please help out in decision E30M3 vs E46 M3

porkyzilla · #1 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 08:43 PM

well guys heres the break down, im 17, i have an 03 M3 nicely packaged on order its on a boat on its way, only thing is im gonna be paying $600 a month and down payment for the baby, ive been waiting for this for over a year now, my dad has decided for divorce after 19 years of marriage, now the thing is he doesnt know what money will be like, im sure he wont mind the extra 300dollars a month, but now im thinking is do you think its worth me working from 4-9 every day 5 days a week for, i mean i am so excited about this car, and love it to death, and am not afraid to admit but am obsessed, now heres the hard part im looking on auto trader and can pick up an immacculate 88 M3 for $20 grand i have a passion for E30's too, now i can pay that off in just over a year, now i got a free ride through collage and could also have the E46 paid off, but the question is whats the smarter way, i think the thought of the $600 a month is scaring me, plus its almost here and my own business isnt off the ground yet so will need to be a burger flipper for a month or so, i mean why dont you guys give me your opnions on the advantages and disadvantages of both. and please dont flame bout safe driving and shit spare me start a new thread for it, been discussed too many times,

LagunaSecaBlue · #2 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 08:51 PM

the greatest decision my parents made was to not get me a overpowered/ overpriced car as my first car.

i dont know about you, but i seriously could not handle that kind of responisibility. you will be surprised how 2-3 years of driving will change how u look at things.

speaking for myself: if i could have either an e46 m3 or an e30 m3, i would jump on the e30. it may require more work, but in the long run, an e30m3 will be a collectors item, wheras the e46 m3 is played out (no offense). if you get the e30, spend a little bit of money on it and keep a little saved away for repairs, i think you will enjoy it more.

think about it, and make the decision that is right for you.

edit: i am speaking as an enthusiast, not as a regular joe blow. chicks and regular fools on the street would MUCH rather have the e46. it is much more "modern" and expensive looking. so if you wanna go for what the chicks dig, or a m3 as an image statement, by all means go for the e46.

motoyen · #3 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 09:34 PM

I would rather own my car than make payments on it. Going through a divorce can get nasty. It would suck if you suddenly couldn't afford the E46 M3 and had to give it up.

Hellspawn · #4 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 09:35 PM

20 G's sounds pretty expensive for an e30 M3, even if its immaculate...

Vitolo · #5 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 09:40 PM

If I were you, id find a nice E36 M3 for about $25k. Its probably the best compromise. They are reliable, still "nice" and yet have more of a raw performance feel like an E30(moreso than E46 by comparison). I agree though, an overpowered car for a youngster is just a bad idea.l Youre 17 any car you get you will become attached to.

Plus enjoy your youth man. there is much more fun to be had at your age than working all the time just to have a certain car!!!

LagunaSecaBlue · #6 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J Vitolo
Plus enjoy your youth man. there is much more fun to be had at your age than working all the time just to have a certain car!!!

seriously, go for the car you can afford without having to sell your soul into slavery.

im 19 and im begining to feel like a old geezer.

OT:...if i won 32 million dollars in the lottery, i dont think it would compare to the excitement i had as a little kid when my parents got me a new lego set

...ahh the memories.

Magnus · #7 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hellspawn
20 G's sounds pretty expensive for an e30 M3, even if its immaculate...

I don't think you know the going rate for a perfect E30 M3.

Guy's. Let us not forget that the E36's are no longer produced, and are depreciating quickly. And, I am willing to bet that in 2009 the E30 will be of more value than the E36. Approx. 15,000 E30 M3's were made, and around 5,000 made it to the U.S. ......you won't have to look at the bumpers or even pop the hood open to see if it's real one.

They also don't come in touring, convertable, 4 door, "AUTO" or even have a coffee cup holder.

__________________________________________________
1989 E30 M3 in mint condition with 35,000 miles = $20k

1995 E36 M3 in mint condition with 35,000 miles = $23k-$25
__________________________________________________

Porkyzilla, I like the way you think... I say buy an E30 since you have a passion for them. Or get an E36 for the value. Your father will appreciate that you looked out for him. And, I'm sure if everything works out better than expected, you will get the E46 when the time is right.

