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| 06-03-2010, 07:43 AM | #1 |
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Used E90 M3 or Used E46 M3 (HPF)
So...My lease is up on my current vehicle Infiniti G37 (flame away
 ) in a few months...And I've been tossing and turning, literally losing sleep over my next car as I'm sure countless others have in the past...I'm between 3 cars at this point...Audi RS4 BMW E90 M3 BMW E46 M3 Quick snap shot... Audi RS4 (rare) dont find many on the road...Love the refinement of the car and the interior...Really like the fat fenders...High-reving V8 with an excellent sound from the stock exhaust...O and AWD for my NorthEast seasons... BMW E90 M3...Something about it draws me more to it then the E92...Wierd because at first I didn't like it...Very aggressive looking...Beautiful sound at high-revs with the massive V8...Lots of updated gadgets...Fast enough to be king of the road on most days... BMW E46 M3 - Horsepower Freaks...If I go this route I'll be going with a stage 1 or 2 HPF turbo kit...My biggest concern is obviously reliability...I know that Turbo and reliable shouldn't go in the same sentence...But they have a solid track record so far...Loved the look of the E46 when it first came out...Not as IN LOVE with it now that the E90/E92 has come to light...However, who wouldn't love to have 500-600 RWHP and 450-525 LB's TQ available? King of the road ALL the time (unless you come across a stage 3) lmao...I can get used E46 for 24-28 and through the kit on for another 16-20k making it equal in price to a used E90... So...Anyone care to chime in? If you could do it all over what would you do? All opinions are appreciated... |
| 06-03-2010, 07:56 AM | #2 |
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Lead, follow, or get the hell out of my way
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for me it would be a toss between e90 and rs4.
it all comes down to what is important to you: awd - RS4, Living in canada I would seriously consider this if I drive that car all year newer gadgets - especially if you get a 2009+ e90, the new idrive is great reliability - I've had my share of problems with bmw's but most people seem to trust them more that audi's. If the rs4 has low mileage it might not be an issue but I would be careful if buying anything that has more than 50k miles (bmw and audi). interior and exterior - personally I find the audi interior more comfortable, but I like the look of the bmw better. I guess it's very subjective. The rs4 is rare, but so is the e90 m3. I like the low grunt of the audi v8 but I also like the f1 style bmw exhaust note... Tough choice. I guess thinking about it I would get the RS4 if it's and all year car and the M3 if it was a summer car only, but I would try to get one with the lowest mileage possible. goodluck!
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2010 X3
2013 RS5 Last edited by cap_freez; 06-03-2010 at 08:03 AM.. |
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| 06-03-2010, 08:29 AM | #3 |
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Veni Vidi Vici
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Drives: '11 JB/BBe-6sp-e90
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Macungie PA
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Garage List 2011 e90 M3-Sold [8.50]
2003 RS6 - Sold [0.00] 2009 e90 M3 - Gone [0.00] 2003 M3 SOLD [0.00] old 2002 [10.00] |
I spent two winters in Minnesota with an RS6 and one nasty winter in upstate NY with the e90. Got stuck in the RS6 once and never got stuck in the e90. I'm not saying the e90 is better, I'm just saying AWD doesn't make that much difference. Good winter tires makes the difference. I had the same tires on both cars.
I looked at an RS4 a month or so ago and was totally disappointed. I thought it was boring compared to my e90 and had NONE of the e90's great driving dynamics. It's way slower and will get it's ass handed to it on the track. At least the RS6 had mountains of torque and 450 hp. The RS4 has old tech for the electronics, too. The ('09+) e90 i-drive is great. I love Audis and will probably replace the M3 with one at some point; but it definitely won't be an RS4. I'd rather have a B5 or B6 1.8. I'm anxiously waiting for the new D4 A8. |
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| 06-03-2010, 08:38 AM | #4 | |
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I would tend to agree with you that most of the time, you could be fine with RWD in winter with a good set of winter tires. But where I live there are a lot of uphill streets, and even with the best winter tires a RWD car would be no match for an AWD with winter tires. If it's all flat streets I agree though it probably isn't a big deal.
Quote:
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| 06-03-2010, 08:45 AM | #5 |
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I'd say the E90 is a happy medium. The best creature comforts and more power than the RS4. In time you could add a supercharger kit to bring it up near the HPF kit.
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| 06-03-2010, 09:52 AM | #6 |
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997TT, X5M
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e90.
RS4... there is a beautiful one in silver For Sale at an Audi dealer on rt22 in NJ by the Westfield area FYI.
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| 06-03-2010, 09:53 AM | #7 |
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I was in your shoes when I was looking at buying the E90. I drove several RS4s and never got to like the driving dynamics as much. It is a relatively old platform at this point, older style quattro, interior is pretty dated... as much as I like the looks, sound, etc. I just couldn't pull the trigger. Wound up with the E90 and love it. As much as AWD would be good, I didn't want to buy a car for the ~10 days of the year where you'd think it would matter. The M3 is DD and I agree with Joe, with good snows this thing is amazing. I've driven in the mountains here in storms and never gotten stuck.
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| 06-03-2010, 11:38 AM | #8 |
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Between an E90 and an RS4, I would go with an E90. Although I now live in AZ, I lived in upstate NY for 20 years and concur with what others have stated regarding AWD on the RS4. Specifically, it does not add much (if any) winter traction value above a RWD car with a good set of snow tires. The rest is subjective, but, most people would be more attracted to an E90 than they would be to an RS4.
Between an E46 and an E90, I would again go with an E90. I think this comparison is more straight forward (although, still somewhat subjective). An HPF powered E46 is absolutely a beast; however, you will definitely be more of a "ricer" with this option. If you must be the king of the road and you're OK with the "young" (in other words, annoying kid street racer PITA) demographic that characterizes many (not all) HPF owners, then go that route. Otherwise, go with an E90 and enjoy a car that is plenty quick with tons of features/options you won't have with an E46. And, if go-fast stuff is a priority, add an SC from ESS Tuning. You'll be more than satisfied. Good luck with your purchase!
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