Well just bought LX-470 about 6 months ago and been to 2 different Lexus service dept and basically they both sucked.I was also going to buy the IS 300 but changed my mind and instead bought a 98 ///M3-4 door and ofcourse 5 speed.Yup i know the reliabilty won't be as great as a Lexus but believe me i love that thing and have decided to drive/buy german cars for now.
I just feel so bad as i have a Supra TT 6-speed,a LX-470 and was thinking of adding the IS 300 to the collection.I was also thinking about swapping 2JZ GTE but now i'll be putting in an ///M5 motor,transmission and the ECU in my M3.Hopefully that will give me 400+ reliable hp in car that weighs right around 3100 lbs
Later, Yasir

 

and that thing looks sweet as hell!! Here's a pic of it...dropped on H&R springs, carbon fiber front lip attachment and 18" Lowenhart BR5's wrapped in Pirelli and a B&B full cat-back exhaust system!

Here's some pics..

Side profile..


Front offset angle..

 

i have only been to one lexus service department multiple times and that is lexus of tampa bay in florida. I have never had such a good experience, they are the kindest, most honest people i have ever met at a car dealership. either way, i love the 4door M3, it is a bada** car good luck with your project!

Hamid

 

That's a really great buy, I've always loved those cars. You will have a ton of fun playing around with it

 

Uh, won't putting in an M5 drivetrain screw up the M3's handling and breaking dynamics?

 

i agree...a turboed inline 6 would work much better than the m5 engine in the m3. Same reason they don't stick a V8 into the NSX, Skyline, or the FairladyZ - if your front end gets too heavy then your car will handle like *****

 

Thanks to every one for their honest +ve comments about the car.Mine is an Estoril Blue with dove interior and looks a lot mre sharper than the black one in the picts here.
As far as unbalancing the front end goes i think that wont be an issue as M5 engine ia all aluminum and actually weighs less if not the same.Yes i would need stiffer front shocks and will need to upgrade the sway bars.However with that motor i'll have close to 400+ naturally aspirated horse power which would feels very different,more linear & very entertaining,than a boosted 400HP.
I guess if you all have not driven one please take one out for a test drive and know for yourself why they call them " an Ultimate driving machine "
Later, Yasir

 

I'm hoping to get my new house real quick here, I might end up with this if everything goes smoothly in the next few weeks http://sandiabmw.com/preowned/details.php?v_id=165

 

I have had 3 M3's in the past couple of years, a 95, 97, and a 98... I gotta say, they earn the "Ultimate driving machine" tag that BMW puts on them. My M's have handled better than any other car I have ever driven, and that 240HP feels underated when your driving one. I ended up selling the last one, the 98, to go to a 2001 330CI for the newer body style, but the 330 just didnt do it for me. I went from that to a 2000 540I 6 Spd, that was a nice car until I got rear ended by someone doing 70mph, by the way, I was stopped at the time. I absolutley loved my Bimmers, but I think I still love the Japanese products a little more, mainly for the variety of aftermarket products available at a descent price, the Bimmer tuners tend to be quite pricey. I have contimplated selling my GS4 to go to the new M3, but I cant stop buying new mods for the GS!!

Bu the way, Yasir, you lucky bastard.....I miss the hell out of my Supra's.....I still dream about ny T88!!!

 

Yeah i love my Supra TT too but every time i took it out for a spin i knew there was something i was missing.After talking to my friends i realized it's the power delivery of a normally aspirated engine that i wanted and ever since buying the ///M3 i would say i agree with them.
The supra is fast but it's not the quickness that i enjoy,it's the low end torque along with the high revs that i crave for.I also know that a Z06 would be an ideal car for my kind of power delivery but i really don't fancy a vette.I also don't want the car weigh more than 3000 lbs and also it got to be a 4 door.So considering all my criteria an ///M3-4 door with 400+ HP would be an ideal set up.Now i can achieve that goal either by turbo charging,supercharging or a V8 and i have pretty much decided to go ///M5 engine,transmission & the ECU route
However it's hard to ignore the looks and the attention i get when i take the Supra out
Later, Yasir

 

Has anyone done an M5V8 swap

Sweet Car

 

According to my american/german friend,quite a few people have done this swap over there in Germany He's going to bring the whole front clip of an ///M5 to do the swap
Later, Yasir