i am really not sure what one to buy there both around the same money
any views or opinions welcome
cheers danny
e30 m3 or e46 m3
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wullie325i
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e46 m3 for me its an awsome car in every way.
e30 m3 looks better but thats it imo.
e30 m3 looks better but thats it imo.
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wullie325i
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e30 m3 wouldnt fair too well being used daily in our weather.
e46 m3 should in theory last better but e46's rust aswell as ive seen ones that are a few years old starting to go.
at the end of the day its about how well you maintain them but the e30 is 20+ years old.
for me the e46 m3 is a mental car that gets my heart really pumping when im inside it as it has speed noise and handling but the e30 m3 is not fast by modern standards.
e46 m3 should in theory last better but e46's rust aswell as ive seen ones that are a few years old starting to go.
at the end of the day its about how well you maintain them but the e30 is 20+ years old.
for me the e46 m3 is a mental car that gets my heart really pumping when im inside it as it has speed noise and handling but the e30 m3 is not fast by modern standards.
the money i lose on a e46 m3 would be like owning a e30 m3 and spending money on it so i dont think that would be a problem
if i get a e30 m3 it would be stripped and sealed ect to last another 20 years
i really dont no what to do
if i get a e30 m3 it would be stripped and sealed ect to last another 20 years
i really dont no what to do
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wullie325i
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e46 all the way imo yum yum
but the e30 looks so much better
but the e30 looks so much better
Trust me, you will be spending money on the E46 M3 as well!dano0 wrote:the money i lose on a e46 m3 would be like owning a e30 m3 and spending money on it so i dont think that would be a problem
if i get a e30 m3 it would be stripped and sealed ect to last another 20 years
i really dont no what to do
They are not cheap to run!
Tax is based on emitions which is high!
Insurance is high and cant be put on classic unlike the E30.
They drink Fuel.
A set of decent brand tyres is the best part of a grand.
Servicing costs are high as are repairs which some of will need the correct diagnostic equipment.
All this on top of the depreciation. The value of E30 M3's is going one way and the E46 M3 is going the opposite!
Both awesome cars but in monetary terms only one makes sense.
bss325i
all good points still doesnt really put me off an e46
I'm in the trade so can save money on those bills and have friends in BMW
tax is tax cant avoid that one
I'm nearly 28 so insurance is quite cheep
tyres are a worry but 2 sets of rears to 1 set of fronts
i really wish i could afford both
cheers for the replies keep em coming
all good points still doesnt really put me off an e46
I'm in the trade so can save money on those bills and have friends in BMW
tax is tax cant avoid that one
I'm nearly 28 so insurance is quite cheep
tyres are a worry but 2 sets of rears to 1 set of fronts
i really wish i could afford both
cheers for the replies keep em coming
I have to disagree with bss325
Tax for 6 months cost me 118.50 on 2004 m3.
It gives upto 32mpg on the motorway doing 80 all the way and down to 22 mpg round town.
It depends on what tyres you go for, i have falken fk452's all round which are great for fast road use and cost me 500.00 all in for a brand new set.
The prices are steady now, if anything have firmed a bit.
E30 M3 looks better to me, but the e46 m3 is abetter car all round without any doubt.
There is not one thing the e30 m3 does better than the e46.
Also if you need to go somewhere nice, it would feel better to pull up in a e46 than a e30, say to a wedding.
Dont get me wrong e30 m3's are great but most only have them as a investment.
Tax for 6 months cost me 118.50 on 2004 m3.
It gives upto 32mpg on the motorway doing 80 all the way and down to 22 mpg round town.
It depends on what tyres you go for, i have falken fk452's all round which are great for fast road use and cost me 500.00 all in for a brand new set.
The prices are steady now, if anything have firmed a bit.
E30 M3 looks better to me, but the e46 m3 is abetter car all round without any doubt.
There is not one thing the e30 m3 does better than the e46.
Also if you need to go somewhere nice, it would feel better to pull up in a e46 than a e30, say to a wedding.
Dont get me wrong e30 m3's are great but most only have them as a investment.
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Fushion_Julz
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I don't have my E30 M3 as an investment...
OK it *is* (or was) a good buy several years ago, but I drive it...Not every day, it has to be said, but on trackdays and occasional road use, too...
The E30 isn't too shabby, even in fairly standard form, against an E46 M3 on track...Of course it isn't as fast in a straight line, but round the corners it is probably a load better...
The only thing is, the E30 will be a minimum of 18yrs old as against a max of 10yrs on the E46...
For an occasional car that won't depreciate, the E30...For a more regular drive that may well loose value before it goes up again, the E46
OK it *is* (or was) a good buy several years ago, but I drive it...Not every day, it has to be said, but on trackdays and occasional road use, too...
