My friend has a E46 M3 and... ..

[LEVOC///MPower]

He is thinking of changing car and get a 98 E36 M3 Dakar Yellow.

He leases cars and does not finance or buy.

Do you think his action of downgrading is kinda stupid? Or will you say he is making a wise choice?

[slickav]

I would never do that but.........hey what can you do? Whatever blows up your skirt.

[LagunaSecaBlue]

if i didnt have enough money to own a e46, i would get an e36 and spend lotsa money on it...

[Polo M3]

id rather have the e36 and not have to stress about payments then have the e46 and worry... both are insanely beautiful cars, either one is going to turn heads... the e36 would simply be easier on the wallet.. i say go for it

[preppyaznboy349]

that is understandable. there are aspects of the e 36 that the e 46 does not have.

[chonkyfire]

Like what?

Not trying to be a jerk, I seriously want to know.

[M3@Apex]

hey, i finally found u levoc....im 2m0a0x2 from the automobile forums......the guy in the 350z thread....anyways, to tell you the truth, if i had a e46 m3, i'd probably sell it and look for a LTW or GT E36 M3. I would do this because i like to mod, and i think the new M3 is a but much

[teenagedirtbag]

plus the E46 parts are so expensive.

[sfhighroller]

Downgrading would be stupid because nobody in the right mind would modify a lease, and stock vs stock the E46 M3 just kicks the E36's ass. Now if he wants to save some money each month, it's not a bad idea since the E36 is a great car, but the E46 is better.

[Fellow Bimmer]

Touch choice...
But I might make the same choice as your friend and pick up the E36 M3. Besides being easier on the wallet I've never really liked the looks of the E46.
I've also met people who like the E30 M3 over any other generations.
It's all up to a persons connections with which generation of the car.
And power wise yes the E45 is more powerful but how does the driver control that car with that much power. I've seen some drivers run faster on the track with a less powerful car because they can control it better. All depends on how you like to tune your car and how the driver reacts with the car.

[mason@tirerack]

Originally posted by Fellow Bimmer
Touch choice...
But I might make the same choice as your friend and pick up the E36 M3. Besides being easier on the wallet I've never really liked the looks of the E46.
I've also met people who like the E30 M3 over any other generations.
It's all up to a persons connections with which generation of the car.

When I bought my E36 it was because I had always loved the balance of the car, and the general look of it. I could have bought an E46 but could not justify spending more on a car I didn't like as well. It's personal taste...but I like the overall feel of the E36.

[LEVOC///MPower]

Originally posted by M3@Apex
hey, i finally found u levoc....im 2m0a0x2 from the automobile forums......the guy in the 350z thread....anyways, to tell you the truth, if i had a e46 m3, i'd probably sell it and look for a LTW or GT E36 M3. I would do this because i like to mod, and i think the new M3 is a but much

Hello M3@Apex!! nice to see you here!!!

Yeah, I think for those who likes modding, a E36 is ideal. You can't do much to the E46.

[CBM3Guy]

I have an E46 M3 and am thinking of doing the same. I really would like 4 doors. In addition, I love the way the E36M drives. Can't beat the power in my E46, but it feels heavy and somewhat disconnected from the road. I'm thinking of going to an E36M3/4. Of course the dollar savings in nice too, but that's not the primary motivation for me.

[BayBimmerM3]

E46 is just a better car in so many respects that I think there is no reason to downgrade obviously he has the money to afford an E46 there is no reason that he should go back down unless he took a pay cut or something. The E46 has lots of mods you can do to it and more and more just keep coming out. It pulls like a mother and I can't wait for my Dads to get here.

[Sam L]

it's all personal preference. yes e46 m3's are insanely expensive to mod (gotta get 5000$ rims, 3000$ exhaust $1500 intake...etc), but if you were keeping it just as a daily driver, i'd probably stick with the e46 m3 just because of the extra bells and whistles that it comes with.