spudgun

ok guys n gals, now the my00 is long gone and our my95 is still with us( i love it more every day), i am in a sudden dilema...
i'm due to pick up a nearly new 330ci sport next sunday.it has all mod cons, and is their ex demo. its an auto, refined comfortable,good looking etc etc.
BUT...
i am having nagging doubts as to whether i should change my mind at the last minute and go for their last shape m3 evo. good spec etc etc. its not a question of money, but which i'll be happier with. during the last month i've had use of a manual compact. no, its no speed machine, but it has got me very used to the offset peddles of a bmw manual.this was the main reason i never bought an m3 last time. ultimately i want a new m3 smg in 2 years...but till then,
WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
i feel the need for speed!
( and yes, it has to be one or the other )

salsa-king

if money is no problem m8....

have the nu shape 330ci enjoy that! looks great on the road everone looks....
what colour you having?
Gold looks the biz.

the old shape M3?? great car, peeps will think you have bought the old shape cus there givin' it away cus the nu shapes out!!!


New shape makes the old look dated! don't you think?
its not like the nu WRX v Turbo! WRX is nu shape totaly compired to the old Impreza Turbo!


if in dought do nothing!
or
have a nights sleep on it, see how you feel in the morning!
then sleep on it again! think about it!
sleep on it again (3rd time) think about it?
this should have gave you plenty of time to get used to what you really want from the car etc
(don't LOL @ this, it realy works if our unsure about waht to do!)


Phil




[This message has been edited by salsa-king (edited 20 May 2001).]

spudgun

cheers salsa king.
its topaz blue, with full beige leather , myrtle wood trim, etc .
i know what your saying about the old shape m3, it does look a bit dated now, but the engine sounds and goes fantastic.
however, the interior of the new 330 leaves the old shape for dust, and is still fairly quick ( faster to 100 than new wrx i believe)
its just that its a lotta dough i'm spending and i dont wanna fack it up again. ive had TOO many cars in the last 18 months!

drive87

Ehhh, is this the BMW*****net or the scoobynet,,I take it you guys are near retireing age or there's something wrong with your hormones,,,you know how it goes ....there goes some old f*** in a Beemer,wish he'd get out the road!

logiclee

New shape 330. Forget the old M3

Just my opinion.

Lee

drive87

Oh,and I've got an RB5 ,ok it's got a few mods ,if you follow, and a friends got a 330ci with Carlos Fandango wheels and tyres to match,only it can't match a Scooby !In fact I'm fed up always waiting for him!
P.S incase there's any doubt about his driving ability,he's a test driver for Aston.

spudgun

nah mate, i'm just lucky enough to have both.
bmw for day to day use, scooby for weekends, or when we're in the mood for serious fun.not all beemers are driven by tossers. a lot are i know, but not all.ive had far more grief out of reps in rover 600's with an inferiority complex, or nova boys than with beemer drivers.
having driven a bmw for a month now, i now realise why they cut in so late at motorway turn offs etc...the brakes are fantastic! you dont have mega speed, but youve got great stopping power, so you can go faster, longer if you see what i mean.obviously thats no excuse for bad manners, but the old 3 series was a top seller, so it just increases the chances of it being driven by a ***. if scoobys sold in similar numbers, do you think ALL the drivers would be angels? just wait another year or two, and see some of the berks who get their hands on very old wrx's etc. ALL nova boys will be buying 'em...god help us!
as for obnoxious tailgaters, when driving our my95, i find d1ckheads drive all sorts of cars, not just beemers. do i take it you wouldnt touch a new shape m3 if it were same price as a scoob for example? hmmm...
so you wouldnt have one eh?

spudgun

drive87, i had my00 with ppp, and my girlfriend got fed up waitng for me in her my95 with superchip her car is seriously quick!
i wanted something different to a scooby, thats why i chose a 330ci auto. i wanted a bit of refinement and to live the quiet life for a while. incidentally, i had the chance of an rb5 once, i turned it down. nice car, flashy rear wing...but worth substantially more than standard scoob? hmmm....dunno about that? if it were all about speed, i would buy an evo7, not an rb5

scoobysnacks

Sorry to confuse you, but I'd go for the M3 EVO, especially if you 'feel the need for speed'. It's got a fabulous engine with 321 bhp and is the difference between a car that will be be out accelerated by a UK Scooby to one that should just about match an STI.
Can't imagine the 330 is as good around corners either, being a bit soft. So go for the more sporty choice with the lovely M badge.

