Advice on E46 M3

[jump15vc]

I'm looking to buy a sports car when i get rid of my suv and my favorite so far is the E46 M3, one of my friends had one and since the arrival of the E92, prices on E46's are dropping into my price range 35-40k US. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this or could suggest any other cars that would fit my price range?

[digitalcraft]

What is your price range? The 35-40k?

Don't know much about you, are you looking for a performance vehicle? An everyday driver that has get-up-and-go? A sleeper?

For that price you could get anything from a corvette to a lexus :P Or a 911 carrera!

[jump15vc]

I want a performance car that is usable as a daily driver, i want something that will help me to really improve my driving and i may go to a few track days with it.

[jump15vc]

Absolute performance is not the biggest deal since i need something i can put my golf clubs or hockey equipment in, it would have to be rwd though.

[digitalcraft]

I'd buy a used 2006 Volvo S60R and save the extra 10k for a rainy day, with how the economy is going. It's not RWD, it's AWD, but they're nifty and very dependable.

Or you could go with an 04 and save 20k.

[NicFromLA]

Used Porsche Boxster or Z4 3.0iS, if your spry a Lotus Elise. However I'd recommend a low-milage M3 over all of those.

[chris98891]

i'm biased, but id recommend the m3 too. beautiful car, alot of customization, but maintenance can be a pain if you dont keep up with it. if youre shopping or want to learn more, im over on E46 Fanatics: 3-Series, BMW Forums, BMW Modifications, E46 BMW and M3 Forum - BMW M3 - E30, E36, E46, and E92 M3 - Community is supposed to be great too. good to just get an idea of what youre looking at, and they have some for sale threads

[clutch-monkey]

two of my friends were interested in an E46 M3 and were very dissapointed. i thought it was pretty good, if a bit meh

[wwgkd]

I'd go for the M3, if you want a real backseat but also something fun to drive. The sound, the handling and the acceleration is hard to beat for the price. And riding in the backseat for long trips is a heck of a lot more comfortable than most sporty cars.

[jump15vc]

Originally Posted by clutch-monkey

two of my friends were interested in an E46 M3 and were very dissapointed. i thought it was pretty good, if a bit meh

Why were they disappointed?

[Ferrer]

X308 Jaguar XJR or W208 Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG perhaps?

[jump15vc]

the XJR is far too big and I'm not high on merc, i had a very bad experience at a benz dealership recently, sorry to shoot you down

[h22a]

go the M3 bro or possibly an older model Rs4 avant

[70cuda88]

I love the E46 M3's but arent they out of your price range? if so, a Supercharged E36 M3 gives you a lot of immediate power, and you'd save a ton of money

[coolieman1220]

M3's get old, 2001 is already 7 years old. and they're expensive and people who buy them drive the crap out of them. also parts are pricey