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View Poll Results: Which first car would you get assuming they both cost the same?
2002 M3 22 70.97%
2006 Nissan 350Z Track Edition (Brembo brakes) 9 29.03%
Voters: 31. You may not vote on this poll

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      02-20-2007, 05:40 PM   #1
alienmeister
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First Car Opinions: Should I get a M3 as my first car?

I am getting my first car soon and I am wondering if the E46 M3 is a good choice. Obviously because of the fact that I am a fifteen year old, I can't afford a M3 that is still covered under warranty. I would be looking at a 2002 M3.
Can anyone tell me:
1) Is this a good choice
2) Would it break and would I get an expensive repair bill
3) Are there any common problems with the engine, transmission, ect.
It is a choice between a 2002 M3 or a 2006 Nissan 350Z Track Edition (still covered under warranty and Brembo Brakes included!)
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      02-20-2007, 08:45 PM   #2
Last E92 M3
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I vote for Z.
BMW without warranty scares me...
350Z should be plenty as your first car.
My first car is/was G35 Coupe.
I liked it a lot.
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      02-20-2007, 10:20 PM   #3
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Any car is fine as long as you dont drive recklessly or street race.

But I agree with Last E92 M3...BMW without warranty is horrible...
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      02-21-2007, 02:15 AM   #4
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you must be in a privileged position to be able to consider such a car as your first car!!

i am not a jap fan so M3
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      02-21-2007, 03:09 AM   #5
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M3 with extended warranty. Ive never really like Nissan/Infiniti
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      02-22-2007, 09:18 AM   #6
alienmeister
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jezabel69 View Post
you must be in a privileged position to be able to consider such a car as your first car!!

i am not a jap fan so M3
Yes, I know... I have pretty good grades and my parents love cars so I am in a great first car position.
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      02-22-2007, 10:51 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZuerstBMW View Post
M3 with extended warranty. Ive never really like Nissan/Infiniti
thats only possible if the owner bought a car with extended warranty right?
i dont think you can buy extended warranty afterward...can you?
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      02-22-2007, 11:39 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Last E92 M3 View Post
thats only possible if the owner bought a car with extended warranty right?
i dont think you can buy extended warranty afterward...can you?
depends on the dealer, in the UK you can haggle to try to get a one year warrenty on a used car but they are not as extensive as the original manufactures warrenty and BMW UK only sell cars upto a certain age and those usually in very good condition..
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      02-22-2007, 11:42 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alienmeister View Post
Yes, I know... I have pretty good grades and my parents love cars so I am in a great first car position.
fair play to you, i hope that you have experience of performance cars or you are going to get some good tuition to ensure you dont mess it up quickly..

enjoy whatever..
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      02-22-2007, 06:33 PM   #10
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I got an 02, no issues. however I really did my homework and took my time to find mine... M3s, I love it
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      02-23-2007, 10:06 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ase2dais View Post
I got an 02, no issues. however I really did my homework and took my time to find mine... M3s, I love it
I failed to find one and I feel like crap...
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      02-23-2007, 10:07 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jezabel69 View Post
depends on the dealer, in the UK you can haggle to try to get a one year warrenty on a used car but they are not as extensive as the original manufactures warrenty and BMW UK only sell cars upto a certain age and those usually in very good condition..
US, i don't think you can.
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      02-23-2007, 10:21 AM   #13
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      02-23-2007, 12:59 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Last E92 M3 View Post
I failed to find one and I feel like crap...

.... fork out the big money for the new one then

... I know I'll do everything I can to afford these new ///MF*krs
even if I have to eat peanut butter and jelly sndwiches for lunch
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      02-25-2007, 02:35 PM   #15
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Go for the hot Z car, kid. That's plenty for a high schooler. Now get lost.
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      02-25-2007, 02:39 PM   #16
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I think im finally getting old, or have finally matured, because this post makes me mad. and it never would have in years prior. my first car, was a brand new mitshubshi galant. 20 OR 30 GRAND cheaper then what you are talking about and i STILL had the nicest car in my highschool and was known around my school for the car i drove. and i paid for the whole lease payment. 350 bucks a month came out of my hard earned money to pay for that car and everyone thought it was crazy i paid so much money at 16 years old. Now your mommy and daddy are just buying you an m3. its kinda crazy.
my personal opinion is that ANYONE bangs up there very first car AT LEAST a little bit. i had 1 fender bender when i was 16 that was my fault, im sure thats pretty common, and i would learn to drive on something less expensive. now on your SECOND car. i would tell you to go all out and whine and cry to your parents until they spend 60-70 grand on you.
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Last edited by cdheaven; 02-26-2007 at 11:23 AM..
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      02-25-2007, 04:12 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdheaven View Post
I think im finally getting old, or have finally matured, because this post makes me mad. and it never would have in years prior. my first car, was a brand new mitshubshi galant. 20 OR 30 GRAND cheaper then what you are talking about and i STILL had the nicest car in my highschool and was none around my school for the car i drove. and i paid for the whole lease payment. 350 bucks a month came out of my hard earned money to pay for that car and everyone that it was crazy i paid so much money at 16 years old. Now your mommy and daddy are just buying you an m3. its kinda crazy.
my personal opinion is that ANYONE bangs up there very first car AT LEAST a little bit. i had 1 fender bender when i was 16 that was my fault, im sure thats pretty common, and i would learn to drive on something less expensive. now on your SECOND car. i would tell you to go all out and whine and cry to your parents until they spend 60-70 grand on you.
completely aggree with you
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      02-25-2007, 04:53 PM   #18
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M3 all the way... it will change your life.. lol really it would be different if u own a nizzan and drive an M3... the M3's beautiful in every way specially the interior compared to the nizzan
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      02-27-2007, 05:07 PM   #19
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you can buy my 2002 m3 it has an extended 100000 mile warranty its silver with red interior SMG all the options except nav and brand new rear tires and it has 65500miles on it $28500
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      02-28-2007, 11:40 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdheaven View Post
I think im finally getting old, or have finally matured, because this post makes me mad. and it never would have in years prior. my first car, was a brand new mitshubshi galant. 20 OR 30 GRAND cheaper then what you are talking about and i STILL had the nicest car in my highschool and was known around my school for the car i drove. and i paid for the whole lease payment. 350 bucks a month came out of my hard earned money to pay for that car and everyone thought it was crazy i paid so much money at 16 years old. Now your mommy and daddy are just buying you an m3. its kinda crazy.
my personal opinion is that ANYONE bangs up there very first car AT LEAST a little bit. i had 1 fender bender when i was 16 that was my fault, im sure thats pretty common, and i would learn to drive on something less expensive. now on your SECOND car. i would tell you to go all out and whine and cry to your parents until they spend 60-70 grand on you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by monsta View Post
completely aggree with you

