Mixed

+1

zdave87

Meh.
I'd splurge and get a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Coupe before the M3 or the 370z.

diabolus2k

I test drove a loaded 370Z sport and an E46 M3 back-to-back almost 2 years ago, and preferred the M3.

The 370Z was nice--plenty of tech features and it was pretty comfortable, but it had pretty much no cargo space. The trunk was smaller than the S2000's! It also felt numb and isolated from the road--more like a luxury car than a sports car. Overall, it just wasn't as fun to drive as I expected. It's a great GT car, but not a great sports car.

The M3, on the other hand, was a blast to drive. Strangely, it felt lighter and more nimble than the 370Z, and the engine reminded a lot of the S2000 but with two extra cylinders. Features-wise, it's a little out-dated to the more modern 370Z, but I could have lived with that. The rear seats and comparitively massive trunk were definite pluses. One of the dealbreakers for me, though, was the frequent (and sometimes very expensive) maintenance schedule. Also, the lack of any remaining warranty didn't make me feel any more comfortable about it.

dat boi

z4m coupe or M3 days before 370z. The Z's a nice car, but the M is much better. It's what the Z wants to be, but isn't quite there yet. The shifter/transmission, clutch, engine's strange characteristic of not liking the high revs. The interior feels much better than a 350Z, but the M cars have a better layout.

The overall quality of the M isn't as high as one would expect (peeling near the door handles, etc.) and I don't know how the Z holds up in time, but if it's anything like a 350z, it's not much better.

The car itself feels menacing to drive due to its driver position (which I could never set right for some reason) and it always made me feel like I wasn't good enough to drive the car. On the other hand, the M3 and Z4M I drove were complete opposites. They left me feeling like it wanted me to drive it more and more.
The M3 is a little more comfier, but the Z isn't too bad.
I don't think maintenance for a M3/Z4M would be a deal breaker, and the sub frame issue is a recall so it's covered for free.

I also remember hearing a lot about brake fade on the Z as well as the dire need for a diff cooler. Regardless, even if they weren't an issue, I'd still buy a Z4M or M3 before a 370Z.
It does everything great on paper, but the M cars go much further than that.

Mixed

Cobalt SS is way too fast in straight line/track...You shouldn't get it. Id rather go with low quality/slow cars like Z or Bimmer.

diabolus2k

Funny, I thought the shifter was actually pretty good (better than the M3's for sure). Throws were very short--just a bit longer than the S2000's. The clutch wasn't that great, though. I thought it was vague and hard to modulate. And you're right about the engine. It's very rough toward the top of the RPM range. It almost sounded like it was ready to blow apart.

deepbluejh

tarheel91

Hmm. High revving inline six that's essentially a detuned race engine vs. V6 that sounds and makes power like a truck engine. That's difficult. /sarcasm

I've ridden in both; never driven either. I think it's silly to argue maintenance costs when you have no experience owning one. The biggest maintenance thing for the M3 is the major inspections that occur once every 30k miles. That's 2-3 years for most people, so $500-$333 a year at most, much less if you can do some of it yourself.

deepbluejh

[QUOTE=tarheel91,Dec 21 2010, 05:37 PM] Hmm.

omairtheman1

M3 is alot more car if you get a well maintained one with Inspection I and II done.

The problem with the E46 M3 is high SMG repair costs, and rear subframe issues.

I'd still drive an M3.