might sell my e46 m3 and join the darkside
I went from this.
All stock 03 1/2 to this.
06 MR, only AEM intake and AMS TBE so far, no tune.
It all depends on what you want to do. Mod? EVO all the way, this thing is a beast in stock form, just the 2 mods wakes it up even more. Since you've modded the M3 a bit you know what it costs for simple things like an exhaust, $2k for a cat back, and 800 for the rasp-X pipe for 0 horsepower, bleh. I'm not happy the route BMW is taking these days, from the questionable styling to the yuppie-rific do dads.
One thing I do like about the M3 is the very predictable steering, very neutral, the EVO is twitchy, and prone to understeer when pushed at the track, but that is easy to fix with a few suspension mods. I wouldn't bother with an VII if you can afford an E46, go with the IV and buy a collector car that hauls ***.
I thought my E46 was much more like my E30 than a 5 series, but guess I had to learn the hard way.
All stock 03 1/2 to this.
06 MR, only AEM intake and AMS TBE so far, no tune.
It all depends on what you want to do. Mod? EVO all the way, this thing is a beast in stock form, just the 2 mods wakes it up even more. Since you've modded the M3 a bit you know what it costs for simple things like an exhaust, $2k for a cat back, and 800 for the rasp-X pipe for 0 horsepower, bleh. I'm not happy the route BMW is taking these days, from the questionable styling to the yuppie-rific do dads.
One thing I do like about the M3 is the very predictable steering, very neutral, the EVO is twitchy, and prone to understeer when pushed at the track, but that is easy to fix with a few suspension mods. I wouldn't bother with an VII if you can afford an E46, go with the IV and buy a collector car that hauls ***.
I thought my E46 was much more like my E30 than a 5 series, but guess I had to learn the hard way.
I went from 3 years in 02 SMG E46 M3 to an 05 EVO GSR. I now have a 4 door supercar capable of making over 450 WHP, cornering at over .9 Gs, and stopping shorter than the M3. Also, it has a lot of legroom in the back seats and carries 5 comfortably. I would never go back to the E46, but I'm eagerly anticipating the next M3--it may become a second car.
You will laugh at some of the faces people will make when they see your car (evo) on the road. Sure it'll be faster but what else? There's nothing like "turbo fast" once that turbo kicks-in it feels like a roller coaster taking off.
I had, before my evo, were an 01' 330ci bmw and a 02' lexusgs300 and I don't miss the luxury one bit. The mods that can be done to an evo will clearly out-weigh the luxury factor and you will be satisfied. 600 whp or woodgrain dash?
I had, before my evo, were an 01' 330ci bmw and a 02' lexusgs300 and I don't miss the luxury one bit. The mods that can be done to an evo will clearly out-weigh the luxury factor and you will be satisfied. 600 whp or woodgrain dash?
Going to Costco and you buying everything you want and still have room for your two friends- $313 dollars
Buying snow tires and going ice racing- $600 dollars
Beating a bmer and seeing his girlfriend laugh at him because a 4 door beat his 50,000 dollar sport coupe- priceless
Buying snow tires and going ice racing- $600 dollars
Beating a bmer and seeing his girlfriend laugh at him because a 4 door beat his 50,000 dollar sport coupe- priceless
I think a lot of these people haven't ever driven an M3. They handle awesome, and feel really well balanced, they just lack torque. While I think the evo is deffinitely more upgradeable, stock to stock, I think the M3 would give an evo a run for its money on a track.
dude the OP's m3 is absolutely SEXY!!!!! i live in socal too, can we meet up so i can see ur m3 in real life ??
i dont own an Evo yet though
(i guess the answer's no then lol)
oh is the m3 6spd?
i dont own an Evo yet though
(i guess the answer's no then lol)oh is the m3 6spd?
I sold my '00 M Coupe and switched over to a '06 Evo IX. I still miss my M Coupe because it was such a rare and sexy car. It recieved all kinds of admiring looks and comments from every age group... quite the opposite with the Evo. If you are comming from www.bimmerforums.com or anything like that, be prepared for a different demographic of members. After a week with the Evo, I went with Vishnu and added a full 3" exhaust and a reflash to bring me up to 385-390 bhp. I love the hell out of it.
Now for the comparison between the two.
Interior - obviously goes to the M3. Great quality, good sound (I personally liked the Harmon Kardon), supportive seats, good sound supression from the outside, no real rattles or creaks. With the Evo, after a week you will hear little squeaks and everything else around you.
Exterior - again goes to the E46. People who are into cars appreciate and respect the M3. It's subtle, yet you know it means business. The Evo is as far from subtle as possible with it's rear wing. The sight of an evo to a juvenile equates to "I gotta ride the evo's *** and make him race my honda". It's very very annoying.
Driver feedback - goes to the Evo IX. You will see what I'm talking about when you go for the drive. Quicker steering ratio, more feedback than the E46, less understeer, better power once spooled up, and more fun in my opinion. It feels connected and gripped to the road. The evo is a more dedicated sports car without any frills other than the ACD. It doesn't have the NA torque that the S54 has (whoever said the M3 has no torque is an idiot) but you can easily get used to driving a turbo motor in no time. You will be able to tell that you will be faster in the Evo once you drive it.
So basically, you are getting into another type of car crowd that's quite different. You are from SoCal so maybe it's not going to be really all that different and by different, I'm referring to the sideway's hat wearing, slang talking, "ooohh snap" type of people. Most of those type come from the NY and SoCal area's and they annoy me but, oh well... they are good for a laugh at least. I drive the car for what it can do and the Evo can do a lot.
Now for the comparison between the two.
Interior - obviously goes to the M3. Great quality, good sound (I personally liked the Harmon Kardon), supportive seats, good sound supression from the outside, no real rattles or creaks. With the Evo, after a week you will hear little squeaks and everything else around you.
Exterior - again goes to the E46. People who are into cars appreciate and respect the M3. It's subtle, yet you know it means business. The Evo is as far from subtle as possible with it's rear wing. The sight of an evo to a juvenile equates to "I gotta ride the evo's *** and make him race my honda". It's very very annoying.
Driver feedback - goes to the Evo IX. You will see what I'm talking about when you go for the drive. Quicker steering ratio, more feedback than the E46, less understeer, better power once spooled up, and more fun in my opinion. It feels connected and gripped to the road. The evo is a more dedicated sports car without any frills other than the ACD. It doesn't have the NA torque that the S54 has (whoever said the M3 has no torque is an idiot) but you can easily get used to driving a turbo motor in no time. You will be able to tell that you will be faster in the Evo once you drive it.
So basically, you are getting into another type of car crowd that's quite different. You are from SoCal so maybe it's not going to be really all that different and by different, I'm referring to the sideway's hat wearing, slang talking, "ooohh snap" type of people. Most of those type come from the NY and SoCal area's and they annoy me but, oh well... they are good for a laugh at least. I drive the car for what it can do and the Evo can do a lot.
I went from '03 M3 to an '03 evo. things i miss are the sound, throttle response, interior, build quality, power on oversteer. things i do not miss are the slow, kind of numb steering, driving position, weight, brakes, limited power mods. Evo overall is more fun. I am seriously considering the Z4 M coupe when it debuts...
Originally Posted by fusionchicken
dude the OP's m3 is absolutely SEXY!!!!! i live in socal too, can we meet up so i can see ur m3 in real life ??
i dont own an Evo yet though
(i guess the answer's no then lol)
oh is the m3 6spd?
i dont own an Evo yet though
(i guess the answer's no then lol)oh is the m3 6spd?
OP?





