I traded in my 03 Evo for an 04 SMG M3 I love everything about it the transmision is totally solid don't have to worry about replacing clutches like mad. It pulls about the same off the line as the Evo but has a much better top end on it. It rides much nicer than the Evo does it handles just as well (once you get used to rear wheel drive) achieving the same skid pad rating. Its a smoother daily driver car fine for sitting in freeway traffic or hauling *** on the track. The interior is obviously 10x better than the Evo and insurance and gas mialage are about the same

Only bad thing about the M3 is its expensive to buy and once the warrentee is up (and BMW actually covers and honors their warentee and will usually even cover oil changes and maintenence) its expensive to work on but then again evo isn't cheap either.

Only reason to not get the M3 (assuming the price tag is ok with you) is if you strictly want a modified track car. Evo tuning has more parts and is easier to do than the BMW

I love my M3 and plan on driving it for a VERY long time.

 

I have driven an 05 EVO MR and a 2003 E46 M3 Convertible and I must say they are completely different cars, the BMW was not too impressive beyond the look and it didn't feel as fast as I would expect, almost like it was choked up or something. The M3 had 8600 miles on it and the EVO had 10k ish, I would say keep the EVO, the M3 is just as jarring on the bumps but in no way would I rather have a G35 anything over the M3, I drove a 6spd Coupe and all I felt was vibration and cheap feel in the clutch and shifter, it was annoying and not something I expect out of a Sport luxury coupe, BMW is far more advanced in there build, me personally I would rather have an EVO and hand some ***, take some names. I went down to Boston for the weekend a couple weeks back and hell, M3's were like Cavaliers, EVERYwhere... I am also not too sweet on the idea that girls drive the same car as me, another reason why many hear would never buy an Eclipse.

 

It depends on what you want out of your car.

If you plan on modding your car and seeing a lot of track time, keep the Evo.

If you want luxury and speed in a single package, get the M3. Just remember, it is expensive to modify. Good car IMO.

 

m3 is a great car.. I dont think its a bad idea.. but have you seen the evo X ?

 

how about wait for the new M3 coming out in 2007-2008? 400hp?

 

Had an 01 e46 for 4 years.... white w/black, tint, ss exhaust, whort shifter, 19s... looked hot everyone said it was the nicest looking car they had seen. Super balance and weight distribution, nice power, well built. Expensive. I f'in love the evo.

 

M3 is hands down the nicest sports luxury car for its money. But if you want performance then you can't beat the Evo with an M3 unless you are going to take that race past 100mph. If money is not an issue of course an M3 is a no brainer over an Evo. Whatever you do don't get a G35, cause after my test drive I was unimpressed. It felt too heavy when it was pulling, despite the 300bHP. A G35 is in no ways a replacement for an M3. Maybe a replacement for 350Z at best. That's my 2 cents.

 

If you wanted a E46, I could have hooked you up. I actually just sold one today. It was an 02 with 45K on it. The car was in perfect condition. It had an aftermaket AC exhaust. The car was a blast to drive. The car went for 35.5K. It was a trade in for an 04 Viper SRT-10.

 

i disagree... why would you pay 60k for 333 hp? you can have a new z06 for that much .... BMW should have that car with AT LEAST 400 hp if they plan on selling it to people who operate IN reality... i wouldn't buy a BMW for any reason, the reliability of everything from the 5 series on up is poor (via Consumer Reports) and the cost for maintanence outside of warranty is gonna be rediculus as well... i don't see why anyone would buy a M3 unless they just wanted to say they had a M3.... IMO keep the evo, if you have a problem with the ride quality or want something to use on long travels, buy a TL or M35/45.... /end of thread

 

I would personally keep the Evo. The E46 M3 doesn't appeal to me that much and I owned an E36 M3 so I familar with BMWs. I'd get a C6 Corvette or a C5 Z06 over the BMW.

Jim

 

hey friend i used to owen a bmw m3 e36 model euro version it was a great car but i love to modify my cars and i always love to extract the most power out of them but with my m3 i had a limit i couldnt get more then 320hp off it and it was way expensive to do it so if you like to race a car have the evo but if you want to race a car and have a limit when modifying it in the m3 id say like 480hp tops and spend a lot of money and you dont mind about it then get the m3 and if you care of the interior of your car like leather and things this would be the car for you!!
remeber in a real racer you would always sacrifice luxury cause it weights a lot so i dont car about interiors i just care about how much horsepower i will achieve in my car and how i will make my car lighter!!!
good luck

 

I had a 2001 M3 a couple of years ago. Love the car. Tha was the year that BMW had alot of blown engines due to a faulty ring or something like that. So I sold it. LOL



Brought back from Germany in 1993:

 

I would do it if you are tired of the econo car feel of the evo.

 

anyone knows how reliable the M3 is?

 

i understand there where crankshaft and or rod issues with the 01's, is this true?

road tested a SMG with about 30K on the clock and it felt like it was brand new, speaks volumes on the build quality of these cars.

winston