That is because he already owns a chipped one, so speed is not that different and they are not testing it at a track. That said, I myself would go for the 335i too if it were my daily driver. M3 all the way for a weekend car though since those types of cars is for maximum fun and value is not really in the equation.

 

hehe you pretty much hit what i clarify in #25 chris

and your choice on the car is very close to how i would choose between the 2 as well

 

I went to dealer to play around with the M3 today, man that thing is totally different from a IS250 hahahha!!!

Don't forget, the M button in M3 makes it > 335 :P

 

Of course the IS-F should be the car you're comparing.

 

Well the 250 is my daily driver, and today I was looking at the 5 series for my parents and a blue M3 was just sitting there, couldn't resist :P The fastest car I've ever been in is either my 250, or a Civic SI, so that about sums it up haha

I'm going to see if I can give the IS F a try when I go for the break dust TSIB

 

I did not say mmarshall should redline the engine on a test drive, but just to say you can not judge an engine with a 8300 rpm redline by how it behaves under 6000 rpms on a test drive at 70% power. At 70% power it's no better than a 335i stock engine, it needs the full measure to be effective.

I have a S2000 if I shifted at 6000 rpms it would be a dog. But if you shift at 8000+ rpms the next gear the engine is at 6000+ rpms etc.. so it's a whole other world.

People have said the M3 is not worth paying more than the 335i even tho they have not actually driven the M3.

I mean so the GT3 911 is not worth more than a 911S or the Z06 is not worth more than the base C6? b/c the lesser models are already so good? That's what people are saying when they say the 335i is a good car so no reason why anyone should pay more for a better version.

It would be like if you are at an amusment park one roller coaster is very good so you say there is no reason to wait in line for the better/faster/stronger roller coaster because the first one is good.

 

I think everyone agrees the M3 or any higher model car is the better car (Except for maybe the GS350 vs GS460) and should out shine and out perform the lower model car. The question is if it is worth $XX dollars more. That is a question only the buyer can answer. $20K so some is an hours work. $20K to some is a days work. $20K to others is a few months work. Each of them may have a different answer. If $20K is a 6 months + work those people shouldn't even be looking at a 328

 

I agree, the M3 is a costly car to be sure, but the same token so is a M5, M6 etc..

this is not the type of car your average person would buy. Not just does it cost a lot of money to buy, it's got expensive tires and poor gas mileage. If you were looking for a great valus it's not that.

Why do some people buy a car like a Audi R8 or Aston Vantage or Z06 or GTR or 911S or Cayman S or M6 or IS-F etc.? Some people can pay extra for performance/looks or exclusivity and if it weren't for those people BMW would not be making a better car then 335i and Chevy would not make a Z06 (or ZR1) etc..

I think the 335i v M3 debate (not here) but I have seen countless threads has taken on a hostile tone, where the 335i defenders (who seem insecure) will attack the M3 owners always with the logic that they could chip the turbo-six and get a ton of power. That's fine, but people are not buying the M3 b/c it's a rocket ship, they can afford a M3 they can afford a Z06, they don't buy a M3 to get a 127mph trap speed in the 1/4 mile. They buy it for an all around GT-type car that has luxury and performance and style and can go straight and turn it's a jack of all trades.

That the M3 is 21 seconds quicker than the 335i stock says something that it's not just a pretty face. The Z06 is not 21 seconds quicker than the base Vette tho it costs more than the difference in price from the 335i to M3. But I don't see a lot of people putting the Z06 down to say it's just a posers car Like some infer about the M3. I think that gets to the root of the problem, people that love the Corvette also love the Z06 but if they don't want to pay extra they are happy with the base Vette it's a great car etc.. but people that like the 335i seem to think the M3 is a paper tiger or it's a dog cos it costs more money but if you point out it's 21 seconds quicker on one lap they will say that's not important. I mean if it was a real race the M3 would be lapping the 335i before it's done.

The M3 has been out for 6 months and it's Ring time is 6 or 7 seconds slower than a C5 Z06 which I think is great considering the same (or less) power but the M3 weighs 500 lbs more.

 

here is a link to the worlds first M3 with DCT tranny video

This is a private car and the owner is still breaking it in, but probably close to 1000 miles now so he's not taking it to redline yet but it's still fairly impressive..

The DCT is the dual clutch tranny to replace the SMGs as an option to the MT.

He's an Amreican serviceman living in Germany so he has a US spec car but he's the first owner of the DCT that is giving real world driving impressions.


well here's the link ----->>http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132061

 

or the GTR completely demolishes the M3 for a similar price despite weighing 300+ lbs more

 

I am waiting for the GTR but every time I think about my M3 test drive, I just want to go back to BMW dealer and pick up a M3. The car is a complete monster, and I am having a hard time imagining how would GTR be better than M3.

 

I agree. Don't listen to those 335i driver saying M3 is not worth it etc.

I test drove M3 twice, and first time was a short test drive on the local traffic and speed under 40mph for the most part. The manual tranny was pretty harsh and I was left unimpressed, at least for the 70k priced performance car. Second time, I get to go on the freeway and I spend about 20 miles driving on the back road of San Mateo. I know I wasn't suppose to, but I red lined the car, and I was completely sold on the spot. Amazingly balanced, precise, and it was everything I was hoping for and more!!

There is about 18k price difference between 335i and M3, and I would say it is worth every penny.

 

I test drove the M3 twice as well, the MT was not great, it's livable but I think the DCT will be better in some ways and more in keeping with the $70K price tag.

One thing about the M3 v GTR, the GTR is the bomb and quicker etc. but for me the M3 is as quick as I want to go also the M3 has very useful rear seats. GTR or Z06 if you don't care about rear seats. But M3 if rear seats are important. I know the GTR has rear seats but 6-inches less headroom than the M3 coupe? IMO that's not a rear seat it's a parcel shelf.

The GTR is not selling at $70K no way no how, it's selling at $90K+ I have checked into that. The difference between a M3 and a GTR (real world) is like $500 a month. I mean that's some difference. So it's nice and good people want to say they are both $70K cars but until dealers are willing to sell without a mark-up it's not a $70K car. And the other fact just the base price you can get a M3 for under $60K and you can not get a GTR for less than $70K (msrp) but really more like $90K+ as far as I can tell and I have contacted 10 Nissan dealers to ask if they are interested in selling me a GTR and they are not one bit interested.

 

PM me if you want to know the place where you can get it for MSPR. But you have to wait until 2010 allocation. I seriously called about 100 Nissan Dealers around the country.

 

thanks, I had a salesperson say I could get a GTR for +$5K and I was all excited but then she said I would be 15th on the list and the list did not include this years cars, so it was like 2+ years in the future.

My position has become, in regards to +$20K that I'd rather buy a car now and lose $20K in depreciation that way instead fo pay the extra to a Nissan dealer.

I understand it would be kick-*** to have one when there are only a few running around on the street, but my hard earned cash does and I don't like making the dealers rich with it.

But I can totally see how the GTR is worth $90K just to me that's a lot of money.