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      10-15-2007, 09:24 AM   #1
moss
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New M3 review - From RS4 Owner

Had my drive in (but not of) the new M3 ot the weekend.

Not much time today to give my views, but in essence:

Pros:

1. Looked nice and smart - not too OTT, but just sporty enough to be able to live with without getting too much attention.
2. Engine - the undoubted star of the car. I found that the engine contradicted much of what I had read. My everyday car is an RS4 - to me the M3 engine was louder, with a harder edge soundtrack and felt stronger and quicker than my RS4.

Cons:

1. Interior - To me, the interior was very plain and ordinary - not enough to stop me from buying the car - but none the less a disappointment - in fact it felt virtually no different to a base M Sport model.
2. The power bulge, just too large and cartoon like - my only dislike of the exterior.

Overall - is it better than my RS4 - no. Is the RS4 better than the M3 - no.

Actually they are both great cars doing the same thing in a slightly different way. The M3 may be slightly more entertaining to drive in good conditions, and the RS4 probably slightly easier to use day to day.

Certainly after the drive, the M3 will very definitely remain on my list of next cars - if the dual gearbox is good, then it will likely be my next car.

What is worrying in the UK though was that I was offered two speccable cars for delivery before Christmas. The last M3 was virtually unobtainable in the UK for 18 months after launch - now this new model's wait is similar to ordering a base 3 series coupe or indeed a VW golf! This can not be good for residuals!
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      10-15-2007, 12:19 PM   #2
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Any pics of your RS4?

Last edited by Sedan_Clan; 10-15-2007 at 12:36 PM..
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      10-15-2007, 12:40 PM   #3
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Thank you for your impressions Moss. Just curious; do you know how much the price incresed from the E46? A big price jump could explain the cooler market.
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      10-15-2007, 12:54 PM   #4
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I too was offered a specable car for late Dec delivery. This is a little worrying. IMO BMW have priced the car a couple of grand too high and/or people are giving up there spots in the waiting list for the DCT tranny
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      10-15-2007, 01:57 PM   #5
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BMW is planning to sell 100,000 M3's world wide. Thats a lot and significantly more than any pervious M3.

There is just much more supply

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      10-15-2007, 05:30 PM   #6
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Funnily enough my dealer has just offered me a December delivery after stating July 08 when I ordered it in May. As it is I canttake it until April (when I get my divvys). He reckons its because of people going for the Cab and Saloon as well as the DCT, none of which I am interested in.
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      10-15-2007, 07:06 PM   #7
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Thanks for the insightful post! What a refreshing change from the speculative bs we typically see.

It will be good when we finally see the US pricing and how it impacts waiting lists. If they get greedy, moving 100K units may become difficult. It would be a shame to see the car ruined by simply pricing too many folks out of the market.
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      10-15-2007, 09:08 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JEllis View Post
BMW is planning to sell 100,000 M3's world wide. Thats a lot and significantly more than any pervious M3.

There is just much more supply

jason
They sold somewhere between 80-90k E46's, no?
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      10-16-2007, 04:43 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moss View Post
Had my drive in (but not of) the new M3 ot the weekend.

Not much time today to give my views, but in essence:

Pros:

1. Looked nice and smart - not too OTT, but just sporty enough to be able to live with without getting too much attention.
2. Engine - the undoubted star of the car. I found that the engine contradicted much of what I had read. My everyday car is an RS4 - to me the M3 engine was louder, with a harder edge soundtrack and felt stronger and quicker than my RS4.

Cons:

1. Interior - To me, the interior was very plain and ordinary - not enough to stop me from buying the car - but none the less a disappointment - in fact it felt virtually no different to a base M Sport model.
2. The power bulge, just too large and cartoon like - my only dislike of the exterior.

Overall - is it better than my RS4 - no. Is the RS4 better than the M3 - no.

Actually they are both great cars doing the same thing in a slightly different way. The M3 may be slightly more entertaining to drive in good conditions, and the RS4 probably slightly easier to use day to day.

Certainly after the drive, the M3 will very definitely remain on my list of next cars - if the dual gearbox is good, then it will likely be my next car.

