i love my Z and all other Z's but the m3 is far better
handling, ride comfort, interior, has back seats, and sorry
not even the HR is as fast. BIG problem is the maintenence
if you cant afford to keep up with it, get a Z

 

You're kidding right. A stock HR will beat a stock m3 with equal drivers. Heck, a DE with some bolt-ons will stick with one. Handling far better? No way, it's marginal at best. Also, the Z is a sports car, we don't need a back seat. If you stated that the m3 is far better because one of the reasons was having back seats, then why did you get the Z in the first place?

I'm sorry, but bang for the buck the Z wins. Take the price difference between the two, and you can upgrade the Z as you see fit. The m3 will have no chance. To add to that, imo the m3's looks are dated and too bland. It just looks like a 3-series on roids. The Z looks much better. All my opinion of course.

It's not to say the m3 is bad, it's still a pretty nice car BUT to say it is much better than a Z in those areas are laughable, well, with the exception of the interior. Maybe the new m3 is much better than a Z but not the e46.

 

Why not go for a Z3 MCoupe (2001-2002; S54 spec) or even a Z4 MCoupe. These have the sports car look and are unusual (love or hate them looks), plus they are great drivers cars. True, they may be more expensive to run but the looks you get in an MCoupe are fantastic. Although, the suspension in a Z3 MC does need upgrading!

As for the subfloor frame issues, I would suspect most have been sported. If not, BMW normally sort these under goodwill. They repaired mine at a cost of almost $6000 under goodwill, plus they gave me a mini to run around in (this was in London UK).

I've been contemplating a Z4 MC or a 911 C4S, I just need to get off my **** and do something about it.

 

I can't comment on which to buy but I can comment on your price range. Just to give you an idea, I bought my 04 Track with 50k km on it last year for $26,000 CDN. Yes, it seems a little high but I don't think you'll be able to find a decent 2006+ Z for under $25k CDN, especially a touring or grand touring. Just my opinion. Good luck though.

 

Not again!!

 

I say go for the Z. I got an awesome deal on my 08 a couple of months ago. there are still some left-overs hanging around at the dealers, with many incentives. I've been in both an E-46 and obviously my Z, and I like the feel and handling of the Z better. I've also seen how mods go on the M, my friend had ZCPM3, S/C throttle bodies, intake, titanium exhaust, ECU, Pilot Sport Cups, and those mods were God awful expensive. Plus if you are going for a DD, the Z is better on gas, if you are worried about that, and is a more comfortable. The back seats in the M are a little squished, and might as well not even exist. I say go with the Z.

 

Both are great cars imo but if I had the money I would get the m3.

 

BTW, I should comment that, unless you go nuts with mods, the M3 maintenance won't be that bad. The E46 in generally is fairly easy to work on and parts have come down a lot, you need a computer scan tool, but a good DIY version is <$700 now, and almost everything on the car is easy to work on. The subframe should be fine if the car isn't boosted, maybe be more weary if you put coilovers on, but even then not a huge concern.

Today I'd get the E46, its come down enough in price, you can get a CPO with <50k for 25-27 without much trouble. Less if you make friends with dealership employees and get them to sell you the trade ins at low profit.

 

lol i mean i can sit here and aruge dumb stuff with you just like
the dumb people that try to say the DE is faster then the HR.
go race a smg e46 M3 and see for yourself... and i said they
have a back seat some ppl need that... i dont. my friend with
intake, exhuast is running 12.8 @ 108. The Z is also dated with
the 370 out now.... notice many ppl said if the money was there
they would get the m3...

 

And the e46 isn't dated by the e92?

Just get a mini and go autocrossing LOL

 

M3. Make sure you wear your hair spiked a collared shirt with sleeves rolled up and some sweet $300 specs to complete the look.

 

Z or gtfo lol

 

exactly both look dated to there newer version

yeah mini or miata and hit the auto x

 

I posted that as I got home from getting killed by mini's and miatas (and S2000's) at the auto-x.

My car was like a friggin boat by comparison.

 

Its seems the g35 drivers are on the same boat

 

What was the subframe issues with these cars anyways?. Was this fixed in later models? I've heard people yap away on this on for staying away from the M3.. I know i should search but im just curious if you know more about this problem?

 

Haha, my friends said that to me when I was looking at the G35/G37.

 

I resemble that remark! Well, no to popped collars.

 

M3 is $ is not an issue.

 

The differential mounts to the cars unibody at 4 points. The rear LCA inner attachment point is the diff carrier.

One mount in particular (either the right front or right rear IIRC) tends to tear first as a result of the stresses induced by resisting the rotation of the tires and driveshaft (both are applied to the diff). These forces "basically" cause the sheet metal to completely tear.

The M3 has reinforced points, and I don't believe they were ever revised. On boosted cars, they can still tear, the best reinforcements I have seen involve welding a car across the trunk floor, and running a bolt all the way through the bar, letting the bar carry the load. Sheet metal (thicker) is also welded around the area on the bottom (from both the top and bottom) to help reinforce it.

The cars most prone are 1999 and 2000 E46's, and 2001 non M's. The problem is more present in manual cars as the jerky high stress loads are more common.