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More than a few a you asked whether or not I would buy a C5 Z06 and how it compares to either a new Mustang or an E46 M3. Well, here it goes...
To buy a Corvette, you have to want a Corvette. Bear with me, because unless you own a C5 Z06, this might not make a lot of sense.
We had to put a lot of money into our 2002 BMW M3, but its addictive and irrepressible spirit allowed it to crack the top five. Even better, it never actually broke, despite 25,000 miles of our own plus fanboy editor Sadlier treating the redline hash mark of its straight-6 as a "shift here" indicator. Rumor has it he got an "E46 Forever!" tatoo on his shoulder...
Editors' Favorite Number Four posts tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Back by popular demand, here are this week's favorite reader comments from the past week.
I Wish I Could
By someguyposting on September 7, 2009 8:45 AM
"Has BMW made made driving too easy?"
How about you loan me the car for a while so I can formulate an informed opinion? I promise to report in full detail in a blog like the folks testing the Mini-E and Fiesta. ;-)
2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Doesn't Skimp on Storage
What a Concept
By roadburner on September 7, 2009 3:52 PM
"When I drive I actually drive, so no need for a place for drinks, food, or any other distraction."
You sound downright un-American; I bet you even make people nervous by holding the steering wheel with both hands...
2009 BMW 750i: So Long Northern Calif.
Is DTS a Dirty Word?
By altimadude00 on September 7, 2009 10:48 AM
Uh oh, you're going to get roasted just mentioning the Cadillac DTS!
Seriously, there's nothing wrong with it, besides the image problem. For 8/10ths the luxury for half the price of a 7 series, I'd probably get one.
Yesterday I was tooling along in and quite enjoying our long-term 2009 Audi A4 Avant. Then I stopped at this redlight behind the black E46 M3 pictured above. Look closely and you'll notice it's an M3 with the Competition Package, which means its rides on a set of supercool 19-inch BBS wheels and packs other goodness from the Europe-only CSL model. It's the one the have.
When the light went green I tried to stay with the guy, but he was on it and the A4 just didn't have enough guts. He knew I was trying, so he really pushed it, eliminating any chance I would have of getting another look at the car.
About a half-mile down the road he caught a green, but I was lagging so far behind I got stuck at the light. All I could do was sit there and watch him disappear over a rise. By the time I got moving again he was long gone.
Now all I can think about his how much I miss our beloved black E46 M3. Am I the only one? Some cars just stay with you...ya know?
Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
Here are our favorite reader comments from the past week. Did you make it into the recap?
2009 Nissan 370Z: DIY Brake Pad and Rotor Change, Part 1
The Quicker Picker-Upper
By ktinsd on August 8, 2009 10:24 PM
Great writeup. I've had good luck over the years using paper towels to wick out the excess brake fluid from the master reservoir. Just make sure to use something under the wet towel when you swing out from under the hood so you don't drip any on the paint.
2009 Nissan 370Z: DIY Brake Pad and Rotor Change, Part 2
We Call Him DIY Dan
By stovt001 on August 9, 2009 3:53 PM
I'm definitely interested in seeing more of this on the LT blog. I'd like to see a fairly balanced mix of DIY jobs, independent shops, and dealership visits. That will cover the whole range of car owners.
2009 Flex 750i Ram Genesis: The Oregon Selection
When I was a kid we just piled into a big sedan
By eclogite on August 9, 2009 6:04 AM
The fact that the family wants to take it on the family vacation AGAIN over a BMW 750 speaks volumes about the Flex. Thanks for keeping us readers in the decision loop.
By stephen987 on August 9, 2009 7:23 AM
Excellent post. This kind of info--what's the thing like to live with on a regular basis--is the best thing about long-term testing. Keep it coming! One more thing, while I'm at it: these criteria are the reason that multipurpose vehicles (vans and van-adjacent things) keep on selling. The Flex, like the Enclave from last year, just plain makes sense as a family vehicle. You know, the way station wagons used to. (And no, the Audi doesn't count. It's too small for a family wagon, but it's great for packrats without kids.)
By felonious on August 9, 2009 10:39 AM
That sure is a powerful sales pitch for the Flex! Too bad I'm so in the hole with my current family car, and my wife hates the hearse looks. :/
By stovt001 on August 9, 2009 11:14 PM
Wow, let that roll around in your head for a little while. His family literally said "please don't make us go in the BMW. We'd much rather go in the Ford." I don't know whether that says more about Ford or BMW (I'd say Ford, if pressed) but it sure says something.
More after the jump...
" ^ 'nuff said" Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor.
That's right, our 2002 BMW M3 is gone (Read the Long Term Wrap up here.) As sad as it is (for some of us-- the ones who weren't responsible for keeping the cabinet full of liquid-gold M3 oil), let's pick up the pieces of our shattered lives and take a walk down memory lane with the latest installment of Parting Shots. Walton said it best above, but follow the jump for more, and don't forget to leave your own Parting Shot in the comments.
A few days ago when I posted about the 20-year-old who wanted to buy our 2002 BMW M3 I got quite a few comments.
