake to me.

No criticism, it's down to what you want from a car. I have chronic arthritis, so it's far more important to me that I can sit in a car for an hour or more than anything else, and the 944 seats are worth far more than any other aspect of the car. The positive side to low values on performance cars is that you can choose exactly what suits you at a low entry price.

 

[Hairyarse]

Had a few beemers, loved them all for handling and the 330d M Sport (E91) I have now is a cracking car - and quick too. No complaints from it. I think the E46 is one of the best looking. Never owned an M3 but I'd say do it!

My 330d is auto with paddle shift which I love, so guess the SMG must be good?

Keep us posted on your purchasing

Cheers
Andy

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Copperman05
As with most BMW's its a decent car, with a sh*te image...

Have to agree. I bought a 944 because I couldn't stand the image of the M3. (I live in East London, and the local demographic are somewhat too fond of the M318's.)

They are reasonable cars with much more characterful engines than any 944. However the fact that they are simply good saloon cars with powerful engines is somewhat too clear when pushing on hard. That engine is heavy, and you feel it, and the shortcomings become obvious rather earlier than they do in a 944.


Oli.

 

[George Elliott]

That engine is heavy, and you feel it, and the shortcomings become obvious rather earlier than they do in a 944.

in a nut shell ^^^

you would then really appreciate the balance and aluminium block of a 944

George
944t

 

[bighead]

ORIGINAL: andy watson

Hi fellers,

Been thinking of buying an M3 for sometime,Test drove a E46 SMG on Saturday.......wow what a machine I want one!!
Just wondering if any of you chaps have owned or have any experience? Good or bad welcomed

Thanks

I have a E90 M3 with 7 speed DCT box and EDC suspension(3 modes ,soft/standard/ sports)...great daily runner (go as slow as u want or a fast as u like! )
V8 is awesome, DCT box is just amazing(I usually hate autoboxes by the way ,been converted now )miles better than the smg in my previouse E60 M5.

downside is that around town ,you only average 16mpg and road tax is £400+ !!!!!

ps...the image thing has never bother me ...some would say owning a "Porsche " has its own image probs !

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: George Elliott

That engine is heavy, and you feel it, and the shortcomings become obvious rather earlier than they do in a 944.

in a nut shell ^^^

you would then really appreciate the balance and aluminium block of a 944

George
944t

Interesting that I am not the only one who thinks this way. Thanks for your comments George.

The M3 is a great car. Just a bit more of a bruiser than a 944. I guess it comes down to whether you appreciate delicacy of touch and finesse of handling more than outright power. An early 944 and an M3 would be polar opposites; the 944 being light and agile and the M3 being powerful but significantly dulled.

(I find it very interesting that the earliest M3 - the E30, which had balance and finesse by the bucketload - has now turned into such a different machine.)


Oli.

 

[homesea]

I've never owned a M3 but had plenty of mates that have and I have driven them, I borrowed a e46 M3 with the SMG for about a month just before I bought my current 944.

The SMG is a normal gearbox not an auto so on the plus side the clutch lasts a lot longer than the manual but on the negative more to go wrong due to the relay setup they use. Also the SMG in the e46 is a big improvement over the e36. On a clear open road the SMG box is great, from cold start in busy traffic it's a nightmare, makes you look like a learner as you kangaroo down the road. Handling is good, not as involving as the 944 and the engine is a cracker. Then there is the noise it makes as you rev it round to the red line, no 944 could sound as good.

I would think a standard 944 turbo against a standard M3 on a twisty lane, the 944 would not stand a chance. Price of some is low but there is a lot of abused ones about.

If it was my money I would still by the 944 turbo half the cost to buy and more fun to drive and thats what I did.

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: homesea
I would think a standard 944 turbo against a standard M3 on a twisty lane, the 944 would not stand a chance. Price of some is low but there is a lot of abused ones about.

Jesting aside, a standard Turbo wouldn't stand a chance against a standard S2 on a twisty lane. That's not much of a claim to fame for the M3.


Oli.

 

[homesea]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

ORIGINAL: homesea
I would think a standard 944 turbo against a standard M3 on a twisty lane, the 944 would not stand a chance. Price of some is low but there is a lot of abused ones about.

Jesting aside, a standard Turbo wouldn't stand a chance against a standard S2 on a twisty lane. That's not much of a claim to fame for the M3.


Oli.

One day I'll witness Oli's rocket powered S2. [X(]

 

[GPF]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

ORIGINAL: homesea
I would think a standard 944 turbo against a standard M3 on a twisty lane, the 944 would not stand a chance. Price of some is low but there is a lot of abused ones about.

Jesting aside, a standard Turbo wouldn't stand a chance against a standard S2 on a twisty lane. That's not much of a claim to fame for the M3.


Oli.

Oli, it never ceases to amaze me how much shit you can come out with on one day.

 

[Lowtimer]

ORIGINAL: andy watson

Hi Lowtimer,

All my other cars , other than the 44' are always auto due to the ease of town driving but mainly due to left knee football damage, when I get caught in traffice for long periods in the 44' it kills me!

The Z4 we have is auto with paddle shift and have no issues, what is your dislike of the SMG based on? There are a lot of different views on this.

I like proper manuals, proper autos (i.e. epicyclic gearboxes) and I like proper double clutch DSG / PDK boxes. I have had several proper auto BMWs like the 330D that Andy liked) and they are great. The SMG is none of the above, and is the worst sort of transmission - the robotically controlled single clutch automated manual box. On every car I have tried such a box it has been crude, jerky and awful, including the M3 and E60 M5.

Seriously, if you want a fast two-pedal Three Series, don't get an M3 SMG, get an E46 330i auto or an E90 335i with the dual clutch DCT box.

 

[Hilux]

The only experience I have is coming across one on a couple of track days.

The 951 gave it a right good spanking.....

Jesting aside, a standard Turbo wouldn't stand a chance against a standard S2 on a twisty lane.

All this bluster about which is best is exactly that - bluster...................Its all down to the driver.

I was at Bedford Autodrome twice in the last month and overtook S2`s and 4`s, Caterhams and Ariel Atoms in the Golf yet was outcornered by an old BMW 325 ON SLICKS so never go away from a trackday boasting about your exploits as its not a level playing field.

BMW M3`s and 5` are unbelievably quick if driven well but if you can get an E39 - thats the ultimate and an E39 on slicks is up there with the really serious cars (if well driven)

 

[Lowtimer]

Its all down to the driver.

Definitely.

Last time I was at Bedford Autodrome the fastest thing on the circuit was a completely unmodified Mondeo ST220, an ex police car that the driver had just picked up direct from them for a song. Other traffic included a number of E46 and E92 M3s and a 996 Turbo.