Well I am sorry to say that our Subaru ownership (part 2) has come to an end after a short period of time.

The Spec B as I have said else wehere on this forum had the makings of a great sports saloon. But I felt it was flawed. The fuel economy was horrendous, the appearance of corrosion disturbing, the brake judder and the stinking clutch unaceptable.

The final nail in the coffin was the fact that 5 sources told me that Subaru dealers could discount the Spec B by £5K and that was having a knock on effect on the trade in values.

The worst bid was £13K and the best non Subaru was £18K.

So on Thursday the Legacy went and an M3 coupe has arrived which was a great shame because the Legacy's engine was just starting to open up. Only time will tell if the decision was right. It was an M3 or a Type 25 and sadly Iain was unable to place the car into the trade for me so an M3 was it was.

 

Is the m3 an e36 or e46?...I assume you mean an e46......so what are your opinions on the new m3 in comparison?

 

Yes it is an E46.

Initial thoughts are that the M3 is a much rawer car than I initially imagined. I had assummed it would be just a much quicker 3 series, but is more raw than anything I have driven before.

As a comparison between the Spec B & M3, I have the following thoughts:

Spec B Gearbox is superior to the M3

Spec B is a much softer ride and quieter and makes the better Motorway Cruiser

M3 fuel economy is much much better than the Spec B (28 -32) v (21 - 26)

M3 brakes are superb

 

Good choice, but I'm not biased

M3's are supurb all round cars, I love mine!!

 

Congratulations on the M3 Catherine, it's a great car. However, the E46 M3 certainly is quite raw and the manual box is terrible and not by accident I think. They want to push the SMG (which is OK if you take time to get used to it) - the new M5 will not be available with anything other than SMG, or so my local dealer told me. I have found that the other draw back with the M3 is that it is quite small inside - at 6'2" my head is hard against the roof and there is not much leg room behind my seat.

Did you try any of the alternatives?

I have tried an Audi S4 (and it was dull).

The MY05 STi PPP was fun and would have been my choice (good warranty, can be serviced by my local dealer, etc.) had it not been so hard to insure. I cannot understand why a dealer model is classed as "modified" by almost all insurance companies. However, as it is classed "modified" I have started looking at alternatives: Type 25 and S203. The Type 25 looks like a great car but may not be suitable as it requires an oil change every 5000 miles (not compatible with 20000 miles a year) and I am not sure how easy it is to get hold of an S203 or what the service and warranty are like for it.

A final thought, did you consider an M5?

 

Catherine - sorry to hear your troubles. We have had none of the issues you speak of - except the petrol ! Good luck with your Beemer.

Keith

 

The M3 is a stunning looking car i must say.

My mate has just bought a 54 plate and took me out in it yesterday
and i was expecting it to be quicker !

It is a heavy car so needs all of the 343 BHP to move.

It seems to rev for ever but never gives that punch you expect
i guess i used to having my eyes pulled out by a Turbo.

All round an awsome motor, but for the money i would of had the X5.

Rob

 

Err Somehow I seriously doubt that.

Congratulations on the M3, I used to have one and it preferred it to my 996C4 that replaced it. It is one of the the best cars I have owned.

 

I am slowly getting to grips with the gearbox so probably in another week I should have mastered it.

I looked at an S4 Cabriolet but decided against it.

 

I have to say that I am really enjoying it to date even though it is quite raw. I am afraid I will never get back into Porsche ownership and until Subaru do something about this alleged discounting I will not buy a UK car, which is a pitty because we are big fans.

 

I am sure I read somewhere that peak bhp is not delivered until the top end of 7,000 rpm (which is pretty close to the redline).

I know what you mean about it being a heavy car, it was shorter but wider than the Legacy and minus a 4wd system. Yet it only weighs something link 100kgs less (or there abouts).

 

The interesting this Keith (and annoying) I am currently getting 29.9 out of the M3 and that is with 100 bhp more than the Scoob and 200cc's more.

Subaru really must do something about the economy side of things.

 

[QUOTE=Catherine]The interesting this Keith (and annoying) I am currently getting 29.9 out of the M3 and that is with 100 bhp more than the Scoob and 200cc's more.

Subaru really must do something about the economy side of things.[/QUOTE

glad to hear youre enjoying the M3 but just out of curiosity, why are you so bothered about fuel economy when you can afford to buy such expensive cars???

 

EXPECTING IT TO BE QUICKER!!!!

The M3 does hide speed and acceleration so well, it just keeps on pulling strong from low down the revs. Never ceases to amaze me when I have a shot in my parents one, and I own an 05 STI PPP.

If I had the money I would buy an X5 too, then set fire to it. What a heap of junk, only fit for poncing about towing a horsebox.

I thought scoobyneters were passionate about driving????

Bob.

 

[QUOTE=mattvortex]Probably because I am a northerner and a tight ****. .

The point I am trying to make is if you think how much more powerful the M3 is, strictly speaking you would expect the M3 to have poorer fuel economy in comparision with the Spec B.

I was probably expecting the M3 to deliver at best 23 and based upon my experience with the Legacy somewhere in the region of sub 20. My driving style suddenly hasnt changed so a) was there something wrong with the scoob or b) was it just far too juicy

 

I have a modded STi and an M3 (which is now modded but I'm basing this on when it was stock)

0-100 not really anything in it, depends who gets the best start.

100-120 M3 starts pushing hard.

120+ M3 see you later mr subaru...

I have a friend with a ECUtek / Decat WRX, and the M3 didn't even struggle with that, but modded STi's are abit differant.

Wet leafy coutry road I would take the scooby!

Thing is they are such differant type's of car. M3 is like being in your lounge at 155mph!

I can sit at 167 on speedo (no idea on GPS speed as it's supposed to be limited to 155?) all day long in the M3 and not hear a sound, try that in the scooby and things get abit scary!

I'm really confused as to what to buy next. CSL isn't enough of a change, GT3 seems it could be too expensive, and has no sat nav etc so could be abit raw. Possibly new RS4? Tricky choice where to go after a Scooby and an M3...

 

Why not the next generation M3? Hasnt that allegedly got 400bhp?

 

True, Guess that could be an option!

 

wbm3 have you driven a CSL? Big difference between it and a cooking M3. Massive

 

I havn't Fletch but I'm going to look at one tomorrow, just to test the water!

Will let you know what I think

 

911 Turbo? Not sure how it compares in terms of cost to the GT3, but it appears quicker in the real world (i.e. road not track) and much better as a daily driver with all the amenities you'd expect. 4WD too, fantastic car IMO.