e92 335i vs e46 m3?

[willll162904]

Hey guys, I know this has been discussed before but here's my dilemma after some research. I'm in the market for a new car and want to spend max about 16000 to 17000 before tax. I have driven a 335i and love it, great power, good size, tunenable, but I've also found some m3s. The m3 is faster stock but the 335i is faster after some simple mods. The 335i has less miles, but M engines are built better and last longer. The m3s are manual and the 335is are auto. Overall what would your choice be? I'm a high school student looking for a car I can build up and take care. I like the 335i paddle shifters but I really want a manual car as I've never owned one. I drive often, mainly commuting to school but I often drive around town for fun or the canyons/beaches on the weekend. Opinions?

[BimmerBreaker]

High school student? Get a 328i or something. Both of those are likely to get expensive quickly. I'm also not sure the E46 M3 really is faster than the 335i, or if it is - it's not by much. Pretty sure they both run 13's in the 1/4, about the same 0-60, and they are within a few seconds on the 'ring... put a jb4 on the 335i and the M3 is done...

Also I wouldn't say the M engines are built to last forever, especially not the S54. It is fairly reliable but needs a lot of upkeep. But so does the turbo engine in the 335i. I guess more than anyhting I'd recommend doing more research first.

[pbonsalb]

Both are very nice cars that will need a bunch of work that will cost a bunch of money, given the older higher mileage models that you can afford. Very hard decision between those two. You should go drive examples of both to see which you like more. One is more of a fast comfortable cruiser and the other is more of an edgy high rpm racer. The biggest difference to me is that the M3 makes its power at 6000-8000 rpm while the 335i makes big torque down low. Totally different engine personalities. To me, torque is more fun in daily driving. You use it much more. I would lean towards the 335i.

[justinca540i]

They both are really nice cars. I'm in high school too working on getting an E46 M3. The M3 is definitely going to be more needy than the 335i. M3 will be a high maintenance girl friend whereas the 335i will ask for a little here and there. If you do a lot of daily driving the 335i will be better. The 335i will definitely be newer though.

[willll162904]

High school student? Get a 328i or something. Both of those are likely to get expensive quickly. I'm also not sure the E46 M3 really is faster than the 335i, or if it is - it's not by much. Pretty sure they both run 13's in the 1/4, about the same 0-60, and they are within a few seconds on the 'ring... put a jb4 on the 335i and the M3 is done...

Also I wouldn't say the M engines are built to last forever, especially not the S54. It is fairly reliable but needs a lot of upkeep. But so does the turbo engine in the 335i. I guess more than anyhting I'd recommend doing more research first.

328i are sitting similar in price and I'd rather not. Leaning more towards the 335i now but I really really want a manual. Too bad there's almost no manual 335is on the market :/ I was also planning on putting a jb4 on it and that would make it a monster. Also, I know stuff can get pricey, but I can do nearly all normal maintenance by myself or with my dad. The only things I would need to be done in a shop would be turbos, which seem to be the most common breaking point. Overall that's the only "expensive" thing to take car of unless I'm missing something big. Obviously if I was going to take my car to the dealer to get simple things done it would get pricey, but I don't.

[BimmerBreaker]

You are in high school, how exactly do you intend to pay for a HPFP or replacement turbos when these parts with a high rate of failure fail? How would you pay for regular valve adjustments on the S54 in the E46 M3? The 328i is cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain while still being a really fun car to drive.

Man I wish I went to high school in California...

[willll162904]

You are in high school, how exactly do you intend to pay for a HPFP or replacement turbos when these parts with a high rate of failure fail? How would you pay for regular valve adjustments on the S54 in the E46 M3? The 328i is cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain while still being a really fun car to drive.

Man I wish I went to high school in California...

I get where you're coming from. Just interesting for me how the biggest concern is the turbos, and you're kinda banking on them failing over 80,000 miles every time on every car. I'll do some more research And as for the California remark, I'm just trying to understand what makes this car's maintenance so incredibly high, not saying I don't care because I have an excess of money to throw at it.

[justinca540i]

Man I wish I went to high school in California...

