Whats up there guys. In a bit of a decision trench here. I just recently (4 months ago) bought myself an 04 g35 coupe with 60k miles and an auto tranny. One previous owner and no accidents of any sort. Ive always had a soft spot for e46 m3's and now I have a real chance in owning one. I recently found a decent steady job (20 yrs old and go to school) that would keep me safe with maintenance costs and such. If I decide to get the m3, I would try to sell my coupe in the area of 15-16 g's and save up 4-5 and hopefully hop into an m3 for roughly 20g's. I do miss the manual and cant wait to get my right hand on one I've been hearing from a lot of friends and mechanics that the e46 m3's have one of the most durable engines that won't give out easily and can last to 180k+ without any serious engine problems. Obviously reliability will play a huge role in this since I don't want to be blowing every paycheck at the shop. So what do you guys think? Stay with the G with mediocre thrill of driving (and just start moding it) or should I pay more to play more and hop into the ultimate driving machine?

Thanks to all for responding and taking the time to advice a member.

 

damn, im stuck too. i have a soft spot for m3s as well =[

 

The engine might not put you in the shop, but everything else will..

 

Yea, I've heard that about BMW's before.

 

Stick with the G.. you will save a lot of money.. Like you said you don't want to be blowing every check, cuz once something goes wrong with the bimmer u lose a lot of money.. Ur the same age as me, I was going to go with the m3 before i bought my G, but found out how much i was going to be losing; maintenance wise and insurance wise.. So i'm glad i choose the G..Plus you only had the G for like 4 months.. enjoy the ride..

 

BMW are great cars! Have had 2. Since your getting a e46 I know it's not going to have a warranty on so just do your self a favor and keep a few K's aside in the bank to cover things.. But what I would do is hang on to the g for a few more years save some money and get a newer m3 and this way you won't have to worry bout upkeep as it's going to be covered by the dealer. what ever you end up doing just think it over before you jump the gun! Rushing into something is never the best thing to do

 

its not the engine you have to worry about. Its the electrics. The electrics on german cars are horrible and expensive to replace compared to Nissans, hondas and toyotas. I would wait till you finish school and have a working professional job, unless your living with your parents then you can probably swing it if your not paying rent.

 

wait. its the ultimate driving machine but it'll spend more time at the shop than in your garage

 

Im sure I can get used to bad electrics pretty quick since Im coming from the G. Window going out, radio replacement, etc.. The only thing Im worried about with the M is their rear subframe failure. That seemed to occur most frequently in the 03 and prior models but is a persistent issue that can surface in any of the models. Hmm decisions decisions..

 

in the twisties* there fixed it for ya

 

If you can't afford an M3 right now, don't be in a hurry to try and get one.

 

Either way you get a great car at a young age.. Id start saving up some money for after college though.. But it is an M3!!

 

I was in the exact same situation lol. I had the option of purchasing the G or an E46 M3. My little sister had just bought one a month before and I drove it around a bit... I have to say, its an awesome car with beautiful power delivery and aesthetics. However; It is tough to find a manual coupe with decent miles on it and decent paint (at least here in socal)...

Im not too sure if I would have been happier with the M, but I just couldnt get it since my little sis had one already, you know? But my TT G will smoke her M anyday. <3

 

My recommendation to everyone who want's an M3 is to go ahead and buy one. This subject is constantly discussed on this forum. Rather than ask here...go to Bimmerfest...do some research...make up your mind and if yes...then buy it!

 

the difference is the G will cost you $500 to replace, the bimmer will cost $1200 to replace...