Forget 335i. the price difference is about 18k and M3 is worth every penny compare to 335i. you can mod the 335i and go fast on the straight line but you will never get the high revving V8 feeling.

Go for the M3. The car is perfect in everyway.

 

Actually I am buying a house regardless of whether I buy this car. It just might stress my wife out more. I also realized it is also more expensive to register and and insure. There is a lot of cars you can buy for 70k. That has me thinking.....

I can afford the house so don't think I am one of those guys buying a new car when I can't afford my mortgage or some nonsense like that.

 

8:05 BMW M3 E92 420 PS/1608 kg Horst von Saurma Sport Auto 12/07
8:22 BMW M3 E46 343 PS/1584 kg Horst von Saurma Sport Auto 12/00
8:22 BMW M Coupe E36/7 321 PS/1445 kg Horst von Saurma Sport Auto 10/98
8:26 BMW 335i E92 Coupe 306 PS Horst von Saurma Sport Auto 306 hp

21 second difference between stock 2008 m3 and stock 2008 335i...

 

comparing the m3 to a stock 335 is a mood point imho

 

I would go for the new M3 I just drove my friends and that car is so much fun, I am waiting on when they come out with the SMG transmission.....^^

 

it's funny. i just talked to my friend with the 335i (chipped, coilovers, etc...) today. he drove the m3 (and his friend too), and they weren't that impressed at all. it's fast and handles well, but his conclusion was it's not worth the extra money.

hahaha, what a dilemma huh

 

What one color is that?

 

Thanks, Henry. If you read my 335i review.........and subsequent comments.......I came to the same conclusion. The 335i, though not cheap, is a great sports sedan, even at its 47K tested price. The M3, of course, may be slightly more capable, but at a lot more $$$$$.

 

I drove the last gen M3 and the current 335xi (both manual) and the clutch is my biggest complaint. For me, it makes the cars almost undrivable. Anyone else think it sucks?

The last gen M3's clutch was too long of a throw and too bouncy and made driving it totally unenjoyable for me. Just got a 2007 335xi in at my dealer and there is NO left foot room for the clutch - I literally can barely drive it. What was BMW thinking? It seems like they designed the foot-well for a small woman.

The only manual transmission car I've felt was as bad or worse was a Mini - also from BMW. Go figure.

The best clutch/shift? Tyically Honda. They are perfectly designed.

Otherwise, the BMW's are decent cars.

 

keep in mind though, my friends were talking about chipped and modified 335, not stock. stock is no contest, having the money then m3 is hands down the choice. and also keep in mind, my friend already has the 335 (modified) and the m3 is not worth the extra. he did say if he can get a m3, sure why not. but he already has the 335, so it's not worth the upgrade

to me (without either car), if i have the money then it's a hard tie. something out of the bag awesome, or something more fun to play with with mods (which is not your thing, marshall, hehe)

 

there are many people out there who seem to think the M3 is just an engine (power) upgrade on a 335 and that for $2K chip you can make the same or better power so therefore the M3 is not worth the cost which is ~$17K more than a 335i

the M3 is not just an engine upgrade of a 335i, it has an entire new suspension, upgraded interior and exterior, upgraded wheels, tires, and brakes, has CF roof, has M-Diff (LSD where the 335i has no LSD)..

To upgrade a 335i to a M3 would cost a ton of money. If you just want the power (chip) you're fine with the 335i but if you want the whole car upgrade the M3 is best way to go. Not to mention if you mod, many people don't do it themselves so you end up having to find a place, leave your car could void your warranty etc..

It's like say a Z06 is jut a power upgrade to a Corvette (it's not) it's the whole car same with the M3.

I drove the 335i and the M3 and every way the M3 is better. I won't lie the 335i is cheaper but that's where the advantage ends.

Just look people are spending money on Aston Vantage, R8, etc... when you could say a chiped 335i would be as quick (OK) you want to talk what's as quick or you want to talk what's a better car? They are not the same thing.

If you have a 335i mod and it's as quick as a M3 that's fine, but likely the M3 (looks etc..) is worth the money not just talking about power.

the M3 is a NA V8 with 8500 rpm redline similar to a Ferrari engine in the F430 (the M3 has the highest rpms of any V8 save the Ferrari) also it's a type of engine gets better the more you push it. I know Mmarshall doesn't rev the cars he tests but thats missing the point. I mean if you have the highest reving engine in the world but you test it and only rev it to 5000 RPMs what can you tell me? Nothing. Plus many people around the net are saying the M3 is not as good as the 335i (or whatever) probably have not even driven the M3.

It would be nice to hear people say "I have never driven a M3 but ... this is my 2c" Just so we can get to who has driven one and who has not. It would be like me saying a Bugatti Veryon is no good b/c it costs xyz and you can get a 335i, chip it and it's as quick.

BTW, I am not trying to get anything started, just saying there is more to a car than it's TQ numbers a lot more.

If you want to save money the 335i is cheaper I won't say it's not. But just it's funny how many people are putting down the M3 (not just here but other forums as well).

If it's a matter of saving money, I find it odd people are on a Lexus forum and then worried about spending a few extra bucks for a better car. That's the whole car game. an Accord is better than a Civic, a GS350 is better than an Accord (etc.)..

 

True. I generally don't drive....or review......modified cars. My comments refer to stock trim and equipment.

 

A bone-stock 335i, even without a chip (and a chip could void the warranty), is no slouch.....trust me. In my (admittedly) limited experience, it runs roughly even with a 550i.



I accelerate, corner, and brake as aggressively as I feel I can with a brand-new car without abusing it or messing up the engine break-in. Otherwise, I could not give you guys at least a fairly good idea of its capabilities, and would be wasting my time reviewing it....and, of course, your time reading it. Occasionally, with an extremely high-center-of-gravity vehicle like the Chevy Suburban or Toyota Sequoia, I will be extra careful in the corners to prevent flipping it.

But max-performance at the limit is not the primary objective of my reviews. For that, of course, there are a number of auto magazine tests. My job is to describe basically what you get for your money and what you will have to live with on most roads and driving conditions day-to-day. Most of those who read my reviews are quite satisfied with them....I get a lot of requests.


I'm certainly not putting it down. I have great respect for it...is is a superb sports sedan. All I said is that I felt that there is almost as good a sports sedan.....the 335i....for significantly less money. The 335i I drove (with the Sport package) ws 47K. A new M3, parked right next to it on the lot, was 70K.

Well, Lexus forum or not, most of us aren't Bill Gates, and, despite the fact that we generally live comfortable lives, we don't have money to burn. Many, if not most, of us still want the best vehicle we can get for our needs, for the least outlay, especially with the price of everything else around us going through the roof, not the least of which is the cost of keeping those cars filled up at the gas pump. Then, at least for some of us (fortunately, not me), there is the mortgage..........

 

We got a little off-topic, though....partly from me.

Back to the new M3.

 

I generally agree with what you are saying specially about you need to be up in the RPM range to really feel what M3 really can do - btw it's 8400rpm redline not 8500 - but you can't ask mmarshall to run a brand new engine to the redline. He's not suppose to. The breakin procedure for E46 M3 specially said not to rev above 5500rpm until after the initial 1200mile service and I'm pretty sure it's same/similar with E90/E92. I mean would you want to be saddled with a incorrectly broken-in motor by a test driver for your new car?