Buyer's Remorse about not getting an M3

[///Machine]

Yeah, the M3 has a way of sticking into our brains. Not too long ago there was a review posted here that said the arguments or pros for having the M3 are always emotional ones. Even this thread doesn't mention 0-60 or 1/4 mile times. It's all about the emotion felt when you work yourself towards (and play around) the redline.

I had an E93 for 6 months in 2011, but due to family/job situation the sensible thing to do was to pass it on to a new happy owner. So I loved it and lost it. I think about that car every day I drive.
Now things have changed and I'll be on the market for a new one soon. I'm undecided whether E92 or E93 - but love'm both.

[24601]

Originally Posted by quiksi

every time I see one of these threads I'm glad I didn't make the "rational" decision

Could not agree more!

Having a 335 back in 2009 and now with 2013 M3, I wish I had just got the
M3 from the start.

It's a totally different car! I will never be able to take my car on a track (as we do not have one in HI,) but I still enjoy every second with her (driving or standing still.) Pure eye candy for the eyes, ears, heart, and soul.

What made me pull the trigger on my unexpected purchase of my M3 was that the new body style is ugly, inside and out (worse than an Audi.) Also, I wanted a true M V8, not with turbos or whatnot.

If you're going to make a poor financial decision, this is car to make it with! IMHO it's worth every penny I don't have!


Cheers!

[rjd598]

it seems like making the switch to the m3 would be tough financially otherwise you wouldn't be asking a forum of people what to do. i would say do the smart thing but if your financial situation is fine then yes go with the m3. having said that i think the 335is is a great car. obviously not an m3 but in its own right it's an impressive machine

[Transfer]

Originally Posted by MY13E92M3

What made me pull the trigger on my unexpected purchase of my M3 was that the new body style is ugly, inside and out (worse than an Audi.) Also, I wanted a true M V8, not with turbos or whatnot.

If you're going to make a poor financial decision, this is car to make it with! IMHO it's worth every penny I don't have!


Cheers!

Yep, bingo.

[belyzel4]

Originally Posted by mhabs

Another way to look at it is wait until 2014 and see what the new M3 sedan (instead of the M4) has in store...may end up being worth the wait after all and you "amortize" your 335is in the meantime. The new 3 series has quite a bit more room vs the E9x version and would actually be practical for a family of 4. A test drive of the new 335i may also give you (or esp your wife) wife a good sense of what a slightly larger car feels like. I have a family of 4 and the E9x is actually pretty practical (esp if the kids are 12 yrs old and below), but having driven the F30 328i, can see how that practicality would increase somewhat (in sense of fitting full sized adults in the rear).

A F80 M3 would actually be practical for us, but I believe if I can wait for the F80 M3 I could probably pull through and wait for the F82. Once the family gets going I am going to completely separate the daily from the weekend car as it just seems to make more sense.

Originally Posted by Brucewonder

The V8 is enough reason to make the change. But for me, i always wanted to own an M3. Top bread of the 3er's. yes that does mean alot to me ahah

The V8 was the primary reason I didn't even consider the M3. Though I know I already spent an exorbitant amount on the 335is, I still couldn't wrap myself around spending the extra money every month for gas.

Originally Posted by Xtopherus

This is an interesting statement. The M4 comes out in what, about two years from now? That's a long time to wait. I just got my M3 but I wondered the same thing: what if the M4 is better? It probably will be in many respects, but that's a long time to wait to find out. Plus it sounds like you'll be looking at an M5 by that time anyway.

If you really want an M3, you should probably look at getting top dollar for your 335is right now. It's a fairly rare and desirable car, consider listing it privately for a good price and sell it if you can find a buyer. It's only going to lose value over time as you increase the mileage or possibly pick up some dings. If it sells (and you have another vehicle for a few months), place an order for your M3 and feel good about getting what you really want without having to take a terrible loss on the 335is.

I'm going to CarMax soon to get a reliable quote and then I'll probably private party the car for 5-6g more. Selling the car before the F32's start showing up would probably be a good idea.

