Hello, buying a M3 shortly, need advice..

[BUFFBOY]

gday, i am located in australia, iv been reading these forums abit and love to learn more about the m3 car.

just thinking about about to go the the local dealer and see what they have for offer in the m3 series.
can someone tell me whats the top of the range m3 ? i belive the CSL is limited and cant be purchased brand new ?

i am looking for one thats brand new, manual, and top of the range m3. which model is this ? or is there only one ?

what should i be looking for aswell ??
i notice some of them on the roads has brembos and the front end looks diferent from other m3s, is there options for me to pick at the showroom? or are these personal modifications ???

any advice would be good.

cheers

[Raj]

try the CS model. It's the competition spec. Basically more of a road car than the CSL.
Personally, I don't know all that much about the cars, but I didn't know they came with brembos. The front end may look different because the normal M3 and the CSL M3 have a different front bar and bonnet (I think).
Best thing to do is talk to professionals about the M3. Speak to your BMW dealer, also speak to owners or customers who take their cars to some of the specialsed BMW garages, eg. Peak Performance or Bavaria Cars.

Also something else to note. THere will be a new M3 being released later next year, so you may want to wait for that. Depends if you want 6 cylinder or 8 cylinder. Also check out the new E92 335i coupe. That's quite a good car if you're looking for value for money in competition with the M3 and approx 0.1 of a second slower than the current M3. Either way, you'll get to know whats happening.

[BUFFBOY]

is the CS model better then the normal M3 ??

[Highboosted]

CS adds a special color and cool rims and such, I'd have to look it up.

[Raj]

I'd say the CS is better. Check BMW. I don't think they make the E46 M3 coupe anymore, or they are stopping them quite soon.

[BUFFBOY]

thanks

[deep throat]

2006 was the last year for the E46 M3. There's no top-of-the-range E46 M3, but there were coupes and verts. Some of the earlier E46 M3 coupes came without a sunroof and navigation, and some verts came without a hardtop. And throughout their life span some came with 18" rims and others in 19".

The Brembo's and different front ends and such are personal add ons, not factory-installed.

[tdc]

There certainly is a "top-of-the-range" E46 M3. It is called the M3 CSL.

More HP, more torque, better brakes, better steering, and lighter.

[deep throat]

Originally Posted by tdc

There certainly is a "top-of-the-range" E46 M3. It is called the M3 CSL.

More HP, more torque, better brakes, better steering, and lighter.

DUH bro, I meant something you can actually go into any showroom and walk out with. Something more "real" than "dream".

[convertibleguy]

There's no 07 M3 so you'd have to pick up an 06 or wait until the 08 models come out with 400 hp V8. Not going to be any deals on those...

I'd agree that looking at an 07 335i coupe might be the way to go along with the sports package. 300 hp and 300 lb ft of torque can't be beat plus it's at a lower price than the M3 (if you can find one)

[rs73]

What about xenon lights, are they std for both hi & lo beam on E46 M3 or just low beam?

[convertibleguy]

The Xenons on my car are just for the low beams.

[rs73]

is yours 2001 model?

[convertibleguy]

mine's a 2006. I was wrong about the Xenons on my car. There was a previous post from someone else that pointed out that the pair of Xenons serve for both the low and high beams; it looks like the reflector changes to alter the shape of the beam pattern. The halogen pair next to the Xenons is just for flash to pass and to add brightness if you hold the high beam switch.