Sell 340i for e90 m3?

[BandWagon]

I am not sure where to ask this question so I will place it here.
Should I make the swap?

Is the e90 m3 really that much more of a driver’s car than a f 30 340i?

Currently my daily 340i and a ok e90 m3 are about the same values in price.


I know my heart says yes, but my wallet looks worried.

I would like to get a e90 m3 before they cost 150k.

does anyone know roughly how much it might cost to bring a m3 up to date with new bushing, shocks, rod bearings if needed, and anything else major i might be missing.

Also, I will be doing all of this myself so I am not super worried about labor costs.

Just trying to get a gauge on things

Thanks for the thoughts!

[gtenedio]

Originally Posted by BandWagon

I am not sure where to ask this question so I will place it here.
Should I make the swap?

Is the e90 m3 really that much more of a driver’s car than a f 30 340i?

Currently my daily 340i and a ok e90 m3 are about the same values in price.


I know my heart says yes, but my wallet looks worried.

I would like to get a e90 m3 before they cost 150k.

does anyone know roughly how much it might cost to bring a m3 up to date with new bushing, shocks, rod bearings if needed, and anything else major i might be missing.

Also, I will be doing all of this myself so I am not super worried about labor costs.

Just trying to get a gauge on things

Thanks for the thoughts!

are you willing to give up awd, better comfort, and updated tech?
if so- then yea duh.
if not- nope not for you. esp for a daily driver. also pretty sure the m3 is slower

[amrazM]

If you like torque keep the 340.

[GotV8?]

pros and cons....I recommend go for a ride along with someone in your area that has an e9x M3, or if you are willing...drive to a dealer who has one you can test drive,,,,imo....you have to truly drive it,...I bought mine used with very low mileage over getting a new f8x M3 ...drove both cars back to back...and realized that I didn't care for the steering feel but boy does the f8x M3 haul ass....however, the E9x M3 won me over with the Hydraulic steering and while rowing through the gears...you truly have to rev it up!!! To me...it was exhilarating...sometimes too fast can be short lived vs going fast and feeling and hearing it!!! Gave me smiles for miles.!!! This is probably the first car, I have owned that I truly enjoy and put over 100,000+ miles on it. I've had 1987 Civic Hatchback, 1992 Honda Prelude Si tune, 2002 Audi S4 stage 3, Audi R8 V8, and now my M3...none of the other cars have ever owned made it over 100,000 miles like my current M. truly a Joy and yes every cars has there pros and cons. good luck with you decision.

[SYT_Shadow]

My girlfriend has the F30 340 and I drive it often. It is a completely different car to an M3.
The newer M340 feels a bit sportier and is compared to the M3 as well, but between a F30 340 and a E90 M3 you have a vast, vast chasm in feel and response.

Just test drive one and you'll know within 5 minutes if it's for you or not.

[GotV8?]

Originally Posted by BandWagon

I am not sure where to ask this question so I will place it here.
Should I make the swap?

Is the e90 m3 really that much more of a driver’s car than a f 30 340i?

Currently my daily 340i and a ok e90 m3 are about the same values in price.


I know my heart says yes, but my wallet looks worried.

I would like to get a e90 m3 before they cost 150k.

does anyone know roughly how much it might cost to bring a m3 up to date with new bushing, shocks, rod bearings if needed, and anything else major i might be missing.

Also, I will be doing all of this myself so I am not super worried about labor costs.

Just trying to get a gauge on things

Thanks for the thoughts!

I upgraded my Subframe Bushing with Turner Aluminum subframe bushing $300ish...Transmission Mounts/ Rear differential bushing-Powerflex $100.00
Rod Bearing ..parts and labor and engine mounts refresh..approximately $2550.00
Throttle Bodies Actuators x 2 $1,200.00*** keep in mind...prices are increasing due to E9x popularity....
my car is the competition package with EDC ...so I when with Bilsteins shocks with EDC setup paired with Swift Sports springs $2,200.00

I will warn you.... if you don't have emergency funds...it does get pricey ....lol.

[Bigtriece]

Yes sell it. Buy E90 M3. S65 is a masterpiece.

[Ajolives]

Having an E90 M3 as a daily is a riot, I'm going to drive mine til the wheels fall off.

[14_deltaM3]

This may offend some, but in all honesty, the new 340i (or any new BMW) shares about as much in common with the e9x platform M3 as it does with a crossover.

The cars are more than a decade apart. They were made for different purposes and different buyers, by different people with entirely different design philosophies, and by a company whose identity is unrecognizable from its identity in the mid to late 2000s (when the e9x platform was conceived).

