race911

And I had ~8 yrs/125K miles on a '99 E46 + now ~4 yrs/40K on an '06 E90. If I've spent next to nothing on the 4S in nearly 9 years, the BMWs have been "what's under the couch in spare change" money.

Good friend owns one of the go-to BMW facilities in the Bay Area. (And he's an ex-911 owner, too.) When we compare notes on the what's what of BMW v. Porsche stupid, expensive repairs, they come out about the same. Also, our local email list is populated with 100+ hard core BMW owners, mainly all track guys and racers (might have seen some of them on the NBC sports show last Fri night about their effort at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill). Again, nothing fatal on a pretty large sample size of E36/E46/E90 M3s.

zirrah

Now it makes sense. You're looking at the wrong M3.

E46 M3's are not 2013. E46 is my 2001-2006. Current M's are E9x (last digit depends on the version, coupe or vert).

goofballdeluxe

Wait. You're able to find enjoyment in something?

gonzilla

What about the S6 or E55? Any better? I remember my buddy getting an E55 (the one right before they came out with the E63). I thought that thing was fun to just mash the pedal. They're all big sedans in the end.

zirrah

All of those are fun to mash the pedal.

Quadcammer

haven't spent much time in the S6, so i can't really comment.

E55...well, the torque is addictive, I'll give it that. That said, the exhaust is too loud, the handling is still crappy, and the reliability is questionable.

I guess i don't really get big performance sedans. You compromise on performance and luxury, and end up with something that isn't particularly good at either.

Macca

Quadcammer. I don't think we are talking about replacing the 993 with a similarly well handling and singularly focused vehicle here. We are talking sporty luxo-barges that make daily drivers with some verve. The M3, M5, E55 AMG & C63 all fall into the role well.

If you budget is a E92 M3 then i would also certainly look at 2009 C63...

tian647

Bottom ends that go boom would be the big one, but also top ends that don't get regular attention are a weakness too - lots of people these days who can afford the car but not the maintenance (or don't understand it's needs) make these a questionable buy used especially without any provenance. Also that generation SMG is a mess.


Christian
'95 Carrera

pkrasusky

I just picked up an e39 ///M5, they do have their issues but as stated they're all relatively easily addressable and DIY'able.

The last of the pure mechanical BMW's, pre-technoladen. A great alternative to the glut of ///M3s out there...

e46 ///M3... sound like six kinds of ground up ***... not to mention HELLO GERMAN IROC... huge d'oh factor there unfort. Clarkson in his ubercheesy shirt / glasses / jeans / watch / hat when in one hit the nose spot-on and had me ROFLMAO.

Make sure you get the ///M3 license plate frame on the back so you have the little known ///M3///M3, ///M3 hat, ///M3 shirt, ///M3 underwear. Is that an ///M3!??

zirrah

Nice pickup. E39 M5's are great. But honestly, for every M3 owner I've seen decked out like that I've seen at least 1 if not 2 Porsche guys too. Just sayin...

NC TRACKRAT

"Also that generation SMG is a mess." True dat! Just wait 'til it doesn't want to go in gear no matter how hard you stomp on the brake pedal or slap the shifter. (It must be related to the IMMOBILIZER!). When/if the electro/hydraulic pump goes South, get ready for cardiac arrest when you get the bill.

luckyJ

hilarious!....I'm keeping the 993s....just wanted something to drive daily with adequate suspension/cornering agility and power for the streets....something fun I guess....

the 993s are great to drive but I save those for weekends....

test drove one w/ SMG and the car did feel heavy...will be trying out a manual this week....

btw, thanks everyone for the valuable info!

Stuttgart951

Wow - I'm surprised.

Suppose I'll go against the grain. For a compromise car to be used as a daily driver, I don't think you can do much better than an E46 M3; especially considering the bang for the buck.

Sure, the clutch delay valve needs to come out and and yes, it's heavier than the 993, but are the two cars really capable of fair comparison? The only cars that aren't going to feel "numb" in comparison to the 993 are the 3.2L and earlier 911's.

In comparison to offerings of the period (such as, say... the C32 AMG), the E46 M3 is brilliant, in my opinion. You don't notice the weight, it's distributed near on 50/50 and the engine is intoxicating.

The rod bearing issues seem to be far less of an issue than IMS or RMS issues in 996/997's. If anything, the main problem with the car (and previous generations) is the willingness of the sub-frame to tear.

I've had two of the cars. An '01 and an '03.5 (mid-year changes) and both were extremely reliable and enjoyable with the exception of a sub-frame tear on the 03.5.

Do I enjoy the 993 more? Absolutely. That hardly means the E46 M3 is a dog. Far from it when you consider the truly comparable cars of the period, IMO.

doberdog

I vote for the E39 M5, the last great M5. It all comes down to how you drive it...
The best bang for the $$ is a 335 with a Dinan stage 2, which puts the torque to 425 bl.-ft. and 368hp. There are a lot around and you can still get one under warrant....

axl911

For a while there when I had some cash laying around, I'd seriously considered a 135i for a daily driver. Smaller and still with the 400hp engine /w a chip. That should be fun!