M3 a luxury car, or am I looking for somethign else?

[pepper]

Hi, since I bought my range rover sport S/C . I feel like for the money it's lacking "luxury" qualities. I'm looking to use the M3 for a DD. how would you rate the M3 for "luxury" ? To be honest I'm young but feel old, so I like all the options on cars and just feel like I got ripped off on the RRS and am looking for opinions. thanks

[kmarei]

if you want luxury i'd buy an s5
i owned an a5
and that was much nicer and comfortable than the M3
but then again it was no fun to drive
very much unlike the M3

[Kobaiyashi]

IMO, the M3 is a sporty luxury car, with an emphasis on the sport. I don't like the look of audi (cuttered, too many buttons) or lexus (cheap) interiors so I'd suggest comparing the BMW with the C63 or even the new Cadillac CTS-V (though I haven't seen the latter in person)...

If you want luxury with the M3, make sure to get heated seats, the tech stuff (idrive, ipod, etc.), EDC, and extended leather. You'll have it in spades.

[Year's_End]

Definitely go with an S5 if you want something more luxury-oriented. Aesthetically, it's superior. Interior-wise, it's more luxurious. Ride-wise, it's comfier.

Is it as fun to drive or as fast? No, but it's more of a boulevard GT than a sports car.

[keanu1]

if you want luxury go for 7 series!!

[alpineweissM3]

You don't want an M3. Walk, better yet run away from BMW. You have Mercedes written all over you.

[Driver72]

7 series is old man car.
3 series is "sports car" entry level luxury.
5 series is in the middle.

I'd say you want a 5 series.
If you love v8 power get the 550i (or wait for what I guessed over a year ago to be called the 555i (TT V8 engine of X6).
Or if you want a mix of sporty handling, better fuel economy and speed, get the 535i and put a chip on it, some nice wheels, and a few other minor mods and you'll have a car that will waste the 550i but get 4-5 mpg better gas mileage and have luxury as well.

Or as others have said, Audi is top notch in the luxurious department.
But the S5 is AWD (you may not need or want that) and the V8 while sounding great, isn't too fast but drinks too much gas for not enough speed (kinda like your RRS).
Not sure if/when it's out yet, but Audi's s/c 3.0 V6 will be able to be modded to make much better power and get better gas mileage than the v8 too.
That's the beauty of forced induction. Like the TT 3.0 I6 in the 335i easily makes equal power and a lot more torque than the M3's V8 but gets 4-5 mpg better gas mileage too.

You may prefer a Lexus as well. Check out the IS-F if you want a smaller sporty car that's fast but has a higher level of "luxury" than BMW's offer.

[BRDHNTR]

Everything is relative. For the same price there are more luxurious cars (MB E550) and there are faster cars (Corvette Z06), but I feel that the M3 is a great compromise between the two. It's hard to give advice to someone on cars because so much goes into the decision making process.

Only real advice that I can give: Test Drive EVERYTHING, and don't buy until you have tried them all!

[pepper]

thanks guys for the comments

I really don't like the shape of the audi's. I don't like the fact that the MB 1 year later will be like half price ( not saying BMW isn't falling either... ). And I looked at the IS-F but hate 4 door cars.


Man, I guess I'm just to picky. I was pulled to the M3 as I have a ferrari 360 that is getting sold because of the bling factor, and I want a newer car, coupled with the fact that it's not that fast anymore for a soprts car... the ferrari is a weekend driver and the service costs are outrageous so i thought a "luxury" daily driver would be way more fun then the ferrari....

I guess I'll go look at some more cars, thanks guys

[BHairsto]

You're right about resale on MBs-it's just horrible. I'll think twice about ever buying a new one again, even though I like many of their offerings.

Originally Posted by pepper

thanks guys for the comments

I really don't like the shape of the audi's. I don't like the fact that the MB 1 year later will be like half price ( not saying BMW isn't falling either... ). And I looked at the IS-F but hate 4 door cars.


