Opinions Wanted on 3-Car Fleet: E46 M3 + Family SUV + ???

[BTB]

Hey all,

Entering a new chapter with our first baby on the way and curious to get some thoughts on a balanced 3-car garage setup. Let me know if this is the wrong discussion to post in, I didn't see any OT forum but I could have missed. I have 3 cars now, but thinking of trading one out for what will serve as my main beater/daily. I'm in Austin, so winter capability need not be considered. Currently we have:

- 2003 E46 M3 coupe 6mt - forever/fun car, have had for around 13 years now. Although the chassis has 215k miles now it has been extensively gone through mechanically, 100k mile engine, bbk, Cobra buckets, etc. Have done a dozen track days in it over the years and it still brings a smile every time I drive it. All around fun street and occasional track car

- 2020 Cayenne S - wife and I traded her car in only a year ago for this. Naturally, will serve as our shared 'nice' daily/family car

- 2012 E92 M3 coupe ZCP 6mt - this car had been in my family for ~8 years and I had the opportunity last year to take it in. Although it is undoubtedly a great car (plus in nice shape, 100k miles) I ultimately find the E46 to be the better sports car. Given that the cars are so similar in what they do (if it were E90 DCT I would likely feel different, but both are manual coupes) I am at the point where I think the E92 needs to go for me to have something more practical and baby friendly for those moments when Cayenne might not be available

FWIW, at the moment my wife and I both work from home, with me on the road from time to time. So, we're mostly just putting around Austin, not doing a ton of highway miles and will plan to take baby to daycare (~6 miles away) starting in 2027.

Curious what you all think about replacements for the E92-- for my specific situation but also as a general 'ideal 3-car garage' philosophical debate. I find myself going in circles with all the different possible angles (manual/dct, cheap/premium, German/Japanese/Korean, old/new). Here are a few that have been top of mind for me:

1. 2000-2003 BMW E39, 6 cylinder, mt - could be cheap to buy, cheap to run, gives the 'slow car fast' satisfaction and (maybe?) new enough to still be considered safe/reliable backup transportation after Cayenne
2. BMW E90 M3 dct - This might be the best possible driving experience to complement manual E46 and turbo Cayenne (I can't help but think the dct pairs much better with S65 than 6mt, though I haven't driven dct), BUT running costs and higher mileage operation is a bit daunting. Plus, I feel I could benefit by having my daily be a 'lesser' car so I don't feel bad letting it sit in driveway, maybe even 87 octane fuel, lower running costs etc ...
3. 2023+ Hyundai Kona N - this car seems like so much fun and checks many of my boxes: dct, fun to drive, practical enough to put child seat in back, cheap-ish to run. Though wife doesn't love the idea of 'downgrading' to a Hyundai lol
4. GTI/Golf R/Civic Type R - slightly different price points with these, but you get the idea

In my mind, a true dct car would be desirable as it complements the E46 and Cayenne experience, and I've never owned one. Though, cheaper options (say <$35k) are limited to VW, Hyundai pretty much, or a high mileage E9X. Am I crazy for wanting an E39 beater, lol? Sometimes, enthusiast life is hard 😂

[BTB]

In summary, my short list of requirements:

- max $35k, though not opposed to venturing on the cheaper end
- given it would be our second daily after Cayenne, does need to be reliable and comfortable in the Austin heat
- capable/comfortable on highway for when I occasionally drive to other TX cities
- 4-door preferred for baby seat, and safe enough to be used as backup baby transport (no E30s or NA Miatas lol)
- FUN to rip on

[fattycharged]

Being an old VW guy, I've often looked at the Golf R as a fun inexpensive daily and I'm a sucker for a hatchback. I drove an old mk4 R32 back in college and love ripping that thing up in the mountains, I'm assuming the new ones are just as fun.


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[Slideways]

If you can charge at home, a new or lightly used EV is a nice complement to an M3, Cayman, etc. Costs almost nothing to run (tires every few years) and will win every stop light grand prix

[Nate047]

I would suggest waiting until your baby arrives, live your new life for a while, and see what you guys really need and want after 6-12 months. Your whole life (and lots of what you think is important now) is about to change, embrace it!

[Sharocks]

I went with the E46 M3, E39 M5, and E53 X5 setup for YEARS.

Painful but IMHO worth it plus a lot of the parts are interchangeable to a degree.

I have recently gotten a newer DD which is my 19 VW Golf Sportwagen but it's actually heavily modified so my experience is going to be biased based on that.

So get a Golf R is basically what I'm saying.

I also don't have any kids that I know of but I do have a large dog which is why I bought the X5.

[George Hill]

2000-2003 BMW E39, 6 cylinder, mt

Are you going to do the repair/maint work on this car? If not a MT 530 sedan or is going to be decently expensive to buy in and if the maintenance on it is not up to date is likely going to hurt your feelings if paying someone to do it. TLDR, this car might not be as cheap as you think to get sorted, but after that should be pretty rock solid. No 6spd option though.

BMW E90 M3 dct

This is probably a good option for you but depending on what that 6 miles are like, if that's your primary drive the S65 may not be happy with that kind of driving.

[chris719]

EV or fun non-M car. As George said, an S65 or other M car with big oil cooler will never reach operating temp in short trip driving and that’s not good.

[oceansize]

Totally different than your e9x M3, but I love my manual 2025 Corolla GR Core. You could get one used with low mileage in your price range (even a premium or premium plus with a little higher mileage).