[belyzel4]

Originally Posted by Peahi

My 6mt zcp w m perf was 63k from Ryan at Steve Thomas. The local dealers werent even on the radar pricewise, and their 335is's were priced high into m3 range. I think u could have reached for an m3 with a good deal. He isn't the number 1 m3 dealer in the country by accident.

Like others have said, sell your car ASAP for highest value, before dings and crap set in. Then order the exact car u wanted and WAIT patiently.

You don't want to live your life trying to rationalize why you're not driving the car you really wanted.

The M3 they had at the dealership in Thousand Oaks was actually priced very well. It was around 72k with all the options I cared about, it's just I didn't know if I would still have my bargaining room if I would just all of a sudden jump to a new car for a purchase.

Originally Posted by quiksi

every time I see one of these threads I'm glad I didn't make the "rational" decision

No kidding there! I guess I was happy enough back then to be joining the BMW family.

Originally Posted by robbiedawg

i started looking for a 335,couldn't find any used ones ones with a manual trans,and adjusted my thinking to an m3.i am so glad i did.once you open yourself up to the possibility of getting an m3,you will be sorry if you don't.if you are a true car guy,just tell yourself we only live once,and why always wish you had done it.it's only a material thing,but it's a way of letting yourself enjoy life.

as others on here told me when i was considering both,a 335 makes more sense,it has more torque around town and gets better gas mileage.the m3,though,is poetry in motion one guy said.that's the phrase that stuck in my head.it has a large number of improvements that the m division did over the 335,and you can feel them.it's not just a trim package.some very skilled engineers took a 335,and put a huge amount of time and effort into making it better.you can exceed the stats with mods,but can't duplicate the feel.the motor is not just high-revving,it's phenomenal.go through a turn with it at 6000 rpm,and then blast it up to the 8400 rpm redline as you come out of the turn.that's worth the price of admission right there.read this suspension review,and you can see the level of detail on just this one area-
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...alkaround.html

it has near supercar performance in a practical but tough-looking body.i have bought the wrong thing before,and wasted money to end up with the right thing,and was damn glad i did in the end.

That was a great article! That explains a lot about the differences between an M and a normal 3'er. I'm very eager to my butt into the high revving engine at this point.

[belyzel4]

Originally Posted by ///Machine

Yeah, the M3 has a way of sticking into our brains. Not too long ago there was a review posted here that said the arguments or pros for having the M3 are always emotional ones. Even this thread doesn't mention 0-60 or 1/4 mile times. It's all about the emotion felt when you work yourself towards (and play around) the redline.

I had an E93 for 6 months in 2011, but due to family/job situation the sensible thing to do was to pass it on to a new happy owner. So I loved it and lost it. I think about that car every day I drive.
Now things have changed and I'll be on the market for a new one soon. I'm undecided whether E92 or E93 - but love'm both.

That sounds so similar to having someone go away for a long time. It's amazing the emotional attachment we can have to these mechanical beauties!

Originally Posted by MY13E92M3

Could not agree more!

Having a 335 back in 2009 and now with 2013 M3, I wish I had just got the
M3 from the start.

It's a totally different car! I will never be able to take my car on a track (as we do not have one in HI,) but I still enjoy every second with her (driving or standing still.) Pure eye candy for the eyes, ears, heart, and soul.

What made me pull the trigger on my unexpected purchase of my M3 was that the new body style is ugly, inside and out (worse than an Audi.) Also, I wanted a true M V8, not with turbos or whatnot.

If you're going to make a poor financial decision, this is car to make it with! IMHO it's worth every penny I don't have!


Cheers!

I probably won't track too much, once or twice a year at the most. I do like going on canyon rides though and although the 335is is great fun on them, I can only imagine the difference on the M3.

