Just wait for the E92 M3 to come out. There will be a price drop on the E46 M3 so then u can get a better one for the price your looking for. Stay away from SMG trannys they have problems usually and only girlie men drive them lol.

BTW as long as the 01, 02 has the rod bearing recall done there shouldn't be a problem. The only thing u will have to sacrifice is the led tail lights.

 

The new M3 won't be affordable, you can buy 3 or 4 EVO's at the price of the new M3's

Mike

 

Since you're obviously going for the bling factor and not performance, I'd say:

New G37 >> used M3

l8r)

 

Ooh, I can't agree on that one. Infiniti reeks of reworked Nissan to me (because it is). The M3 knocks the luxury sports car out of the park way better.

I thought about an M3 too, but my need for a performance fix would regret it. At least its a RWD!

 

If you really want an M3, wait till the new M3 is released. You'll see the prices of the E46 M3 drop significantly in comparison to their current depreciation.

 

Or buy a BMW 335i coupe Inline 6 twin turbo or wait until the new BMW 1 series it's a compact car with the same motor as the 335i and lighter.

Plus buying a new BMW you get free oil changes and all maintainence until your warranty expires or you reach your mileage that they discountinue it.

Mike

 

Why don't you go try out the car and see which one you like better?

 

yhea, just go drive one. I drove one with the smg package with the paddle shifters and did not like it.

 

if you like the bmw and can afford the upkeep, get it. drive the m3. if it's you, get it. LOL@ 59k for 29 grand. but that is the going rate. i would buy one because i'm a mechanic and bmws are cake to work on. they just have ALOT more retainers and screws and computers for everything. fast in the top end, ok off the line. nice car. the chicks will definately like it alot better. (status car). that said, i wouldn't trade my evo. i would try to keep both. (greedy).

 

Sure, between you and me, we would both like the M3 better. But let's be honest, a lot of people would think of an M3 as just another 3 series, which pretty much puts it on par, if not below, a brand new G37 as far as image is concerned.

l8r)

 

I'd go for a used Audi S4 over the M3.

That's just my personal opinion though for the price category.

 

Will ppl can say our cars are regular lancers. If someone thinks a M3 is a regular 3 series than I don't think there opinion on cars should count.

 

I was thinking the same thing, so I took a drive in my friends M3. Basically, it was just OK, considering how much they cost. The car was a lot softer than I thought it would be in terms of ride, turn-in sharpness, and steering accuracy. Power was decent and I actually liked the exhaust note (a lot of people don't). The car definitely looks good and has a lot of nice features.

I dropped the idea of getting one simply becasue I didn't enjoy it enough for how expensive they are. There are a lot of cars that I would enjoy almost as much (350z comes to mind) that would be a lot cheaper than an M3. Maybe when I get a little older I will look at a german car.

Don't get me wrong, the car was darn nice and performed well, I just couln't take the idea of selling my Evo and spending another $10k on a 5 year old car when I didn't really enjoy it that much more in the first place.

But then again, every time I see one on the road or the evo acts up a bit, I start to re-think that decision...

 

Agreed. But since I suspect the OP is looking to trade the car precisely because of those people, then he might as well cater to that crowd and save himself some $$ in the process.

l8r)

 

The upholstery on the last 3 series were flawed.