bmw

[fatmike]

Have you driven one? I loved my old BMW 3-series. It was a great driving car. I put 165K miles on it. That said, you might be disappointed. It drives great, but its limited because its a SEDAN that was designed a decade ago.

The "performance" package was a late addition in the series --> adding some horsepower and torque. Interestingly, the earlier models ('99-'00) were praised for their steering feel.

Good luck!

Mike

[Cloudsurfer]

I recently parted with my 00 540i Sport which was my daily. Great cars, though the V8s can be hit or miss on maintenance. The 3-series cars are much lighter and sportier. The biggest concern I have with modern BMWs is that they, like our Porsches, are not built the way they used to be, and most of the cars (I think even more so than Porsches) do not get proper maintenance since everyone is sold on the "extended service interval" and the fact that so many are leased, the "hey not my car, not my problem" mentality runs rampant.

With any of the newer German cars, they're just too expensive to take the risk of owning one that's not either under CPO warranty, or that you bought private sale from a guy you knew took care of the car. If I'm buying from a dealer its CPO or no deal.

Patrick

[humara]

1 word.



m3

[markk]

Totally different cars.

open roadster vs closed car
light sportcar vs sporty coupe
2 seats vs 4 seats
front-engine vs mid-engine

I own an e46 M3 and a 986 BoxsterS. While the e46 M3 is a very good/great it is a car that is full of compromises. It's very, very good at everything but great at nothing.

For a driver enthousiastic the BoxsterS is much more a drivers car. Drop top, handling, steering feedback, etc.

When driving with my family to my holiday, yep the e46 M3 is fantastic. It's comfortable, it's (very) fast, it's sporty, etc., etc. However when comparing it to driving a topless BoxsterS it's in another ball game. The BoxsterS is much more a live, lighter, better handling, better feedback, etc.

Remember I'm talking M3 vs BoxsterS here and the M3 is still *miles* ahead of a 330CI sport...
(I've driven e46 330ci sport, e46 Alpina B3 3.3S and e46 m3)


Mark.

[Brucelee]

BMW makes wonderful cars. Like a Porsche, I would not have a used one without a robust warranty.

Good luck.