[Redben]

Getting ready to VT the 335D and have been looking to treat myself to something special this year. Luckily the missus already has a family car for us to use so I have no real restrictions other than two seats would be limiting for the weekends.

Had my eye on either M3 or M5. Have test driven both recently and they are absolutely awesome. However given I can get into both for around £700 monthlies I am questioning whether spending so much is worth when the performance is unusable for so much of the time. I have owned 300 plus hp cars for years and find they just about strike the balance between enjoying stretching their legs and the risk of spending time in prison I struggle to see how both these cars can be properly enjoyed when one press of the gas sees you in three figures almost immediately.

I have now started to look at TTS/RS3/R/M235I sort of deals and you are then looking at around 500 a month or less. Struggling with the man maths.....wish I could buy my E46 M3 brand new again, great noise not too much power to be useable

Any comments from owners of said super M cars would be great as would any alternatives

[creepy coupe]

If we're honest all of the cars on your list can't be used to anything like their full potential.Owning an M5/M3 is also about having something very special and rarer than most.

You could get into a nicely specced M235i for under £400.

[Redben]

Thats the thing, the M5 is lovely but you're paying a lot for a nice interior and a badge to show given the milli seconds you can actually open the taps for.

I have a few nice b roads around and the car I enjoyed most was a GTI PP as you could properly wring the car out without constant three figure speeds.

Just want something that looks and sounds great but can be enjoyed without risking shower time

[Chompers]

Focus RS? seems great value.

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

If we're honest all of the cars on your list can't be used to anything like their full potential.Owning an M5/M3 is also about having something very special and rarer than most.

You could get into a nicely specced M235i for under £400.

First thing I thought from reading that list, ditto for the TTS, they're a cost bracket below the others...

[JustChris]

Right now I'd get the M3 over the M5 every time. M5 starting to look a tiny bit dated inside and production stops in October, hence the deals. Real world running costs much higher for the M5 than M3 too.

Nicely spec'd Full Leather and best exclusive colour you like would be amazing.

[Tengocity]

Sounds like you'd love the M2 surely?

[Wills2]

For me an M3 is more useable and you can explore the "M'ness" a lot more than you can with the M5.

You can stretch its legs in 2nd and 3rd and it will grip and go, the M5 won't unless the weather and road are perfect as you'll just end up spinning the wheels or the TC holts the action, plus you can enjoy the turn in and playfulness on offer with the M3 at any speed as the M5 just hasn't got that to the same degree.

You'll also get 32mpg+ on a run (which although not the point, putting in £600+ a month into the M5 gets old very quickly if you're doing lots of miles)

It's not as quick as the M5 over 80mph, the M5 is crazy fast at that point giving you a shove in the back like your gunning it from 30mph but that's a dangerous feature to use and it will wag its tail at 90mph on straight road so unless you're Ken Block you won't be going there often, the M3 will do 100mph in 8.6 seconds which is fast enough in the real world.

If you want the ultimate autobahn stormer with a superb interior then the M5 is hard to beat but for daily driving smiles in the UK the M3 has it beaten.

I see the OP used to have an e46 M3, and so did I the current M3 reminds me very much of that car, far nearer its ethos than the M5 or e92 M3.

What I mean by that is the engines eagerness and the chuckable nature of the chassis, the e46 was very tight and buzzy and so is the F80.

[Redben]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

Sounds like you'd love the M2 surely?

Think I would but when exploring the M3 comp pack deal my dealer was saying they are struggling to get any cars this year and would guess 2018 for delivery

No doubt the M3 or M4 would be amazing and the discounts plus apr mean they are better value than 18 month old cars.

Dealer will have comp pack car in during april so will try that out, have considered looking at a 2015 RS4 as well. Focus RS doesn't float my boat and have owned two M135i recently as well as the golf.

The new C43 AMG C coupe looks promising if it sounds half as decent as the 63 which would be out of budget.

Have to say putting the hammer down at 70 on the M5 was something I won't forget for a while

[InquisitiveA]

At the risk of being a miserable sod none of the cars you are considering are that special or a significant step up from your 335d IMO. I think you'd be replacing a perfectly good car with something more expensive that (as you said yourself) you can't generally use the extra power with.

If the objective is to get something "special", a treat, then it has to be a 911 of some sort or an R8, AM Vantage, or a classic car you always wanted. An M2 probably also fits the bill if you can get one, because of the rarity value.

VTing your 335d to get into a different 3 or 5 series or stepping down to an RS3/Golf R/235i is the sort of thing you could easily regret in 6 months.

[dopper99]

Its not all about the power with in M car as so many components are different to a boggo 3 series. So handling and steering will feel different too.

Its not like driving a 3 series with a more powerful engine, which is what a lot of people are alluding to.

Wills2 has hit the nail on the head.

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Its not all about the power with in M car as so many components are different to a boggo 3 series. So handling and steering will feel different too.

Its not like driving a 3 series with a more powerful engine, which is what a lot of people are alluding to.

Wills2 has hit the nail on the head.

Agreed, very recent driver of F30 and F82 and they are very very different models of car indeed. So much more than an engine upgrade.

[Redben]

Originally Posted by InquisitiveA

At the risk of being a miserable sod none of the cars you are considering are that special or a significant step up from your 335d IMO. I think you'd be replacing a perfectly good car with something more expensive that (as you said yourself) you can't generally use the extra power with.

If the objective is to get something "special", a treat, then it has to be a 911 of some sort or an R8, AM Vantage, or a classic car you always wanted. An M2 probably also fits the bill if you can get one, because of the rarity value.

VTing your 335d to get into a different 3 or 5 series or stepping down to an RS3/Golf R/235i is the sort of thing you could easily regret in 6 months.

I think you are probably spot on......very nearly bit the bullet around six months ago on a 997 carrera s that I absolutely loved during the drive, not the quickest but just felt every bit of the £70k it would have cost new. I'm lucky that the missus has a nice 520d m sport and will likely move into a new A6 3.0 TDI so I have a bit of freedom to get something somewhat impractical. Although i have a five year old and the car must be able to get all of us in from time to time.

[Wills2]

50% of the components are different f80 to f30

[Chompers]

My 'RS' suggestion was based on your wish to lower monthly payments and in addition to the cars stated on your 'possibility list' Now we're discussing M3's and M5's good old man maths strikes again

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by Chris10Bimmers

Agreed, very recent driver of F30 and F82 and they are very very different models of car indeed. So much more than an engine upgrade.

Do you still miss your M4 Chris, would you want it back? Or do you feel the 335d does everything you need it to do?

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Do you still miss your M4 Chris, would you want it back? Or do you feel the 335d does everything you need it to do?

Hmm 50:50 right now, who doesn't want a nice M car....but yes a 335D is really the car I need.

Constant need vs want battle

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by Chris10Bimmers

Hmm 50:50 right now, who doesn't want a nice M car....but yes a 335D is really the car I need.

Constant need vs want battle

Yes, I guess if you could buy an M car for not much more than a 335d and say it not cost much more to run ..... we'd all be having one.

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Yes, I guess if you could buy an M car for not much more than a 335d and say it not cost much more to run ..... we'd all be having one.

Abso-feckin-lutely!

Don't get me wrong, the 335d is a great car, but it's a compromise choice for me as a high mileage driver.

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by Tengocity

Abso-feckin-lutely!

Don't get me wrong, the 335d is a great car, but it's a compromise choice for me as a high mileage driver.

With a bit of luck, I should be getting a test drive in an M3 at the weekend. Dealer emailed with a prestige event they have on ...... I need to hear from the salesman tomorrow to sort it.

I blame Wills2's positive write-ups on the M3