scoot557

im skeptical of that....my friend has a brand new 530 with the manu-matic shift....maybe its not the same as the M3 one, but its definitely not as good as a manual...it doesn't let u keep redlines/undergear(not that you would want to)....i dunno if its the same manumatic that comes with the M3 though....just my 2¢

Risk3233

A sequential gear box is totally different from manu-matic.

lexusnexus

I give respect to BMW engineers, the M3 kicks asphalt ! But when I was shopping for a new car I test drove the Lexus IS 300 (by far the best), Acura TL-S, Mercedes C Class, and some BMW...it was like 40 grand once I had similar equipment found on the IS....plus the guy was such a d#*k....I would never buy a BMW, just for the attitudes at dealerships.....furhermore, what's the rule with BMW's buy new, and sell after warranty is expired, I am probably just making that up, but many, many previous BMW owners have told me....what a friggin' nightmare service is...

edawg

yeah they are fast but for me i liek my IS way better just because of the looks....and sure the m3 is faster but if you see the link that faruiza posted..believe me you wont want to go fast.....and besides a turbo or supercharger will handle the m3....

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

that's called the SMG (Sequential M Gearbox), basically a sequential shifter, but unlike many so-called "sportshift" these days, SMG is really a MANUAL transmission with electronic controls. Yes it's better than manual, because it's actually very smart. Anything you do with a manual, you can do 100% on SMG.

It was offered on European E36 M3s, I believe the last 2 years, like 98 and 99. They might add that to the M3 in 1 year or 2, and should be coming to the US models also. The only thing that can be compared to this is the F1matic on the 360 modena.

eortiz

As everyone knows, an M# will leave an IS300 in the dust (when stcok). But tune the IS 300 and it will beat an M3 anytime. Also, as some of the BMW owners say, BMW stands for (Buy More Warranty). It goes to the dealer for repairs more than you probably can drive it. That's why the resale value of a BMW (the same goes for any European car) is so low compared to any Japanese cars. IMO, never buy a European car.

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

well said.

That's a big reason I lost faith in European cars. American cars brought me enough trouble, and I thought for sure I was going to get an European car like BMW or Mercedes.

Turns out Japanese cars (especially Lexus) is really top notch!

haveboost

Well guys I would love to agree with you, being an IS owner. But a buddy of mine has a new M3, and let me tell you, you need to have more than "Tune your IS". I don't think not even a 75 shot of nitrous with other mods will catch that car. You need a serious turbo kit or a REALLY serious supercharger. Beleive me I would love to spank him, but I would need to invest at least 10 grand. And if I'm gonna do that, I'll go buy one instead.

eortiz

Like you said, to beat an M# you have to invest a lot of money. I got my IS300 for 32K OTD (fully loaded) so if I add, say 20K for mods, that's 52K. That leaves me a couple of more K's to blast my ears with a very nice sound system while looking at an M3 in my rear view mirror. I might sound one sided but it's just a fact that BMW's are too expensive and not worth the headache you'l get to keep them running. Just my 2 cents. Cheers!

Manaray

The new C36 is bad ***...349hp from a supercharged 6...I think I'd opt for the C36 thing list as there aren't many being built...plus, you know that Brabus, Carlsson, or Lorinser will come out with a "tuning" kit for the supercharger to give you some more HP and Torque...if you get on the list, you won't pay more than MSRP.

I don't trust BMW's reliability...they're not known for making solid cars...just well handling, good looking ones (and in the case of the M series, fast ones)...

Black_IS300

Or an Area 51 Stage 1 Supercharger Read my thread in the Racing stories

https://www.clublexus.com/vb/showthr...threadid=17577

haveboost

I'm sure it felt good. But I'm also sure of this, either he did not know how to drive(which is the case 50% of the time) or something was wrong with that car. There's no way, your car or mine could keep up with a new M3. (unless your using a power adder) I know for a fact! Think about it! The new M3 runs 13's our cars @ best with mods high 14's. The M3 was probably playing with you. But I could understand why it feels good

Black_IS300

Dude... I have a freakin supercharger on my car Trust me.. he WAS NOT playing with me. Unless playing with me involves spinning tires off the line and chirping into 2nd gear.

eortiz

Reeading your story makes me really wonder what happened. Not that I don't believe you but it's just hard to accept it if it's the truth. Can you give us some dyno runs on your car? Because if this is true I'd definitely get an Area 51 S/C. My ulitmate goal...... leave an M3 in the dust

Black_IS300

I dynoed at 250 rear wheel hp and 237 rear wheel torque. They had to remove the air filter because to hook up the lambda sensor (measure air/fuel ratio while tuning) and the filter was in the way. Because if this I was basically sucking in hot air straight from my headers so the numbers were lower than they would be when its all put together. I will post my dyno chart soon... the curve was very impressive. Ive also done things for additional power after that dyno session... where I could tell the difference. I will have a new dyno session soon but I would think I gained another 10-15 rear wheel hp. If my car dynoed at 265 to the wheels then that would translate to roughly 323 hp to the flywheel. The new M3 weighs about 3400lbs with 333hp and my IS300 is about 3200lbs with 323hp. With a A51 stage 1 supercharger you WILL NOT beat an M3. You will be hanging with it for sure though... Head to head... Go to stage 2 and you can say goodbye to the M3