Most of you said in no uncertain terms that it was too much car for someone that age. Others felt it was inappropriate for his family to fund this purchase. Still others were very negative about the outcome of putting a car like this in a young driver's hands.
But one commentor said something I really liked: "This kid's been in love with that model of M3 since he was 13. My guess is he'll be very careful with it. If anything, the worst that can happen is he'll damage the paint from over polishing it."
I'm not sure if this is true, but I'm going to keep this in mind. Because the kid bought the car.
Here's what happened.
Last week I got a quote from a wholesaler for our 2002 BMW M3. It was a good price but I was interested to see what kind of respons it would get on the open market.
So over the weekend I decided to throw it up on Craigslist. Maybe I could improve the wholesaler's quote. The TMV for this car is $18,400 and I decided to drop the price slightly to $18,000 since time was short.
Friday night I got an email from an interested buyer. Saturday I got several more emails. Sunday morning I got a call from a young guy who wanted to see it right away. "I'll be there in 30 minutes," he said. "I promise I'll be there." Well, since he promised...
Looking at the mileage records for vehicles in the Edmunds.com long term fleet I usually find that I get higher fuel economy than other drivers. So I was waiting for that effect to kick in with the 2002 BMW M3.
No dice.
Lifetime average for the M3 is 17.4 mpg and I only improved the efficiency to a measly 19.6 mpg on the last tank after driving 277 freeway miles. I couldn't even crack 20 mpg!
This car is impossible to drive calmly. It was never intended to provide good fuel efficiency. It was built to deliver driving pleasure and even at its advanced age it does that quite well.
Below are the fuel economy numbers for June 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.
As always, we were missing a few cars that were out of town or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.
| Car | Best | Worst | Average | |
| 2009 Audi A4 Avant | 26.8 | 17.5 | 21.9 | |
| 2009 Audi S5 | 22.3 | 11.3 | 18.0 | |
| 2008 BMW 135i | 27.7 | 13.9 | 19.8 | |
| 2009 BMW 750i | 21.8 | 12.4 | 17.9 | |
| 2002 BMW M3 | 23.5 | 12.3 | 17.5 | |
| 2009 BMW M3 | 20.5 | 12.7 | 16.1 | |
| 2009 Ford Flex Limited | 26.7 | 13.7 | 19.2 | |
| 2008 Ford Focus SES | 40.6 | 16.6 | 26.7 | |
| 2007 Honda Civic GX | 47.3 | 12.7 | 31.6 | |
| 2009 Honda Fit Sport | 39.0 | 24.9 | 31.0 | |
| 2009 Hyundai Genesis | 24.4 | 14.3 | 20.4 | |
| 2009 Infiniti FX50 | 21.8 | 10.7 | 16.9 | |
| 2009 Mazda 6 | 29.3 | 19.4 | 23.5 | |
| 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X GSR | 22.6 | 11.0 | 17.0 | |
| 2009 Nissan 370Z | 24.4 | 13.7 | 17.9 | |
| 2009 Nissan GT-R | 21.8 | 11.5 | 16.4 | |
| 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion | 43.4 | 23.5 | 33.6 | |
| 2009 Suzuki SX4 | 28.3 | 18.6 | 22.5 | |
| 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI | 43.0 | 28.0 | 34.6 |
After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.
I don't know about you, but I can't afford a new BMW M3. But now, I might be able to afford a used one.
Our 2002 BMW M3 Coupe is going to be leaving home soon, and it will be my job to push it out the door. So this morning I took a look at what we paid for it and what we hope to sell it for.
About 18 months ago we paid $30,000 for our menacing, black, freeway rocket. It had 50,000 miles on it, definitely not a spring chicken. Still, the needle on the fun factor registered a high reading.
Now, our True Market Value price is $18,508 at 72,951 miles. That means the car has depreciated $11,492. If you were leasing the car, that would be the equivalent of $638 a month (before taxes and DMV fees). That's still a pretty steep monthly payment for me.
But on the other hand, that's a lot of car.
Philip Reed, Edmunds senior consumer advice editor @ 72,951 miles.
Last night, I had a choice of either the new M3 or the old M3 to take home. I took the latter, which no doubt has some of you scratching your heads. You see, the old M3 will be going away soon and as I haven't driven it in a while, figured I better get time in it while I can. Even though it was just for my traffic-filled six mile commute, it was worth it -- this morning I let it sing on the wide-open on-ramp to the 10 trapped-way. Of course, one last dance through the canyons is on the docket too. So yeah, I like it that much. Dare I say, I'm as smitten with this car as Mr. Sadlier.
Herewith are the 3 things I love and, uhhh, don't love about the car:
See this little knob between the M3's center dashboard vents? It controls the air temperature coming out of those vents and the two outer vents by the doors. And it does so with authority over the enitre automatic climate control system. Why this is silly after the jump...
Here are the fuel economy numbers for 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.
