sang

I am about to say good bye to my S2K....It's time for more practicle car..
I knew this kind of time will come.. but it came so sudden..

I won't go track it will be my daily car.
heard that reaplacing clutch for M3 cost about $2000 brakes about $1000 is this for real~!?!@#$

I really like M3 and want to have M3 but as soon as i think about the cost of parts why not just getting 135i,,
much newer same power more torque etc....

Come on guys I know some of you or many of you get M3 after their S2000 I need some feed backs and advices
between those two vehicles.

Thanks

d1rtyc4r

135i for sure.

berny2435

since you live only once and will likely have more prestigious cars down the road, M3. Why? It's an M3 and if you have a chance to get a clean model now, go for it b/c you might never let it go. Also, it's more of a collector. Once the 135i cars get into "no loan" territory from banks, it'll take forever to sell. In 5 years people will have lots of options for nice cars in the same price range as the 135i.

So I say, get an 04 to 06 M3. If you buy from a dealer, make them swap eat the brake cost if they are low.

There are ways to cheapen the brake cost but it is compromise. Gotta pay to play!

street_ruler

agreed. the M car is more "special" and youd probably look back in a few years and regret the 1 series.

JonBoy

M3 if it's a 2005 or 2006. I wouldn't go any older and I'd require a pre-purchase inspection by someone you trust.

brandondan1

I'd be worried about owning an E46 as an ONLY car, if you don't enjoy/know how to work on cars.

The key factor of owning a BMW is preventative maintenance... replacing crucial parts such as waterpumps, thermostats, cracking coolant expansion tanks etc at frequent intervals(50-60k), not to mention things you don't "expect" to go bad like VANOS seals, potential subframe cracking(probably not an issue if you don't track), window regulators, door lock actuators... These aren't SO bad to replace if you do your own work, but once you factor labor at an INDY shop it can really add up.

If you find a clean example with service records, and it's really a dream car for you, go for it. I'd keep a cheap Japanese beater just in case though.

The 135i is fine as long as it's under warranty. The N54 twin turbo engine is even less DIY friendly, so it's good to have the dealer doing the work.

2K_S2000

Hmmm...I have a 2005 M3 and a 2000 S2000! I am biased, but as others have said there is something special about the E46 M3. Any M car for that matter. The 135i is garden variety and a small car - for me the E46 offers more performance, luxury and practicality than the 135i. No question.

Woodson

Lots of expensive things can go wrong, but the clutch isn't one of them. It lasts practically forever.

Jacques79

Driven both cas, E46 M3 hands down.

All German cars will be more expensive to maintain. Get used to it. A complete clutch and pressure plate job on my old Boxster S set me back 3000$.

You gotta pay to play.

If you will get heart attacks every time you take your car in for maintenance or repairs, then German sports cars aern't for you or perhaps you should aim for something under full warranty.

good luck

Bullwings

This


[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h_IcLn4JSg[/media]

my brother went from an E36 M3 to an E90 335i. At the end of the day, he found his E36 to be more enjoyable and missed it. The only thing the 335i has going for it is torque and power, but coming from an S2000 you should know that that does not dictate how enjoyable and fun a car is, or even how fast it is around a road course/auto-x course.

E46 M3 in a 6-speed traditional 3-pedal car.

Edit: something changed, and I no longer know how to insert youtube videos into posts. it used to be simply copy and pasting the link directly as is - no coding necessary.