[This message has been edited by scoobysnacks (edited 20 May 2001).]

spudgun

****, now i am confused think i need to sleep on it. old shape m3 may look a little dated, but, IMHO, still looks great. interior still good too.decisions decisions..
that 3.2 engine sounded SO good. i had a play with one last week, wish i hadnt now

drive87

Take your point Spudgun,Scooby for serious fun ! We were takin 330ci not 01 M3 weren't we .My mother drives a 00 M3 and it dosn't do anything for me but she likes it for for going to Asda .Still wouldn't buy a 01 M3 myself I need 4 doors 4 the kids!

drive87

We've got two RB5's both of which have had enough done to them to make them seriously quick, a lot faster than a PPP(not fast enough) and more expensive, could have bought a new M3 for the about the same outlay,but don't want to keep up with the Jones's if you know what I mean.

harj

I went to test drive an E36 M3 EVO yesterday as im looking for a good reliable everyday runner, Ive driven a couple now and I think I must be mad not giving this car a second look before!

My Opinion would be M3 anyday, so more poised and it goes like stink. When it rains then its even more fun Anyone for sideways Sir?

spudgun

perhaps i'm misinterpreting your posts. its not important to me to keep up with anyone really.i have nothing to prove. its not about money, i can afford to buy most cars, ive had 3 different performance cars in the last year. i just dont want to spend over 20k on a car i may be dissapointed with.
ive wasted enough on s4's, pumas etc.
as far as modified rb5's are concerened, why didn't you get the real thing, and buy an sti? or P1? unless you really liked the colour i spose
only joking
i just dont see the point of me and my girlfriend having the same car. it got boring, and my scooby was never as quick as hers. it will be nice to have a choice.
comfort, refinement etc or ***** out speed, its a nice choice to have
i have 5 days to make sure ive got it right, thats all. old shape m3 or new shape 330ci?
ive driven both, neither are as good a drivers car as a scooby, that i know. but thats not what i'm after. i need the right beemer to compliment the scoob.
i dont want a new shape m3 at the moment.its a lotta dosh. yeah i can afford it, but i dont want to stretch to it, if you see what i mean. in two years i will have a lot more cash saved, and perhaps there will also be other similar cars to choose from eg x type r etc. or alternatively, get a 2 year old 'new shape' m3 when the depreciation has already happened.
thanks to all for the advice so far

Tom Evans

IMHO you should go for the 330ci. Looks good and is great inside. Don't bother with old shape M3. Starting to look dated alongside the 330ci.

Performance shouldn't come into it as you've got the Scoob still. Also the 330ci isn't slow exactly, is it??

Go for the 330ci and enjoy

Cheers,
Tom

spudgun

i know what yer mean tom, i just dont want my girlfriend to yawn too much when i put my foot down
opinions seem divided. either choose the great engine of one car, or the great interior etc of the newer car.
i take your point about the 330 having a fair bit of poke though. even the auto ive chosen had a decent bit of oomph to it. nah, nowhere near ppp scooby speed, BUT it had much better brakes, therefore i found i could brake later, with more confidence.
i think i will probably go for the 330 in the end, i'll just have to get m3 smg in 2 years.UNLESS...subaru totally change the way the my01 looks, then i may be tempted by sti in a couple of years time having seen pics of uk300 though, this seems unlikely

Lemmy

I looked at the M3 EVO at the end of last year and it didn't seem particularly fast. In fact I tried two since I thought something was wrong with the first one. Never has 320 hp seemed so little. It barely felt faster than my Primera eGT and miles slower than the MY99 Scoob I ended up buying. The M3 has avery cramped pedal box, much worse than the old 328i, and I found my feet getting tangled up. They also sounded awful, all induction noise. In fact a 328 Touring sounds better. The M3 also has dead steering and understears compared to a Scooby.

Alan

harj

Lemmy I think you must have driven the 3 worst M3's in the entire world

The car I drove felt enourmously quick compared to a std Scoob as the midrange grunt was there iin bucket loads, steering felt compassed and the pedals were great to heel and toe down.