The E30 isn't too shabby, even in fairly standard form, against an E46 M3 on track...Of course it isn't as fast in a straight line, but round the corners it is probably a load better...
The only thing is, the E30 will be a minimum of 18yrs old as against a max of 10yrs on the E46...
For an occasional car that won't depreciate, the E30...For a more regular drive that may well loose value before it goes up again, the E46
1987 Henna Rot M3 (was 195bhp CAT..now more and no cat)
2001 E46 330i SE Touring (manual)
2001 E46 330i SE Touring (manual)
That deffo includes me but i have owned expensive E46's and plenty of E30's so can draw comparisons.tomson wrote:I suspect almost everyone who has commented on this thread has never owned either, including myself, let alone both to compare them!
That and working in a BMW dealer gives an insight in to the running costs of newer BMW's.
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m3ben05
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Well iv owned both, and to be honest they are almost too different to compare properly.
The e30 M3 is not a great road car, it is gutless below 4000rpm and cannot be used to anywhere near its potential on our crappy roads. That said, i cant think of a car iv driven that rewards in quite the same way, the satisfaction from driving one is the thing i miss most. Also, they just look and sound so damn cool!
The e46 is a brilliant 'all round' car, very comfortable and quick in a straight line. Iv driven it all around europe this year and can honestly say i wouldnt swap it for anything else under £20k for long distance cruising. It does feel very safe and a bit unispiring to drive though, especially on a race track.
Maintenance wise, i would say the 2 are roughly on a par, although to be fair i never had any massive issues on either car. Surprisingly the e46 it actually more economical too (26mpg vs 18mpg)
Conclusion, very different cars that were built for different reasons. If you want a great daily driver it has to be the e46, but if its a 2nd car the E30 wins every time. I sold my e30 just over a year ago and iv owned my e46 for around 7 months and to be honest, I dont think I would swap them back.....
The e30 M3 is not a great road car, it is gutless below 4000rpm and cannot be used to anywhere near its potential on our crappy roads. That said, i cant think of a car iv driven that rewards in quite the same way, the satisfaction from driving one is the thing i miss most. Also, they just look and sound so damn cool!
The e46 is a brilliant 'all round' car, very comfortable and quick in a straight line. Iv driven it all around europe this year and can honestly say i wouldnt swap it for anything else under £20k for long distance cruising. It does feel very safe and a bit unispiring to drive though, especially on a race track.
Maintenance wise, i would say the 2 are roughly on a par, although to be fair i never had any massive issues on either car. Surprisingly the e46 it actually more economical too (26mpg vs 18mpg)
Conclusion, very different cars that were built for different reasons. If you want a great daily driver it has to be the e46, but if its a 2nd car the E30 wins every time. I sold my e30 just over a year ago and iv owned my e46 for around 7 months and to be honest, I dont think I would swap them back.....
Owning for a short period of time and running for several years are different things though Barry. ANY BMW maintained correctly will be expensive, new or old!bss325i wrote:That deffo includes me but i have owned expensive E46's and plenty of E30's so can draw comparisons.tomson wrote:I suspect almost everyone who has commented on this thread has never owned either, including myself, let alone both to compare them!
That and working in a BMW dealer gives an insight in to the running costs of newer BMW's.
odd that you say it's the e30 that you can't drive anywhere near it's potential on the road, i would have assumed it would have been the other way round.
the e46 is a properly fast car, while i'd struggle to describe an e30 m3 as quick, the limits of grip are so much higher on the e46 that to explore them you'd have to be going silly fast, while an e30 gives more controllable thrills at lower speeds, with narrower tyres, more sidewall give, less overall bulk and that bit more feedback.
to be honest, i have never had an issue turning up at weddings of business meetings in an e30 m3. they look special enough that theyre not going to be mistaken for just an old banger, but they don't scream flashyness. ok, so theyre a bit brash, but somehow less lower division footballer too.
obviously they are completely different cars in style, character and performance, but i still find myself fancying an e46 m3. i still think they look fantastic. modern, muscular yet understated, they seem to be ageing very well, something which can't be said of various fast jap crap in a similar price bracket.
although i would really like one, i just can't imagine giving up the e30 to get one. the e30, to me, is a perfect daily commuter car. it's big enough, comfortable enough, quick enough, does reasonable mpg, and is simply awesome fun to thread down deseerted country lanes early in the morning and late at night, i have a feeling that an e46 wouldnt ever quite get under your skin like an e30 m3. sure it's a hell of a lot more capable and more civilised, but theyre also a little cold, and just another fast car. they dont really seem like the sort of car you get attached to and want to keep forever.