FYI: I test drove the Golf R and Corolla GR back to back. The Golf R is more refined, quieter, faster, and has a better interior. Nonetheless, I liked the more analog feel of my manual GR Corolla better and it was $10k cheaper since I got the Core. The top trim level gets you a carbon fiber roof and some other small stuff.

Either will work.

I'm a firm believer in not living entirely in the BMW world. There are lots of cool experiences to be had on other platforms. I've got a 2021 Mach 1 HP, 2018 Mustang GT, M3 Vert, M3 coupe, GR Corolla and have owned a myriad of makes.

Now I'm the lookout for an AMG GT R or AMG GT C (DTC). My kids are gone and I don't want an e9x.

[BTB]

Being an old VW guy, I've often looked at the Golf R as a fun inexpensive daily and I'm a sucker for a hatchback. I drove an old mk4 R32 back in college and love ripping that thing up in the mountains, I'm assuming the new ones are just as fun.


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Hatchback makes sense too-- a friend has a tuned mk7 GTI which is an absolute rocketship. Though as much as I love a GTI/Golf R and know they are great, there is something slightly plain there, like it's probably the most logical and "German" choice but somehow lacks a little pizzaz. Definitely a contender though

[BTB]

If you can charge at home, a new or lightly used EV is a nice complement to an M3, Cayman, etc. Costs almost nothing to run (tires every few years) and will win every stop light grand prix

Something I haven't considered much (lacking the fun of a manual or dct) but probably should. They are thrilling to drive in their own right for sure, only one I've ever actually driven properly is a Model Y

[dreamdrivedrift]

Congrats on the baby! I have a Mk 7.5 DCT Golf R. Absolutely love it. Also bought it because kids probably coming soon. Need 4 doors, something less nice than my Macan, but still fun to drive. It is basically our s*** car, the daily, put miles on, don't care where I park it car.

It feels like a mini Porsche - well built, fairly luxurious inside, but smaller and punchier.
A bit worried how much a rear facing child seat might compromise front interior seating position because we like to do miles in it with people
The engine has good low and mid range and with DCT and its small size its really punchy and the thing moves. With AWD it hooks up. It does understeer a lot and is more of a 6-7/10ths cars so I don't really reach for the keys for a fun drive in it. As a sports car it's really meh but as a fun daily it's phenomenal and since it's relatively new still with a warranty I drive it like I give 0 Fs.
I have almost 70K on mine and the suspension is super blown though...and warranty doesn't want to cover it, not sure if my experience is an anomaly or the standard experience

Since we are all crazy car people I've thought about replacing the Golf R, perfect as it is for my use case.

You could go a couple directions with this:
1) Golf R / CTR / GR Corolla esque - new-ish, can rip on it, minimal maintenance, less emotional. Just the nature of turbo 4/turbo 3. Had the CTR - thought I could get over the FWD but I couldn't, and for many other reasons I disliked it - sold it for the Golf R. Appreciate that they are non-luxury brands with lower cost of maintenance.
2) E9X M3 - fun, much more emotional, but definitely going to be more unpredictable on maintenance side due to age
3) E60 M5 - same as #2, but V10!!! In many ways ideal, but would have to drive it with more sensitivity than I usually have for my dailies.
4) F8X M3, G8X M3 - sound doesn't do it for me but in many ways makes sense, different enough from the Porsche SUV and RWD. Probably doesn't fall in budget.
5) M235/M240 - interesting option, 2 door though
6) E39 M5 - too old
7) CTS 5V blackwing etc - too expensive
8) Tesla M3P - maybe
9) Mercedes E6x AMG - maybe maybe. Would be a bit worried about maintenance & cost. Are you ready to be a Mercedes person?
10) Porsche Panamera - interesting option, but same as #9 except more.

[BTB]

I would suggest waiting until your baby arrives, live your new life for a while, and see what you guys really need and want after 6-12 months. Your whole life (and lots of what you think is important now) is about to change, embrace it!

This sounds a lot like the voice of reason, hah! Probably what I will end up doing-- thanks for the advice. In the meantime at least I can let my imagination run wild with the possibilities, at the risk of driving myself (and wife) crazy

[dreamdrivedrift]

Do you have a trailer?

[BTB]

Are you going to do the repair/maint work on this car? If not a MT 530 sedan or is going to be decently expensive to buy in and if the maintenance on it is not up to date is likely going to hurt your feelings if paying someone to do it. TLDR, this car might not be as cheap as you think to get sorted, but after that should be pretty rock solid. No 6spd option though.


This is probably a good option for you but depending on what that 6 miles are like, if that's your primary drive the S65 may not be happy with that kind of driving.

Good questions-- I would plan to do basic maintenance stuff on an E39 for sure, fluids and filters, engine accessories, I don't think I would shy from overhauling cooling system. But suspension would definitely be outsourced, good thing there are some renowned BMW shops here My thinking was, get a nice-r E39 example for $10-15k and would be fine to put $3-5k into it fairly quick to refresh anything that needs it. Given your knowledge, do you think this is reasonable George?

One the E90, keep in mind the Cayenne will be our primary around town/baby car, but agreed overall that E9X/S65 as third car may not be good idea. Having all 3 cars as German performance luxury cars is pretty hardcore, I could use a break on the 3rd car, something reliable that can be beat on without requiring special treatment. The S65 scares me a little particularly as mileage creeps up