http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/ATD...ia?id=31995451
Stage 1 4x4 H reg, 30k on rebuild £5k
http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/ATD...ia?id=31991359
h reg no leather 70k miles

The age old arguement. Free'd up a large amount of cash after selling me scooby :( need a cheaper toy. tried to live with a V8 730 beemer but it aint me!

These are 2 cars ive never had so i need to put the desire to bed.

My heart is telling me E30 M3 best driver car etc but the sensible all rounder & cheaper buying price tells me to get this cossie it's been well looked after by an enthusiast etc etc?

Help

cossie, all day long for me!

Get bored with the power of the cossie.. crank it up and enjoy:D

Get bored with the power of the beemer.. end up selling it and buying a cossie :D

It's your money you're spending - drive them both and choose the one that best suits you - you're gonna be the one that knows best - look after them and you won't lose much on either car compared to something new.

My only gripe with the (e30) m3 is that it's a left hooker, but they are both good motors.

The cossie would have more affordable tuning potential, but a tad common.

Ok so you have a choice betwen a rare E30 M3 and a clean (rare) 4x4 Cossie.

Good luck! :D

Drive them both and see. If you need a bit of practicality then go for the cossie being it 4x4 and having 4 doors and the wheel on the right side!

Cossie!!!!!!!!!

i am leaning towards the cossie, about to be a dad & all so 4 doors & rhd is a very good thing indeed, + the fairly cheap tuning potential, any good site to look at for tuning costs etc, i'll drive both this weekend & see, there is alway POC's wagon which looks very good alternative :)

never driven either, i like the sound of the beema :) they are said to be one of the best drivers cars around, sure maybe not as quick, but sheer speed aint everything (ducks for cover) driver involvement and handling etc, play a big part? (gues that’s why so many of us like scoobs)

BUT...id test drive them both then decide (one of them could be a right old shed of cak to drive)

Get the cosworth...just purchased a 4x4. Get it Monday.....they are great cars and are such good money now.

The BMW is not as quick...plus the left hand drive and servicing issues.

Get a mint cosworth, drive it for 1 year and sell it for the same money you paid for it.

nice one mate, i'll try them both this weekend, the cossie is calling me though i feel, cheaper to buy service & more sensible

Up until Feb I owned an e30 M3, and it was a seriously fun car to drive it has a great chassis, the feedback through the steering was great. I used to get mine service by an independent specialist and there are a few reputable places like Bexley Motor Works, Plus getting used to lhd and the dogleg box was not a problem. Plus I sold mine a year later for more money than I bought the car. But as the guys on the thread have said try them both and decide which is best for you.

cheers indy your bro's one sounds nice too much £ for me? i'm gonna def try them out this weekend, hope the rain clears.

No worries mate. Here's a pic of it if you change your mind.
http://images.fotopic.net/?id=476998&outx=600&oq=0

I hate to say it but if a baby is on the way and baby is intended to travel in the car, then sensible head says go for a 4-5 door car.

I'm guessing here but I gather you haven't experienced putting a baby / screaming 3 year old into a 3 door hatch when its raining at Sainsburys LOL. If you had you wouldn't have started this thread :)

Both nice cars but I'd probably go for the cosworth, as I imagine that running/servicing costs for the beemer will be much higher. IIRC the timing chain on the M3's needs doin about 100k and is approx 1k-1.5k to have it done. As others have said Cosworth has far more tuning potential than the M3.

Happy motoring

well my existing co wont insure me on either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
best quote on the bm is 800 & the cossie 950!!!!!
looks like the wagon could be the sensible choice after all.
29yrs old full ncd, garage, co claims convictions etc etc bollox


[Edited by met - 5/16/2003 3:10:42 PM]

Give Liverpool Victoria a go, if you haven't already :)

i'll give em a go mate, cheers, elephant are chep on the beemer

Last year I had a 1989 M3 and given the choice (with hindsight) I would have gone down the Cossie route.

PS Just my pennyworth.............

Richard

the cossie is starting to look less realistic as it is i'll have to cancel my policy which cost me 900 in september only to get a refund of 220!!! these two toys may have to wait til next year

got me a sweet wagon in the end, cheers POC

Having driven both (although the M3 wasn't the best example out there) i'd definately go for the cossie.

M3's are great but can't match the grins my cossie offers me.

Both very different approaches at the same thing (saloon car racing)

Try the M3, Mercedes Cosworth, and Sapphire Cosworth - all three occupied the same market niche, competed in the same racing series, and tended to be reviewed together by Mags of the time.

All three are very very different animals to drive.

Curiously, today, the M3 is reckoned to be the best of the lot - but at the time the press reckoned it was the Ford that offered the best driving experience.

Personally I'd go for the Cosworth over the M3 - drove all three of them when I plumped for the Merc...

The M3 is incredible on a track, but generally a pain in the arse on the road - LHD, cramped, disappointing linear power, horribly expensive in replacement parts.

The Ford is cheap, cheerful and a hoot to drive - although the 4x4 gearbox is a weak point

Have a go in a 2.3-16 Merc to get a rounded idea of what is on offer. Not the best, but IMHO better as a road car than the M3.

Merc_Cosworth,

You should have advised him to try the 2.5-16 Merc as well - they're usefully quicker than the 2.3-16.

Good article in the Mercedes mag this month featuring 2.5-16 vs Evo1 vs Evo 2 190s.

But yes, as Merc_Cosworth said, a lot of the mags preferred the Sapphire Cossie to the M3 as they thought it was more exciting to drive than the M3.
Only way to know what suits you though is try them all!!

Have fun!!

Maybe - but the 2.3 has the best engine of the four variants.

Coarse, revvy, clattery and peaky - just the way they used to make em... and its only marginally less powerful.