I am torn. Help me make my decision. 328i or M3/4

[MJFX328]

ok 2 choices.

1. Keep my 1998 328i sedan auto with 90k and mildly modify it to look nice and have decent power.

2. Sell my 328i and buy an M3/4 5 speed (what I really want)

I know insurance is gonna be higher for the M3. I pay $100 now, how much should I expect it to go up?

I bought my 328i for about 10k. I've bought tires, wheel bearings, and brakes. In good condition Ive seen some sold for as high as about 15k.

I could possibly sell the 328i to a private owner for about 13-15k and buy the M3. Sounds possible? I know the M3/4 is better obviously but is it worth it or should I mod the hell outta the 328? Please help.

[bellavus]

hmmmm.....the used car market is like the lottery, especially with older cars. You might get a gem in loads of other cars that aren't great, or you might get a car with a major amount of problems. If you do happen to find a great M3/4, I would get that, but if your car is reliable, I would keep your car.

[m3avrck]

MJFX328, I just recently sold my 1995 325i and bought a 97 M3/4 and OMG, what a difference! It's incredible, the M3 is soooooo much more fun to drive, not to mention the coolness/newness factor (compared to my 1995). I ended up selling my 1995 325i for $7500 and buying my M3/5 for $17500, which was a great deal.

I plan on keeping my M3/4 for as long as it runs (almost becoming anal about maintenance so it lasts!) and that is why I got the 4 door... one day I will get married and having the 4 doors will make all that extra difference!

I too at one point thought about modding my 325i heavily, but realized, you can't make an non M car into an M, it just won't work. An M is certainly worth it, especially if you love the car. Go for it, you won't be disappointed!

[auto_pilot]

I've been w/State Farm for all my life, 0 accidents, 0 tickets, etc. I pay around $100/month w/a $500 deduc for comp/collision for m97 M3/4...Might be different story in Florida though.

Right now the values on E36 M's are really good. A lot of them are selling for well under $20,000. I also like the idea of Manual vs. Automatic...So if you can make a profit on the 328, then buy the M...Be patient when shopping for the M, and make sure you have it checked out. In other words, it worth it for you to wait and find a good M...that way you can avoid a lot of maintenance pitfalls...Happy hunting!

[yellowbullet]

i would sell the 328i and get an m3

[bigbris1]

This is gonna sound one-sided because of my bias for 5sps but I'd say you will probably not have that hard of a time selling your 328 because it is auto, but I would always opt for a 5sp.

If you went ahead & "modded the hell" outta the 328 you won't make a cent of that money back & ultimately you'd be aiming at modding toward M specs anyway. So what the hell, go ahead & jump out the window. Get the M3 & I bet initially you'll fell content with it as it is.

Case in point:
When I got married & wife got pregnant I sold the 86 325es coupe & bought a 94 Jetta GL 2.0 (2.slow) & "modded the hell out of it" & was still left wanting more. So I sold that for $3,500 & bought a 94 Jetta GLX VR6 for $3,000 & WOW, initially I felt like "damn, I don't even have to mod this, it came with everything!" Of course I eventually got used to the power & modded that but you get my point.

I say go for it!

[BMW#1Enthusiast]

go with the M3

[nismo skyline]

go with what you really want, the m

[aaronsdropzone]

328! M3/4's are the SUXORs

[DLO]

M3. That's where you wanna be!

D