Most people wouldn't drop $60k on an M3 even if they could, and I get that. Crunch the numbers and it doesn't make sense. The N54 and N55 turbo sixes nip at the mighty M-Power V8's heels, and the cars they come in are far cheaper. Surely a 335i or a 135i -- or hell, a Camaro SS -- will get the job done.
But the M3 is a connoisseur's car, and connoisseurs aren't into crunching numbers. Try telling an oenophile that she could save 70 bucks and get the same buzz from a $5 Trader Joe's special. That argument won't fly. If you really care about something, you sweat the details more than the bottom line. The M3's for people who think like that about cars. Every element of the driving experience, from the steering, suspension and brakes to the shifter and the throttle response, has been fine-tuned to please drivers who really care. It's clearly built by connoisseurs as well as for them.
The M3 isn't an overpriced 3 Series; it's a discounted supercar. In an age when raw automotive excellence is disappearing from showrooms faster than manual transmissions, this Bimmer stands apart.
- Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor @ 16,855 miles
Thought this was extremely well written.
Taken From Edmund's Long-Term BMW M3 Blog, Link:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...s/2009-bmw-m3/