You 350z guys really have no room to talk. Some of you are just as cocky, bullheaded, stubborn, and overzealous as the BMW members. This is coming from a BMW/G35 owner. All of you guys on both forums need to grow up.

What up K.J.?

 

BMW, drool..... Thought about getting a M3, but decided to buy 2 cars instead Wish I could of afforded two Bimmers tho but after owning my 350ZR for a few months, I have no regrets

Besides i'm 6'4 and Nissan's have way more leg and head room then the Bimmers do so that played into it also...

 

 

As stated in another post - what I HATE the most on some forums are idiots who are so biased towards their own cars they make ridiculous statements that only destroy their credibility.

Idiot + No credibility = worthless opinion

I actually read on a forum that some guy thought his RX8 was better than a 360 Modena and went on to try and justify it - the frightening thing was, he was being serious!

I love my Z to death, but it is NO M3 (considering both are stock).
And anyone who claims a stock Z is better than a stock M3 obviously thinks he/she knows more about cars than they actually do = which is obviously nothing.

ps: I love the Pikes Peak White and wish I could get that on my M3. And I love my Z.

 

Well said. It's imperative that people know where their car resides on the automotive food chain.

 

Not trying to pick sides, but if you really believe that our Zs are a better car than an M3 you are sadly mistaken, I have spent over 40K just to be able to barely stave off modded M3s at the track...For the most part you are going to find arrogant people on any forum. To each its own. I have dented my Z just from pressing down to hard while washing it. I couldnt do that to any german car. The quality of materials is that much better. I dont think people were slamming you as they were just saying their opinions of encounters with other Z drivers....

We all love cars and are enthusiastic, lets just leave it at that.

 

E46fanatics is full of "fast and furious" idiots that "**** on a picaso" by ruining their E46's w/ idiotic body kits, bling and other stupid mods.

When I owned my M3 I always hung out on Roadfly where the track hounds and serious road racers exchange info. It's a very informative board. I still go there daily to see what's up and find out about the latest track/road racing stuff. I would not even bother with Fantatics. It's a bunch of spoiled kids with too much money and too little taste.

 

The build quality of my Z is equal to or better than my old M3. M3's are great cars -- but they are very high strung and have niggling probelms. Yes the interior materials are of a higher quality (as are a few of the other bits -- diff, intake, throttle). But I don't feel that it's enough of a difference to make up for the price disparity.

I am stock except my Stoptechs, SSRs and big rubber and I my lap times at Buttonwillow and Big Willow are pretty much the same as with my SMG E46 M3. Now my M3 had better grunt and would easily pull the Z in a straight, but the lighter and small Z has big advantages in the corners and I can brake much later and deeper (thanks to the weight advantage and the Stoptechs).

It's all driver anyway at the track. At Big Willow last weekend I caught and lapped a Z06 and lapped twice an STi. While another STi w/ a better driver lapped me.

 

i used to be on e46fanatics.com when i had my e46 before my Z. this was like 3 yrs ago when i was only 19 and was just getting into modding cars, so i knew nothing. i used the forums as a way to ask questions and learn stuff about modding. the guys on e46 were insanely rude to me and flamed me every time i asked a question. thats never happened to me here, if i dont know something, and i ask, people are very nice and responsive. i actually stop posting on the e46 forums because they were so mean. im not making a generalization about either forum, because this was just my personal experience, but for me, ive been much happier here on the Z forums.

 

only saw one guy that talk $#!t. he probably doesn't even own a BMW. BTW nice ride.

 

I can't believe some of things that were said on that one thread. I would think that those that have e46's would have more class than that. I love all cars, that are clean and fast!

 

Having sat in a Bimmer an E46 M3 (no test drive sadly), I didn't really think the interior was THAT much better than the Z's. I'd say they are both about even there, but the M3 does have nicer door panels.

As far as styling on both cars, purely subjective. I think the front of the M3 is damn sexy, but it looks like they got pretty bored when they were designing the rear. I personally prefer the Z's rooflines and design. Overall IMO the Z wins in exterior styling.
No doubt the M3 is a faster car, but not by much, especially when you consider the price gap between the two.

