Would be nice if the tank was a bit bigger though, I have no problem with the mpg but having to stop for fuel every 4 days is annoying.

Yup - that's the thing I've never quite got, if the TC is constantly shutting down the engine to stop it reversing into hedges. Sounds irritating/pointless to me.

Unless you like standing still & doing burn-outs, of course.

I think my torque comment is being taken out of context. The reason I mentioned it was not to be negative, it was to point out the car needs to be revved to enjoy, as not much happens low down... which is fine in an S2000, but to enjoy those revs in the M3 you are doing mega speeds due to the gearing and power it has etc. In fact within hours of owning mine, I was stopped for doing 3 figures in a fairly low speed area (big open space / moment of madness)

In the Aston, I can have a lot more fun at lower speeds as you don’t need to rev it out.

Basically I had more fun revving the balls off the S at lower speed.

I didn't get past the test drive in the Legend, without fucking Kojak and his fucking Kodak pissing on my bonfire.

They'd Rodney me in an M3...

Haha

i rarely spank the M so inclined to agree but i do let it steer itself a lot. Its a very easy car to do that in, unless its very wet which results in a bit more aggressive reaction

my fave car to drive is the rattly S2.. proper bonkers and looks like its worth 50p

Cheers for the info guys. I can't make my mind up with the E92. I'm wondering if the step up in running costs will be worth the gain (especially on occasional track days), or whether I'll just plain not like it! There's also the question of whether to buy an older car with scope to modify it to my taste, or get a newer comp pack car and leave it OEM - and hope that I like OEM! Plus I still like my S2000 and it will be hard to give it up. I think an E46 M3 would probably suit my purposes better but I've had an E46 330cd for over 10 years now, and fancy a change of scenery. Main reasons for straying from the S2000 are being too tall to drive it comfortably, lack of rollover protection for lanky folk like me, and I really fancy a 6+ cylinder car again.

Maybe you could try and get an extended test drive somewhere?

It doesnt suit track imho, a few of us have made that point, given its weight it will also be very expensive to track if that affects your decision

i spent a day at Brunt with an E46 driver (in my S2) and he went through his tyres whereas a chap in a Cayman S started with worn tyres and just finished them off and mine were pretty new and while they took a bit of a beating i still have them on the car

things like discs are pricey too

but as your daily they are very, very easy to live with

if cost concerns get a 335i

I've been researching Alpinas, since no-one seems to know.

The B5 Biturbo Touring seems one hell of a dog wagon!

Weighs as much as a big Sprinter...

I think you should take the M on track, you'll be surprised how much fun you'll have in it, when it all gets properly hot and it comes alive you don't really notice the weight of it at all
I'm no racing driver but I did enjoy it :)

Yours being a manual doesn't help though I think, I drove one briefly before buying mine and hated it.

335's look boring

I'm not trying to sell the e92 as the best car ever but if I were to have to buy something else in the same price catagory I'd struggle to find something as fast, comfortable, entertaining and practical at the same time

Having my primary cats deleted next week, that'll make the mpe sound a bit throatier :)