2002 BMW M3: Oh, Happy Day

Work that M3 enough and he just might have to get a new set of tires.

@ lazyhater:
 
I'm guessing there's some sort of conga line for the more appealing/interesting cars. Why else would anyone have driven the LT Compass, especially on a long trip?

You and the kids must have had a blast.
(;

That red interior is glorious!

That red interior would elicit howls of derision if it were in an American sedan--or any sedan other than a holier-than-thou BMW.

Bottom line, people: I have an e36 M3 sedan. I wan't something newer. It's conceivable that I could get a used e46 for cheaper than a 135i. So I need the truth. Do I need to seriously look at one of these things? I always hated them (no sedan, all those exhaust tips, everyone on the planet drives an e46 somethingorother) but I just can't swing close to $38 k, even if it is for one of those angry little 135s.

wow I heard it was red in their. But seriously. thats fugly

I'm not preaching you on your parenting skills but don't you think you & your kids would have been more safe in a Veracruz with its Side Airbags, considering how the M3's Sidebags have been disabled?

The red interior is nice for sure.

People swear the bimmer's red interior is nicer in person, but I have trouble believing my impression would improve very much. It's pretty ugly to my rather conservative eyes.
 
Still, could we have one nice thread without the old, "If that was in an American car..." routine?
 
Even with the red interior, the M3 is a sweet ride.

This interior looks slightly better in person, partly because the execution is fantastic and uses really rich complimentary colors and materials. Nonetheless, it's not as easy on the eyes as a more traditional black/tan/gray interior.
 
Rkoe -
 
As someone who is considering swapping my 06 Civic SI for 135 when it hits 75k miles (about 18 months from now), and as a BMWCCA member and BMW nutcase, I'd love to comment on that! :)
 
While you could get an e46 BMW M3 for a little less (i'm not sure how you'll be equipping the 135, but I'm assuming sport package/cold weather package/power seats since that'd put you around 38k). But with the 135, you'll have a full maintenance package and the original warranty (which covers everything including clutch). You'll probably have a nicer ride with the same or better handling, based upon the test of the 335i vs. e46 M3. Of course, you won't have an LSD but you can make up for that with 300 ft/lb of torque at 1400 rpms :)
 
But really, your cost-to-mantain for a few years will be lower due to free maintenance, less stuff likely to go wrong, less frequent maintenance requirements, and of course the new-kid on the block feeling :)
 
One note: The 3.0 liter twin turbo engine is starting to exhibit a few worrying things...one is that there are almost no engine oils that can withstand the fuel dilution that occurs in this engine. Most are shot well before 3000 miles (and BMW is still recommending 15k mile oil changes). Not sure if you intend to keep the car for 75-100k miles, but that's a concern.

My high school car, a 1986 Buick LeSabre had a red interior. It wasn't overly ugly. It was certainly different from the gray/black/tan interiors of today.

The rear side airbags are disabled, so it could be argued that the 45-pound girls in the back seat would be pummeled by a side airbag.

Personally, I like the red interior.
My dad has the red interior on his Mustang, and I think it looks very good.
But it's all personal opinion.

"I'm guessing there's some sort of conga line for the more appealing/interesting cars. Why else would anyone have driven the LT Compass, especially on a long trip?"
 
That was my guess too, I was hoping to get an explainations to it.

It's so car and execution dependant, interior color is....some interior tan looks abysmal, some it looks great. Black is usually the safest bet, or dark gray.
 
BMW has a lemon interior and now, in 08/09 3 series coupes, a jade gray interior that looks amazing. It's done by simply doing the seats and a sash on the doorway in that color, and everything else in dark/gray or black (except your choice of interior trim).
 
The Malibu's orange interior is an example of a great idea with so-so materials and poor execution (namely, non-matching shades of orange between seats and dash).
 
Joe

Reading the Ferrari & M3 posts have reinforced my decision to essentially split the difference between the two - I picked up an '01 M Roadster a year ago (19k miles) and for me it seems like a perfect compromise. A spiffy roadster that's probably about as fast as the M3, (mine's the 315 hp version of the same motor, but the car's a bit lighter), but not as "exotic" as the 308.

To prevent a wild scramble at the end of each day, we sign out test cars in a specific order. Editors have priority for specific cars depending on story assignments, test dates at the track, photo and video shoots, etc. There are more than 30 staffers in the editorial department, so you don't necessarily get first crack at your dream car every day. Sometimes a weekend swap becomes a welcome alternative.--Kelly

G-K - I've really considered the same thing. Based upon what I'm seeing, I think my lack of a garage and need for a reasonable daily driver is leading me to leasing a brand new BMW 135i 6-speed and driving it 20k a year for 2 years. Sure, I'll spend almost $10k over those 2 years...but hey, I've spent almost that on a new Honda Civic over 2 years.
 
Joe