Haha. You should see some cars that are driven to my school in California. There's E39s (540is and 528i), E46 (325/M3), X5, E90, M235i. Mercedes, audis, 2008 Camero, brand new challengers. It's crazy. But DIY work really brings the cost down for these cars.

[willll162904]

Haha. You should see some cars that are driven to my school in California. There's E39s (540is and 528i), E46 (325/M3), X5, E90, M235i. 2008 Camero, brand new challengers. It's crazy.

But DIY work really brings the cost down for these cars.

That's all? i go to a school with mostly international kids from China. Here's a car list of just the kids in the main parking lot.
M4
M5
One kid has a Range Rover + Audi A7 with ipe exhaust
335i
2 535is
2 535iGT
370z
2015 Mustang
3 BMW X5
Kid just got a Bentley for his birthday yesterday. hes 16
Audi A8

I'll update when I think of more lol. Where about in Cali are you? My school's in Arcadia i'm in Pasadena.

[BimmerBreaker]

The engine in the 328i (N52) is the epitome of about a half century of N/A I6 technological development. The engine in the 335i (N54/N55) is a relatively new technology to BMW - they had experimented with turbos in the past but weren't a regular part of their production lineup. With the N54 (335i engine up to 2011) they were figuring things out and had tons of problems even when the cars were under warranty. The N55 (2011+) fixed a few of these problems, but is still far from being a "reliable" engine by any stretch. They have many more failure points than just the turbos. Plus just by the nature of it being turbocharged (even overlooking all the advanced technology in it) it is very high strung because of forced induction.

Some N54/N55's are fine but it's also HUGELY important to note that those that are getting along fine now are also very well kept. You absolutely can not neglect an N54/N55. When something breaks you need to fix it - and being the technologically advanced engine that it is, these parts are $$$. N52's are not an engine you can neglect either but they aren't as needy. At the end of the day the N52 is still a really fun engine (with many advantages over the N54/N55 if you can look beyond pure power numbers) and though the upfront purchase price of the 328i may be close to the 335i, when factoring in running costs over a period of time, the 328i will be cheaper than the 335i.

The kids driving Bentleys and expensive cars like those to school will never appreciate them and never appreciate the true value of a dollar (or in all likelihood, the value of a hard day's work).

[willll162904]

The engine in the 328i (N52) is the epitome of about a half century of N/A I6 technological development. The engine in the 335i (N54/N55) is a relatively new technology to BMW - they had experimented with turbos in the past but weren't a regular part of their production lineup. With the N54 (335i engine up to 2011) they were figuring things out and had tons of problems even when the cars were under warranty. The N55 (2011+) fixed a few of these problems, but is still far from being a "reliable" engine by any stretch. They have many more failure points than just the turbos. Plus just by the nature of it being turbocharged (even overlooking all the advanced technology in it) it is very high strung because of forced induction.

Some N54/N55's are fine but it's also HUGELY important to note that those that are getting along fine now are also very well kept. You absolutely can not neglect an N54/N55. When something breaks you need to fix it - and being the technologically advanced engine that it is, these parts are $$$. N52's are not an engine you can neglect either but they aren't as needy. At the end of the day the N52 is still a really fun engine (with many advantages over the N54/N55 if you can look beyond pure power numbers) and though the upfront purchase price of the 328i may be close to the 335i, when factoring in running costs over a period of time, the 328i will be cheaper than the 335i.

The kids driving Bentleys and expensive cars like those to school will never appreciate them and never appreciate the true value of a dollar (or in all likelihood, the value of a hard day's work).

Thanks for the response. I'll look into it more for sure. And about the kids driving crazy cars that's completely true. Many of them don't even come to class more than once a week. Also the biggest reason I'm not hesitant about the 328i is I test drove a 2012 328i from my local dealer and was INCREDIBLY underwhelmed. Felt no more powerful than my current '01 525i wagon.

[extra]

They both are really nice cars. I'm in high school too working on getting an E46 M3. The M3 is definitely going to be more needy than the 335i. M3 will be a high maintenance girl friend whereas the 335i will ask for a little here and there. If you do a lot of daily driving the 335i will be better. The 335i will definitely be newer though.

