If your gettng into trouble repeatedly with the cops then you dont need ANY fast car.

 

chicks will love the m3..but not your pockets

 

The M3 is ballin.... but not as much as a college education. If you've got the funds set aside for college, go for the M3, the chicas will dig it.

 

I actually sold my E46 M3 convertible to get my Evo IX. Couldn't be happier...

Agree with above - the M3 does NOT respond well to mods. Anyone telling you that adding a chip + exhaust on M3 = good gains has never owned an Evo. With a $600 "performance" chip, you can expect to add about 6hp (to the crank ). Aftermarket exhausts add very little power gains as well.

IMO, you're better off going for bling with some lowering springs and 19" HRE's.

Also, you have to wind the engine out to 8k to get power - there is NO low-end torque in these cars. On the flip side, the M3 engine makes beautiful noise, and the car feels very comfortable at speeds over 120mph (feels like you're going 80).

You are only 20 years old, IMHO enjoy your modded Evo for now, you have the rest of your life to "step up" to the slower, but classier M3...

 

You guys do realize that the 335i I6 twin turbo is faster than the evo IX after 4th gear. (Well at least before my evo is broken in with only 400 miles on it. )

I'm not promoting this, but lets say I was at a closed circuit with a friend and we went from a 60-115 and every time we were pretty much even with me at the slightest edge ahead, until I shift into 5th gear. Thats when he starts walking so I let go after 115, no need to push it further... I dont know maybe if it breaks in more it might get a little quicker, until next time...

Just a little FYI

 

When you say the m3 is cheap, How much is cheap? What do you think you could sell the evo for?

 

I had both cars and its a matter of what you are looking for in a car (refinement vs. brute/ raw power). Its all a matter of taste but I will tell you that you will not get the mid 12's without serious mods.

BTW, Dinan is trash...

I would keep the the Evo but I went from the M3 to a IX and Im very happy... The M3 to me was a bit too tame...

 

Remember 335i doesn't have an LSD

The big turn-down for me with a used m3 is maintenance. $1000-$1500 maintenance every 15k miles. Solid lifters FTL, you must take it to a bmw stealership to get it serviced because it requires special tools.

Taken from the bimmerforums:

"Oil Changes every 7000-15000 miles (depending on your driving style):
7 quarts of 10W-60 at $8 to $11/quart + filter
*free if you car still has scheduled maintanence.

Inspection I/II every 15000 to 30000 miles (depending on your driving style):
$1200-$1600"

 

If you were a true fan you'd know that a beemer is a BMW bike. Bimmer is a bmw car

 

+1

Say that at a CCA gathering and they'll stone ya...

 

I got rid of my 2005 E46 M3 a month ago. Replaced it with a 2006 Evo IX MR. The M3 is a great GT car, but heavy and expensive to play with. The EVO isn't as refined, less costly to modify, but serves my purposes well. Bear in mind that if you decide to go the M3 route is to verify that you still have warranty coverage. You should since it's a 2004, but let me tell you... once that coverage expires, prepare to pay alot for maintenace. Also, if you can hold out.. prices are dropping. It's a buyer's market right now since the E92 M3 was announced, and E46 values are dropping like crazy. I'll probably end up buying an E92 M3 or E60 M5 in a couple of years (as soon as the wife finishes her doctorates).

Go to http://m3forum.com for more info. If you stop by, look me up. My screen name is the same as here.

Some pics of my M:

 

I was thinking of selling my car to get a m3, but after researcing the after market parts...HELL NO

 

I dont know about the LSD, but it does have 2 settings of traction control on and then the 3rd option of it being off.

I drove the 335I, that thing is powerful fast and it pulls all the way to 7k rpm redline. 300 tq kicks in at about 1.4k rpms and doesnt die down untill around 5k rpms. Very nice car, and awesome handling and braking as well. The interior is also very nice with very comfortable seats and many options. Whats funny is when you sit in the car, a little hand comes out and pushes the seat belt to you to grab lol.

 

Put it this way...

$1500 for an intake
$1500-$5000 for an exhaust system (depends, muffler only or cat-back incl. sec1 and 2)
$1200 for headers
$600 ECU flash

All that will net you maybe 25 whp.

For serious power upgrades, think at least $9000 for a supercharger kit, plus another $5-15k for installation, clutch, brakes, etc...

A friend of mine dumped over 40K into his E46 M3, and has only managed to dyno at 545whp. That included a stroker kit, and a stage II s/c, headers, exhaust, intake, BBK, clutch, etc...

BTW.. I paid $1300 for a Gruppe-M titanium exhaust.. that's just the muffler, no section 2 pipes.. hell, it's not even a catback. After living with the drone for a month, I dumped it for a Borla setup at $800, which I considered "cheap" to me.

 

4 of my good friends have M3s. Three are E36s and my neighbor has a nice E46. They aren't as fast, nor track as well as the EVO, but there is a comfort and sophistication about them that is incredible.

My neighbor's E46 is pretty hot, and we've been researching Active's new supercharger system for it. That would put a damper on my EVO

Some nice pics:
http://www.steven-laura.net/Steven/EVO/e46-EVO/