the e46 is a properly fast car, while i'd struggle to describe an e30 m3 as quick, the limits of grip are so much higher on the e46 that to explore them you'd have to be going silly fast, while an e30 gives more controllable thrills at lower speeds, with narrower tyres, more sidewall give, less overall bulk and that bit more feedback.
to be honest, i have never had an issue turning up at weddings of business meetings in an e30 m3. they look special enough that theyre not going to be mistaken for just an old banger, but they don't scream flashyness. ok, so theyre a bit brash, but somehow less lower division footballer too.
obviously they are completely different cars in style, character and performance, but i still find myself fancying an e46 m3. i still think they look fantastic. modern, muscular yet understated, they seem to be ageing very well, something which can't be said of various fast jap crap in a similar price bracket.
although i would really like one, i just can't imagine giving up the e30 to get one. the e30, to me, is a perfect daily commuter car. it's big enough, comfortable enough, quick enough, does reasonable mpg, and is simply awesome fun to thread down deseerted country lanes early in the morning and late at night, i have a feeling that an e46 wouldnt ever quite get under your skin like an e30 m3. sure it's a hell of a lot more capable and more civilised, but theyre also a little cold, and just another fast car. they dont really seem like the sort of car you get attached to and want to keep forever.
cheers,
harry
harry
And thinking only a year or so ago you couldn't have an E46 for less than 12k!! £9k starts the e46 world now.
bss325i: Are they really that much to run?? I know I put 2 grand a year aside for the e30 but wouldnt want to be thinking I'd have 4 grand bill for two of my cars per year. I know brakes are expensive.
bss325i: Are they really that much to run?? I know I put 2 grand a year aside for the e30 but wouldnt want to be thinking I'd have 4 grand bill for two of my cars per year. I know brakes are expensive.
I got an e36 m3 and e30 m3 instead of a e46 m3, but the m3 is a track day weekend toy and the e36 is a daily driver as soon as I finish my e21 build I will sell both m3's and get an e46 m3.
I can't think of a better all round car and the serving is less than an porsche 964 (996 are to much money)
Jason
I can't think of a better all round car and the serving is less than an porsche 964 (996 are to much money)
Jason
I sourced a fully loaded Estriol E46 cab for my brother and man what a car! If you need an all round car then it's a no brainer. E30 is a classic and must be treated as so for weekend blast around the block. E46 can do the weekend blast around the block and be you everyday car too. It's also a modern car with all the mod cons, almost twice the power and servicing is thousands of miles apart. I also know they are no more expensive to run. Yes they can be a bit thirsty if you have a heavy right foot (My brothers has been remapped) and that thing flies. Go get one mate. There are bargains to be had. My brothers came with a hardtop, fully loaded with TV, nav, 03 with 35k miles and i paid £16.5k for it
Well since reading this thread Ive been out and looked at one local to me. I thought they were too rich for me and to be honest they are unless I want one with a million miles on.
This one has been well looked after but isn't too much higher than my budget....gonna have to get sucking up to the wife.
This one has been well looked after but isn't too much higher than my budget....gonna have to get sucking up to the wife.
Ring around. They all have different rules!Falkster wrote:Insurance company wont let Sarah be a named driver cos she's been driving less than 5 years!! So she can have a BoxsterS but cant be named on an M3.
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m3ben05
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Try admiral, my mrs is a named driver on mine and has been driving for less than 5 years - adding her actually lowered the quote by over 100 quid!Falkster wrote:Insurance company wont let Sarah be a named driver cos she's been driving less than 5 years!! So she can have a BoxsterS but cant be named on an M3.
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ShepsEvo3
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I've not owned an E46 M3, but I have used a couple of E30 M3's as daily drivers over the years.
They are not any more expensive to maintain than a 325i and are actually better on fuel than the 325i on a run. Sure, exhausts and suspension parts are more expensive and so too are body panels, but the E30 M3 is a pretty reliable and robust car. I also know of someone currently doing over 20,000 miles a year in his old E30 M3.
Sort out any rust issues early on and do it properly and it will serve you well
They are not any more expensive to maintain than a 325i and are actually better on fuel than the 325i on a run. Sure, exhausts and suspension parts are more expensive and so too are body panels, but the E30 M3 is a pretty reliable and robust car. I also know of someone currently doing over 20,000 miles a year in his old E30 M3.
Sort out any rust issues early on and do it properly and it will serve you well
E30 M3 Unichip Alpha N style conversions, this is the ultimate for extracting the best out of your S14 M power car.
