I'm thinking about leasing either M3 or G35.
Leasing a M3 comes up to 600~650 per month
and then 05' G35 fully loaded comes up to 550~600 per month.

Which one would you go for?
And btw, i'm 18, have a decent job, and will pay with my own money.

 

M3 no brainer.. well unless you cant afford insurance. where do u work?

 

it's not really a no brainer... youre either looking at a 30,000 mile 2 year old car.. or a BRAND new car..

 

M3

its so much better then what infiniti could offer. i'd say the G35 is about 70% of what the M3 is. u'll have to be really good at tuning the G35 b4 getting it to the lvl of the M3

 

I thought you couldn't lease a car that is older than 2 years?

 

I had an 03.5 m3 before my G so I know a little about this subject. Here goes,

If you are getting an 01-03 m3, there is an included factory extended 7year 100k miles powertrain warranty from BMW North America. So you are somewhat safe from sky-high repair costs in the event soemthing breaks. The reason why this is crucial is because the e46 m3's have a reputation of blown motors. My car was recalled for a con rod bearing replacement even though bmw supposedly fixed the issue in the early 03 models. 04 and 05 m3's don't have the extended warranty. You don't want to know how much a replacement e46 m3 motor is. For that matter, any replacement parts...

Performance wise, I think the G actually holds it own in the handling department. the e46 m3's have somewhat vague steering feel and in stock form, actually understeer quite a bit. The G in comparison has more direct, quicker steering and feels just as solid at speed. Now about speed, there is unfortunately no comparison. From a dig or rolling, an m3 is much quicker. One of my friends who test drove my m and also my g said: "the G is pretty fast. The m is scary fast."

As for insurance. I paid close to $1,800 a year for my M. I pay less than $1400 now for my 05 G and 05 TL combined. Same coverage amounts as my M. So the insurance is more than twice as much for the M3. Since you are 18, I am guessing your insurance will be quite a bit more than an old man like me.

Gas mileage is about the same, Might actually be a little better on the M.

Hmmm, what else is there. Oh yeah, looks. Imo, the m3 inside and out is much sexier. But this is purely subjective.

So what would I do in your situation? I would get the M. Lease it for about 3 years or no longer than the warranty exists. Good luck!

 

me say M3

 

Just test drive both and you should probably decide for yourself.

I just find it hard to justify spending the same amount when you could have a BRAND new car or a two year old car that has 30K some od dmiles on it.

It's different if youre talking about buying a used G35 Sedan or some 20K car like tiburon only because the G35 though maybe not quite up to M3 level is still a GREAT performer..

Just my two cents.

I saw someone selling a 38K mile supra for 38K. I LOVE the supra.. but then i couldnt justify spending the same amount of money for a car that old with that kind of mileage when i could own a brand new G35.

 

At 18, I doubt you have job security or a true career, so don't get fired or else you might not have anything except a jailmate named Bubba.

With that said, kudos that you are young and determined, but don't forget a few things:

1) Insurance
2) Gas
3) Maintenance (oil, etc)
4) Any problems that might arise (out of warranty)

If you can say you have a stable job that you won't loose, or a co-signer to back you up, I'd say M3.

 

At 18, I would seriously consider the different costs in insurance. Plus, a used 2-4 year old car will be going out of warranty soon - M3s aren't cheap to work on. Heck, even maintenance is not that cheap for an M3 - tires, rotors, pads, etc. Since you are leasing, not buying, you will not be building any equity (net worth) whatsoever, and in the end you will have nothing from all those payments. After 3 years of paying on a G35, you may actually have built up a little equity, not too mention, still have a warranty so you may decide to keep it another year or so... and build up even more equity. With interest rates so low, purchasing is a very attractive option over leasing in many cases. Research "gap insurance" for leasing and understand why you need it.

As for the extended warranty - it's only the engine, and I am not sure if it is transferrable from the original owner (to you) - make sure it is.

Also, granted the M3 is faster than the G35, but not by much. I was talking about this with a friend the other day. Compare a 3400 lb. M3 with 333HP and 262 torque, to a 3500 lb. G35 (6MT) with 298 HP and 260 torque. Add high flow cats, plenum, headers and you might be around 330 HP with 280 torque.

 

and still get smoked at the strip...

 

my friend has a 2005 M3, so....

G35 Coupe:
fast
sexy looking
nice interior, seats
inexpensive
good value
it's everywhere (side effect of being the car of the year in 2003)

M3:
faster
an intimidating look
clunky shifter and clutch
german (could be good or bad)
expensive
somewhat out dated, but this will be the last year of the M3

 

if it's an 03 m3, i say go with the m3 if you're not into getting a brand-spanking new car with decent to good performance. however, if it's a 01 m3, i would pass and get the new g35 coupe. bmw's are notorious for repairs after 4 years. it's not the major engine/powertrain repairs that you should be worried about (if it's covered under a 7 yr warranty). it's the numerous electrical problems that WILL occur which will add up to quite the pretty penny. everybody i've known (including myself) has encountered this with our beamers....great engine, but numerous repairs for little things here and there and ended up costing A LOT.

 

as far as I kno, its never worth it to lease a used car because you'll have to make up for the decreased value, and (unless you write off your expenses) this defeats the purpose of leasing (lower monthly payment)

 

the only thing with the e46 m3 is if the e90 m3 comes with the V8 like it is rumored, then the retail value of the e46's will drop a little more than the infiniti. Unless of course a G45 comes out in which case you're screwed either way.

M3 is a good car, but it's hard to find one a couple years old that is still very clean. All the clean ones I've seen have very high prices, and the ones that are salavage or beat up are affordable.

Hooman