Our E46 M3 is a runner to be sure, and hopping in for a run through the gears reminds you just how solid and capable a car it is. The straight-6 revs like a weedwacker and makes noises so scintillating you'll cackle out loud and keep the sunroof open so you can howl along with it. The chassis is still rock solid and provides feedback that's direct enough to make you feel like you're chatting with the contact patches. After a week with time in the E46 M3, the latest M5 and new 135i, it begs the question, where's BMW's DNA headed?
Our E46 is definitely showing its age, with its antiquated GPS, slightly sloppy shift action (is there an abuse hotline?), and old-school, colored-cut-outs gauges (Will the variable redline slowly creep down the tachometer as the car ages? "Sorry boys, don't have much more than 5000 rpm in me today. You know, the knees..."). All the M3 goodness is still here (due in part to new brakes and rubber), and the car retains a mechanical directness that is wildly appealing. You feel like a hero when you drive the M3, rev-matching shifts into your own driveway just to hear the mill one more time.
The new M5 feels like tech overkill by comparison. Its steering has lost that beautiful telepathic sense, and the first-gen SMG gearbox is so good at annoying it actually makes you long for an automatic (well OK, maybe not that bad, but it's close...). The dreaded "i" word (no, not iDrive: isolating) has actually entered the vernacular when describing a BMW. Make no mistake, the M5 is an awesome and formidable machine, with a stellar chassis and a truly fantastic powerplant, it just seems like BMW has lost its way a bit in trying to fix things that weren't broken. Understand, of course, that the SMG gearbox was always money when driving the car above 8/10ths, and the M5's steering setup can pay dividends on other fronts (low-speed-steering effort, autobahn-speed stability, etc.).
Enter the 135i, and you suddenly feel like BMW's E46 M3 DNA is thriving completely intact. Though no uber-taut M3, the 135i's directness, chuckability and revvy thrust make you giddy again for the brand. Like the E46 M3, you walk away from the 135i shaking like a junkie: You know you need one of these things like extra GM stock, but you don't care. You want one. This with a regular ole' manual gearbox and steering that never seems confused.
All this begs the question: At $30K used, would you rather a warranty-less E46 M3, or a whip-cracking 1 Series? To get the real fun, you'll need a 135i to tart up a skosh (think $40K), but heck, we've already spent $10k wrenching on our long-term E46 M3. Or, you could snag both for the M5's $85K+ sticker.
With BMW's current lineup - if driving fun is the mission - does what you spend equate to how much joy you get back? Our E46 M3 can certainly make you long for simpler days, but maybe that's because we're driving it like hoons, while someone else picks up the maintenance tab.
Paul Seredynski, Executive Editor, Edmunds.com @ 63,855 miles
arm51 says:
10:20 AM, 11/12/08
I'd take the 135i with a stick and a few options, namely the sports seats. The warranty and maintenance, as well as the ability to extend both to 6 years\100,000 miles (at least where I live), makes this a very tempting car.
subytrojan says:
10:24 AM, 11/12/08
Welcome aboard! Bryn says you're left-handed like some of us here. :o) I think I saw you while we were waiting in line to get flu shots. I was the guy wearing the Subaru apparel. :o)
7driver says:
10:32 AM, 11/12/08
$35.6k for a 135i in red, white or black plus another $1.1k for the sport seats in leatherette, what else would a serious driver need? Stay disciplined on the options sheet and you can easily steer clear of $40k.
bimmerjay says:
10:44 AM, 11/12/08
I'll take a 335i coupe with a manual loaded with every option except active steering and active cruise. Oh wait, I already have one of those. :-)
One reason I'm a BMW fan is that you can get manual transmissions (with the big engines!) on everything except the 7 and X5/6. And still get any of the other options to your heart's desire.
vvk says:
11:10 AM, 11/12/08
I'll take a used E46 M3, thank you very much.
Or a 128i. I would not buy the twin-turbo motor.
sgude says:
11:37 AM, 11/12/08
With some of the issues I have with many of the current BMWs (no dipsticks, no drain plugs, alleged "lifetime" fluids, optimistic at best long service intervals), I'd go for the E46 M3 every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Plus, it's a visceral thing. Some won't understand.
roadburner says:
11:41 AM, 11/12/08
Since I tend to keep my cars for five to six years or more(my soon to be flipped Mazdaspeed 3 is an exception), I want to see a little more long term data N54 before I take the plunge. And who knows? While I'm waiting BMW might even start re-installing dipsticks and offering LSDs on non-///M cars...
roadburner says:
11:55 AM, 11/12/08
"Plus, it's a visceral thing. Some won't understand."
