I cannot have a Porsche - too low getting in and out
M3 07-10 plate is my thought
I travel about 30 mile round trip to work
Visits once a week for which I'd get 40p a mile
But if jogging about
Tax?
Warranty?
Maintenance I hear is not so bad?
I don't want anything over 50k miles fbmwsh if poss
Thoughts?
Great drive.
I would go for a competition pack car with dct as the manual is really knotchy.
Engine is reliable but they go through tyres and brakes really quickly.
Everyone will tell you to make sure you get one with EDC but I don't think it's neccesary more of a nice to have.
Competition pack wheels look great and Lairy colours are awesome.
Edit: They did an 'Edition' model at the end of 2009. These were pretty good as they were all pretty well specced and the colours they came in looked cool
Last edited by bigweb; 1st July 2016 at 20:16.
I have an E93 M3 and an E85 Z4M. Have also had E34 M5 and E39 M5 in the past.
The V8 M3 is a nice car - good engine noise and, as mentioned, the DCT is an extremely good auto box (with the option to change gears manually with paddles if you wish). I'm also not that convinced by the EDC - there's not a huge difference between the 3 settings, although to be fair I haven't really pushed the car yet.
Servicing for ///M cars is significantly more expensive than most other BMWs, and repairs can be dear, so the conventional wisdom is to have an extended warranty where possible (I've had it on most of mine), although there aren't too many problems with the E9x other than throttle actuators.
Don't forget that the cost of parts, tyres, maintenance, insurance, etc will reflect the original selling price of these cars rather than the current second-hand prices.
I know you are local to me and have been to my house before, Sweeping. I have a 2015 F80 M3 and you are welcome to have a going over, as it were. I'm away today for a week, back next Saturday. The current model is not on your list and to be fair is therefore maybe not too relevant as it is such a different car to its predecessors. I'd think carefully about ownership costs and you might be surprised how much closer brand new comes to used on monthlys, especially if you plan to finance; the interest rate for new is about half that for used and very strong discounts can be had...I also could help with that as I know which dealers will deal. I have a service pack too, which I think is essential as keeping them well maintained according to the required schedule could be expensive.
is it any good? It's appalling. Appallingly powerful, i still get a tingle each time I get in and press to button. Staggeringly quick and it looks like an absolute beast. I've never had people openly comment on a car I have owned, random people in car parks. Slightly disconcerting but there you go.
Goes well with a Rolex too, the complete gobshite package!
Kind regards,
Michael.
Last edited by mjrennie; 2nd July 2016 at 06:24.
I too had an E92 M3; thought the DCT was much more refined than the clunky SMG. Very comfortable, mine was utterly reliable with no faults over 3 years. Fuel economy not so good (but on a par with my 911) and it chewed through the rear tyres. If I could no longer get in/out of my Porsche (and I know exactly what you mean OP) I'd jump straight back in to an M3. As others have said the competition pack one would be top of the list; the alloys are lovely and the idrive is the most up to date version. Lovely sounding engine....but I found I had to wring it's neck to extract the performance and that's what pushed me to a 911.
I've not driven the F80; but from all accounts it's a beast and worth a peek if the finances allow!
Does it have to be an M-Car? How about an Alpina B3?
From experience the running costs are almost half when compared to an M-Car.
Ensure it has that key BMW optional extra - indicators!
Last edited by Skier; 3rd July 2016 at 00:12.
A mate of mine deals in used BM's and has just sold his 08 plate saloon... I've driven it several times and it was incredible!, so quick and yet so planted and stable. Sounded awesome with an exhaust mod as the standard spec car is pretty quiet and hence not enough theatre when booting it.
He's just taken in a dark grey 08 plate coupe which is awaiting prep, PM me if you want more details about it and I can put you in touch with him, company is based in Oxfordshire.
I have just binned a 911 for the same reasons (and depreciation amongst other things) and am currently looking at a F10 M5. Haven't driven one yet but by all accounts it is a superb car, will do the long journeys in real comfort and will turn into a monster at the press of a button.
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For about a £20k budget I'm looking at about an 08 late I guess
The mpg is scary as running a Tdi tt
Service costs?
As said, great cars but the new one is way better and I used to love my e92 comp pack, servicing costs worked out at about £300 for a minor and £750 for a major, I averaged about 17 mpg and a pair of rear tyres about every 7000 miles (£500), definitely get an extended warranty and don't forget road tax is £505, great car though definitely makes you smile and poor!
I really really like the e92 M3 for sure, but i'd probably go more for an e63 M6, which has a V10 and looks a bit more exotic... It's actually in my list for a birthday present in January :) but the maintenance and insurance costs are higher!
You can get a lovely example of a V10 M5 for that kind of money, beautiful motor
I've got an 08 E93 M3 and average just over 20mpg. Yes it's expensive on fuel but the only thing that's gone wrong are the dreaded throttle actuators and they were fixed under the extended warranty.
And on days like we've had this week putting the roof down so you can here the noise properly is so worth it.
My neighbour had a V8 manual M3 from new and switched to an M4 fairly recently.
His thoughts are typically that the M4 is the better car in pretty much all ways. The V8 however just had a little something that means it will maintain a place in his heart. If finances had allowed, I'd have had the M3 off him.
He was adamant the extended warranty was a must, but wear and tear stuff aside, it needed very little doing. As has been mentioned above, bits are more expensive than the circa £20k price might suggest.
Originally Posted by zanderpants
No one buys a BMW to avoid depreciation!! Pretty much the worst depreciating cars in the class as BMW chase huge sales targets.
What sort of 911 did you have?
How do you find the E93 vs E85? I'd the non-M 3.0 E86 (coupe version of E85) and it was so remote and fly-by-wirey that it put me off quick beemers... How would you compare your two?
There are different levels of depreciation, loved the car though. I had a 991 C2S
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An M5 will always depreciate more than a 991.
And after a 991 you'd find the M5 a blunt tool I suspect.
The difference is that the 991 was twice as much as the M5 I would buy. In the end the cost of ownership was too much for how much I was using it.
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Fair enough.
Let us know what you think of the M5 when you try one out.
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