Also, Live mapping of your Standard Motronic ECU for optimising all your modifications.
www.sabre-tuning.co.uk
Also, Live mapping of your Standard Motronic ECU for optimising all your modifications.
www.sabre-tuning.co.uk
Yeah I would usually but Ive only got 4 months left to run on the policy so if I cancelled I'd get knack all back plus instead of the 'it'll be a hundred pounds please sir', I'd end up shelling a grand for a new policy.bootyman wrote:Ring around. They all have different rules!Falkster wrote:Insurance company wont let Sarah be a named driver cos she's been driving less than 5 years!! So she can have a BoxsterS but cant be named on an M3.
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cecotto_singh
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i second that e30 m3s are soooo juicy!
more jucy than a e46 m3. Mine drinks like no tommarow.
ive driven/owned both and its difficult. all down to prefernce, both very different animals!
more jucy than a e46 m3. Mine drinks like no tommarow.
ive driven/owned both and its difficult. all down to prefernce, both very different animals!
I really dont no witch one to go for both have there good points and bad points .
e30 m3 is more of a weekend car but if i get a e46 ill only really use it on weekend any way. so not a lot of diffrence the only thing that worries me about a e30 is its left hand drive but i figure i would get used to it after a while .
any opinions on left hand drives??
e30 m3 is more of a weekend car but if i get a e46 ill only really use it on weekend any way. so not a lot of diffrence the only thing that worries me about a e30 is its left hand drive but i figure i would get used to it after a while .
any opinions on left hand drives??
Point raised loads of times, people (ones that probably haven't driven LHD before) usually say they wouldnt want to drive LHD in this country.
I had no issue getting used to it and I find it a better drive....dont know why.
I had no issue getting used to it and I find it a better drive....dont know why.
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fourmotion
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I always thought id have issues drinving LHD cars after a few weeks its completely natural. The only issue you'll have is on overtaking on b roads but to be honest its probably a good thing.... 
A friend and myself took out an e46 M3 from a dealer and gave it a good thrashing. It was a supremely quick car, faultless, surefooted, almost clinical and i think that was the problem for me. Although point to point it would undoubtedly be the faster car, it doesn't have the soul of the e30 M3.
In my opinion its the same with most new cars. Crash regs, comfort, luxuries, sound proofing and emissions and the need for having to bow down to the marketing men have meant that most new cars are lacking in driver interaction like the old stuff. After a goof drive in an e30 M3, you will have a huge grin on your face, while not travelling anywhere near as quickly as the e46 which i think is a good thing. In the e46 youll defintely get to your destination faster. You'll also be able to drink your costa coffee on route....
I drove a few e30 M3's and in standard form they do need more poke. (I didnt drive a standard 215 though) but once youve got the carbon airbox/cams your looking at 240-250+ and then its a different matter.
Cheers,
Warren
A friend and myself took out an e46 M3 from a dealer and gave it a good thrashing. It was a supremely quick car, faultless, surefooted, almost clinical and i think that was the problem for me. Although point to point it would undoubtedly be the faster car, it doesn't have the soul of the e30 M3.
In my opinion its the same with most new cars. Crash regs, comfort, luxuries, sound proofing and emissions and the need for having to bow down to the marketing men have meant that most new cars are lacking in driver interaction like the old stuff. After a goof drive in an e30 M3, you will have a huge grin on your face, while not travelling anywhere near as quickly as the e46 which i think is a good thing. In the e46 youll defintely get to your destination faster. You'll also be able to drink your costa coffee on route....
I drove a few e30 M3's and in standard form they do need more poke. (I didnt drive a standard 215 though) but once youve got the carbon airbox/cams your looking at 240-250+ and then its a different matter.
Cheers,
Warren
Last edited by fourmotion on Thu Dec 10, 2009 12:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
i choose e30 body with the best suspension setup posssible and the e46 engine and box
www.oldskoolfantasy.co.uk
in the shit,the one to blame,yeh its all my fault ;)
in the shit,the one to blame,yeh its all my fault ;)
i dont think this is a fair thread! as an e30 is sooo different to an e46! i have driven e30,e36,e46 you could compare the 36 and 46 but the e30 really is totally different its slower has none of the modern stuff the e46 has like sat nav etc. 9 out of 10 people on here will say e30 because its e30zone!
sorry for the rant it just seems like a very silly comparison! like comparing a mk1 golf gti to its modern day gti there different cars if you want a modern car then you go for one if not get an old one lol! i just dont understand!
just for the record i love the e30 m3! but living with one everyday would be a headache imo
sorry for the rant it just seems like a very silly comparison! like comparing a mk1 golf gti to its modern day gti there different cars if you want a modern car then you go for one if not get an old one lol! i just dont understand!
just for the record i love the e30 m3! but living with one everyday would be a headache imo
E34 ///M5 THE BEST BMW EVER BUILT?