IMHO

Bavarian Tuning · #8 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 10:47 PM

At your age an E30 is the appropriate choice, an E46 M3 is simply too fast for you. Although it really is the better car for the street simply because it has so much more power you don't need to wind it out to have a little fun.

The E46 M3 is played out?... Are we talking about clothes here or something? There's simply more of them out there because it hasn't 12 years to have many of them destroyed like the E30 M3. So I guess the E30 M3 was "played out" at some point too then... I've driven both and the E30 is sort of a bitch for everyday driving, especially when you look at the RPMs you're constantly at on the highway. The E46 M3's only draw back is weight (fixable)...and the fact that you're going to keyed for a being a toddler with a 60k car.

Magnus, how many E30 M3s are in there in the US with 35,000 miles...probably 1 or 2 at most, probably zero for sale.

sfhighroller · #9 (**permalink**) 11-15-2002, 11:19 PM

It doesn't matter which car is played out or not. What matters is making the decision that you will benefit from in the future. Think ten steps ahead...

#10 (**permalink**) 11-16-2002, 06:23 AM

definitely get the E30 M3.

Hellspawn · #11 (**permalink**) 11-16-2002, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Magnus

I don't think you know the going rate for a perfect E30 M3.

My bad, I just have never seen an E30 in the auto trader for 20g's, but I guess they probably weren't immaculate. I was just goin on that fact and the fact that you can get a pretty damn good 95-97 M3 for 18-20k.

E30racer · #12 (**permalink**) 11-16-2002, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bavarian Tuning
At your age an E30 is the appropriate choice, an E46 M3 is simply too fast for you. Although it really is the better car for the street simply because it has so much more power you don't need to wind it out to have a little fun.

The E46 M3 is played out?... Are we talking about clothes here or something? There's simply more of them out there because it hasn't 12 years to have many of them destroyed like the E30 M3. So I guess the E30 M3 was "played out" at some point too then... I've driven both and the E30 is sort of a bitch for everyday driving, especially when you look at the RPMs you're constantly at on the highway. The E46 M3's only draw back is weight (fixable)...and the fact that you're going to keyed for a being a toddler with a 60k car.

Magnus, how many E30 M3s are in there in the US with 35,000 miles...probably 1 or 2 at most, probably zero for sale.

LOL i thought what magnus said was tyte, you just made him look stupid, but get e30 or e36 i think the e36 looks way better than the e46, e46 at 17 is just stupid unless you cant pull girls for shit and thats half the reason why you want 60k car.

djstattic · #13 (**permalink**) 11-16-2002, 09:04 AM

Or if you like the styling of e46's and dont care for the handling and power that much, then get a '99 323i... On the other hand if you want a M, then i would buy e36 over e30 simply because it still looks more "modern" and you will spend much less money on repairs...

Sean M3 · #14 (**permalink**) 11-16-2002, 09:08 AM

I say go for the E46 M3. Looks better and has better performance. Don't get me wrong, I love the E30 M3, but I prefer the E46 over it.

EDIT: Actually, enjoy your life while you're still young and get either an E30 M3 or E36. If you get the E30, put the euro 3.2L engine in there. You can always get an E46 M3 when you're older, or whatever generation they will have in 10-20 years (May not look too good with the path BMW is taking now)

Magnus · #15 (**permalink**) 11-16-2002, 09:12 AM

If only approx. 5,000 e30's made it to the U.S., how could it ever get played-out?

It's not only about history, it's about winning. Having a car made to be the very best for that Era, and then going out and proving it! E30, "Most winningest tour car in history." Proven! If memory serves me correctly BMW had to drop a V8 into the E46 to make it competitive. Not that I disagree with their decision, I love BMW's! I do find that boosting the E46 M3 to 343hp is pretty weak considering the Euro e36 3.2 put out 320hp. The addition of 23horses is nothing to brag about. There are so many new technologies being used that it's easy to see why the E46 is such a terrific car. But I would take it as a starting point and look for the V8 when introduced in the future. BMW needs to set the mark higher then is currently set. Why build a car in the HP range that some companies have been building for a while, although it is naturally aspirated...

The M3 CSL is the car that standard E46 should have been.

IMHO

edit: I am in my second E30 M3 1989 with 57,8XX miles. First crashed at 45,000 miles in 99. They are extremely hard to find. It took me a year to find one.