Deep Singh

I read the new M3 in 2006 will have a 400bhp v8. Firstly I presume this means the upcoming shape not the current shape with a different engine.
More importantly wont this trump almost anything else on the road? If it comes in under £40k, like the current one, and a 360bhp Porsche costs almost £70k, who'll buy the latter?

Gastro

...er enyone with any taste I suspect. BMW are pi$$h

Gastro
(flame suit at the ready).

davyboy

1650kgs?

chris's scooby

That's fatter than me!

craigdmcd

iTrader: (2)

Just left a BMW garage's employment, had a shot in a few M3's, they really ain't all that impressive, took the boys out in my 04 WRX PPP, and £ for £, the Imp really impressed them. Even out in the "old" shape M5, still not that wow. Try a SL55 AMG or if you're really lucky try a CL65 AMG, they don't go round corners but what a straight line thrill.

Craig

Midmotorsteve

1242kg in the old days E30

408kg heavier why not tow a trailer everywhere, that can not in any sense be a chuckable car, a prime example of a manufacturer loosing the way.

matty01

http://www.germancarfans.com/spyphot...001/bmw/1.html
looks ugly if you ask me...

Midmotorsteve

why do 3 series have 4 doors anyway, M3 particularly??? you have the 5 & 7 series for that business

davyboy

1650 was a guess by the way. But the current one is 1570, so I can only assume what is to come.

chris's scooby

The current M3 only has 2 doors.

Midmotorsteve

the pic thats posted is 4 doors but yes hadn't thought of that, the current one being 2 door one before had 4 or 2.

chris's scooby

I've just tried the link but it's setting off my spyware detector so the photo won't load.lol.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Larded up so they can produce a lightweight 'CSL' version ?

or perhaps instead of CSL, DFS will sponsor the new model. Is it just me that when you see a new shape M3, you think '****' and then, hmm quite like those.

RS Grant

For the benefit of Chris's Scooby....

Cheers,
Grant

Old_Fart

Damn thats one ugly concept...looks like a Rover 75! Still 400BHP front engine rear drive should make for a nice drive...but regarding M3 versus 911...well the 996 was ard 325bhp and the M3 was 343?360?bhp, and the price difference is still there..the 911 will always demand a premium over the BMW because ***** like me just don't like the repmobile image of the BMW and will pay for the Porsche.
Chuck

Diablo

M4 will be two doors and be the one to have.

As for the weight, don't forget the new 5 is lighter than the previous one.

I used to have the same impression of M3's until I spent some time in one recently. Had the 18's (not the 19's) and apparently much better for it.

Felt as quick as any standard Scoob I've ever been in inc PPP Sti's.

Remember it gets to 60 in around 5, 5.1 without the traction benefits of 4wd and will do 170 ish if de restricted. All day long without blowing up.

Thats performance that a standard Scoob can only dream about. But then for 17k more than a WR1 it should be faster

Don't knock something unless you have sufficient experience to comment with authority

The new M4 Coupe with 400 bhp and probably the same weight as current car should be quite something.

Just a shame about the stereotypes. But then, Porshe has the same issues

Old_Fart

Agreed. I grew up loving/wanting a 911. My son may grow up more aware of the M3. He could also find himself disowned
Cman

Diablo

Same here chuck

If a mint 993 S4 is ever to cross my path, I'll not be able to help myself

Wild Mark

Is it just me but the back end side on looks like a rover 75?

Mark

hawkthescoobslayer

gotta agree with you there i grew always wanting a 911 and it had to be a turbo...finally this year I got my dream a 520+bhp ruffed up 911 turbo

Rumplestiltskin!

A guy here at worked summed it up the other day, he moved from an M3 to a 911 & he said that he grew up with pictures of porsches on his bedroom walls & he has always wanted a 911. How many people grew up with pictures of a BMW 3 series on their walls ?

Rump.

Mmmmm

Old m3 ring 8.22
Old M5 ring 8.28

New M5 does the Ring in 8 mins (28 secs quicker !)

Given the relationship of the current M3 and M5, I'm pretty sure the new M3 wll be as quick or probably quicker so less than 8 mins.

