E30 325i Sport or E30 M3

[aaz1400]

Im looking to buy an E30 325i Sport or an E30 M3,
but i dont know which one i should go for whats
the pro's and con's for each car...
what would you guys do??

[oakey]

m3 is a much better car. if you can put up with lhd?
Double the price to buy. but well worth it.
faster
handles far better
looks better
etc etc

[fuzzy]

i know that if i had the cash sitting there i wouldnt even be considering the sport . i just about get away with b4st4rdising a regular 325 the lynch mobs would be at my door for desecrating a genuine m3 if id done what ive done to my touring

[aaz1400]

thats the thing im a bit unsure of the lhd,
ive had 325i sport before an loved it but always wanted a m3

[Simon]

but always wanted a m3

Question answered really...

LHD only seems to be a downside to people who haven't lived with it.

My missus used my M3 back and forth to work for nearly 6 months when my touring was off the road, and not one single complaint.

The only downside I can think of with an M3 is the higher cost of parts over a 325i.

[JohnnyThunders]

Its like asking should i get a Sierra xr4x4 or a Cosworth.
The M3 is vastly superior to the 325i.

imo of course.

[325ispart]

theres a e 30 m3 on ebay convereted to rhd

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-BMW-M3-RED-R ... dZViewItem

[aaz1400]

yeah very true i think when u driven it for a while ill be use to it, now i just have to do the searching game for a nice clean example

[shedrool83]

i would go for the m3 and be a very happy man

[maxfield]

Go for the M3!

Buy the best one you can find/afford!

[ian332isport]

The M3 is vastly superior to the 325i.

I think that's pushing it a little. While the M3 is better in some respects (handling mainly), it is not that much better than a 325i. I'm not saying you can't use an M3 as a daily driver, because you can, and plenty of people do. I do however feel a 325i is a better prospect if you need to drive in lots of traffic, or munch miles on the motorway.

In the real world, there is little to choose between a 325i and an M3. The M3 has a little more BHP, but the 325i has more low down torque. An M3 may go round your average corner a little faster, but the 325i won't be far behind.

The M3 comes into its own on the track, or a windy B road. If this is where you spend most of your time, then take the M3 and be happy that you chose the better car. If you commute to work in traffic, or travel any great distance, then the 325i is arguably the better choice. They are both good cars, but suited to different types of driving.

Ian.

[Cotty]

LHD only seems to be a downside to people who haven't lived with it.

After driving in france and using tolls I wouldn't drive a LHD car in the UK as my only/everyday car.

[Jhonno]

I think Ian makes some good points..

If its a daily, M3 is moe likely to attwact unwanted attention when unattended also

[JungleGus]

M3 if its about the driving

325i Sport if your looking at the bigger picture (insurance, cost)

i would almost rather daily a 318 manual than a 325i. im just that much a fan of the 4 cylinder handling

[M5pilot]

Having owned quite a few 325i's and also two M3's I have to say the M3 is a vastly superior car.

There is ALOT of difference when going head to head in acceleration and the M3 does not have this mythical lack of low end grunt. Just drive a good 215 bhp model and you'll understand.

Typically a 325i will do 165 bhp and a 215 bhp M3 will put it's stock figures down. 40+ bhp is ALOT!

Demlots S14 converted 318iS has shown to be much quicker than any 325i and most 2.7's and my M3 was the same.

The handling and balance alone are enough in my opinion to go for an M3 ans the LHD issue goes away very quickly.

The upgrade path for the M3 is also far more attractive than a 325i. You can turn an already fanstastic M3 into something phenominal as Nadeem Hajazi has with my old M3 by adding some coilovers and good brakes.

Oh, and then there is the looks and residual value too.

Just my 2p

Evo-S

[Falkster]

I love the straight 6 of the 325 but given the option I would go for the M3!!

Make sure you always have a passenger when you go for a Big Mac and park in a multi storey but other than than I wouldnt be without my M3!!!

Before long you will think it is slow so get yourself a 3.64/1 diff which will sort out your demands for a little while then ask us when you get bored of that!

[Cotty]

Make sure you always have a passenger when you go for a Big Mac and park in a multi storey but other than than I wouldnt be without my M3!!!

French tolls were fun solo . I found sticking it in park and after undoing the seatbelt, hopping up on the center console (handbrake off) and leaning across worked.

I hear payment can be helped by using a small fish net containing the money but does not help taking the ticket in the first place.

[Falkster]

I did once reverse into a car park at xmas due to the fact that I was shopping for wifeys pressie so couldnt really take her with me!!

