Trade up to M3?

[fisher191]

Originally Posted by -=Hot|Ice=-

The M3 is BMW's most reliable car. The S65 is bulletproof. Don't miss out on this V8 screamer. This is an end of an era for ///M cars. Do you want to be apart of it?

I love the car and I have no concerns about reliability. The hesitation - for me - is whether the manual is suitable - again for me - as a DD.

I am going to take a DCT for a test drive.

End of an era as in NA? I'm not an expert, but don't some say the era finished when they went from I6 to V8. Whether the F80 M3/M4 comes with a I6, V6 or a diesel, I am sure it will be worthy of the M badge.

[BMW Fanatic]

Originally Posted by -=Hot|Ice=-

The M3 is BMW's most reliable car. The S65 is bulletproof. Don't miss out on this V8 screamer. This is an end of an era for ///M cars. Do you want to be apart of it?

Bulletproof? My engine blew up after 5 weeks. It's a great engine but not the best and definitely not bulletproof.

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Originally Posted by BMW Fanatic

Bulletproof? My engine blew up after 5 weeks. It's a great engine but not the best and definitely not bulletproof.

You'll have a bad apple out of a bunch. Never said it's the best but for the most part, the S65 has proven itself.

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

Originally Posted by fisher191

I love the car and I have no concerns about reliability. The hesitation - for me - is whether the manual is suitable - again for me - as a DD.

I am going to take a DCT for a test drive.

End of an era as in NA? I'm not an expert, but don't some say the era finished when they went from I6 to V8. Whether the F80 M3/M4 comes with a I6, V6 or a diesel, I am sure it will be worthy of the M badge.

Yes. The V8 changed the M3's character but it's still high revving. What other mass production car has an 8400 redline? And by era I mean high revving Naturally aspirated. The DCT is very nice and very quick. Best of luck.

[fisher191]

Originally Posted by -=Hot|Ice=-

Yes. The V8 changed the M3's character but it's still high revving. What other mass production car has an 8400 redline? And by era I mean high revving Naturally aspirated. The DCT is very nice and very quick. Best of luck.

Yep, and being an oversquare configuration probably explains the relatively low torque at low revs.

has anyone gone from an auto 335i to a DCT M3? What are your thoughts about the practicality of the car as a DD?

[Ateam]

Originally Posted by fisher191

I love the car and I have no concerns about reliability. The hesitation - for me - is whether the manual is suitable - again for me - as a DD.

I am going to take a DCT for a test drive.

End of an era as in NA? I'm not an expert, but don't some say the era finished when they went from I6 to V8. Whether the F80 M3/M4 comes with a I6, V6 or a diesel, I am sure it will be worthy of the M badge.

If nobody knew, the v8 is really hard to differentiate in terms of power delivery and feel from the i6 it replaced. It builds on the greatness of the s54 but continues with the same flat torque curve, only its more lasts even longer. Same linear power curve peaking at high revs. It is much less a departure for them to have used the v8 compared to the departure going to FI. Changes everything about the engines character.

[FVM3]

All you need is gas

[CrazyIvan]

Originally Posted by fisher191

Yep, and being an oversquare configuration probably explains the relatively low torque at low revs.

has anyone gone from an auto 335i to a DCT M3? What are your thoughts about the practicality of the car as a DD?

I went from auto 135 to DCT M3. Dont regret it at all. All the torque that 135 had was fairly useless since RFT tires struggled for traction; I had to be very picky about surface. Not to mention totally different steering feel, turn-in and so on. M3 is perfect for DD except the gas mileage. But for what you get as a whole package, I dont compain about mileage at all.

[theliuman]

OP, if you're thinking about a 6-speed manual as a DD, just think about how likely you'll be in traffic. If it's do-able, then go for it.

I thought about going DCT for the F80 M4 when it comes out but my last 4 cars have all been manual so... we'll see when the time comes to decide

[MTM]

My M3 has the DCT and I love it. Great for commuting in traffic, or slip into manual when you want to have some fun. You get the convenience of an automatic, the thrill of a manual (when you want it), without the worn-out knee from mashing in a clutch pedal all the time. The DCT embodies the classic BMW-esque philosophy of performance + innovation. Those guys in Bavaria are clever!

[spdy330]

Originally Posted by theliuman

^ hah, you got an actual LOL from me. Nice.

OP, there seems to be a consensus that the M3s have LESS problems than the 3-series version.

One problem though, is that repairs will be more expensive due to the performance parts that the M3 has. I have around 44k miles on my 2008 and I'm starting to seriously debate whether or not an extended warranty is required, but I'm leaning towards no.

If you've always wanted an M3, get an M3. I upgraded from a 335i also, but I've ALWAYS wanted an M3 and I'm so glad I made the change

[spdy330]

I also went from a 2006 330i to an M3 and have no regrets. Mine is not a DD though. Like someone called it earlier it is a garage queen but she tries to get out as much a possible,

[JulieDriving]

You gotta be sure the M3 is the right car for you. If you love, love the low-end torque of your 335i, maybe tune it.

The M feels like a different class of car. It feels very capable and I'm not sure where the low-end torque complaints are coming from... It doesn't have the burst of the turbo engine, but the engine revs very quickly, the sound is intoxicating and the handling is sublime.

The big negative IMO is not the torque but the gas mileage and the relatively small tank (get ready for frequent fill-ups).

The new generation M3 will take care of the torque and gas mileage issues, but it'll be a turbo engine. I'd wait a couple of years before getting one, personally, so they have time to iron out the bugs.

You're going to trade an 07 for an 07. Both first year production cars. Have you considered a newer model year M perhaps? I believe they tweaked the steering in the M for later years due to complaints. The DCT also had a lag issue that was fixed, I think from model year 10.5(?) onwards, with a software fix. Yes, you can get the latest software for an older model, but while I've heard some people say it's made their problem go away, I've heard others say there's still an issue - EDIT: it's definitely better but not completely fixed. Whereas I've not heard of anymore DCT lag complaints after the 2011(?) model year. Competition package also came out in 2011.