An STI Scoob 265 ps 1487kg does the ring in 8.24 mins


A 1995 993 285 ps does the ring in 8.28 mins

7:59 --- Porsche 911 Carrera S (997) (Performance Chassis) (Walter Rohrl - WHEELS June 2004)
8:02 --- Porsche 911 Carrera S (997) (Sport PASM setting) (Walter Rohrl - WHEELS June 2004)

So it's very likely new M3 will offer 997 performamnce for less money and will probably pick up all the best drivers car awards like the current one has

andy_w

I also grew up wanting a 911, however I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to afford to buy a decent one! Decent 993's still fetch around £25k, and I wouldn't want to buy anything much older than that.

However, having recently sold my Audi S4 to ease my financial situation, I was looking for something in the £6-7k range. Ended up buying a 1994 M3 coupe for £7k.

Maybe in another 10 years I'll be buying a 400bhp M4 for under £10k

Senior_AP

Might be heavy but it can get away with it with powerful engines.

Its relative. Big BHP is a modern day demand, remember that 99.9% of the time the car will NOT be on track.

mynickers

a v8 in a BMW, that's like putting a V6 in a scoob isn't it!

I'm not a hooj fan of present M3, I do like the CSL though, but as many have said in terms of performance per pound there are better alternatives without the premium for status and errr style..

MY05 Spec C or Type 25 surely a better alternative for value for money, not that I am bias for anything.

Senior_AP

Errr, yes you're biased.

Old_Fart

STi Spec C is to M3 as the M3 is to the 911, no doubt about the fact you pay for lables...all three are crackers, I choose the scoob keys at least as often as I take the 911 to be honest.. both are great drives, both are different enough to warrant having.
Thank god my wife is still happy in the £100k Fairclough house we bought 8 years ago when we were poor, and lets me buy cars instead of making me move into a posher neighborhood
Cman

Deep Singh

Its easy to say that no one grew up with a poster of a BMW on their wall but then I never had a poster of a Scoob or similar on my wall but have still owned four!! The mag I read seemed to think it would weigh about the same due to lightweigfht engine materials being used.
My point is that though many would love to own a Porker, a 400BHP M3 for £30k less makes a compelling arguement for all other than die hard Porsche fans or those who have loads of money.
Its interesting to see that no matter what car one brings up for discussion here a few still have to chip in with 'my modded Scoob is miles better blah blah zzzzzzzz '. Some people have to realise that everybody does'nt want to own a Scoob all their lives!

Mad Gypsy

It's funny that this thread should come up today. Having recently bought a 996 (3.4 300bhp), I today for the first time encountered an E46 M3. I kept up with no problems whatsoever. Had space permitted, I'm quite sure I would have went past him, maybe not like he was going backwards, but pass him non the less, as I did have a little left on the throttle. Round a couple of bends and I really had to back off. The handling on my 911 was far better than the M3 (or maybe he wasn't a very good driver?). Though my 996 does have the Porsche sports pack which gives it 10mm lower suspension. Either way, as far as I'm concerned, the M3 is not in the same 'sports car' league as a 911, but then neither is the price tag!

When I had my STi Type R, I could keep up with E46 M3's, but didn't feel like I could have past one, though I only had a couple of brief encounters with E46 M3's when I had the scoob.

I'd choose the new 355bhp 997 C2S over any BMW, 400bhp V8 or not.
Just in the same way as if I had a choice between my 911 and a 360 Modena, there can be only one choice. Same thing with M3 vs 911.

Deep Singh

Mad, I d'ont think its accurate to say the M3 is not in the same league as a NA 996. In the same way as saying a sorted STi is not in the same league as a M3,you can ahve your preference but we are talking similar orders of magnitude.
Anyway my point was that yes like you I would rather have a 997S, if money was no object and £30k meant nothing. There are plenty of people like that around and they will always buy Porsches. However I think there are quite a few people who would love a Porsche,could stretch to it but when tempted with a 400 BHP M3 will find the extra £30k difficult to justify.
Its much like the mentality that buys Scoobs ie many could stretch to a M3 or used Porsche but think hey here's a car about as fast,handles as well ( or better),ok looks a bit loud but I'll invest the extra £20k and feel smug! Do you see what I mean or am I talking complete nonsense??!!