After being on chat tonight and talking to some of the chaps in there about an M3 EVO im going to drive another one this week and probably end up with one as ive only got a few more weeks to make up my mind about a daily runner.

GaryC

Keep the 330ci - old M3 was not the car it should have been, and in the real world, there will not be a enormous amount in the performance betweem the two

robski

You dont look at the hearth while poking the fire do you?

If not, buy the M3.

Its exactly the decision when buying the scoob, do you spend that much time looking at the interior rather than the road!?

robski

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Spudgun,

read your own notes - the answer lies within.

You repeatedly state that you are not seeking performance, or the need to keep up as you have access to a car with that in mind - the 95WRX with Superchip ( ).

The MY00 BMW 330i is a better car than the old M3 - certainly it is a better drive.

I cannot remember if yours in a Sport version but that has excellent 18in wheels and superb sport suspension. As for the comment about the 330i being slow - Evo mag had it at 5.9 sec 0-62mph and about the same as the Scoob 0-100mph - so two decent drivers on the road would be fairly well match and on a dry track I would put money on the BMW over a standard Scoob - obviously opposite in the wet.

For the record I have both BMW 330CI Sport and Subaru Sti - both are excellent cars and I ain't an old fart yet (older maybe but not old).

R

polarbearit

Live a little, the M3 sounds great is fast, whether you are old or not, live a little and buy the M3 (only problem is everyone will think it is a 316 with a bodykit!!!).

Don't buy the 330 if the m3 is viable,

Just my opinion, I don't own either (just a WRX) and have not driven a 330 (but have driven an M3)

Jon

drive87

Spudgun,
I do see your view ,they're valid enough points, both these cars are good in there own ways, they just don't do anything for me,but each one to there own,I spose.
Enjoy and good luck with which ever you choose.

Gary.

spudgun

well, i slept on it, and i'm gonna stick to getting the 330ci sport.
at the end of the day, the 330 was SO good at pretty much everything, i think i'd be daft to turn it down. in the 'real world', where your speed is dictated by the car in front, speed cameras, congestion etc, i WOULD spend a bit of time dwelling on the interior. and the 330's is gorgeous. it has sport suspension, so it dont roll too much, brakes are great, and the auto box does a smooth job!
it has a 'sport mode' thingy, which apparently lets you have an extra 1500rpm in every gear. ive not tried it yet, i hope its fun. if anyone reading this has this gadget, i'd really appreciate your views.
i spose what i really want is the new m3 smg, but for that i'll have to wait, although my deposit will go in when i pick the 330 up on sunday. i just saw a few new 3 series today, and realised they look great. old shape is good, but new one looks first class.
oh, and our my95 is a uk car with superchip, not wrx ( we wouldnt be THAT daft , it'd go bang!) still going strong, never had a single problem, and is the quickest car ive ever been in. sounds great to with full decat
finally, i think i'll appreciate the abilities of the scoob more when i have a 330, and vice versa. a good blend i think

salsa-king

i see you have slept on it m8, sleep on it agian tonite!!!

don't 4get that the old E36 shape in 18months will be worth even less!!!!!

have the nu one you poser!!! lol

Phil

spudgun

salsa king, i cant afford new m3 without stretching my budget, plus theyre as rare as rocking horse ****. in 2 years time the old shape m3 will be worth jack **** really, whereas the 330 will still be current shape.
however, 2 years time, new shape m3 will be more available, especially when i put my name down on waiting list on sunday for smg version

spudgun

but perhaps i need to sleep on it again for another two times yet, eh salsa king

salsa-king

thats what i was saying, go 4 the 330ci
not the M3.

sleep on it!

it does work, doesn't it??!!

Phil

spudgun

yeah mate, definately. i think i just had a panic attack thats all. driving around in a compact, then getting in our scoob you **** yourself thinking am i buying a slow car for nearly 30k
i just keep thinking back to my test drive in the 330 when i still had my00 with ppp and thinking to myself "jeez, this beemer aint that slow"
we shall see sunday eh?

bob

If you are like me no matter what you buy you will want something differant in a few months time. I did have one scoob for 18 months thats a record for me.
I have now given up on the BMW idea, jumping from luxury cars then back to sporty models is costing me a fortune. Its back to the scooby for me. Perhaps I will break my record with this one.