Leaney-g

Hi all,

I'm thinking of getting a 54 plate M3 and getting rid of my 55 plate STI.

Do you think I'll regret it?

I love scoobies as we all do.

But I think the time may have come for a bit more luxury. And the M3's also seem to be around the same performance wise.

Although I'm sure the handling won't be as good.

Has anyone driven both? And what did you think? What did you prefer?

Cheers

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

M3's are great for handling as long as you treat them with respect. Sure they aren't going to be as fast in the "twisties" in the wet as an Impreza but it means you have fun at a slower speed

I like my M3 because it's the best of both worlds, I can cruise around day in total comfort with a decent stereo system and then it'll totally transform and come alive when you boot it. On a cruise it's quiet, comfortable & refined On a thrash it suddenly becomes loud & responsive and feels light and nimble in the bends

B4D HK

iTrader: (15)

M3's are very nice but I honestly think you will miss your STi bud

wrx9181

iTrader: (2)

you have to be a better driver to get the most from an m3 in all conditions id imagine its more fun .

c_maguire

If you get a fair price for yours and pay a fair price for the M3, why not?
You can always buy another STI later. Get a decent M3 and it's low risk financially.

bluehawksti

M3's are great cars bud, quick and handle very well if you drive them right, and are really nicely built inside, but running costs can be high, the inspection 2 service is nearly £1k at main dealers, so try and find one thats just had one of those done

i prefer my scooby though

duckson

iTrader: (2)

I've had a Z4M Roadster.
Make sure its had the 1200 mile/1 month running in service done, if not walk.
Also be aware the servicing on these is quite expensive, Inspection 1 and 2 being the bigger ones (oil services in between). Max time between services is 2yrs or when the service indicator tells you (mpg dependant, probably around 8-12k generally).
Brake fluid change every 2 years.
I got 25mpg on a mixed drive, i'd expect the M3 to do a bit less with it being heavier.

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

I'd go for the M3. RWD fun, smooth revvy engine. Find a specialist and your're laughing

m@t STImulation

iTrader: (3)

more fun more comfort if i could afford 1 i would have 1 (keep the classic tho)

aXeL

I found the M3 a very hard ride compared to my STI Blob. Getting into the car, the leather was too hot in the summer. The servicing is an arm and a leg, I had to cane the **** off of it to get it to do anything, it sounded like a washing machine being hunted but the kicker for me is that my merely ECUTek'd classic scoob (no other mods) annihilated and I DO mean destroyed totally, an M3 CSL off lights going onto the motorway. I, theoretically, ahem "could" have achieved 120mph before he caught me. I was on the motorway while he was still part way down the on ramp.

Plus while the newer 400hp M3 looks nice, the older one was a total girls car which is what put me off it in the end (FLAME ONNNN......)

Ok, not a total girls car, however to me there was definitely something feminine about the shape.

rookymatt

iTrader: (15)

Leaney, where you based chap??
I'm a BMW tech, let me know what you are lookig for, i might be able to advise you of the correct spec you think you might like to buy.

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

Sorry but there is no way on gods earth an ecutek'd classic would annihilate a CSL He can't have been trying lmao

You're right about the ride though, first time I got in one I noticed it immediately but I got used to it very quickly and it does ride the bumps nicely.

rookymatt

iTrader: (15)

E46 m3 csl has 360 bhp, and is a good 115kg's lighter than the normal m3, he deffinately wasn't trying.

aXeL

I was there ...and he wasn't. Good point, I often would wonder if another car was really trying. The give away, aside from him screaming off of the lights, is to look to see how far in front he was of everyone else... Oh yeah - he was trying. Unless of course they scream off the lights all the time

BTW considering the M3 was 250kg heavier and only RWD, not surprised it goes like crap... Must've been very embarrassing for him. The one I drove was pretty **** as well, although it wasn't the CSL.

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

"only RWD" mean less transmission loses A scoob might launch better but after that it's game over unless the scoob has big power, I know because I have an E46 M3 and my sister has a 345bhp classic and I know which is faster

rookymatt

iTrader: (15)

He more than likely, lost traction, or bottled it. His car is geared for 180+mph.
He should have given you a run for your money/shown you his heels. hmmm
Not taking anything away from our subarus, but the csl is a serious animal.
Runs a MAFless ram air intake system with individual throttle bodies, it's very light, has low transmission losses, has an LSD, 8200 rpm rev limit, 360bhp with roughly 290lbft torque, 115kg lighter, super sticky cup tyres (new @3mm tread depth)
The list goes on.

aXeL

Yeah - me in my classic obviously

aXeL

Told you, he overtook at 120 and carried on accelerating.

