basophil Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Hi Folks. This is my first post here. Pleased to make your collective acquaintance. In about a year I plan to change vehicles. (Currently driving a 130i) I've narrowed the choice down to 2. It will either be a 135, or a 3-4 year old M3. 90% of my driving is a daily commute. The remainder will be touring and the occasional track day. I'd be interested to hear people's opinions about the best way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted January 3, 2008 Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 Surely a 1 year old M3 CS will be about the same price as a new 135i?? I am not sure what I would take, I would be interested in a 135i with a limited slip diff fitted, think that would be an awesome car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basophil Posted January 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Surely a 1 year old M3 CS will be about the same price as a new 135i?? [/ QUOTE ] Not in my neck of the woods, unfortunately. (Melbourne.) Estimated cost here of the 135 is about $90,000. A June 2004 E46 M3 would cost $90-100,000. A 2006 model would cost $120K +. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Oh, right. I think I would probably go with the 135i. How many miles do you do?? I am thinking what will be the one to have in another 2 years?? a 6 year old M3 or the 2 year old 135i?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basophil Posted January 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Oh, right. I think I would probably go with the 135i. How many miles do you do?? I am thinking what will be the one to have in another 2 years?? a 6 year old M3 or the 2 year old 135i?? [/ QUOTE ] I do ~ 8,000 miles per year. I spend about 1.5 hours per day in my car. Depreciation wise, I thought the M3 would be a better option. Most vehicles really take a hit in the first couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Has Fatcat got his yet? He also used to run an E46 M3 so would be the man to ask Having driven the Bi Turbo 3ltr in both the 335i and B3, and owning an E46 M3 again, I think both engines are peaches, but the M3's has far more character, and M Sports will never be as focused as the M cars. The lure of a new car vs. a 6 year old one may be the deal clincher though. Cheers Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 [ QUOTE ] The lure of a new car vs. a 6 year old one may be the deal clincher though. [/ QUOTE ] That's my thinking too. Over here you are looking at $95k for a 135i with nav and audio upgrade, and probably about the same for a 2006 M3. If it were a late E46 M3 I would go for that, but by the time it was 5 or 6 years old I am not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted January 4, 2008 Report Share Posted January 4, 2008 Didn't realise the Aus $ was at 2.25 to the pound, so a new 135i is around $74k over here, but so is a 2006 M3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max_b Posted January 5, 2008 Report Share Posted January 5, 2008 yes, where is mr fc and his 135 review? you about mate and any pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basophil Posted January 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Surely a 1 year old M3 CS will be about the same price as a new 135i?? [/ QUOTE ] This got me thinking. This is certainly not the case in Australia. As I said in the OP, here an M3 would need to be 3-4 years old to cost the same as the 135. Then I had a look at the "M Cars" forum and I see that the price of fuel in the UK is really hurting resale values for performance cars. Currently in Australia we pay ~ $1.40 per litre which, I think, converts to about 2.5 quid per gallon. What do you guys pay over there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edo Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Double that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Not sure how much values are being hit because of fuel prices, if you can afford a £50k car then a 10% increase in your fuel bill ain't really going to hurt too much as these types of cars don't do mega miles. What it may be doing is getting people thinking about an oil burning alternative. Or just do what I do, have one of each Daft thing is that road tax is £300 on the diesel X3 and £205 on my M3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basophil Posted January 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Daft thing is that road tax is £300 on the diesel X3 and £205 on my M3 [/ QUOTE ] So bjacks, how would you rate the M3 as a daily commuter? I do about 200 km per week. My average speed over this period is ~ 32 km/hour. I know the M3 is not suited to this type of driving. It's raison d'etre would be for touring and track days. But would it be bearable as a daily hack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Bareable?? It is a luxury German motor car, that just happens to be an extremely good sports coupe as well. This is exactly what it is designed for, the fact you can have fun on a track too is the real bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Love it as a daily commuter, much more friendly than the CSL was anyway! SMG means no left leg ache either, heated seats, OK hi-fi, comfy leather, Bluetooth, Nav etc - what more do you need? Fuel is the only thing that suffers, the M3 doesn't like this type of driving and I get 17ish MPG - which is pretty similar to the V8 RS4 I used to have, and worse than the 996TT. As a place to sit, it's rather pleasant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveknott Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 I'd be interested in hearing Fatcat's views as well as I think I'll be making a similar choice between these two cars when I come to change. Mind you, the new EVO X does look rather tempting......or, maybe wait for the 1 series coupe TII hardcore version.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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