Whether you should or shouldn’t make this change depends on your commute, your budget and tolerance for repairs, your need for up to date interior tech, and fuel efficiency.

[Asianoak]

Originally Posted by GotV8?

pros and cons....I recommend go for a ride along with someone in your area that has an e9x M3, or if you are willing...drive to a dealer who has one you can test drive,,,,imo....you have to truly drive it,...I bought mine used with very low mileage over getting a new f8x M3 ...drove both cars back to back...and realized that I didn't care for the steering feel but boy does the f8x M3 haul ass....however, the E9x M3 won me over with the Hydraulic steering and while rowing through the gears...you truly have to rev it up!!! To me...it was exhilarating...sometimes too fast can be short lived vs going fast and feeling and hearing it!!! Gave me smiles for miles.!!! This is probably the first car, I have owned that I truly enjoy and put over 100,000+ miles on it. I've had 1987 Civic Hatchback, 1992 Honda Prelude Si tune, 2002 Audi S4 stage 3, Audi R8 V8, and now my M3...none of the other cars have ever owned made it over 100,000 miles like my current M. truly a Joy and yes every cars has there pros and cons. good luck with you decision.

I had a similar experience, could have bought an F8x... or M2 or any other newer BMW or Audi or vette etc etc. But nothing sounds like the S65. Even at slower speeds the sound is intoxicating.

I will say I had a bit of the ol "never meet your heros" experience initially. The torque really is disappointing at first. But learn to drive it and get a few mods to help with throttle response and now I'm in heaven.

However!!! There are times when I'm glad it's my second car. Sometimes I just don't want to have to think about driving and desire all the creature comforts and numb/boosted steering. So I'm happy to have an X3 as my daily.

[BandWagon]

First off Thank you guys for all the positivity.

my 340i I have been quite happy with, but it is no M3. in fact the only real reason I got the 340i is so I can confuse people by saying I drive a 4 door supra!

I am mostly looking for a good driving experience. I have done a lot of racing and track days and I am looking for a car I can lap and not have to let it cool down every 2 laps. I also want a car I can drive that isn't taken apart 10 months out of the year. I have had that experience with my fully build Evo 10 and I don't care to relive it.

Gas mileage isn't too much of a worry and I am hoping the s65 is more reliable then a n54 on track.

I cam currently finishing up my wagon build that I wanted to Track but if I cant keep the n54 cool. I wanted the e90 m3 as a back up track car and just push my wagon to work.

Or last option find a cheap copart M3 track that and keep all three!

[Longboarder]

Drive the snot out of the M3. Proper warm up first...but then really drive it hard to redline in as many gears as u can. And try to find some twisties. Like others have said, it's not that fast compared to modern cars. But it's a work of art. Best car ever made at it's price point IMHO.

[Nettles]

Six years of driving an e90 M3 with dct and three years of driving an f30 340i (adaptive suspension) on bm3 stage 1.

Completely different cars and more importantly different experiences. Fight me all day long on this but interior quality and tech were actually better in my E9x than F3x. Make the move it’ll appreciate in value as long as you keep it in great condition.

[Eja144]

I almost pulled the trigger on a 2016 340i 6MT before I bought my e90 M3. I enjoyed the test drive - engine was nice and torquey, cabin was modern and comfortable, looks were sleek and attractive. I'm sure I would've been more than happy with the car.

But when I got into the driver's seat of the M3, I could tell immediately it was in a different class in terms of overall driving experience. The steering, road feel, and engine combined to make the entire package more emotionally involving than the 340i. I could be wrong, but I suspect people who complain about the S65's lack of torque aren't driving the car properly. You have to be strong with heel-toe and rev matching, and can't be afraid to downshift into the high rev range. The power is there, you just have to go and get it, compared to a 340i which lets you just mash the gas pedal.

[neilum]

Originally Posted by BandWagon

I am not sure where to ask this question so I will place it here.
Should I make the swap?

Is the e90 m3 really that much more of a driver’s car than a f 30 340i?

Currently my daily 340i and a ok e90 m3 are about the same values in price.


I know my heart says yes, but my wallet looks worried.

I would like to get a e90 m3 before they cost 150k.

does anyone know roughly how much it might cost to bring a m3 up to date with new bushing, shocks, rod bearings if needed, and anything else major i might be missing.

Also, I will be doing all of this myself so I am not super worried about labor costs.

Just trying to get a gauge on things

Thanks for the thoughts!

100% yes. E90 has a real feel and character to it. The 340 is more toned down and isolated.

I had an F80 M3 and even at that trim and hardware level it was a step down driver's car wise from an E90. 340, forget it.

