Then G35 was the highest performance car I've driven and I thought it handles pretty well. Last week I finally bought a used 2004 M3 and it's quite an eye opener. I actually thought about upgrading the G suspension with 275/245 wheels and tires, but now that I've driven the M3, I am not sure even with upgrade, the G can be a better driver.
My current G has the coupe 19in. wheels and the Z suspension. On the same long sweeping corner on my commute, the G can do 80mph but it feels pretty hairy. The M3 can do it without any drama. I've also driven the newer G37 sedan but it still does not have the same body control as the 8 year old M3.

 

Do you have aftermarket sway bars in yoir G?

 

yeah the m3 is a fast car, in fact i believe they run low 13's all motor and with the factory tune. but when all said and done you're no longer in a NISSAN and so its going to cost you a little more for parts, mods and just about everything else including labor if you don't work on it yourself. always wanted a m3 but refuse to put myself through what i see my little brother going through with his bmw and their little issues and extremely expensive replacement parts. looks like a really clean car though and hope you enjoy it!

 

Nice. BMW's are great when it comes to handling, I still can't keep up with the new M3's through the turns of Palomar Mt. I'm also surprised what the older ones can do with a little suspension work.

 

That's a very nice car! I will say though, I hope you did your research before purchasing it. M may be a marketing tool for bmw but that doesn't mean there isn't real substance that comes with it. The M line of cars pretty much transforms civilized luxury/ near luxury cars into dual purpose track/street machines. Having said that, it's no surprise the M3 can outperform the G in any test. For any competition, you pretty need a purpose built sports car.

 

That body M3 looks dated though imo. The new ones are much nicer

 

Sweet M3.

For the record, you were running OEM spring/struts & aftermarket sway bars set to soft?

Coilovers and a stiffer bar setting could have helped tremendously.

I always liked that M3 body style.

 

Changing your tires will not make the drastic change you clearly were hoping for, no. You need sway bars and coilovers for that.

Good luck with the M, congrats!! It's a car I think we all considered when looking for our car, and picked the G35. Personally, for me, they're too small, expensive to buy and repair, and stupid on insurance.

 

Nice pickup on the M3. Looks like it's in good shape especially for an 8 year old car. The 3 series has always been a little too small for me though. Sad to see you leave Nissan

 

First, I just want to say thanks to everyone over the years being here and supporting other members with answers and personal experiences. I'll try to respond best as I can.
Currently I have Z springs/shocks, coupe 19in. wheels/tires, and Stillen sway bars setting at soft front and back. I did try med. setting but I felt it just too harsh on the freeway, but I do agree with med. setting, the handling is quite better. The M3 is a bit stiffer but nothing harsh or jarring. I could feel the M3 is a bit stiffer on the freeway but having better damping. Hitting a bump, the M3 would absorb and rebound, but in my G35, there would be a bit more rebound as if it is resonating. But others may be right that with a set of good coilovers, damping could be much improved. I've heard M3 owners saying the G35 coupe with suspension mod could keep up the E46 M3. But the G35 sedan is a bit different with narrower track so there is nothing one can do there. Also, in the sedan, I feel like riding a bit too high on the seat, so the high center of gravity may hurt the handling.

That's why I am still keeping the G in my garage just in case .

The car is surprisingly in good condition even with 99K miles. The paint may be in better condition than my G. I've bought the car from J Star Motor and they seem to specialize in high end performance car. I mean in their showroom they got Lambo, Ferrari, Aston Martin and mostly German cars on their lots.

I don't know. There are those who think the E46 M3 looks better than the new one.

I have Z springs/shocks, coupe 19in. wheels/tires, and Stillen sway bars with soft setting.

I think the G35 coupe is a better competition to the BMW 3. The sedan is a bit too compromised I think. The track is a bit narrow. I wanted to put smaller offset wheels on the sedan but they would not fit. The center of gravity is higher on the sedan as well. But I agree that stiffer sway, coil overs will help a lot. The question is would that make the ride much harsher? One of the things known on the M is its high performance but the ride is quite acceptable.

But moving forward, Infiniti will be using Mercedes C class chassis and engine, so we will see how that will turn out.

 

e46 M3 > new body style

 

The E46 M3 is a great car. Very nice!

 

congrats thats a dope ride. cant go wrong with an m3!

 

E46 M3 is the all time sexiest BMW ever with the right supporting visual mods. Great pick up. And having the G in the garage for reliability is insanely smart. I wish I wldve kept mines instead of trading it in when I picked up my 335i. Its already been in the shop twice since I bought it 10wks ago. Minor stuff that wldve been very costly without the CPO Extended Warranty. I do hope you got some kind of Warranty on yours as well. Man... I wish I cldve found one of those with low miles at a good price.

 

The 335i is a pretty nice car. I hope things will work out for your 335i. Surprisingly, based on Consumer Reports, the E46 M3 is rated as one of the most reliable used car on the market. They wanted $2.7K for two years warranty but that's a little too much so I guess I'll take my chance. Mine has 99K miles so it's not exactly low mileage but everything feels pretty solid and smooth.