Which M3 are you talking about specifically? E46? E36? Or the new model?
They all have a specific personality and charm to them. If you’re looking at a E46 M3, it’s a good car and a fun car. Make sure you don’t get one that’s been beaten, or you will be floating the repair bills. Which go into the thousands almost by default. lol. The engine needs valve adjustments in certain increments also.
In the end just go and drive one. Get the service history and enjoy. Great cars. As for winter I don;t know. But them M3 is certainly not a winter car, just like a corvette. But thats not to say you can’t drive one in the winter if you had to.
Driving a BMW other than an X5/X6 in the snow is like running on ice in flip-flops. I really would NOT recommend it if you’re doing it often. Chains help but as I said, if you’re snowed under 3/4 of winter than nah. The rear wheel drive makes it super sensitive for the tail to whip out on you.
Apart from that it’s a sweet car. 2009 edition is gorgeous, from the packages you’ll have to add 19" wheels at $1200, Electronic Damping Control at $1000, and Extended Novillo Leather which can be had for $2000 as a standalone option or $1000 with the premium package. 19 inches are a must, clearly
Beautiful engineering but a hard ride so not that much fun for anyone in the back. (This has improved slightly over the years). Check out this good vid from Top Gear comparing the 2008 model to Merc AMG C63 and Audi RS4.
Not a fan of the Merc (Poor longivity) but RS4 is probably my pick for cars in that “category”.
Like greg said which M3 are you getting? Are you planning on buying the brand new 09 M3, those are pricey (75k+). I have test driven the new one and they are fast, much more torque than the E46. The E46 models I believe are from yr 00-05’. I drive the '05 E46 M3, stock is 333HP, still a beast. Never driven it in snow. I drove it at 120 before.
[quote]RSGZ wrote:
swissrugby67 wrote:
Not a fan of the Merc (Poor longivity) but RS4 is probably my pick for cars in that “category”.
Agree. RS4’s or S5 Sport’s are the shiz.[/quote]
God the S5 is gorgeous…And yeah. If you’re driving in the snow with that much horsepower and rear wheel drive you’re asking for something bad to happen…Definitely look into an Audi for comparison so you have all wheel drive.
I drove the 2001 model–E46 I assume. Loved it when I lived in the south–wanted to kill myself after I moved to Chicago. Horrible cars in snow. Buzz is that the Audi 4’s are pretty solid in snow, never driven one though. I ended up trading my BMW (yes this shit is goint to hurt) for a Toyota Tacoma 4X4, it does make me sad this time of year…
WE’re looking into the E46 (01-05 i think are the years) model.
Thanks for the input so far.
I got a buddy with one who says it’s about $1,000 for a valve adjustment every 30k which will suck, but thems the brakes!
We’l be driving it all winter, so we’ll have to consider Audis (S4/RS4) too. I like them both a lot but it all comes down to what the little lady likes.
I drove my 350Z in the snow for a while and I had long commutes…so we’ll see how things go. Maybe snag the M3 and over-prepare ourselves for the winter. WInter tires, weight in the back and money for tow trucks haha.
Great addition to the thread Live
There is a green Murc and a Red Ferrari tearing it up all the time on Shrewsburry street in Worcester if you wanna see. The ferrari is a friend of my cousins. Lucky fuck.
[quote]B rocK wrote:
WE’re looking into the E46 (01-05 i think are the years) model.
Thanks for the input so far.
I got a buddy with one who says it’s about $1,000 for a valve adjustment every 30k which will suck, but thems the brakes!
We’l be driving it all winter, so we’ll have to consider Audis (S4/RS4) too. I like them both a lot but it all comes down to what the little lady likes.
I drove my 350Z in the snow for a while and I had long commutes…so we’ll see how things go. Maybe snag the M3 and over-prepare ourselves for the winter. WInter tires, weight in the back and money for tow trucks haha.
