Hey guys so normally I'm on Bimmerforums but I'm getting ready to purchase a new car and the EVO 8 has made it to the final 2 between the EVO and E46 M3. I know how useful these forums are and figured I'd get some words of wisdom from the right people. I understand you guys will be biased but looking for good info. So here's the situation, I'm looking at spending max $15k and the M3 I'm looking at 2001-2003 80-120k, I know what to expect for the most part with the M3 has I've owned an E46 now for 3 years. I'm a huge DIY kind of guy and wondering how friendly the EVO is, I love working on my E46 the layout and everything of the engine is awesome. I owned a WRX Limited Edition with extensive mods and was never truly amazed by the car even though it was fast. So I guess my run down of questions would be, DIY Friendly? Maintenance costs to expect, can $15k get me into a nice EVO (as my research continues look like 10-11k I can find a decent one). BMWs are notorious for cooling system and front suspension, any trouble spots for the EVO? I'm moving either to Miami or Long Island, will be doing a lot of highway driving, looking for a manual clean car that's quick and handles well. Thanks in advance guys.

 

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...faqs-forum-61/

Ill find all you need to know here. I owned a 99M3 years back and I have to say that it drive and handle like no other car. The e46 m3 is nice and luxurious and very nimble and responsive with the proper setup although it will never be as good as the 96-99 with the S50b32 engine.

Otherwise the Evos do get expensive to maintain. Make sure to not buy on impulse because a looker could always have horrible problems.

 

I'll be sure to look at that sticky thanks, I missed it. As a previous BMW owner you kind of know what it's like to keep one up, you'd say maintenance is more than a BMW? I would expect less just because of the Japanese aspect normally they're not as maintenance needy even though now that you mentioned it I was wrenching on my WRX a lot more than any of my BMWs. How would you compare the handling between the E36 M3 and the EVO?

 

From what I hear the evo handles better. Can't get much better than the 99 m3 though.

 

Honestly the 99m3 handling much better than the evo in my opinion. I had coilovers. Stop tech brakes and sway bars along with power mods, all N/A. It handled like it was on rails and the responsiveness and feedback of the car was unmatched. I really regret ever selling it.

 

Good luck finding a halfway decent VIII for 15k.


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Should be easy to find if he likes to wrench. :}

 

It won't be a low mileage example but I'm looking at 95-110k range but the 2 that I'm looking at are both 2004 and have maintenance records dating back to day 1. I'm somewhat surprised that the M3 can actually be cheaper to purchase and maintain than the EVO, I was looking at the EVO to have similar attributes and maybe bring my overall costs down some. I've driven a few and IMHO is nowhere near the M3 in stock form, I would have to do anywhere from 3-8k in mods (just like my subaru) I think to get the handling and around 365hp which is my goal. Any comments on those numbers I seem to have found?

 

Depends where you live. The evo community in Ohio is huge, shouldn't be to hard to find one for that price in good shape with decent mileage.

I found my 8 MR with 68k on the clock, got it for around 17k, and that was a few years ago. It can be done.

 

You could easily find a pretty clean 2003 Evo VIII for around $15,000. The same price for an E46 M3 is a little scary. Most of the cars that you'll be looking at will likely be due for Service 2 (expensive, though you can do it yourself) or will have VANOS issues or something else.

I am in a similar situation with a slightly more open budget. I've been looking at E46 M3s, E39 M5s, Evos, STIs, GTOs, etc. and from a "daily driver that doesn't brake the bank" perspective, the Evo and GTO really take the cake.

 

Help me find a clean evo in florida for that price... been looking for months..

 

I would not say the Evo is more expensive to maintain at all. My boyfriend has an e46 M3. Comparable to my car he's already spent 5x what I've spent on maintenance alone. Just as an example, just to do plugs, coils, vanos bolt, etc etc he was upwards to $1300 and still has more to go. Parts are more expensive as well. Your buying into the BMW name. Now, with that said. They are two completely different platforms. His car is VERY fun to drive, but so is mine. I have boost, he doesn't. He can redline to 8500, I can't lol. In my opinion (and I'm not just saying this because its my car) but I would pick my car over his. There has been a lot of people coming from M3's to evos lately and I say all the same things to them. I do enjoy driving his car when I do but my car will always be more enjoyable to me

 

Got my VIII for 13.5k with 87k miles and maintenance up to date, the deals are out there.