As always, we were missing a few cars that were out of town or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll add them as they come in and I'll let you know in the comments.
| Car | Best | Worst | Average | |
| 2009 Audi A4 Avant | 26.8 | 17.5 | 22.0 | |
| 2009 Audi S5 | 22.3 | 11.8 | 18.0 | |
| 2009 BMW 750i | 21.8 | 12.4 | 18.2 | |
| 2002 BMW M3 | 23.5 | 12.3 | 17.5 | |
| 2009 BMW M3 | 18.8 | 9.6 | 15.4 | |
| 2008 Cadillac CTS | 32.5 | 9.9 | 19.3 | |
| 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T | 22.3 | 10.3 | 16.0 | |
| 2009 Ford Flex Limited | 26.7 | 13.7 | 19.4 | |
| 2008 Ford Focus SES | 40.6 | 16.6 | 26.7 | |
| 2007 Honda Civic GX | 47.3 | 12.7 | 31.7 | |
| 2009 Honda Fit Sport | 39.0 | 26.0 | 31.5 | |
| 2009 Hyundai Genesis | 24.8 | 15.5 | 20.7 | |
| 2009 Infiniti FX50 | 21.8 | 10.7 | 17.0 | |
| 2009 Mazda 6 | 29.1 | 19.4 | 23.3 | |
| 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X MR | 27.2 | 11.7 | 17.3 | |
| 2009 Nissan 370Z | 24.4 | 13.7 | 18.2 | |
| 2009 Nissan GT-R | 21.8 | 11.5 | 16.5 | |
| 2008 Pontiac G8 GT | 24.0 | 12.0 | 17.5 | |
| 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion | 43.4 | 23.5 | 33.4 | |
| 2009 Suzuki SX4 | 28.3 | 18.6 | 22.6 | |
| 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI | 43.0 | 28.7 | 35.0 |
After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.
Would I buy one? It's a question I ask myself whenever I slide behind the wheel of a car. Would I drop my hard earned money on one of these? Would I want to own it? Drive it for years? Look at it in my driveway? Tell people it's mine?
It's also the question you the reader ask me the most. So I've decided to go through all the cars we now have in our fleet and decide whether or not I would buy one. I also included a few recently departed vehicles. Seems appropriate since they just left us.
The thing about the new cars in our long-term fleet is, they really shouldn't be having serious problems. We get 'em fresh off the lot and ditch 'em after 20,000 miles. Any modern car should be able to handle that.
When you're talking about a used performance car, though, that's a different story.
We added our long-term 2002 BMW M3 to the fleet in January of 2008 with 50,000 miles on the clock. People don't buy stickshift M3s to putter around at 3,000 rpm, so it's safe to assume that our example had already led a pretty hard life. And over the past 17 months, we've added almost 22,000 ...erm... "enthusiastic" miles to the tally, including drifting, autocrossing, repeated performance testing, and generally treating the red hash mark north of 8,000 rpm as the "shift here" light.
Yet despite having weathered the full Edmunds treatment for an unusually long period, this thing absolutely refuses to break. You can almost hear it scoffing at us: "Is that all you got?" The M3 pulls just as hard and clean today as it did when we bought it, and it still feels tight. Color me impressed.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 71,826 miles
Having driven the 2002 BMW M3 for the weekend, I should've written this blog post on Monday, but I was dragging my feet, fearful of the Bavarian Backlash after I admitted I was so totally over the coupe.
But this morning a great thing happened. I took the M3 out to run a quick errand and turns out, I do like the car. It was my crappy weekend full of mindless errands that was annoying, not the M3 coupe's lack of rear doors or updated nav system. In fact, it wasn't the M3's fault at all that my kid was invited to two birthday parties in the same afternoon (one pool, one beach) that had her climbing in and out of the back seat, trailing wet towels and sand over my seat back as I ferried her from one group of shrieking girls to the next.
Once back in the M3 this morning BY MYSELF, the BMW and I had a perfectly lovely drive together.
Although it did make me promise to take home an SUV or a minivan this weekend instead.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 71,820 miles
The current (E9X) BMW 3 Series comes standard with a shallow storage cavity aft of the shifter on the center console. It's kind of a joke, but at least I'm able to squeeze my cell phone and wallet into it. Our long-term 2009 BMW M3 sedan has the iDrive option, which replaces that storage cavity with the iDrive controller.
In other words, my wallet and phone are out of luck.
Sure, I could put my wallet in the covered bin under the armrest, but I can't put my phone in there (might not even hear it ring), and it's a pain to access anyway. So I end up putting my phone in the door-grab cavity and my wallet in the door map pocket. The E9X 3 Series with iDrive is the only car I can think of that makes me stoop to this level.
Check out the cupholders/all-purpose receptacles in our old E46 M3 (replaced by overengineered dash-mounted slide-out cupholders on the E9X). Infinitely more convenient.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 2,209 miles
Personally, I have never kept a car more than five years. I let go of cars for a variety of reasons -- got bored of them, blew up an engine (or two), I wanted to go faster or my tastes have changed. Buzzing around town this weekend in our "old" M3 got me thinking -- is there and automotive equivalent to dog years?
Our old M3 was looking a little down recently. Specifically, the flocked (velour-like-covered) rubber trim strip that covers the inside edge of the driver's door weatherstripping was down and out. Armed with a tube of Permatex Super Weatherstrip Adhesive (under $3), I got to work.
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