the BMB

F18:

contra:

F18:

I agree for the interior quality, the e36s look older in a significant way. I tried a 93 318is, loved the handling. I'm set on getting a rwd or awd car.

I looked through forums... alot of hype over the ///M's, have you ever tried one?

the M is worth the hype.  imo e46 M3 is the second best incarnation, after the e30 M3. 
it is an amazing car.  driving one feels like a fighter jet, especially with the paddles.

e36 M, still a great car, but lacks the power & doesn't make up the difference in handling.  the e46 should start depreciating faster now that the e9x M is here.  but people are still asking way too much for them.

if you can find it within budget, my vote is for 330xi for awd pwnage + great power

I want an e46 ///M very bad, 06 with the csl's engine... no paddle please, gimme a stick! and the fun that is driving with a clutch. this is my dream car, the dream that, if I do well in the next few years, will come true... real dream is a zonda.

330's are really tempting, there is a few ones with 120-140K kms... wich means I could drive it up to 220ish at LEAST...

Shralp, what's the mileale on your cars, tell me some about the maintenance, how much/ year average. thanks.

chevy camaro, nah...

 

several 2002's! you're doing all the work by yourself right? I want to get into that once I get a garage...

I would enjoy getting on track... someday sometime...

maybe I'd put on the stripes, not that big though... 3stripes of about 2-3inchs each, across the rear pannel/ trunk.  nah I'd keep it clean, as long as it's a road car.

red/ tan interior.

contra:

i kind of like it that bold.  could grow tiresome.

alpine white/red interior.

this color scheme is sooo fresh, even a bit too fresh for my tastes... I'm not into white cars.

shralp:

F18:

contra:

F18:

I agree for the interior quality, the e36s look older in a significant way. I tried a 93 318is, loved the handling. I'm set on getting a rwd or awd car.

I looked through forums... alot of hype over the ///M's, have you ever tried one?

the M is worth the hype.  imo e46 M3 is the second best incarnation, after the e30 M3. 
it is an amazing car.  driving one feels like a fighter jet, especially with the paddles.

e36 M, still a great car, but lacks the power & doesn't make up the difference in handling.  the e46 should start depreciating faster now that the e9x M is here.  but people are still asking way too much for them.

if you can find it within budget, my vote is for 330xi for awd pwnage + great power

I want an e46 ///M very bad, 06 with the csl's engine... no paddle please, gimme a stick! and the fun that is driving with a clutch. this is my dream car, the dream that, if I do well in the next few years, will come true... real dream is a zonda.

330's are really tempting, there is a few ones with 120-140K kms... wich means I could drive it up to 220ish at LEAST...

Shralp, what's the mileale on your cars, tell me some about the maintenance, how much/ year average. thanks.

chevy camaro, nah...

 

I have found the BMW's I've owned to be very reliable. They do require regular maintainance though, they are not a Honda. Any M car is going to require more maintainance and parts are more costly.

Currently have a '95 540i w/6 speed (e34)
Before '89 325i  (e30)
and '88 528e (e28)
Various '76 2002's - the most fun, but most labor intensive

I love the power of the 540i, but it feels big after 2002's and e30's. I will probably sell it in a few months and buy a nice e30 to mod. Those cars are so fun with some suspension work and insurance is cheap.

RyanC:

shralp:

F18:

contra:

F18:

I agree for the interior quality, the e36s look older in a significant way. I tried a 93 318is, loved the handling. I'm set on getting a rwd or awd car.

I looked through forums... alot of hype over the ///M's, have you ever tried one?

the M is worth the hype.  imo e46 M3 is the second best incarnation, after the e30 M3. 
it is an amazing car.  driving one feels like a fighter jet, especially with the paddles.

e36 M, still a great car, but lacks the power & doesn't make up the difference in handling.  the e46 should start depreciating faster now that the e9x M is here.  but people are still asking way too much for them.

if you can find it within budget, my vote is for 330xi for awd pwnage + great power

I want an e46 ///M very bad, 06 with the csl's engine... no paddle please, gimme a stick! and the fun that is driving with a clutch. this is my dream car, the dream that, if I do well in the next few years, will come true... real dream is a zonda.

330's are really tempting, there is a few ones with 120-140K kms... wich means I could drive it up to 220ish at LEAST...

Shralp, what's the mileale on your cars, tell me some about the maintenance, how much/ year average. thanks.

chevy camaro, nah...

 

I have found the BMW's I've owned to be very reliable. They do require regular maintainance though, they are not a Honda. Any M car is going to require more maintainance and parts are more costly.

Currently have a '95 540i w/6 speed (e34)
Before '89 325i  (e30)
and '88 528e (e28)
Various '76 2002's - the most fun, but most labor intensive

I love the power of the 540i, but it feels big after 2002's and e30's. I will probably sell it in a few months and buy a nice e30 to mod. Those cars are so fun with some suspension work and insurance is cheap.

E30 325is with an S50 Swap. If I had somewhere to store a second car, I'd do it

If you're dead set on AWD get a B5/B6 Audi A4 as they cost much less used, among other things.

e36 M3s that are in good condition with lower mileage usually go for 15-20K US (from what I've seen on ebay/autotrader), if not more. For that amount of money one might as well buy an 346 330ci with a manual trans. Yes, the M3 has a bit more power and is more performance oriented; however, an e46 330 for around the same price or less gets you a newer/nicer car with lower mileage. Based on your budget, I wouldn't say any of those options are realistic.

In my honest opinion, I would recommend an e46 325i with a 5-speed trans. Then invest in a good pair of snow tires and learn how to drive in the snow (if you don't already know how). Pretty much any BMW will be a great car, though.

contra:

F18:

I agree for the interior quality, the e36s look older in a significant way. I tried a 93 318is, loved the handling. I'm set on getting a rwd or awd car.

I looked through forums... alot of hype over the ///M's, have you ever tried one?

the M is worth the hype.  imo e46 M3 is the second best incarnation, after the e30 M3. 
it is an amazing car.  driving one feels like a fighter jet, especially with the paddles.

e36 M, still a great car, but lacks the power & doesn't make up the difference in handling.  the e46 should start depreciating faster now that the e9x M is here.  but people are still asking way too much for them.

if you can find it within budget, my vote is for 330xi for awd pwnage + great power

Then again if I really wanted a fast car between 30-40K, a 996 porsche 911 would be pretty tempting too.

Paulg:

I just read an article in some car mag claiming that the new M3 is a "near-perfect sport sedan"

Paulg:

I just read an article in some car mag claiming that the new M3 is a "near-perfect sport sedan"

fearwaf:

Paulg:

I just read an article in some car mag claiming that the new M3 is a "near-perfect sport sedan"

Nah the RS4 would kick its ass
Today I saw my Nissan GTR on the road and how my god this thing can fly

I wonder what the production numbers are on the GTRs? I fear that Nissan will keep the production numbers low so people will continue to pay well over sticker (because even at $100,000 it's still a sick car) for them.

I also read somewhere that Audi may replace the RS4 with an RS5 equipped with a 500+ horsepower engine.