Man, I guess I'm just to picky. I was pulled to the M3 as I have a ferrari 360 that is getting sold because of the bling factor, and I want a newer car, coupled with the fact that it's not that fast anymore for a soprts car... the ferrari is a weekend driver and the service costs are outrageous so i thought a "luxury" daily driver would be way more fun then the ferrari....

I guess I'll go look at some more cars, thanks guys

[Blip Bavarian]

buy a Jaguar.

[BRDHNTR]

Originally Posted by pepper

thanks guys for the comments

I really don't like the shape of the audi's. I don't like the fact that the MB 1 year later will be like half price ( not saying BMW isn't falling either... ). And I looked at the IS-F but hate 4 door cars.


Man, I guess I'm just to picky. I was pulled to the M3 as I have a ferrari 360 that is getting sold because of the bling factor, and I want a newer car, coupled with the fact that it's not that fast anymore for a soprts car... the ferrari is a weekend driver and the service costs are outrageous so i thought a "luxury" daily driver would be way more fun then the ferrari....

I guess I'll go look at some more cars, thanks guys

When you put it that way I would say that most likely you will be happy with an M3. My uncle's friend had a 360 and I took him out in my M3 and he said that the M3's V8 feels more powerful than his 360's and the car in general feels far more comfortable.

[KonigsTiger]

S5.

[matt beard]

Originally Posted by pepper

thanks guys for the comments

I really don't like the shape of the audi's. I don't like the fact that the MB 1 year later will be like half price ( not saying BMW isn't falling either... ). And I looked at the IS-F but hate 4 door cars.


Man, I guess I'm just to picky. I was pulled to the M3 as I have a ferrari 360 that is getting sold because of the bling factor, and I want a newer car, coupled with the fact that it's not that fast anymore for a soprts car... the ferrari is a weekend driver and the service costs are outrageous so i thought a "luxury" daily driver would be way more fun then the ferrari....

I guess I'll go look at some more cars, thanks guys

Are you kidding me, you can pick up an 08 M5 right know for thousands off of MSRP, and sweet lease deals to boot. Now that is luxury my friend, and it'll run neck and neck with your 360 without ever spilling your coffee.

[JMD0977]

M3 or C63 AMG.
If you test drive both, I know which you'll choose.








M3.

[AndyE1976]

Originally Posted by BRDHNTR

When you put it that way I would say that most likely you will be happy with an M3. My uncle's friend had a 360 and I took him out in my M3 and he said that the M3's V8 feels more powerful than his 360's and the car in general feels far more comfortable.

That may be because the 360 has 400hp and the M3 414hp?

[pepper]

ok guys, traded the 360 in for an M3 ( yes I'm getting a check back... )

hopefully AA will turn out these supercharger kits before summer

[Driver72]

Nice, pics of your new M3??

DCT or manual?
08 or 09?

[Kev]

Originally Posted by pepper

ok guys, traded the 360 in for an M3 ( yes I'm getting a check back... )

hopefully AA will turn out these supercharger kits before summer

Boston PD cops?

[BRDHNTR]

Looks more like the Cape. Please tell me that you didn't buy the M3 from Foreign Motors West or Herb Chambers Boston. FMW is a pain to deal with on service issues.

[RevFreak14]

Originally Posted by matt beard

Are you kidding me, you can pick up an 08 M5 right know for thousands off of MSRP, and sweet lease deals to boot. Now that is luxury my friend, and it'll run neck and neck with your 360 without ever spilling your coffee.

Well said man. I'm down in Miami and I just saw an ad in the paper with one of the local BMW dealers offering $949 a month with just $1500 due at signing for a new M5 with SMG !!!! I had to look twice and read the fine print to make sure it wasn't a used car or a demo. It was a new car !!!!! I absolutely can't wait for late February to come. The lease on my E46 M3 expires. I was hoping to get the E92, but if that deal is not B.S. when I get there, I may just pull the trigger on the M5, and drive the V10 before they go to the V8 turbo.

[pepper]

well, I just picked up the M3 today and..... WOW