If you ever had to replace your e46 M3

[Hammerfang]

997s are great, my dad has an 09 C4S coupe with a stick and 23k miles and it is awesome. Objectively a better car then my M3, but not the one I lusted over when I was 16, so it’s not as special to me.

[Obioban]

I'm probably in the minority here (and have never driven one) but I've just never been a fan of the 1M. Felt like such a parts bin car without an S series engine. Also just not a fan of the looks.

Yeah, turbos make me not care, and the e82 interior is crappy and small (said as an e82 owner).

[BTB]

No.

I never use the cup holders on my (manual) e60 m5 (same cup holders as e9x) because they’re absurdly unreliable at holding drinks… and their location means that, when they fail, the fluids dump on the electronics.

AND they break frequently.

… I use the cup holders in my manual e46 routinely

Wanted to close the loop on this, and I found the post 13 months later, lol. But yeah, E92 cupholders are confirmed terrible. I don't know how the engineers got away with that one. They only kinda sorta work ok if you have the exact right vessel size. Which is annoying because I love the dash-mounted cupholder location, it seems to work well with the 987/997/981/991 P-cars

[shibui]

Has anyone gone from E46 M3 to 996 C2 and can speak on their experience? Lately I've been wanting to get into a 996 Aerokit car and I can probably do a straight swap in terms of value for my respective car...

[DJAM3]

I've been having the same thoughts lately just because I've been in the E46 platform for 14 years. Was thinking about picking up a '99 996 C2 w/Aerokit. Put out a feeler add and got a good offer for my car but had to decline. Can't quite let go of it yet. That was just last week though so I'm still kind of considering the offer

[shibui]

I've been having the same thoughts lately just because I've been in the E46 platform for 14 years. Was thinking about picking up a '99 996 C2 w/Aerokit. Put out a feeler add and got a good offer for my car but had to decline. Can't quite let go of it yet. That was just last week though so I'm still kind of considering the offer

Haha that's scary how similar out situations are. I've had my M3 for 13 years and also want to pick up a 1999 C2 Aerokit car as well. There was a silver one near me recently that was for sale for only $19k with only 82k miles. Someone picked it up fast and now I'm kicking myself. If my M3 was sold I could've jumped on it right away...

[bigjae46]

Has anyone gone from E46 M3 to 996 C2 and can speak on their experience? Lately I've been wanting to get into a 996 Aerokit car and I can probably do a straight swap in terms of value for my respective car...

M3 to 911 is a VERY common move. Almost everyone I know that has done this loves the 911 but really wishes they still had the M3.

[BTB]

Before going for a 996/997 I would do your research on bore score issues. To me this has pretty much ruled out 996.2 and 997.1 completely, along with the earlier Caymans. The 1999 996.1 and most Boxsters though are worth considering IMO. 986 Boxster still remains THE sports car bargain IMO, though I may be biased as we've had one in family since my dad bought one new in 1999.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Q5-2IRntY

[Rudbari]

E46 M3 can’t be replaced so sure so I add g82 m4 to my garage . I am enjoying both now but for sure my feelings always will be with e46 m3 I had her for 19 years now

[tnord]

I've briefly driven both a 996.2 C4S and a 997.1 C2S with sport chrono and PCCB. Both times I walked away liking the cars, but when it came down to trading the E46 M3 for it I personally didn't think it was worth it.

I would be happy to add them to my stable of vehicles, and I got the go ahead from the wife to do so, but the Pcar market is a bit silly at the moment. My friend wanted $50k for his 997.1 without any IMS repair, a decent service history, but a beat on interior and 60k miles with bad tires. After I got done driving his car I got into my M3 and thought my particular example was better than his, even though it's worth ~$15k less. Those PCCBs were

There's risk and big repair bills for both platforms, but both the cost of entry and the cost of dealing with the biggest risk is bigger on the 911.

10yrs ago before the market went bonkers I could totally see a like-for-like trade. but knowing what we know now about each platform I think I'm out until the pcar market corrects.

also that dude on the rennthusiast podcast is a total chode.