[Scharbag]

I bought an E92 6MT M3 in 2017. Love it. It was to upgrade an E90 328xi. No regrets. Even though both cars are E9x, the M3 drives like an M car. Way different than the 328xi for sure.

A year later, I took an F82 DCT M4 for a test drive. Fun, torquey, powerful, fast - boring. Plus it sounded like a bag of rocks rattling in an old clothes dryer.

I then jumped back into my E92 with the sales guy and drove the exact same route. Way more fun - even the sales guy was amazed at the E92 and especially the S65.

There are so many faster cars out there than an E9x M3 now. That said, you will be hard pressed to find a funner car out there at any price!!!

Cheers,

[Staszek]

Im going to echo a lot of what people have said here. Its a different kind of fun. I store my M3 all winter, and when I get back in it, it reminds me every time how special it is. Hell my 750 can take it off the line unless I launch perfectly in the M3, but the car feels much more connected, its the last of the analog cars and you can feel it.

I will agree with one of the other posters as well, you can say what you want about the interior looks of the E9X interiors, but the quality feels better than it did in many of the F cars (we own and F15 as well). I think BMW came back to form in G series cars, the F30 just didn't feel as upmarket as it should have to me.

[clubracer6]

I have had 15 or so BMW's, all manual sedans and one E36 coupe. Currently have a E90 335i Msport 6 speed and a 40th Anniversary 996.

I won't go all the way back in my BMW history, but start my car story with my 16 F80 M3 Comp (manual). It was fun, but just not engaging and really only fun if you were driving like a felon. Which actually almost happened and my lawyer thought it would be a good idea to get rid of it prior to my court date. Traded it on a new Atlas to further assist with case. Once that was behind me, I ended up getting a Miata and a 340i M-sport manual w/ LSD. It was ok, but after the F80 interior the 340i felt even less special. It was more disconnected, but in some respects I enjoyed it more because you could play with it more while staying out of jail. Ended up selling it and getting another E39 M5, which I really loved, but it was just a bit too old and also too big. Then the E90 M3 6 speed came and I absolutely loved it. I think that and the 330i ZHP (I've had two) are the closest you can come to a true sports car. If I were only to have one car again and did not care about MPG or fuel range, I would get another. I ended up selling it because my commute went down to 12 minutes and the car was barely warmed up by the time I got to work. Ended up with a C6 Corvette as I do love them and especially love the low maintenance costs and low end power, which is helpful for short drives. Finally sold that do get my 911 (mentioned above) back and last month won a 2011 335i 6pd M-Sport on Bring a Trailer. For the street, to me this is the perfect car. Not as sharp, dramatic or playful as the E90 M3, but still very engaging and fun. Good torque and my range per tank is probably 75 miles more, which is important if you don't like standing at the gas pump in freezing temps. Finally, my only other dislike about the M3 was the high RPM's when cruising a 75/80mph. I'm a die hard manual guy, but wonder if this might be a car better suited with the DCT.

[Scandinavian_Flick]

I own both a 2016 340i, likely the same as yours, and my 2010 m3. As far as the 340i goes, I really love it. The torque and speed that car can carry is really impressive, and the increase in chassis rigidity is much appreciated. Lots about the f30 as a platform has been improved compared to the last generation, better/newer tech, reduced NVH, and the seating position is SO much better in the f30 compared to the e92; I feel like in my m3 I sit on top of the car rather than inside it. Not to mention that the B58 is an absolutely bulletproof engine along with the rest of the car seeming to hold up pretty well.

The 340i is fast, like really fast. I've been able to annihilate some of my friends up mountain roads in it, despite only having 225 squared all seasons. More rigid chassis structure, crazy fast transmission, and a torque curve that looks like a square mean that the 340 could probably do more than just keep up with my m3. But what the m3 lacks in the numbers game it makes up for in driver engagement. No spreadsheet can tell you how the induction noise sounds at 8200 rpm. The m3 to me is a car about emotion, you get in the car to drive and have fun, but it also strikes a balance. If you wanted an outright drivers car, you'd buy an s2000, but the m3 strikes a particularly fun balance of motorsports emotion and daily drivability.

My best advice is to do what you can to get inside of an m3 and take it for a drive, and see if its for you. But you've gotta actually push it a little to understand it, the fun isn't as easily extracted like it is in some of the newer cars. And lastly, as far as reliability goes, I think the s65 gets a bad rep for it, but it's not that bad. You mentioned your n54; having owned 3 n54s and working on many more, I'll tell you that there are a lot more little things that break on the n54. I'd set aside a few grand for RBs and TAs, and while theres certainly other things that can go wrong its my opinion that its better than a 335i in terms of maintenance, but YMMV.

Bit long, sorry, but hopefully it helps - Cheers!