AngryTurtle

Can you get a good condition C5 z06 for that price?

Sr2oD3

Version, there is an article in September's edition of Car and Driver that covers you exact topic. It was a good read.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_li..._25_000_feature

curiouz_G

my friends e46 330ci had his interior molding go out on him within 4 months (BRAND SPANKIN NEW) and same with his brothers e46 m3. They've all had ignition coil recalls done to them along with some sunroof slider rails replaced too. What I also hate is that their interiors are almost EXACTLY alike.

my vote goes to an Evo or C5 Z06.

HwangTKD

You will be hard pressed to find a used evo that hasnt been beaten on. My vote is the C5 Z06. They are usually owned by older guys that treat them like garage queens.

Johnny Sack

thanks for the replies guys. i am keeping the M3, its nearly paid for(small loan to buy it) and i love it. its the best DD ive ever had IMHO.

you can find ZO6's for sub 25k, for me, i have to look out of state, WA is a vette state and those buggers hold their value very well here.

i do have a storied history with the evo, and i know that car inside and out, ive spent plenty of time at the track(AutoX/road racing/drag) and i think thats exactly why i tend so shy away from them. i know what most guys do to evos, and since im looking used, im afriad that id be buying a time bomb.

as some of you know(fusion) i almost bought a WRX before my M3, but much like the evo, they tend to get beat on and not taken care of.

the more i learn and read about the E46 M3, the more, even a a bmw onwer now, i get scared of it. i honestly dont know if i can afford to own it.

Bz2005s2k

I have always had a soft spot for the R32 as well.

By next summer there might be a lot more cars in your range with the way the market is.

Thought about a used 128i by next summer?

curiouz_G

i wouldnt want to own a e46 out of warranty. the motor and transmissions are solid (both 04's have over 50k-60k+ miles on them with the 325i with a 5spd and 330CI with SMG, although the SMG required 2 re flashes to help with cold startups and stuttering) but their interiors and exteriors are all falling apart and are ridiculously expensive to fix such small issues, although most of them you can DIY

Johnny Sack

the next bimmer ill buy will have a N54 in it.

bd307

By next summer, an used Evo X should fall into your price range.

al4t1gbundy

My friend has a IV R32 and even though I dislike VW in general, I think its a pretty good car. The stock exhaust is sexy as you can get from a stock exhaust. The interior does have a luxo feeling, which is an added bonus.

He has a VF Stg II though, so I dont know how exactly a stock one would drive. With his Stg II, it gets out of the hole pretty quick. I didnt get a chance to take it on corners so I cant tell you how it feels there, but my friend loves the car.

With that being said, with the Stg II it kept up with my old E46 M. Which makes me be more impressed w/ the M even more lol. When I owned the M there was a couple of times the CEL would come up and I would go in limp mode. Not a very exciting experience. That was while I was still under warranty. I would turn off the car and turn it back on and it would go away. Despite not having to take it into a dealership for major repairs, I would not want to own one out of warranty. There were a bunch of little knick knacks that broke which would've cost me quite a few pennies. One such thing was the stupid window lining (very common).

But I think if I still had to choose, I would probably still put R32<Sti<M3. My brother's Sti felt as quick as the R32 (never got to see who would win).