+1!!!! Perfectly said!

 

keep the lexus maaaan. even though the m3 is a great car. the e46 is old now! Go for the newer car!

 

I had an 07 IS350, it was nice, lowered, wheels, the whole shabang.

Now I have a G37 Sedan and an 04 M3. I love the M3 more and more everyday. It is a much more superb driving experience as opposed to being a jack of all trades, master of none like the IS350 was. Feature-wise and comfort wise, the G37 Sedan is also better than the IS350. Of course not everyone is able to just have two cars, and with that said you need to evaluate and choose wisely

P.S. My M3 is currently at 60k, only major issue was an oil leak caused by a worn grommet. < $20 dollar fix. It was dripping one drop of oil every few days. I also have an extended warranty policy to 100k/2014. The policy was $3300 but covers the SMG tranny , which I also love t death.

My M3 was also enthusiast owned, it has an Alcantara M interior that I later found out was available through special orders only.

The key to maintaining the M3 without breaking the bank is DIY...or at the very least an indy shop. I was actually going to get an e92 m3, but it lacked the raw, ridiculous power and feel that the e46 has. The e46 is the last bmw of it's kind. I drove my friend's X6M yesterday and my oh my, i think M has lost it. If you're thinking of getting a newer M, reconsider and get 2 cars for the price of 1

 

Stick with the Lexus, newer is better

 

Like everyone else is saying, if you can afford the maintenance, go with the M3... I enjoy the comfort, quality and power of my IS350 but if I could do all over again, I would have picked an e46 m3 or 335i.

 

Get an IS-F and call it a day. Perfect compromise.

 

IMO if you look past the horrible maintenance cost and plain interior. The e46 M3 is a farrrrrrr more beautiful car, looks and performance.

 

I would keep the lexus

 

In all honesty I would go for the lexus over again. I LOVED my 2005 M3 but it had it's issues and the cost of ownership is no where near as high as on the Lexus (if you want proof I can post a few receipts from my last few services so you can see what a typical M3 owner paid). You MIGHT get lucky and find one that a mature owner took care of, but since the E92 M3 appeared and a lot of the loafer wearing "I got an M3" owners jumped ship on the E46 to get a E92, the prices went down and former ricers picked up those cars and we know the rest of that story. Again it's absolutely your choice, but imo I would go to a Lexus as a daily driven, fun car to modify and inexpensive to own.

 

Did the OP get the m3 or kept the 250?

 

I just don't think I could justify choosing a car for which satisfied and comfortable ownership of it is contingent upon buying a $3,300 (!) extended warranty and knowing how to do everything yourself.

For comparison, the Lexus CPO warranty also covers you until 100k miles and is at least as good if not better (likely better, but you didn't specify the policy you bought) than the policy you got, and yet it typically only adds ~$1000 to the price of a used car. And if you go the Platinum VSA route to 100k miles, it's still <$2000.

 

I was in the market to lease an e93 M3 (Convertible) because they were giving better deals on them at the time than the coupes. I've always personally been a BMW fanboy but never owned one until now. My lease for the 2007 IS350 was 650 per month for 36 months. (It was my first car and had lots of mods. Maybe it was the mods that made the car deteriorate as quickly as it did, but at 39k mi when i got rid of it everything was basically rattling). Then again this was in 12/06 when everyone and their mother was making six to seven figures. The price for the e93 m3 lease in a sour economy was 1100/mo. I really wanted the M3, but the thing that ultimately pushed me away was the V8 with gas prices soaring. I thought to myself, that if I were to buy a BMW, I want to OWN it. I want it to be mine, and looking back 5 years later, the model that will be most in demand is the e46. No one will want that v8 in a few years and it won't be as classic as an e46 (naturally aspirated I6).

I was able to pick up a fully loaded G37 Sedan for about 600/mo and I will own it after 60 months with only 3k down. I purchased it for the 0.9% financing. This in my opinion was the perfect daily driver. Speed, luxury and just enough class--alot like the Lexus. In fact, I have grown more in love with it than the IS350, it is superior IMO in all aspects except styling and small tidbits here and there. However the interior is much more sharp and detailed.

I then began my search for the perfect e46 M3, two days before I bought my e46, I almost pulled the trigger on an 05 with over 100k mi. I'm sure glad I didn't. Two days later I saw my dream car at Beverly Hills BMW, it was a 2004 M3 SMG in silver with alcantara (special order) interior, it had 56k mi and it was priced extremely reasonably at 24k. I got the warranty through a credit union, it is a platinum package--they financed it in for me and the monthly payment went from 420 to 480. My goal is to have the warranty pay for itself, which on these cars, isn't too hard.

Fast forward to now, I am paying <1100 per month and I love having two cars (that I will actually end up owning after paying so much, i hate that after spending 650/mo on the Lexus it just disappeared one day ), I will always have something to drive if the M ever gives me problems, as of now, the M has been worth every single penny. I've done every bit of preventative maintenance. The bushings are going out and the dealer is fixing it completely free on Monday. I am happy As I originally said though, the e46 M3 is NOT the car to drive if you aren't dedicated to it and love it like a wife, only then will she give you exactly what you want, when you want. That, and you shouldn't plan on riding her too hard every day

For the record, I don't actually do any maintenance myself besides oil changes. I made buddy buddy with one of the bmw techs and pay him to do it on his own time at his house.

So my two cents: M3 is my choice if you're willing to actually care and worry about your car; Lexus if you just need something reliable that you don't have to worry about at all. But believe me, if the OP has a 250, an m3 will change his life.

 

Keep your is250. For me personally, I would never buy a car older than what I currently have. M3's are great cars, but you're purchasing one used and taking all the issues with it as well, and the fact that it's a coupe, less practical.

 

lol... might as well say, "should I keep my slow *** luxury car or buy a fast sports car with the crappiest suspension ever made with horrible maintenance costs?"

 

The M3 suspension is lightyears better than the IS suspension. That's a very narrow-minded comment regarding the E46. The E46 is a fantastic piece of machine. Comparing the way it handles with an IS250 is almost an insult to it.