Anyone owned or even driven/been in one of these in the 321 bhp variety (the new one's way beyond my price range)? How do they compare to Scoobs, Lancers and Skylines for performance, cost, reliability, comfort, equipment, etc? Just considering possible cars for the future and wondering if this should be on my shortlist (very short as it only contains the above cars at the moment...) Any Opinions?

Most Impreza drivers are of the opinion that they can waste them.

Quite how I have no idea when they get from 0-100 in 12.7 secs.

And they do not handle badly either, they're also rather popular at the Nurburgring.

Anyone else got any info?

I owned one until last week. It had the SMG g/box in it and it was ****e, they are a fast accelerating car but imo they dont handle the road at all!!! I owned it for 3 weeks then drove and promptly brought a P1.( much faster and grips SLIGHTLY better about 95% better in fact)
Justin

Scoobysnacks,
I have owned an M3 EVO for about the last 4 months after owning an 02 WRX for about 14 months.

I bought the M3 for several reasons, mostly because it was a car that I had always wanted but could never really afford. Other reasons include the comfort, power, toys etc that you get with a BMW. Don't get me wrong I really liked the WRX, the biggest problem with it was that it always made we want to drive fast! With the M3 I feel more relaxed and able to let the boy racers go by, I think that many Impreza owners feel they need to prove a point each time a Nova with wide wheels comes into sight (flame suit at the ready).

Owning the M3 so far has been quite expensive and that is with having a BMW warranty on it (I would advise you to buy one with warranty or else get it pretty quick!), front tyres £230, rear discs and pads all round £220, Service £600, extra's after the service £600, front discs/pads £240......and the insurance o
is coming up soon....gulp

Having said all of this it's strange that I don't actually mind paying the bills like I have with other cars, with the BMW you actually feel you have a car worth spending money on to keep it tip top, after all, the new list price for my car with all of it's 'extra's was around £43K!

If you want to speak to me about the joys of M3 Evo ownership drop me an email with your telephone number and we can have a chat.

Regards,
Darren.

PS - the M3 handles exceptionally well as far as I am concerned, despite 321 BHP and rear wheel drive (no TC) it's actually quite difficult to get the rear end to loosen it's grip on the tarmac unless YOU want to :-)

JUSTINLP typed

It is not 'much' faster, not top speed, or acceleration.

Saying that you did have the SMG.

[Edited by davyboy - 10/30/2002 11:35:05 AM]

SMG in E36 evo was a piece of crap, dont get one with it!.

SMG in E46 a whole different kettle of fish, and (IMHO) the best production paddle shift gearbox you can get.

dteagles has it right.

Ive got one, and Ive had it for about 14 months now and whilst I have to admit it has been very very expensive I love it, the money you spend isnt so bad as the car just feels worth every penny. Drive one and see, it feels expnsive and solid as solid gets!

Dont touch the SMG on the E36, a definate no no as they are very problematic.

Comfort :
Everything you need here, split cliamte, heated electric leather, electric everything, armrest, I have done over 24k in mine in just over a year and it is one of the most comfy cars Ive had, the seats hug you in really well, the only let down for me on long journeys is that the seat doesnt really have a headrest as such (vadar seats), so you cant rest your head back - which is probably a good thing on long journeys!. All in all a very luxurious comfortable car. As its RWD the prop runs up the middle leaving the gearstick nice and high and with the armrest its an absolute pleasure to drive.

Performance :
Lots, these cars pull like a cheap hoare all the way through the revs and its an awesome noise when you get over 4k rpm, makes your hairs stand up on your arms when your really ragging it!, normally aspirated with no whistles or whooshes, a great engine and if you sticj a chip in there it will see off 90% of Impreza's no bother at all, even without the chip this is a very fast car, but it doesnt feel that quick sometimes because of the build quality and effortless speed!. Ive had mine at 150mph and it had pleny left, great for Autobahns. I will also say that this car provides smiles on tap anytime, the rwd is awesome on the M3, its such a great car to drive and its muscle rather than turbo's etc etc. Overall - you will not be dissapointed!

Image :
Bad, lets be honest it isnt great but I find a lot of mutual rewspect from other performance car drivers, especially Scooby drivers - hence Iam on here!. The older ones have a worse image, the more expensive newer ones are better.

