I am with you on that one..."Always go new"

 

Again..." jealous " but it is very true that Blk with IR are just about impossible to find, I would much rather have Blk/Cinn tho.

Ummmm...How many miles you got on it? all four thousand miles. maybe he can just buy yours.

 

Whichever you buy, please buy a mannual. SMG/Autos are for people who dont know how to use a stick properly

 

M3

After being in the "sport" mode, you'll never want to go back

 

LOL SMG is a manual.

 

There's no one here who's saying that a stock G is superior to an M3, so if money doesn't matter go with the M3. Prices vary according to region, but in my area, an 05 CPO M3 with low miles will cost you around $50K. Decently equipped '07 G coupes will cost you around $15K less. If the $15K is no big deal to you, then go for the M because it's definately superior to the G in evey category but MPG. My '02 M3 averaged around 16 MPG whereas my '05 G is averaging around 22.

The only other caution I'd have with the E46 M3 is that the new M3 will be coming out in about a year and E46 prices will probably take a big hit. No prices have been released on the E 90 M3 but my guess would be around $70K with the usual Dealer markups beyond that price for the first year.

 

Smg is not manual, its a clutchless manual which can be driven without shifting the gears(automatic mode) or it can be driven like a manual but still no clutch



Pricing has been estimated for the 2008 m3
BMW E92 M3 Coupe Pricing

Major Standard Equipment***
4.0L V8 307kW 420Nm (bi-VANOS 3rd gen.) engine
Adaptive Xenon Headlights
Carbon Fiber Roof
SMG III 7-Speed transmission with DRIVELOGIC
18" M Double Spoke Alloy Wheel
18x8F/18x9R with P235/45ZR18 Front, P265/40ZR18 Rear Performance tires.


Invoice $49,117
Base Price USA Port of Entry* $53,975

Vehicle Options List
Metallic paint $475
Nappa leather $1,450
Carbon fiber trim $300
Aluminum trim NC
Comfort Access $500
M Multifunction Seats with Active Width Adjustment $1,900
Front Heated Seats $500 / ZCW
Power Rear Sunshade $350
Head-Up Display $1,000
Navigation System w/I-Drive $2,100
Power Rear Sunshade $350
Rear Park Distance Control $350
19" M Double Spoke alloy wheel $1,750
19x8.5F/19x9.5R with P235/40ZR19 Front, P265/35ZR19 Rear Performance tires.
Logic 7 sound system $1,200
SIRIUS Satellite Radio $595
High Definition Radio $500
Premium Package (ZPP) $3,100
Cold Weather Package (ZCW) $750
6-speed manual transmission NC
Rear Spoiler Deletion NC

 

Smg is not manual, its a clutchless manual which can be driven without shifting the gears(automatic mode) or it can be driven like a manual but still no clutch

SMG is a manual transmission and not an automatic transmission which uses a torque converter. SMG does have an electrically activated clutch; it just doesn't have a clutch pedal.

 

Invoice $49,117
Base Price USA Port of Entry* $53,975

Throw in $700 for delivery and $1500 for gas guzzler, and you are up to $56K for the base M3. Decently equipped coupes would then sticker in the low $60s which is significantly lower than the estimate given to me by the GM at Towson BMW. I talked to him a couple of weeks ago and he estimated that the 8 cyl M3 will sticker around $70K, moderately equipped. There will be a lot of happy future M3 owners if you can buy one for under $60K.

 

The SMG driving experience is much closer to a steptronic than to a real 6 speed manual. I had one in my hands for 3000 miles (supercharged at that) and couldn't wait to get back into my 6 speed. I loved the SMG on the highway, drove me nuts in the city. If I was 50 or daily drove in a high traffic area, then I would certainly get SMG. Fast? No doubt. Fun? For the first few weeks. Rewarding? Not really. It's a great toy, but like with every toy, you get sick of it. YMMV.

 

Carbon black on Cinnamon is gorgeous. No, I haven't put 4K miles on it yet. Not even close I've put more miles on other people's M3's than on my own...

As far as buying a used M3 vs new G, it depends on whether wanting the more expensive car outweighs the newness factor of the cheaper one. I would have no problem picking up a 1-2 year old car with low miles and saving 10-15K over new. New car depreciation is something I've paid through the nose... but I wouldn't buy anything over 2 years old no matter if it's a Porsche or Ferrari or whatever it might be, warranty or not.

 

The SMG driving experience is much closer to a steptronic than to a real 6 speed manual. I had one in my hands for 3000 miles (supercharged at that) and couldn't wait to get back into my 6 speed. I loved the SMG on the highway, drove me nuts in the city. If I was 50 or daily drove in a high traffic area, then I would certainly get SMG.

Those who have lots of experience driving manuals typically adjust to SMG rather quickly. You have to coordinate your SMG shifting with the gas peadal to get a nice smooth shift. Actually I got the hang of it in about ten minutes. On the other hand the owner of the car that I was driving owned it for about six months, and he still couldn't execute a smooth shift but he was accustomed to automatics.

I think an M3 with SMG would be tough to beat on a road course because the shifts are virtually instantaneous. Certainly much faster than the best drivers can execute with a manual.

 

+1 PeterNY SMG is manual have you ever drivin it before? If you drive SMG you'll fall in love with it. It does have a clutch and it does sometimes stall rarely though. SMG is one of the sickest things ive ever drove in my life its a lazy mans 6spd, If you chip the car itll out perform the best stick driver. (Chip is for take off purposes that are electronically limited by SMG)

 

I agree SMG is very intuitive, I never had a problem as far as smoothness is concerned. It's the *feel* of a crippled manual that I didn't like. I like to downshift and rev-match on my own. SMG isn't even all that good at rev-matching! And I hate having to think about drivelogic settings. Too much Microsoft takes away from the connectedness with the car. Some people will argue that not having to think about a 3rd pedal adds to the driving experience and that's perfectly fine - to each their own. SMG is perfectly suited for a track car, after all it's derived from the F1 transmissions.

"Much faster" is very relative.. on a road course it gives you an advantage in the turns, but we're on a G35 forum, who here goes to a road course? If I was building a car strictly for the road course, it would be SMG. At the drag strip any shift speed advantage is generally offset by the crippled 1800prm SMG launches. I believe the fastest E46 stock or near stock 1/4 mile time was run in a 6 speed.

SeZkI, mind sharing a bit more about that "chip"? It raises the LC limiter to??? Who makes it?

 

I live in Dallas and have a friend in Houston that has an M3, but the funny thing is that I've never actually seen it in person. The 2 times I went down to visit him he was driving an X3. The X3 is the loaner car the dealership gave him while they worked on his M (and he bought it brand new.) He said he would never buy another BMW ever again.