There is clearly more to a car than just speed. I am sure most of us here love the G coupe. But it really does not matter if we turbo-charged or super-charged our Gs and kill the M3s. It will not change how 99.9% of the population perceives the Infiniti G35 and BMW M3. M3 will be chosen almost every time over the G35 coupe if people can afford it.

 

Take an used e46 m3 over a new G35 anyday. E46 M3 can be bought for 40k now, if you wait 3-4 month till it drops to 38k around the same price range as a fully loaded G35. G35 is a very nice car but it shouldn't be compare to the m3. The quality of the interior is so much better and of course it will cost more for maintence. That comes with driving a car bearing the BMW name tag. You should take this into factor before you purchase. As for reliability I don't know if I trust Nissan over BMW, Honda & Toyota for sure over BMW but Nissan has been quirky itself. Like the other person said people will be more impress if you drive a BIMMER than an Infinity. However, if you don't care name and want a car that can be modded fast a lot cheaper than M3 buy the G35. Lastly G35 is a very good looking car. Not as mean as M but very good looking.

 

M3 is a faster, more expensive car. However....I would not say the interior is better. My friend has a 2k3 M3 E46 and as far as I'm concerned, his *new* interior is worse than the G35. The car is like buying a brand name of jeans. I can buy a pair of $5 jeans and still look good, I don't need the brand name to prove it. With the money you spend on the M3, forgive me if I'm wrong but, you could probably build a more nimble, better handling car.

That's my opinion of course, I don't know [censored].

 

>>M3 will be chosen almost every time over the G35 coupe if people can afford it.<<

I guess I fall within the exception. The performance differential between the M3 (and even the M5) with the G35 didn't justify the leap in price. The money "saved" was better left invested in the stock market. If I ever do decide to drop $60k+ on a car, I would choose a used late-model Carrera over an M3. It has better pedigree, and doesn't look to the rest of the world like another 3 series coupe.

RainMeister
'04 G35C 6MT, diamond graphite, premium, nav, aero

 

Ya know, the e46 M3 is not all it's cracked up to be, for me anyway.... How many of you have actually driven one?

They ride incredibly hard..... kinda like getting punched in the kidneys every time you hit a bump. And the clutch pedal is probably 2-3 times heavier than a G35 clutch pedal.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fine performance car, but at the expense of any type of comfort at all.

But a G35 coupe gives you 8/10's the performance at 2/3 the cost, with 3 times the comfort. At the point in time, the G35 coupe is just a much better car for me. Plus, the coupe just has killer good looks. An M3 looks an awful lot like your basic 330Ci.

 

only estimated 360hp to the wheels on a 330hp rated car? Are you sure it's not 460? I wouldn't even sc for 30hp might as well go NA.

 

Before I ordered my G35c, the only car I seriously considered was the E46 M3. However, after pricing them out, I could not justify the 50% difference in price (about 40k vs 60k with options and tax) even though I could afford it. I like to buy things that are close to best bang for the buck and for me the G35c was it in terms of performance, luxury, and styling.

 

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only estimated 360hp to the wheels on a 330hp rated car? Are you sure it's not 460? I wouldn't even sc for 30hp might as well go NA.

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that's 360 to the wheels on a 333 hp car rated at teh crank. The 360 to the wheels roughly equates to 420 crank hp (with an average of 17%loss due to drivetrain)


2003.5 6MT Premium Black Coupe Al. Pedals Grounding kit Borla TD exhaust PIAA Z-tube Pop-charger

 

Yeah - M3 costs $60K........so it better do something the G doesn't do!! (I don't understanf why some on here are saying $40K for an M3 or only $10 more than a G. They are $20K-$25K more that a G).
This is kind of a theoritical comparison anyway. In the real world, how many on here can afford a $60K car. Also, the $60K is one reason even former BMW owners like me went to the G coupe. You can't get anything comparable to the G for $35K (or maybe $40K or $50K either).

 

I have to say the m3 is all its cracked up to be. My bro has one....the ride isnt that rough at all... i mean its a sport suspension so you cant expect it to be buttery soft. The performance is unreal on this car......when you floor the car to that screaming 8000 rpm redline...you'll know what m power is all about. By the way, we got a 2002 (6spd coupe and well equipped) with 7k miles for 41k, not significantly more than a G. I just love looking at the car in the garage..the quad exhaust, the side gills..it can be best describd as MEAN. I love the G35, but when someone knocks the m3 so unjustly like that, someone has to step in.

 

The M3 is a sweet car, no doubt about it. The engine is off the hook.. 333whp from a 3.2L inline 6, NA. You really can't top that. The M3 is a prominent sports car. The BMW interiors are really sweet to me.

I could have gotten the M3 with no concerns with money, but the thing about it was the old style body. Most normal people can't even distinguish a 3-series from the M3. To us, there is a huge gap in performance, but to others, it's "just another Bimmer".

This may be a relative opinion, but I think the Gcoupe is more of a headturner than the M3. I guess some would say it was stupid getting a Gcoupe if I could have gotten an M3. I would partially agree. What sold me on the G however, was not that it had superb performance, not that it was a Skyline GT, not that it shared many similarities with the 350z, not the I could stick with Japanese cars. It was that, the entire package was good. It has moderate performance, flashy Brembo's, a head turning look, and that you couldn't mistake it for any other car. So that's how I compared the M3 to the G35 coupe.

One last thing, I have to admit the SMG2 gearbox is sexxxxxxxyyyy.

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

I wasn't knocking the M3 at all..... as a matter of fact, I used to own one. Like I said, it's a fine performance car, but the ride is rock hard (especially compared to a G) and the clutch is heavy.

And sorry, but the performance just doesn't blow me away. I like cars with torque more than horsepower. And the G makes more torque than the M3. The G feels more powerful at lower revs than the M3.

 

I like the fact the m3 just look like another 3 series. I like to be a little more discret but come on guys lets face it, if you can't ask a question like this on a G35 forum or a M3 and not expect biased answers. It all depends on what you want and what you can afford. So suggestion to original poster, start writing a pro/con list.

 

I have to disagree. Even though I'm not a bmw fan I can tell a M3. Those wider wheel wells and dual exhaust.. The m3 compared to a 330ci is noticeably different. The stock stance on the m3 is just wicked. I think I'm actually falling in love thinking about it.

Inline 6? That's sweet I didn't know it was a inline 6 in that. That's supposed to be the most balance engine configuration right?