[01SG]

Between the crap engine (m96/97.1) and how overpriced they are, I don't have any interest in a modern 911.

There's too many better cars for less money. You can get a v8 Vantage that is better than a non-GT 997 in virtually every way. The Vantage is so much more special, more reliable (at least engine/drivetrain), it's better looking, it has more class, it's more fun to drive, it has better steering feel, it handles better..It's just a superior car by practically every metric AND it's significantly cheaper. The 997 is a bit lighter and faster. That's all it has going for it.

What else can you get for 50-60k....a good Cobra replica, a Lotus Esprit/Elan/Elise/Evora, a Viper, a 427 C6 Vette, Shelby GT350, Z4 M, a million other classics. A little more gets you an R8.

Whether you want a track, weekend, or daily car, you can get something more exciting for less money-sometimes much less money.

To me, the only logical progression from e46 m3 remains the V8 Vantage.

[Slideways]

Miata. It feels great not have to carry around an extra 700-1000 lbs of car just to get me and one passenger around. Double wishbone suspension is a plus.

[9kracing]

Cars are like tools, it's all about having the right tool for the job.

If we're talking replacing the E46 M3 with a modern car, then the F87 M2 CS would be the logical successor. Sure, you'll never recapture the analog feeling of the E46, but that being said the M2 does everything else better in spades. Modern cars are just that good.

My personal E46 is setup for car shows, but we still take on a day trip to Pinecrest of Tahoe, and it's an absolute blast. I love driving that thing. It's by no means the fastest car I own, and in fact might actually be the slowest even with the blower, but man does it put a grin on my face.

We currently also have the X3M, her RS3, and a Raptor R, so I feel like we covered our bases. I'm keeping the E46 for the foreseeable future.

[tnord]

Between the crap engine (m96/97.1) and how overpriced they are, I don't have any interest in a modern 911.

There's too many better cars for less money. You can get a v8 Vantage that is better than a non-GT 997 in virtually every way. The Vantage is so much more special, more reliable (at least engine/drivetrain), it's better looking, it has more class, it's more fun to drive, it has better steering feel, it handles better..It's just a superior car by practically every metric AND it's significantly cheaper. The 997 is a bit lighter and faster. That's all it has going for it.

What else can you get for 50-60k....a good Cobra replica, a Lotus Esprit/Elan/Elise/Evora, a Viper, a 427 C6 Vette, Shelby GT350, Z4 M, a million other classics. A little more gets you an R8.

Whether you want a track, weekend, or daily car, you can get something more exciting for less money-sometimes much less money.

To me, the only logical progression from e46 m3 remains the V8 Vantage.

I'm always eyeballing the market for the V8 Astons, but determined it wasn't a different enough to add to the stable if I keep the M3. I justified the 911 in my mind by saying the layout provided a different enough experience that I'd want to drive both.

The Aston market is very very appealing however.

[01SG]

I'm always eyeballing the market for the V8 Astons, but determined it wasn't a different enough to add to the stable if I keep the M3. I justified the 911 in my mind by saying the layout provided a different enough experience that I'd want to drive both.

The Aston market is very very appealing however.

I've thought about the same. If I pulled the trigger on a Vantage, I have considered swapping the M3 for a z3/4 M.

But they are also quite a bit different. The M3 has the intake sound, whereas the Aston has an exhaust sound to die for. The M3 is a few hundred pounds lighter and I believe the dimensions are smaller, but the Aston has a stiffer chassis, a proper a-arm front suspension, and even better feel and soul. The Aston is of course an exotic, it has a sense of occasion even the mighty M3 can not live up to. The Aston doesn't rev quite as high, but it's still a 7300 RPM V8. It is also a proper front mid-engine car. You can see how far back and down low the engine is in the bay-it is also dry sump.

I think the only place the M3 ultimately wins is in modding and tracking. The Aston aftermarket is incomparable to the breadth of support we have. And while I believe the Aston can absolutely stand up to track abuse, it just feels wrong. I would hate to mess up that beautiful paint, and the aftermarket problems come into play again.