Originally Posted by rjd598

it seems like making the switch to the m3 would be tough financially otherwise you wouldn't be asking a forum of people what to do. i would say do the smart thing but if your financial situation is fine then yes go with the m3. having said that i think the 335is is a great car. obviously not an m3 but in its own right it's an impressive machine

Purchasing the M3 wouldn't be a huge financial burden, it's more of the fact that outside of my love of driving cars I am a big penny pincher. I am just having some conflict between my emotions and logical thinking. I might mix and mash the two and somehow get a same year M3 as my 335is. This way I can save money and just assume the M3 would end up where its at now had I driven it from the get go.

[TTG]

Originally Posted by belyzel4

I probably won't track too much, once or twice a year at the most. I do like going on canyon rides though and although the 335is is great fun on them, I can only imagine the difference on the M3.

Just keep the IS.....

I had an E92 335 and M3..... (both 6M)

I don't track, I don't race and I don't heavily mod my cars....

Unlike what all the M3 lovers will tell you in here (V8, LSD, brakes, suspension & etc) ....335 is a great car. I preferred driving the 335 much more in the city over the M3. I am one of those people who can care less about the LSD or how high the V8 revs..... 335i was just fine on Seattle's rainy roads and as a daily driver the cost of M3 doesn't justy the price difference IMO....

M3 (or the 335) was not my daily driver and it was just a weekend / road trip car. I am a detail freak so both of the cars were polished up and were in showroom condition when I sold them.... But if I were to pick in between the two as a single daily driver, I would choose the 335 for sure.

Yes, M3 is an amazing car but its uniqueness, performance, suspension and brakes come mainly in use on track. If you don't track your car (or track once a year) the cost difference and the hit your are going to take on the IS won't really justify the move. Not to mention the frikin horrible fuel economy on the M3.

I am planning on getting the 440 1st when it comes out and will buy a M4 during its 2nd production year.....

If you want an M car..... just keep the IS and get the M4 when it becomes avail..... 335IS is a pretty darn good car.

[Coltgus]

I just traded my '11 335is E92 for a '13 M3 E92. The 335is is a fine car and I liked it. The M3 is more like a race car. The main reason I did it was because I wanted the NA V8 instead of the turbo 6. If you get an M3 I'd recommend the comp pkg and premium pkg. Tranny is your choice but stick would be good on this car. I got dct.

[WRXXX]

"Good idea, because if you test drive an M3, you WILL force yourself to buy it."

Originally Posted by brava09

That was me three years ago

Same here. I was perfectly happy with my G37 until one day I decided to take a test drive in the M3. Needless to say, I bought the car two days later.

[belyzel4]

Looks like I had a chance to follow my heart today! The second I pulled out of the dealership for a test drive I was already in love. I am still in shock from pulling the trigger!

Goodbye 335is



Hello M3

[24601]

perfect! congrats! another SSII owner!

[Brucewonder]

haha...congrats. great color choice. welcome to the SSII club

[FogCityM3]

Wow..nice job! always good to go with intuition!

[W///]

I think you made the right choice. Always follow what your heart says. Now get yourself a ZHP knob (if manual) and OEM exhaust mod. That's how I plan on leaving mine for a long long time. I adore this car

[Hothonda]

Well done!

[Alex07M3]

Originally Posted by Edjay

The rear end is more than just gear ratio ad limited slip upgrade. Sure if you like to go without dsc then yes M3 rear diff wont matter much. But with M mode you can have fun and somewhat rely on the cars dsc to help save your butt. On other 3 serries dcs is pretty much on or off. No "lets have safe fun" settings. Do 335 still go on limp mode after about 20-30min of hard hard driving? Thats one thing to consider. Then you have the option on the M3s suspenssion EDC for date night choose comfort, fun drive home normal, spirited driving sport mode. There are realy alot of this little things that you can get on M3 that is not available on other 3 serries.

+1 Looooove that feature!!

[Ghetto2315]

Outstanding... Welcome to the dark side!

[davesaddiction]

Beauty. Congrats!

[X2Board]

Congrats man! You won't regret the move.

[bimdo]

that's great.if you didn't do it,you would always have regrets.

[///Machine]

Congrats. You won't regret. But you have to admit that just one front 3/4 pic is not sufficient to properly introduce your new well of joy. In for a few more pics, inside and out.