E46 325i upgrade to E90 M3?

[bodonx]

Hi,

I've had 04 325i (lightly optioned w/ sport pkg, auto, moonroof, xenon) for 7 yrs. I've loved it every minute of it. It's time to upgrade. I am 29 and planning to have a kid in 1-2 yrs.

What to look for in a new car: space, more comfort features, more luxury, more/same fun-to-drive.

I test drove F10 535. Loved the design especially the interior. A little bit disappointed with the "fun-to-drive" aspect of it. A new f10 535 costs about $60k. It will be a perfect car as a family car. But, I will compromise a lot in term of fun.

Now, I am thinking, should I go for e90 M3 instead? I hope M3 can serve as a dual purpose of a fun/family car.

What I might like about M3:

• Huge fun factor
• Better value than a new F10. I might be able to get 09-10 for $50k. Can I?
• Has been my dream car since college day

What I am worried about M3:

• Not much space improvement over my e46
• Too uncomfortable for my family
• Insurance cost will rise a lot

My question:

• Especially for folks who upgraded from E46 to e90, do you feel to get a lot more spaces?
• Is m3 too harsh, too much as a family car?
• What percentage my insurance is going to raise compared to regular 3-series/5-series?

Sorry for a long post. Thanks in advance

[Ditchdigger]

Originally Posted by bodonx

Hi,

I've had 04 325i (lightly optioned w/ sport pkg, auto, moonroof, xenon) for 7 yrs. I've loved it every minute of it. It's time to upgrade. I am 29 and planning to have a kid in 1-2 yrs.

What to look for in a new car: space, more comfort features, more luxury, more/same fun-to-drive.

I test drove F10 535. Loved the design especially the interior. A little bit disappointed with the "fun-to-drive" aspect of it. A new f10 535 costs about $60k. It will be a perfect car as a family car. But, I will compromise a lot in term of fun.

Now, I am thinking, should I go for e90 M3 instead? I hope M3 can serve as a dual purpose of a fun/family car.

What I might like about M3:

• Huge fun factor
• Better value than a new F10. I might be able to get 09-10 for $50k. Can I?
• Has been my dream car since college day

What I am worried about M3:

• Not much space improvement over my e46
• Too uncomfortable for my family
• Insurance cost will rise a lot

My question:

• Especially for folks who upgraded from E46 to e90, do you feel to get a lot more spaces?
• Is m3 too harsh, too much as a family car?
• What percentage my insurance is going to raise compared to regular 3-series/5-series?

Sorry for a long post. Thanks in advance

My situation is remarkably similar. I'm about to get married, planning on kids in the next couple of years. I recommend going for a test drive, and calling your insurance company (I was pleasantly surprised, not a huge bump to insure, and even found that the 4 door was cheaper to insure for some odd reason). I'm told that my car will go into production this week. I'll let you know how it works out...

[CAPSGOD]

Sounds like you want M3 performance in an F10 size car. Did you try E60 M5?

[bodonx]

Originally Posted by CAPSGOD

Sounds like you want M3 performance in an F10 size car. Did you try E60 M5?

Yeah, that came to mind. But, my wife and I hated the design of E60.

[skier]

Call your insurance for a quote on M3. You may be surprised, I went from E92 335i to E93 M3 and my rate went up by $15/year, despite the $25K difference in car value.

[henryyxyu]

I did the same exact upgrade as you. Its a totally different car when you first drive it the couple of times. Takes a little getting use to IMO but you get use to it soon enough. Its not that uncomfortable IMO. I had 19" Ac Schnitzer Type III's on my E46 with run-flat Pirelli's and my ride quality was pretty bad. My E90 has OEM non-ZCP struts with ZCP springs on the stock 19" rims and it rides MUCH better. its more refined. Bumps and road imperfections are still more little pronounced than the usual road car but thats just the nature of the M3. If you want the M3 to have a soft ride, get it non-ZCP and get EDC. drive it all the time in comfort mode

Storage space seems to be about the same. I never haul much stuff in the car so I cant really say if its any larger or smaller.. The car feels larger than the E46 when driven so I'm assuming there is a little space gain

Best to call your agent to check, the insurance premium rates might vary between person to person.

Hope this helps! IMO if your willing to wait a while, wait til the F10 M5 comes out and make your decision then.

[GreasyGinzo]

I went from an 06 is350 to my 08 e92 M3 and my insurance went up $25 every 6 months. As far as ride quality I have an e92 with EDC and on comfort it is too soft for me. I will say that I like a firm sporty ride and always roll in sport + on EDC though. I would imagine the e90 4 door has a slightly smoother ride than a coupe or cabrio so it will be fine.

[URG8RB8]

I bought my '10 fully loaded E90 M3 back in September for $52k (with 4000 miles on it), so I would say that your price request is definitely possible.

As far as a family car, it comfortably fits my wife and 2 kids (one with a car seat). We sometime even go fill up about 4 of those 5 gallon jugs of water, so the trunk is more than effective.