Tone Loc

iTrader: (1)

LOL... a CSL trying would not get embarrassed by a classic Impreza. That's the funniest thing i've heard for a while. Having had 3 previous scoobs, then an e46 M3 and now a hatch STi i can say for certain unless he was changing up @ 5k he would have been pushing you up the motorway.

My old M3 was a superb car, major reason i got rid was it only had 2 doors and we're hoping to add to the family soon . Servicing costs were actually less than the scoobs, due to low miles i only serviced it once in two years (max 2 years between services) and having found a good indy it was only £350 for inspection I. Inspection II is only £550 so no need to pay £1k dealer prices. In 2.5 years it never missed a beat, had every extra and was generally a joy to own.... not a car to buy if you enjoy modding due to the price premium and any modded parts just cos its an M Totally different animal to an Impreza tho, test drive some and see if its for you, RWD was fun!

Tony.

rookymatt

iTrader: (15)

A good driver in an m3 E46 CSL, should see a 0-62 time of roughly 4.8 seconds.

smiley7

My M3 was a quick car, i have driven evo s with 360 horse and an escort cossie with 440 horse and i now have a scooby with 330 horse!!

And the M3 would keep up with them all day and its good for nearly 180 mph!! that i can vouch for lol.

Only reason i sold it was it could be a little tail happy, but leave the traction control on and it does help to sort the rear end out a bit lol.

Dont think you will be disapointed with an M3!!

aXeL

That's the funniest thing I've heard all day

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

No this is the funniest thing ive heard all day
Never had a problem leaving E46 M3's in a virtually unmodified Spec C, and yes, they were trying very very hard (thats 316bhp btw )

Tony

PS, had a go against one of those new ones today, he tried, he didnt gain anything, nice looking though, loved the bonnet vents

armzy

sti

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

M3 all day long.At least with a bit of quality German engineering you know the engine wont **** itself over 5k revs

Its a no brainer really the M3 is superior build quality,more comfortable probably better on fuel,better looking.Not everything these days is about driving 'in the twisties'

IMO of course after having owned imprezas for 12 years

bobby260480

iTrader: (3)

if you like bms so much why the hell you got a scoob plonk.

DoZZa

iTrader: (4)

Both very different cars.

I had a 2003 SMG M3, it was an awesome car, which I miss.

I now have the STi Spec C, which again is awesome.

They are both very different cars which both serve different purposes.

If you want luxury then the M3 can offer you this.

You will miss your STi though!

But at the end of the week, if you miss it that bad, sell the M3 and get another STi..

DoZZa

iTrader: (4)

I am glad you said probably better on fuel, however you are wrong, the M3 will drink more fuel than a standard STi. 3.2L vs 2.0L or 2.5L turbo!!! The M3 likes to put the fuel through its engine big time.

Yes the M3 looks better as in more people will be attracted to it. The Subaru looks faster for those that know.

For me at least, it is all about driving in the twisties, that's all I have around here!

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

Completely agree which is why I love both My M3 as you know is so well built, I was cruising around for work in it today but if I was in my Impreza I would have been tearing around like an idiot, they both put a smile on my face but for completely different reasons Can't beat an Impreza for a fun car but you also can't beat an M car for a great all rounder There is no answer, it's down to personal choice.

Godspeed Brakes

iTrader: (259)

My E46 was a gnat's **** quicker than an RB320 I had a dabble with a couple of years ago , so don't believe an ecotech scooby would 'annihilate ' a CSL ! unless he wasn't driving it 10/10th's.

They are also surprisingly good off the mark with the huge fat tyres (£250 each for rears !!) , they just grip and go , in fact they hold onto the road very good considering they are RWD , you just need your wits about you in the wet .

You do need to rev them to get them to go though , they need to be between 6 - 8.5k revs to get the best out of them , which is also where they sound the best , not as good as my new V8 one at 8.5k revs though.

I do all my own servicing on my cars , and parts are not really anymore expensive than other cars , discs are as they have alloy bells which are held to the discs with pins so cannot be removed from each other so you need to buy the discs and bells everytime , about £350 a pair , but no more than if you had a big brake kit on a scoob.

The alternators can go on the E46 , mine went and cost about £150 for a new one , the rear trailing arm bushes go soft over time and make the rear end floaty , and you hear horror stories about the SMG pumps , never had any problems with mine and I sold it at 80k miles , even if you do , there are companies that can fix the pumps now so its not expensive to fix if you do have a problem with it , and SMG would be the way to go as they are great, my new one has the 7 speed paddle change and is an instant gearchange on it , it absolutely fantastic , it has a double clutch so picks the next gear ready and just swaps clutches , the gearchange is lightening fast

One thing you will notice is the build quality , the M3 is a great car.

went from this



to this recently



I like Estoril

Cheers Ian