I don't think it would take many mods for a Z to be able to hang with a stock M3. Add that to the fact that mods for the M are insanely pricey.



I'll keep my Z and spend the rest of my money on more important things, thanks.

 

Remember I love both my cars when I say this, but my M3 is WAY better built than my Z. Night and day.

You cannot even compare the two. Anyone who states otherwise has obviously not been in both vehicles.

 

I owned an M3 and now have a Z and disagree.

Here were my complaints re the M3:

I had the HK Rattle -- dealer could not fix
Passernger door stuck -- dealer could not fix
Dealer without fail over filled my oil every single time (service issue not car issue)
Creaks and rattles in car after only a few months (unacceptable in a $60k car)
Power steering cap seemed to unscrew itself at the track on several occasions (unacceptable)
It burned oil -- common issue with the car (and I don't buy that its because its a "race" engine -- it should not burn oil).

I loved my M3 -- but the car has it's share of issues. And I never had the clunking diff or the siezed main bearings that others had (thankfully). And two recalls on the engine for the same thing (main bearings) -- unacceptable.

Now I believe the materials used on the interior of the M3 are a huge leap ahead of the the materials of the Z (but you pay for it). When people ask me to compare the cars -- I say this. The M3 is 10% to 15% better than the Z accross the board, but at twice the expense. The one thing I really wish my Z had -- that my M had -- is the SMG. I loved that. I also loved the red interior, but I would not have gotten that with the Yellow car.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Skrill
[B]I owned an M3 and now have a Z and disagree.

Here were my complaints re the M3:

I had the HK Rattle -- dealer could not fix
Passernger door stuck -- dealer could not fix
Dealer without fail over filled my oil every single time (service issue not car issue)
Creaks and rattles in car after only a few months (unacceptable in a $60k car)
Power steering cap seemed to unscrew itself at the track on several occasions (unacceptable)
It burned oil -- common issue with the car (and I don't buy that its because its a "race" engine -- it should not burn oil).

Skrill - I agree with you on that. You should not have had all those issues on a $60K M3, and if that had happened to mine I would have personally driven it through the BMW dealership window making sure to hit my salesman dead on.

I have owned a couple of BMW's and, luckily, have NEVER had any problems with them.

My M3 has been perfect except, I do get the HK rattle and it does **** me off!

 

Dont have on the young Z drivers

 

Some of you approach the issues with cars unrealistically. NO car is perfect. You could have a $150,000.00 Porsche and still have loads of problems. Citing the rather miniscule (IMHO) stereo, and creaking issues doesn't make it a bad car, and the diff clunk is just a trait of the diff on that car. It's not problematic! And also, producing the clunk depends largely on how smooth of a shifter you are. My new G35 has squeaks after only a month as well, but it's still not a bad car. I do agree that the door issue on your BMW is valid, as well as the motor issues that people (as well as myself) have had, but BMW handled the motor issues professionally (most of the time, and especially in my situation) and offered 6yr/100k engine warranties for us M3 owners. My BMW is overall a better car than my G.

 

i have an e46 M3 and i am a member of the fanatics. that said, i love the 350Z and i registered awhile ago even though i don't post much here.

the M3 has pros/cons
the 350Z has pros/cons

both great cars

the M3 is faster, but it also cost a lot more

don't let a few people ruin your view of a forum cause there are jerks in all forums

my 2 cents

 

M3 is only faster in the hands of the right driver.

And Fanatics is about 90% morons. You should try hanging out on Roadfly. Much better M3 forum.

 

What is funny is that the two biggest haters on the E46 forum were owners of a 323 and a 328. That is pretty miserable. I will have to say however that the steering on the M3 and the 330i with performance package is pretty damn nice compared to the Z's. But I am sure that if funding was not an issue, we would not be wasting our time with the 330ci nor Z and go directly to the upper 1% of the automotive food chain. Until that point of financial independence, I will continue to enjoy my Z. Which by the way does not mean that I can not b1tch about the quirks our Z has either. What I really need now, is a cheap truck to haul stuff around in. Perhaps a used Tacoma. I digress. Enjoy your Z's everyone.