What is worrying in the UK though was that I was offered two speccable cars for delivery before Christmas. The last M3 was virtually unobtainable in the UK for 18 months after launch - now this new model's wait is similar to ordering a base 3 series coupe or indeed a VW golf! This can not be good for residuals!
Strange. I heard the M3's allottment for this year was already spoken for.
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      10-16-2007, 05:02 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JEllis View Post
BMW is planning to sell 100,000 M3's world wide. Thats a lot and significantly more than any pervious M3.

There is just much more supply

jason
Somone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I had read somewhere that the E46 M3 sold around 75,000. I really don't think such an increase accounts for the availability of slots at this early stage.

But regardless of whether it's due to cancellations or people opting for DCT etc., it does not look good for residuals.
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      10-16-2007, 05:08 AM   #11
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BMW sold 90,000 E46 M3s with 40,000 of them in the USA (source: BMWCCA)
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      10-16-2007, 05:12 AM   #12
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+1

Price has got to be the major issue. At 55k for a decent speced car is probably too much for most people.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 13eastie View Post
Somone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I had read somewhere that the E46 M3 sold around 75,000. I really don't think such an increase accounts for the availability of slots at this early stage.

But regardless of whether it's due to cancellations or people opting for DCT etc., it does not look good for residuals.
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      10-16-2007, 07:48 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stahlgrau View Post
Strange. I heard the M3's allottment for this year was already spoken for.
There are actually plenty of cars available for delivery within a month or two, I also spotted an advert selling a slightly used M3 for below list price

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/246915.htm

BMW will need to now manage the supply situation carefully otherwise they will end up dumping cars on the market in a few months and lowering residuals.
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      10-16-2007, 08:18 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keto View Post
They sold somewhere between 80-90k E46's, no?
True, and that was just coupes and convertibles. With the sedan coming this time around, there really should not be any greater supply of coupes on the market then there was for the E46. In fact, it is very likely that there will be fewer coupes produced and sold this generation than last, IMHO.
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      10-16-2007, 08:56 AM   #15
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The exact number of E46 M3s sold worldwide is 84383. And then 1358 CSLs. In NA, 26202 coupes and 17577 convertibles were sold.
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      10-16-2007, 09:52 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JEllis View Post
BMW is planning to sell 100,000 M3's world wide. Thats a lot and significantly more than any pervious M3.

There is just much more supply

jason
That's only 10,000 more sales than the E46 M3 production... and that was without an M3 Sedan, which the E92 M3 line up will have.

Add the M-DCT and I think that they will sell those 100,000 without problems only if they quit messing with the pricing.
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      10-16-2007, 01:02 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steved View Post
There are actually plenty of cars available for delivery within a month or two, I also spotted an advert selling a slightly used M3 for below list price

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/246915.htm

BMW will need to now manage the supply situation carefully otherwise they will end up dumping cars on the market in a few months and lowering residuals.
+1

Prospective favourable depreciation was high on my list for choosing this car. If BMW screw me on resale it will be the last time I put my faith in the brand.
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      10-17-2007, 11:51 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan View Post
Any pics of your RS4?
Here is my and my brothers RS4's (mine the lighter one).

The dealer said that cars where available as

1. The press reports had been lukewarm
2. That the price had risen (approx 20% in UK)
3. That people where waiting for the DCT cars (not convinced on this one myself).

I think it's probably just that the cars are now very expensive and there are lots of other options available, which in itself make the new M3 less special than the last M3 was when it was launched.

Personally I can not really see anyone collecting their new M3 and being disappointed one bit. Whether, come resale time, there will be some disappointment is another matter :sad0147: But it's true with all cars - if you're afraid of losing money, don't by em - especially at this price level.

Regards to all. Mark
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      10-17-2007, 11:54 AM   #19
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      10-17-2007, 12:28 PM   #20
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Nice car bro!
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      10-17-2007, 08:36 PM   #21
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Those RS4s are beautiful!!! Makes me completely forget about the E90 M3.
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      10-17-2007, 08:49 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moss View Post
.
It looks like you and your bro's car are smooching mate...kinda gross.

No doubt, I think the RS4 is better looking than the new M3 sedan.....

Just saw my first S5 the other day- fecking gorgeous.......
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