If you ever had to replace your e46 M3

[CrisSilberGrau]

Love my E46 M3 'Vert, but if I had to buy something new it would probably be the GR86. I am actually contemplating dumping my X3 winter driver for a GR86 or MK7.5 GTI so I can have more fun in the snow

The ONLY thing the GR86 has on the 46 is lightness, nothing else. If you're close to 6ft enjoy some scoliosis on the house. Gen2 for the slightly better engine. I drove one for a month in Toronto winter weather, completely unremarkable. And it was one of the new cars on sale that excited me paired with he Emira. Surprisingly, the Elantra N is fuking insane good and amazing fun. Hooligan 4 banger turbo with the correct amount of broccoli head bangs and pops, and lift off oversteer. OH and the best OEM buckets I've ever sat in full stop. .... Albert did well on this one.

[chalaka]

just bought a 997.1 turbo this year, drove it roughly 1500km so far..
and finally got time to repair my SMG pump, and revived it~
owning the M3 since 2007 ...roughly 17yrs of ownership ..

drove out M3 couple nights ago after it was parked for like 2 years .. it's when i start to appreciate the overall driving experience E46 M3 gives.
not as fast and planted as the turbo, but, it's just... special. (maybe it was because i owned it for so long)

Porsche is definitely fun, and has that cool factor~ fast, but not as easy to drive fast like E46 M3 does~
(but Porsche is just having that much higher potentials)

I DD with a subaru, so by switching between 997.1 turbo > E46 M3 > Subaru .. i just find it hard to sell the M3 ..
really hope one day the value would go a bit higher, and let the market justify E46 M3's true value~

so going back to the question, you should replace it with a Porsche of some kinds .. .(GTs ..911s ..)
newer Porsche are much easier to drive around, and super fast, comfortable ..
older Porsche are just ... like wild horses .. to my limited experiences, older ones requires more attentions to handle them .. but fun process along the way for sure

[SQ13]

I thought about getting rid of my M3 and 981 GTS for a day a few weeks ago, then realized I’m an idiot for thinking about selling it. The replacement would’ve been a 997 GT3. I’d replace just the 981 with a GT3 though…gonna figure out what investments I should offload to cover the difference and go from there.

997 GT3 has been my dream since 2016, after I rode in a 7.2 3RS at the track—most visceral experience I’ve ever had in a car. And a couple of weekends ago I got the chance to drive a 7.1 3RS, so I’m even more hooked to it now.

[oceansize]

My brother is currently working on buying a 2023 Cayman GT4 (manual) which is far better than me owning it. Yesssssssss, lets go little bro.

[fattycharged]

The most recent M2 has caught my eye as well, such a distinctive boxy look to it, like a modern e30 m3 imo


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[simon_c]

I've been contemplating a 718 GTS manual or M2 CS.

[Tbonem3]

Possible getrag made some compromises for a better shifting experience at high load/rpm on these as well as durability. Anytime I'm full attack mode the car seems to shift perfect and feels great and generally speaking, they are bullet proof. Not sure how well the ZF holds up to track abuse. Just something to consider. If mine ever gives out I'd probably try and go ZF just so I know I can rebuild it and because I liked the 5spd in the S52 m coupe quite a bit.

This is an under discussed point. These cars are smoother and tighter at speed than grocery store parking lots. You need certain tolerances that pesent as clunking and such that we're all familiar with.

[Rudbari]

It’s been 17 years owning e46 m3 and it’s supercharged for 6 years now still don’t feel it’s time to move to newer car

[Icecream]

I'm not sure what his experience is, but that ZF unit is known to be nicer to operate than the 420G. I'd certainly take it over the Getrag unit. And the Z4M has a different exhaust configuration which leads to less rasp/metallic sound. All stock, they sound better for those that don't particularly like the tinny sound of the M3.

Possible getrag made some compromises for a better shifting experience at high load/rpm on these as well as durability. Anytime I'm full attack mode the car seems to shift perfect and feels great and generally speaking, they are bullet proof. Not sure how well the ZF holds up to track abuse. Just something to consider. If mine ever gives out I'd probably try and go ZF just so I know I can rebuild it and because I liked the 5spd in the S52 m coupe quite a bit.

[Steve]

If I were to sell & get another vehicle, it would be an E90 M3 for sure.

I believe it is the perfect vehicle for all-around duty.

If you don’t care about fuel consumption. The E9x makes the E46 M3 seem fuel efficient.

[01SG]

I love the Miata RF. They nailed the styling, and it still weighs less than 2500 pounds. Quite a few bucks though.

[duperdog]

Love my E46 M3 'Vert, but if I had to buy something new it would probably be the GR86. I am actually contemplating dumping my X3 winter driver for a GR86 or MK7.5 GTI so I can have more fun in the snow

[Sprp85]

If I were to sell & get another vehicle, it would be an E90 M3 for sure.

I believe it is the perfect vehicle for all-around duty.

[ChapterM3]

I was just debating this topic with a friend of mine yesterday – I don't think I'll ever sell my car. I just love it so much. I've not driven anything like it and I don't think I will find something that comes close to it besides the e39 M5.

I think the ideal scenario is to have a daily + M3 for the weekend, and for me, my car enthusiast side is happy.

[repoman89]

I responded before the thread was bumped but the answer is still pretty much the same, ND2 Miata. At the time I had one alongside my E46 and ended up selling it, couldn’t justify the expense and payment when I also had perfectly good paid off E39 and E46 M cars.

I’ve since added an NA Miata to the stable which is also great, but makes me a bit nervous. First gen airbags plus tiny car surrounded by big modern cars … despite its better steering and shifter, ignoring cost considerations I’d trade it for a newer one for safety alone.