1999wagon

iTrader: (8)

I have no choice at the moment and have to have a auto, and after talking with numerous BMW dealerships and tuners the concensus is give the M3 Smg a miss and when they go wrong(and they will) they cost a small fortune to repair. Add to that going out in my friends M3 convertable a few times and I was convinced that a for me a Subaru was more fun day to day. The M3 is an amzing car and if I was going on track then you can really strech its legs but around where I live police are everywhere and so keeping to speed limits and having a fun car is more important. I can have more enjoyment driving my Scoob to the shops then I would in a e46 m3, having said that I just sold my E36 328 sport and if I did go for a M3 it would be one of those as I find them to be more fun then a E46. Also watch the vid on youtube of the Jap guys testing the Scoob versus a M3 and a Audi S4 and the Scoob one as high speed and cornering followed by the Audi.

Anyway hope you try a few cars first before deciding.

scoobyc

iTrader: (2)

Dont be put off by the SMG scare stories mate.

Think of how many SMG's there are out there, ive been on cutters for a couple of years now and i dont remember many SMG failures where it wasnt just a relay or sensor or spring or battery or alternator...It seems the SMG system is the first to be sacrificed when there is something else up with the car.

Id also imagine, if it was gonna go, it would have gone by now if you buy a car.

Scooby_MAN

Basically make sure you have funds to run an M3. They guzzle pretty badly & as other people have mentioned the parts are stupidly expensive.

BMW have a good reputation & I love them. But so much can go wrong with M cars & it never appears to affect the reputation they have.

My M3 cost me crap loads. Granted it was an E36 M3 Evo which is not the model being discussed here.
My friend owned an E46 M3 for around 6 to 7 months & had to get rid. It was crippling his wallet.
Great cars but will probably cost you more than you might imagine.
As for regretting buying your Subaru, I'm unsure about that.
I got rid of my M3 for my Sti & haven't looked back.

Razorwrx1

iTrader: (21)

Just to throw a spanner in the works buddy, have you thought about the Merc C32 Amg.

Its like the M3 but with 4 doors. Here's a link incase mate. Dash isn't great, sounds good tho. Ha.

http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...z-c32-amg.html

Gaz7612

I cant see finding one with sensible miles one will be easy though.
I would have thought the Merc would be rather expensive to maintain even compared to a M3