Exactly. Most people consider my ti and '02 to be underpowered, but on a winding road with either car I can carry about the same average speeds as I could in my 310+ hp E24 M6 or my Mazdaspeed(that is, when it's not getting a strut or turbo replaced). The best thing about the older BMWs is that they tend to be much more "alive" to the serious driver. Don't get me wrong, the new BMWs are great cars, but the only new BMW I've truly hated to turn back in was the B7 I drove in 2007. How can you not like a 500 hp executive express that can click off a 1/4 mile in the 12s?
autoboy16 says:
12:22 PM, 11/12/08
on my pre college budget, I would get a 1999-2002 BMW E46 3series! I could afford one! Who cares about the hp difference between the 323/325 and 328/330? I enjoy my short on torque v6 Accord and I think my mom's 2.5i z4 is fast enough for me. I'd be perfectly happy with a 323i 5Mt with little or no payments. Sure 300hp/300lbs ft is nice but when you're content with 170, Why pay extra?
Also the E46's have a spare tire, which has a cost savings on the runflats that come just about standard on all the new BMWs. Who needs that antiquated GPS when my perfectly capable $99 Navigon 2100 outperforms it in every possible way?
-Cj
stingray454 says:
01:43 PM, 11/12/08
Probably the 135, because the long term maintenance and repair costs on the E46 M3 scares me, as I tend to keep my cars for a long time (typically 7-10 years and 120k+). Although spending $40k+ on a 1-series is really a kick in the head, especially since the base model doesn't even come with leather. I think I would rather have a 'stripped' 335i, if there is such an animal.
ddoouugg says:
02:50 PM, 11/12/08
The e46 m3 is a legend in my eyes. The 135 is a fast fun small new car. It depends what I'm looking for.
"it actually makes you long for an automatic (well OK, maybe not that bad, but it's close...)" well put
carnage says:
05:33 PM, 11/12/08
I'd take the E46. It looks better, sounds better, has (slightly) more useful backseat room, and they still inspire fear on the streets. I haven't used a nav system yet; I don't think i'd get any use outta one unless I was going on a long trip anyway.
clarkma5 says:
05:43 PM, 11/12/08
For the 1-series I'd rather take the simpler 128i...I do not like how whooshy and effortless the twin-turbo 3.0 liter I6 is, it strikes me as somewhat character-less. Now, considering that you'd have to settle for an earlier E46 M3 for the price of a new 128i, I'd take the 128i. But for the price of a well-equipped 135i you're getting into the newer E46 M3s so I'd take a 2004-2006 model E46 over the 135i.
blueguydotcom says:
06:46 PM, 11/12/08
135 to me has more tuner appeal. A few k and that thing is putting out around 400 HP. Plus as the economy gets worse the 135's ED potential goes way up. :)
johnmarco says:
10:01 PM, 11/12/08
^The 135 has erectile dysfunction?
I guess I would take the M3. It looks better, and is obviously plenty fast and a hoot to drive. But one thing I still don't get is how anyone enjoys the sound of it. I see & hear E46 M3's all the time, and they sound awful, just plain awful.
brian60 says:
06:54 AM, 11/13/08
Why buy the 135 when the 335 is only $2000 and 200 lbs more? The latter has much better packaging and is elegant in comparison.
mlevere1992 says:
07:06 AM, 11/13/08
autoboy16 - Yes, the E46s have spare tires but the E46 M3 does not. It comes with what they call the M Mobility System. That includes a combination compressor/sealant dispenser and Lifetime BMW Roadside Assistance. The reason that they do this is that the M3 comes with mixed width tires/rims and one spare won't work on both.
I love both cars but the only thing that I worry about when buying an E46 M3 is how the previous owner drove and maintained the car. Were they hooning it like these guys do, taking the car to track days, or driving it in a reasonable fashion. Have they performed all of the regular maintenance? That is one of the reasons that I like to buy a new car, to make sure that it has been maintained correctly and I know all of the problems from the beginning.
Now, if I had the opportunity to purchase a '04 - '06 E46 Imola Red\Black manual w\sport package, I might have to seriously consider it. Anything older than that with high milage, you really need to have the car checked out if it isn't a BMW certified car.
subytrojan says:
01:07 PM, 11/13/08
I think/hope blueguydotcom meant European Delivery.
drmillerM3 says:
10:58 AM, 02/16/09
I took the e46 M3 at the end of July. Really you have to compare the M to the 335 to get a better comparison. The practicality is much closer than the hopelessness of the 1's. And a similarly loaded 335i new was around $53k. If your already in the 50's, might as well spend $60 and get a new M3, or sadly to say, a Nissan GT-R. If you're considering a one, why not pick up a '07 Z4 M. It blows away the 135i in virtually every category. Kills it in looks!!!
drmillerM3 says:
11:04 AM, 02/16/09
FYI mlevere1992, that's precisely what I bought '04 e46 m3 imola/black. 41k, completely stock. Owner wanted to sell one of his cars and had to decide between the M and a red NSX, which he elected to keep. You need to buy these types of cars from a car entusiast. It made me feel better knowing he had more than one semi-exotic car. (and yes, I don't live in SoCal, and when I bought it I lived in Iowa, so it was exotic!