I think it really depends... high school student here too to the op. Say you go for a high mileage 335, and you might have problems with buildup on the intake valves, which might require walnut blasting... don't know how effective seafoaming is on those cars. If it's out of the 82k turbo warranty and you have issues there, you might have to come out of pocket (depending if problems arise or not). Find one over 120k miles and you'll be paying for the fuel pumps yourself if they go bad (however, I know a guy with an 07 335 with 95k miles that's never had a fuel pump issue). Other than that, reliability isn't much different from the e9x 328, which isn't bad. The engine is where the differentiation starts.

The e46 m3 has it's quirks too. I believe it uses 10/60 like the e39 m5 which isn't cheap (although that wouldn't make a difference to me as it's only 75 to 100 dollars extra every oil change interval). I'm also not sure if they have rod bearing issues like the e39 m5 can have, as well as carbon buildup issues. I myself have looked at both, but I can only afford a 335 with 90k miles or an m3 with around 110. Even at that, as a high school student, I would be pushing my personal boundaries and aren't comfortable with a financial obligation such as that. If anything, I'd stick to the 328 that I believe bimmerbreaker mentioned. They make adequate power and aren't slugs... they just aren't on the level of the 335. I assume insurance would be higher on the m3 but I'm not sure. If, theoretically, the cost of ownership were the same between both cars, I really couldn't pick a favorite; I like the e92 interior more, but I love the engine of the e46.

If I were you I guess I'd just have to have them both. (Daily the 335 and turn the m3 into a track car.)

On a more serious note, I myself have looked seriously into the 335 and m3 as a replacement for my 540 but am holding off from both due to cost of ownership. As most say, "Sure, you can buy a bimmer, but can you pay to keep a bimmer?". It's easy to get carried away with trying to find a quick car in high school but you have to ask yourself, is it really worth all that extra money to be faster than the guy next to you at the stoplight, or just to be able to say you make 350 whp on a jb4 335? If so, then look through maintenance records and look for water pump replacements and intake valve cleanings (335), and the like with the e46.

I still want to be unique with the car I drive, but am still looking to get out of my 540. A 1990-1992 e30 fits the bill (the late e30s have airbags and that's a requirement by the parents). They're relatively inexpensive to buy and parts for them are much less expensive than the equivalent for a late model bmw. Plus, they have plenty of character and are a good platform for tuning. I've found a couple m50 swapped e30s for decent prices around me, and come summer, I'll be seriously looking into them. I do the work myself on my car as I have access to a shop my grandfather owns. I'd love to do a sort of resto-mod project on an e30 over the summer.

- - - Updated - - -

That's all? i go to a school with mostly international kids from China. Here's a car list of just the kids in the main parking lot.
M4
M5
One kid has a Range Rover + Audi A7 with ipe exhaust
335i
2 535is
2 535iGT
370z
2015 Mustang
3 BMW X5
Kid just got a Bentley for his birthday yesterday. hes 16
Audi A8

I'll update when I think of more lol. Where about in Cali are you? My school's in Arcadia i'm in Pasadena.

Oh please. In south florida, you have no idea. Here's a few from my old school:

M3
M4
new Range Rovers
C7 ZO6
335is
E350
XJ
A7
Mustangs
Camaros
G wagon
Multiple other meredes'
multiple other non-m bummers
a ford raptor and multiple other lifted trucks (which look absolutely ridiculous)
there's plenty of other 60k+ luxury cars that I neglect to add. Sorry...ha.

Got a friend who, when I met him, knew nothing about cars and is now looking for an e92 m3 because "I turned him into a car guy", supposedly... lol.

Oh and then there's a 5000 dollar e39 540/6 which is pretty dang sweet.

[justinca540i]

That's all? i go to a school with mostly international kids from China. Here's a car list of just the kids in the main parking lot.
M4
M5
One kid has a Range Rover + Audi A7 with ipe exhaust
335i
2 535is
2 535iGT
370z
2015 Mustang
3 BMW X5
Kid just got a Bentley for his birthday yesterday. hes 16
Audi A8

I'll update when I think of more lol. Where about in Cali are you? My school's in Arcadia i'm in Pasadena.

I'm over in Campbell near San Jose at westmont. Might change to Los Gatos which will be more.

Crazy though what teens drive. Most don't even have to work for a car