So im thinking about possibly making a very poor financial decision. I own a 08 x and was thinking about trading it for an 09 m3 sedan. My payment will surely go up and maintenance costs I'm certain are higher also. Anyone have any first hand knowledge of the m3 sedan? Am I nuts to want to trade? I just think the m3 looks awesome and can totally see myself in one. I just don't want to regret anything. I welcome all your opinions even the ones that may knock some sense into me.

 

I like the M3 coupe better, but yeah.. I wouldn't mine owning one.

Personally, I think the old E46 M3 is one of the best looking cars ever made.. but I could probably overlook asshat Bangle's poor design language to get the 400+ HP v8.

 

have you test drove one?? that's what i would start with. you might like the car but once you drive it, you may not like it so much compared to the evo

 

lol - i agree to giving it a test drive, but i'm certain you will like the car more. e9x m3 is one of the few cars i would love to own over/including an evo. a great chassis, and depending on the car maintenance should actually be free for a few years.

that said, if this is your only car or you're stretching yourself... obviously not worth it

 

Spending more on a used car? I wouldn't do it. After a couple years you'll probably come to the same problem again because the m3 will be 5 years. There will be more issues with the bimmer, and you'll need to be ready to pay for them.

I would save enough and buy a new one. Take advantage of the bmw maintenance free program.

 

My Dad had an E92 coupe that he just traded for a 550i

It really is a great car and I wish he kept it, but living in the northeast he couldn't deal with the stress of RWD.

It is a phenominal car to drive on a wide open highway or back roads. The faster you go the more you realize just how well the car is made. I think it is a perfect mix between sportiness, luxury, and practicality (since all new M3s have 4 seats and a big trunk) The only thing it lacks is AWD, but thats why God invented the Evo.

Keep in mind, compared to the Evo, Z or other sport cars it is pretty heavy @ approx 3,700 lbs. You get a lot of momentum when it starts to go sideways. On long sweeping roads it just flys and has a completely linear torque band.

Buying New = Get BMW maintanence free program

Buying Used = My Dad bought his fully loaded 2008 for about $70K and sold it for just over $40K with 25,000 miles. (some girl hit it and it showed up on car fax) You can save about $25-30 grand, but be ready to pony up if things start going wrong.

(Nothing went wrong mechanically for my Dad, it was more stupid electronic stuff like the NAV/iDrive/random electronics not working correctly)