Why do people keep comparing these two cars? Its apples and oranges to me. 2 door luxury rear drive sports coupe vs 4 door non luxury awd sedan. I don't get it.

 

Buy whatever makes you happy!!!

 

I drive a 2003 e46 M3. I've also driven the EVO 9 and X. The M3 is totally different, as it's rear wheel drive, non - turbo and decent mods are very expensive. MSRP is $60k vs. $35K new for the EVO X. The EVO X is an amazing car for $35k. The e46 M3 at current market value is a great buy. Spend $35K on a used M3 and you are in....

It more comes down to what you are into. If you want rear wheel drive with a very nice interior, buy the M3. If you want a car that handles as well as any car in the world, is fairly cheap to mod and will smoke most cars on the track then go for the EVO X.

 

Why do most Evo owners think an Evo is a better handling car than most real sports cars. Do most of them actually lap road courses to find out? M3s handle better then the Evo, while the Evo may have AWD and more grip, it doesnt make up for the fact the motor sits ahead of the front axles. My Evo 8 was CHEAP, loud, harsh, a boy racer magnet and easy to make fast. It wasnt the DD I thought it could be and qtr mile #s arent everything. It was a very dependable/fun car and I took great care of it. I sold it because it all became very annoying and I wanted 4doors,turbos.6spd AND luxury, hopefully the 335i is the answer or I eat my words.

 

Because it is a better handling car than most real sports cars. Because the handling is so accessible and exploitable compared to many of its German counterparts.

P.S. The M3 isn't a sports car.

 

there is no thinking or guessing there. fact.
even when most sport cars run stickier and wider tires the evo is still hangs with them in factory form. Now put 2 grand in both cars and the Evo will put them on ice, period.
Of course they will never out run the 08 Z06's and so on . But under $60 grand i dont see anything comparable on road course. Not to mention the possibilities what the evo have.
Think about the evo as a multi task sports man.
Basically can do everything competitive. And not so much with other sport cars , example the M3

 

well guys i would say go for the evo x..as i got a 04 m3 convt and the warranty is up..iam currently paying $760 a month for it and service is pretty expensive if something goes wrong. iam looking to get rid of my m3 for an evo x..

 

I would not buy a used M3 without intimate knowledge of its past history, or even better, a CPO warranty. Repairs can be very costly. I went with my colleague to test drive an '03 M3 yesterday. During the drive an oil warning light came on followed by wisps of black smoke. The motor was never even revved above 6k rpm.

Having said that, I would rather have a warrantied ZCP M3 over the X.

 

I used to own an 05 E46 M3 and had it for 2 years... I loved the car and it was under warranty the entire time I had it. I looked into modding it and quickly was discouraged by the costly mods and little gain from them. I have to agree when it comes to looks and name, the M3 will be the one to get the most attention from people. I bought a 07 Sti after that and I love the car and now I am looking at an Evo X possibly an MR. I have been doing research on Evos here for the last few months and so far I am pretty much sold into an EVO, just gonna wait til the end of 08 to see how the new MRs do. I modded my STI and I can tell you, like the EVO, you get alot of power for alot less money than what you would spend on an M3 from a modding perspective. I can't speak for EVOs from an ownership perspective since I only driven and not owned either a IX or X but I have several friends that own IXs and they love them. Evos are amazing cars and you can do crazy amounts of modding to them for alot less.

I recommend you drive both cars as you will be driving them and its up to you what you will be happy with. And like everyone here already said, DO NOT touch a BMW thats out of warranty... you will quickly regret it.

As for me, I rather have an new EVO X any day then a used M3, I rather have a vehicle with newer technology and with lots of more return for your money as far as modding goes. Good luck on your choice

 

You still feel that way after riding in the X?

 

Everyone that says "get the M3" drives a IX, lol. At any rate, comparing any used car to a new car is a no brainer for me. Buy a new car. Who wants a beat down M3 with 30,000 miles? Carfax isn't always right so you cannot rely on reports. BMW's have their fair share of major problems so I would steer clear of a used one with no warranty. This is all just me. I only buy new.

 

Wow, just got done reading this thread...

Here what I got out of the thread.

Opinions are like as* holes, everyone has one.

 

What's up with this Evo X being pure performance bull****?

Stock e46 M3 will rip a stock n54 engined car...let alone an Evo X.

I really don't understand...

 

^ I'm guessing the D is for Dumbass?




just messing with you dan. haha

 

I'm amazed (in a good way) about everybody who has posted in this thread. Somebody asks a traditional "versus" question and everybody answers it in an unbiased manner. Each and every one of you give this forum and its community a great name that I'm proud to be a part of.

I own an Dinan supercharged E36 M3 Sedan as well as an Evo IX GSR. I frequent both forums often. My opinion of how others view BMW owners is spot on. They are great cars, comfortable, and make amazing daily drivers. The problem is that the BMW community is a bunch of pretty **** people that would never want to make friends with in real life. You will never find me attending any of their events due to this. I just wish I knew the truth before I bought a BMW I buy a car not only for the obvious, but also the community that comes along with it. I feel right at home here which is why I've decided to sell my M3 and just keep the Evo You guys rock! Well...only partially true. selling the IX to get into an RA or X MR A must since it will now be my only car and will be daily driven.