[Cotty]

I did once reverse into a car park at xmas due to the fact that I was shopping for wifeys pressie so couldnt really take her with me!!

Now that I would like to have seen

[Gortour]

The decision really depends on your use of the car.

If you are doing high ish mileage, using daily etc (and where do you park it?) go for the Sport.

If it's a 2nd car, lowish mileage etc, why not get the M3.

Also how hard do you drive? Do you NEED the extra the M3 gives, and can you justify the much higher running costs, insurance, parts, servicing, and will you be happy with LHD?

Your choice ultimately, and you need to be happy with what you buy, but unless it's a 2nd car / toy, I'd go Sport every time.

(Though my choice would be Sport anyway, as I don't drive hard enough to warrant an M3, I love the noise of the straight 6 on song, and the gearstick on the right would drive me NUTS..., though I am left-handed...)

[pnd]

for normal use the 325 is a better car for sheer fun the m3 is preferable but lhd is a pain end of. what i would do is buy a 325(non sport) for say around £2500 and spend the rest of the cash say £4000 that an m3 would cost on sorting the performance and handling of the 325 then you would have a reliable rhd car that went as well as an m3. also word of warning a good sport is more difficult to find these days than an m3.

[Theo]

Spending £4000 on your 325i would not make it go as well as an M3. Perhaps for that money you could get it to go as fast in a straight line, which is boring anyway.

[oldroydsr4]

For 5k you will get a very nice sport, however for the same cash your looking at a dog of an m3

[pnd]

Spending £4000 on your 325i would not make it go as well as an M3. Perhaps for that money you could get it to go as fast in a straight line, which is boring anyway.

i don't remember m3's being that quick (mind you its years since I went in one) Surely £3k would build a decent 2.7 or alternatively £6k will buy a nice alpina.

[harry_p]

m3 every time, simply because it's an m3. even if technically it's not that much 'better' than a 325i, it's still, and always will be, the handbuilt, street homologation version of the most successfull touring car ever made.

[maxfield]

i don't remember m3's being that quick (mind you its years since I went in one) Surely £3k would build a decent 2.7 or alternatively £6k will buy a nice alpina.

Spending 3k on a 2.7 might get close to M3 power. But then what about handling and braking? An M3 will eat a sport or an alpina on the track for breakfast.

[tailoutcharlie]

what about, get a decent 325, get ant to strap a turbo on it, bish bash bosh, a reliable 240bhp.

i love the M3 but have never driven one so im not really in position to comment but the above would prob still cost less than an average M3...i think

[JohnnyThunders]

m3 every time, simply because it's an m3. even if technically it's not that much 'better' than a 325i, it's still, and always will be, the handbuilt, street homologation version of the most successfull touring car ever made.

Hit the nail on the head there, thats what i meant with the Sierra comparison.

[Kos]

for the handling side of things, you need to spend about a £500 to £1000 on a 325i's suspension and steering for it to drive almost as well as a a decent well maintined standard e30 m3.

to maintan an e30 M3 properly cost £Â£Ã‚£Ã‚£ this is what scares most people.

2 completely different cars, which drive diferent ways.

the six pot 325i has lots of low down torque and sounds lovely and a nice car to dirve daily even if you have to comute around town and in traffic from , but if you dive the M3 daily in the same way you will be frustrated, but one you get on to an open winding road you'll have a smile on your face every day

[Simon]

The E30 M3 wasn't actually handbuilt, only the E30 M3 convertible was handbuilt.

[e30bmlover]

no contest mate, if u have the bread go for the m3. end of.

[pnd]

i don't remember m3's being that quick (mind you its years since I went in one) Surely £3k would build a decent 2.7 or alternatively £6k will buy a nice alpina.

Spending 3k on a 2.7 might get close to M3 power. But then what about handling and braking? An M3 will eat a sport or an alpina on the track for breakfast.

which is why i allowed another grand for handling improvements if you look at the first post. Of course an m3 will be better on track but how many people do that many track days and if you did would you want to risk a nice m3?

[maxfield]

which is why i allowed another grand for handling improvements if you look at the first post. Of course an m3 will be better on track but how many people do that many track days and if you did would you want to risk a nice m3?

Lots of people risk nice M3's.

And a lot of enthusiasts do track days.

I think harry_p hit the nail on the head the M3 is a complete package.

Does depend on what the owner wants the car for.

[NL-BMW]

Defo. the e30 M3

[tristan325]

Has to be a 325.

This one's nice

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... &rd=1&rd=1