i was thinking of trading my G in for a 03 M3....i've only had it since March but i'm really considering the M3 for some reason....probably the 73 hp difference that it has....lol....but i would like some input on this, whether its good or bad....TIA

 

actually its 53hp and same toruqe. To me the g looks better than a m3 but the m is also faster. I honestly love the e46, it depends on what you are looking for. Speed or looks?

 

Do it.

Have you ever driven one?

I am in the exact same situation right now. Make sure it's an 03.5 and save yourself the road bearing recall and possible oil consumption headaches. If you find one you like, make sure it's still under warranty/free maintenance plan (which you can extend), or just buy a CPO one from the dealer. If you're buying from a private party/dealer, take it to BMW to have it inspected, and have them pull the service history. Whatever you do, just don't buy one without a warranty.

PS The difference is only 53hp

 

Go for it!! I want less G35s on the street. M3 is a hot car but not worth the price. Also, you will gain less mileage because it will be at the dealer every other weekend. Good Luck!

 

Urban legend, if it's an 03.5+

 

well, the last time i checked my G had only 260hp and the M3 had 333....i'm no math genius but that equals a 73hp difference i think.... and y would i be at the dealership all the time with the M3??...have they been known to have a lot of service problems??

 

The coupe has 280hp omg you didn't know

Pre 03's are known for having engine problems. That's why I said get an 03.5.. geesh

They have common problems with the window trim, xenons burning out, HK speakers going bad, coils, etc, all fixed under warranty. I don't know why people think an m3 is different than any other car.

 

an 03 coupe has 280 hp.. are you sure you have a coupe?? hehe jk

i've been looking at a m3 too.. but then my friends keep telling me that the new m3 will eat the e46 up.. so i have my reservations.. no doubt, the e46 is a nice car.. but if you find the right price and right car (as Finiti35 has talked about), then totally go for it..

 

So much for your s/n "Inf4life"

All good though... at least you're not downgrading

 

The problem is the new e90 M3 won't be out till 2008, never buy a first year BMW (that's why 01 M3s are so cheap) so you'll end up waiting for an 09, and it will have a 70k tag easily. Twice what you paid for your G new. If you can swing that, wait for an e90....

 

well, it doesn't feel like 280...lol.....of course the new M3 will eat the current one...it's going to have a 7 speed v8 in it...but it's also going to be well over 50g's and i'm only looking to spend around 45 or so....thats a grip, considering the car is going to be almost 3 years old....i'm still up in the air about it...oh yeah, i do have a coupe the last time i checked....it has 2 doors right??....lol

 

it's funny you mention my sn, becuz it doesn't have anything to do with Infiniti at all...it stands for Infantry 4 Life...i'm in the Army and that is my job....

 

If you want to spend the extra $$, then go for it. Just make sure to get a warranty. I was looking to get a used E46 M3 before buying my G Coupe but just couldn't justify the large price difference.

 

The M3 is amazing, but I think it is overpriced. I am a proud owner of a 3 series BMW 2002 and wanted to upgrade to the M3, but after driving the G35 coupe I went out and bought the 2005 g35 two weeks ago. The reason I did it, well I can easily mod the G35 to be as fast as the M3 for 10k cheaper. And at my stage in my life, 10k is still 10k. However, I still have my BMW and I love it too death.

Oh ya, I forgot to mention, after you check out the cost to mod your M3 you will see you pay a premium which is another reason I wasn’t interested.

A site that I frequent with my BMW cohorts is:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/

 

Don't get the used one.
I have M3 and repair cost is crazy. You need to get a new one with full maintenace warranty and regular warranty for 4 years. If SMG breaks it costs a lot to fix.
I like M3 and it's hella fast, but I don't plan to own more than 4 years once warranty expires.
Maintenance warranty is good b/c you don't have to worry about oil changes, which costs about $250 due to synthetic oil crap, and other issues.
Repair cost is very high and personally after driving Japanese car for all my years, M3 is not as reliable as Prelude.
Cya