Cost of ownership :
You need big pockets, my last service was £950 odd and that was not unusual for the M3, tyres are pricey, mine are 245/40/ZR17 at about £150 a corner. Petrol - I use Optimax only as your only supposed to use 98 octane on the M3 and I visit my shell station every 250 miles for a £47 fill up, so not cheap. I have spent over £4k on mine in just over a year but I have done alot of miles. But as has been said, for some reason it doesnt hurt with the M3 as it just feels worth it!

Equipment :
Everything you will ever need and more, if you are looking to buy make sure you get a nice high spec one with all the toys, and make sure they all work! - all expensive to put right!. Mine has the remote comtrolled full computer, split AC, electric everything, programmable heating to allow it to come on before you get out of bed!, loads loads loads!!

For the money they are going for now I dont think there is anythig that can touch them, honestly, look what you get, a £37k M car for under £15k!!

Drive one, it will sell itself I promise!.

This is the first car Ive had that I actually still take real pride over after a year of ownership, Iam normally very bored by now but the M3 is entertaining everytime I drive it!

Can't agree more with the M3 owners above.

Joy to own, breeze to drive quickly and to "tour" in (comfort over long distances).

Warranty from BMW a must - had VANOS replaced under warranty (parts / labour at internal charge rates gave a bill of £1,600) at 31,000 miles plus a few other bits. Presales Inspection II service came in at £1,395.

May not feel the quickest away from the lights (apparently when the EVO was introduced in 1996, with 6 speed box as opposed to previous 5 and a step up from 286 bhp to 321, the 0-60 went from 5.4 to 5.8). However try outpacing one when moving and the torque mountain will defeat most other cars (excepting exotica in the Ferrari / Porsche 911 turbo / TVR mould).

Overall, supercar performance for Mondeo money.

I currently own a 1994 M3 that has a s/s exhaust and been chipped (not by me!) it pushes out similar power to Evo model (even has evo lights and alloys, someone spent some money!)

Really is a car in its own class...

Powerful but smooth and refined

I havn't found it too expensive to own in comparison to previously owned jap imports - at least parts are freely available

But on saying that I might be selling it soon, need cash!

Robb

M3's (E36) are seriously fast. An EVO will give an RS4 a good run from any speed. The standard M3's seem to be a lot slower from my experience of racing them even though the HP difference is not that great.

In the dry little will stay with a well driven M3 EVO including UK Turbos. In the wet you have to accept that they are not setup for pure speed and just enjoy the nimble feel and myriad of feedback you get from the steering, brakes and throttle.

Can I just clear something up here :

The 3.0ltr M3 is no slower to 100mph than an Evo, its just as quick and there is nothing in it at all, Ive raced with them many many times and there is absolutely nothing in it at all, stick a chip in a 3.0ltr and I would think it would have the edge on an Evo, the bhp figures mean nothing here.

IMHO the 3.0ltr is the better car, ok it has one less gear and had to live with puny 13" inch brakes :D but it has a more raw feel to it. Ive driven a 3ltr track car, which just had track suspension and a rollcage with harnesses and belive me that car would make fun of an Evo.

Both a supreme vehicles but the 3.0ltr is very underestimated and people just assume because the Evo superseeded it that it is better - each to thier own but Ive driven both many many times and the 3 ltr is just as capable, stick some clear indicators on it and only sad BMW geeks like me would know the difference!

They're restricted to 155mph. Take that off and they pull 180mph.

Van Aaken will chip an M3 (3.0 & Evo) for just over £215, for this you get extra bhp, rev limiter removed so redline is where YOU stip revving!, and some torque aswel!. This also obviously removes the 155 limited top speed, and as Darren says, they do 180mph.

Very true, my chipped 3.0 is said to be much quicker than an evo
- the previous owner told me that and he owned both models!

The 3ltr M3 isnt limited to 155mph ;)

Or at least the one i have driven wasnt.

My experience

Fast,well equipped but IMHO not as rewarding as a scoob.
Lacks that je ne sais quois.

How much power and torque do these chips actually give and on a different note, are the running costs really much more than the above mentioned Skyline, Lancer or Scooby?

[Edited by scoobysnacks - 11/3/2002 12:46:41 PM]