Originally Posted by CosmosMpower,Feb 3 2006, 11:27 AM

You shouldn't be calling yourself a car enthusiast if you paid 300 dollars for a door handle. There are about 1000 of them sitting around on junked cars for 20 bucks. Also you're blowing things WAY out of proportion. I have a 9 year old M3 and I haven't had to replace more than 5 major parts (RSM, RTAB, shocks/struts, dim radio which was recalled by BMW) So all in all I've only had to replace worn suspension parts that would need to be changed on any car with that many miles.

People who say BMW's are too expensive to maintain either can't do their own work or aren't resourcefull in finding parts. The E36 has been around a long time and the oem/aftermarket part selection is far more vast than the S2000. I autocross and track my M3 as well as daily drive it 12000 miles a year and I haven't had any problems.

Originally Posted by CosmosMpower,Feb 4 2006, 01:50 AM

Yeah but you can put an AA s/c on a M3 and rape turbo S2000's. M3 is always going to be faster with equal mods. You don't buy a S for straightline acceleration and you don't buy an E46 M3 for knife edge turn in and raw feel.

Originally Posted by bigpurp,Feb 5 2006, 09:16 AM

"Equal mods"? You obviously have no idea how much an AA SC for the M3 costs.

"Rape turbo S2000's"?? Clearly, u don't have the slightest clue how much power a built turbo S2000 can make.

An AA Stage 3 SC for the M3 will be lucky to make 450-500 to the wheels at 7900 rpm. My turbo S2000 will make that from 4500 all the way to redline, while weighing 700 lbs less. It doesn't take a genius to do the math.

Originally Posted by CosmosMpower,Feb 5 2006, 01:51 PM

Almost all those things you listed have to do with age and are WEAR items. A radiator on a civic or accord isn't going to last forever either. Plastics get brittle and weak over the period of 7-10 years constantly heating up and cooling down. I've never heard of any problems with electric windows not working or door panel "integrity". I'd be happy to take a picture of my interior and show you all the gaps are still correct, the headliner is still like new and my 1/10 of an inch glove box door gap. It may get a bit loose over time but 2 screws and 30 seconds of your time can correct that.

I don't know what you mean when you say poor body trim, all the bumpers/plastic strips on my M3 still look great. I keep my car clean and use back to black and they still look black and shiny. I've never had any problems with any sensors, in fact all the sensors paired with the OBC is very usefull in letting me know when my coolant level is low or when I need to change a burned out bulb in my taillight.

You can't seriously come on this forum and tell everyone you paid 300 dollars for just the plastic handle portion of a door and blame BMW. First off, a used plastic door handle is the same as a new plastic door handle. Second of all, the black door handle piece itself doesn't compromise how your door locks. If your door can shut and your locking mechanism inside works it doesn't matter if your door handle is half melted. It sounds like me that you're just a little afraid to do the research to find some parts either used or at a good price and install them yourself.

If you can't do your own work (or pay the price and NOT complain) to replace wear items like radiators, thermostats, and suspension wearing out then you shouldn't be driving any kind of performance car.