Too harsh? With the EDC set to Sport, yes. On standard suspension setting, no. While it's a little tighter than my old 335i, you quickly get used to it. Push that M button, though, and you won't be thinking about a too harsh suspension!

For what it's worth, don't worry about the louder exhaust. It is just right for my kids to ask me to drive faster, but not too loud for them to not hear us yelling at them!

I would suggest that you get that dream car of yours. I did, and I couldn't be happier!

[gunship guy]

I am in the same boat you are, currently driving an '02 330Ci and love it, but I am looking at my next car. I am in my low thirties and married with two small kids. I have always wanted an M3 and when I finally get around to getting one I think a 5 had become more practical, although not more fun. I have been looking at the 550i, but last weekend drove an M3 for the first time and I have now complicated my choices even more.

My thoughts on the two, the M3 is way more fun to drive there is no question to that, but that ride comes with a cost in terms of ride quality, space, and practicality. Price wise I will actually save money by buying an M3. The 550i offers way more space and feels more like a small 7 than a bigger 3. The engines in these cars are both great V8s, but are very different.

Before I offer my opinion on the two engines, let me say it all depends on how and where you will be driving it, EGO plays no role in my choice I will de-badge either car I get. I want a road car that is still fun to drive, it will never see a track and I don't race people on the road anymore, I have outgrown that behavior. So having said that, IMHO the N63 is a much better engine than the S65. Torque is much higher and comes on much sooner in the N63, the S65 needs to get to the top half of the tac to get any reasonable power out of it. The sound emitting from the S65 is much better than the N63, but that doesn't make up for lackluster low end performance which is where most american driving lives. Sure the S65 revs much higher than the N63, but that is actually a double edge sword in that it NEEDS to rev that high to actually produce results.

My mind is not made up yet, but I am still leaning towards a 550i. If I could afford to by both I would own both and drive the 550i a few days a week and the M3 a few days a week. These cars are very different and if I can only have one I will choose the one that best suits my needs and driving habits.

Sorry for the long response, good luck...one thing is for sure you will not be disappointed with either car.

[Prince_of_Persia]

Originally Posted by bodonx

My question:

• Especially for folks who upgraded from E46 to e90, do you feel to get a lot more spaces?
• Is m3 too harsh, too much as a family car?
• What percentage my insurance is going to raise compared to regular 3-series/5-series?

I upgraded from a 2001 330xi to my current e92 M3. I LOVE it because I wanted to get the M3 and I knew it is a performance car. It rides harder and it is lower. My back seats are WAY smaller!! But I am comparing a E46 sedan to e92 M3 which is a coupe. I think back seats of E90 should be bigger. It toally depends what you are looking for. As far as fun, M3 does not lack anything. For comfort and family usage, I suggest you go and see / test drive one.

[bodonx]

Thanks for input, guys.

I will schedule a test drive on a CPO M3 this weekend. This might be able to get rid of the demon inside me

[stuka]

How much space you have in the back for kids has a lot more to do with the kind of carseats that you buy.

Some carseats make E38 backseats look small. Go find a boutique baby store and ask to try them.

Our Maxi Cosi convertible and the Sunshine Kidz Radian fit the E90 just fine.

The value of E60 M5 can't be beat, throw in a nice top of the line extended warranty, and you are golden, as long as you can live with how ugly it is.

We have an E39 M5 and ordered an E90 M3 with Ryan from Steve Thomas. The E39 M5 has similar interior dimension as the E90 M3. But if you order the E90 M3 with no sunroof, you actually have more headroom than the E39 M5.

Lastly, there are quite a few kids in M3 pictures on this board, check them out.

[bodonx]

Thanks for the input regarding kid car seat. I'll check it out.


as long as you can live with how ugly it is This is something I cannot live with Whenever I see F10, I will feel "Goosh, I am in an ugly car."

F10 has a nice design that goes along with the great E39.

Originally Posted by stuka

How much space you have in the back for kids has a lot more to do with the kind of carseats that you buy.

Some carseats make E38 backseats look small. Go find a boutique baby store and ask to try them.

Our Maxi Cosi convertible and the Sunshine Kidz Radian fit the E90 just fine.

The value of E60 M5 can't be beat, throw in a nice top of the line extended warranty, and you are golden, as long as you can live with how ugly it is.

We have an E39 M5 and ordered an E90 M3 with Ryan from Steve Thomas. The E39 M5 has similar interior dimension as the E90 M3. But if you order the E90 M3 with no sunroof, you actually have more headroom than the E39 M5.

Lastly, there are quite a few kids in M3 pictures on this board, check them out.

[URG8RB8]

Car seat space also has to do with height of driver/passenger, obviously. I'm 5'9" and have a Britax Marathon, and space is not an issue. If the driver is much taller, it might be an issue. I do agree with the statement about the type of car seat making a difference.