Great addition to the thread Live
There is a green Murc and a Red Ferrari tearing it up all the time on Shrewsburry street in Worcester if you wanna see. The ferrari is a friend of my cousins. Lucky fuck.[/quote]
i saw a random Lamborghini drving down Centre St in Malden a month or so ago. i was like is a Lamborghini doing here? …hope he doesnt hit a pothole ha.
but yo, when i was in L.A. there were Ferraris and Maseratis everywhere. ballin
I’ve driven both the BWM’s and my Mercedes SLK in the snow up in MI and let me tell you, they both BLOW in poor weather. I’m used to winter driving as well and it was a pain driving them, the worst time was when it would first start snowing so you only had a little dusting. All that horsepower going to the rear wheels with no weight over them was interesting
Anyway, I was able to get around in my SLK with some sandbags in the trunk and being very careful giving it and gas. That being said, I lost count how many of my neighbors crashed their 5 series into snow banks haha.
I would go with an Audi S5 any day over the M3 or mercedes when you take into account winter driving.
Have you considered a Pontiac G8? It has styling similar to a BMW without the exorbitant repair costs. I saw a “slightly” modded G8 at a car show, G-13, in Atlanta that was a fucking monster. I am fairly certain it had a blower on it with a fat cam, thing sounded awesome.
Like everyone else is saying, BMWs are not snow cars (not the 3 series, at least). I’ve seen cheap little subcompacts handle the snow better.
BUT, BMWs do have those sweet little traction control warning things that flash and beep and stuff. At least it lets you know you’re about to lose control of your car, crash into something and die before it actually happens.
BUT, BMWs do have those sweet little traction control warning things that flash and beep and stuff. At least it lets you know you’re about to lose control of your car, crash into something and die before it actually happens.[/quote]
Good times
I know jack shit about cars but I did find it amusing that the OP is buying a car…yet its his GIRL whos got relevant questions to ask regarding the purchase.
[quote]buckeye girl wrote:
Like everyone else is saying, BMWs are not snow cars (not the 3 series, at least). I’ve seen cheap little subcompacts handle the snow better.
BUT, BMWs do have those sweet little traction control warning things that flash and beep and stuff. At least it lets you know you’re about to lose control of your car, crash into something and die before it actually happens.[/quote]
Most new cars do have traction control, the question is which cars have the option to turn the damn thing off, kind of hard to have fun with it on.
I don’t have an M3 because I’m not rich enough for that, but I do have a 02 325CI and it is my favorite of the 4+ cars I have driven. It handles horrible in the snow. If snow starts to accumulate, then I am in trouble. Thankfully, I have had to endure only 1 Nebraska winter with that car because I used to live in Texas. This coming winter, if I am in still in Nebraska, I am going to get a beater truck for about $1000. I can’t imagine trying to drive an M3 in snow with all the HP it is putting out, it would be horrible. The wheels would just spin.
You can probably pick up a good E46 M3 for around 20-25k these days.
As far as her fitting in the car, she should be fine as long as she is not a midget. The seats have a pretty wide range of motion.
The fastest I ever got my car was 140mph racing a Mercedes. I won.
BMWs are great cars. As long as you have the mechanical aptitude or the cash to maintain them, they will run for a long time. They are also a lot of fun to drive…except in the winter.
I don’t have an M3 because I’m not rich enough for that, but I do have a 02 325CI and it is my favorite of the 4+ cars I have driven. It handles horrible in the snow. If snow starts to accumulate, then I am in trouble. Thankfully, I have had to endure only 1 Nebraska winter with that car because I used to live in Texas. This coming winter, if I am in still in Nebraska, I am going to get a beater truck for about $1000. I can’t imagine trying to drive an M3 in snow with all the HP it is putting out, it would be horrible. The wheels would just spin.
You can probably pick up a good E46 M3 for around 20-25k these days.
As far as her fitting in the car, she should be fine as long as she is not a midget. The seats have a pretty wide range of motion.
The fastest I ever got my car was 140mph racing a Mercedes. I won.
BMWs are great cars. As long as you have the mechanical aptitude or the cash to maintain them, they will run for a long time. They are also a lot of fun to drive…except in the winter.