UGggggg. Buy the M3 you'll need all the saftey features.
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      03-08-2007, 04:53 PM   #21
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15 years old and your parents are buying you an M3?
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      03-18-2007, 04:41 PM   #22
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Forgive me, alienmeister, but are you joking? If you want to celebrate your 16th birthday in one piece I would most definitely reconsider your shortlist. The accident rate amongst novice drivers is bad enough already.

Neither of these cars is at all suitable for learning to drive (I am assuming you haven't a licence yet, and even if you have learned car control off road, that is not the main issue). A car is a potentially lethal weapon (and not constitutionally guaranteed), and these two, esp the M3, are nukes in inexperienced hands. And an M3 if not properly (and expensively) maintained is worse still. Sure, it has loads of clever gizmos to keep you on the road, but what if one fails?

Think too of the damage any learner will do to a car like this. An M3 is like a thoroughbred racehorse (think Kentucky Derby winner), with a delicate 'mouth' (controls) and highly strung temperament, bred to win races against the best. Do you honestly think that's the mount for learning to ride/drive?

Also a 'racehorse' M3 is speedy, which means dangerous situations appear and develop much faster. It takes the average driver 0.8 secs to react and start to apply the brakes (how far has he travelled in that time?) and even the best are around 0.5 secs, but what distinguishes an experienced driver is being able to spot the telltale danger signs (in the environment and themselves/their companions) much earlier and assess their significance, so he/she will react earlier.

Buy something 'sensible' and in good condition that you can afford to maintain properly, get a few thousand accident free miles under your ass, a couple of years learning car control and roadcraft so you learn to spot and avoid accidents before they happen, at normal speeds, and then ask again. They say that you only start to learn to drive once you have passed your test. With experience you will actually appreciate what these cars have to offer, as well as being able to drive them competently. When you have built some experience, invest in the best performance-enhancing accessory there is - an advanced road driving course.

You owe it to yourself, your family, your friends and fellow drivers. Have you ever seen someone in a bad smash? What if it were someone you care about, due to your inexperience or incompetence? You would be haunted for life. PLEASE RETHINK.

Rant over. Yes, I'm an old misery, but I love driving passionately, and I hope you wil learn to as well. Most important, I'd like you to survive to my age someday, too! (Awful prospect, eh?)

To finally address your original question: driving is all about awareness and judgement. If you ask a website of M3 freaks, just what sort of answer are you expecting? Hopefully you have posted on a Nissan website too? Even so, will the answers really help you decide? Or are you just seeking views? If so, you need to use more open questioning - like 'why?'. Also, there might be other cars to consider, or have you based you search solely on performance per $? (Don't get me wrong, both are fine cars - indeed, the Nissan was the alternative when I bought my CS, which I believe is called Competion or Club Sport in the US.)

With regard to breakage, almost all the UK M3 owners I know have some sort of extended warranty. The cars are now much more reliable (check yours had the two recalls for bottom end/oil pump - if not, walk away) but even so, if they do let go it can be very expensive indeed - think US$20 thousand for a new engine in the UK, and BMW labour costs are high (see ase2dais post on thread 'Need some input quickly'). If you must have one or other, buy the cheaper to maintain newer Nissan now, and look forward to the 'real car' M3 when you can afford to own/maintain a good one. (Between ourselves, the M3 can be a pig to drive for a few blocks when cold.)

Good luck with whatever you decide - if you do get an M3 get SMG, it's truly awesome (see thread re racing an 'auto'). Come to the UK if you want a demo!

Last edited by Helix; 03-21-2007 at 06:46 AM.. Reason: Added material re racehorse and to answer original question.
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