LIL RAJA

what kind of lame compareson is this??? 97 m3 vs. a 03 350z.
Honestly, i got to say two things.
1. yes, we bmw people love our cars (just like i will like my z).
2. the bmw(s) have become such fashion magnet that everyone who can afford one gets one, regardless of their driving skills. Some idiots even get m3 in auto. oh well,

The e36 m3 (production year 95-99), can easily beat the 350z. i am not trying to diss the 350z cuz i really think for sub 30k car. It's a hell of a deal. We have a m3 (e36) in the house, and own 02 330ci, & s2000. I will soon get the 350z, so yeah I give the Z a **** load of credit or else I would not be buying it.

I can say this cuz i have actually driven all these cars and my comparasion is more valid than just some magazine #s. So, I approve of the ZZZZZZZZZz.

I really suggest you drive these cars throughly so you can get a better feel of the car and chose the car that is correct for you. Instead of judging the car on someone else's driving. I know I test drove enuff before buying anything. My money and I demand a lot......

my 2 cents.

LIL Raja

rodH

iTrader: (2)

The e36 m3 (production year 95-99), can easily beat the 350z. i am not trying to diss the 350z cuz i really think for sub 30k car. It's a hell of a deal.
____________________________________________________

I am not sure I totally agree, the times are very very similar 0-60 and 1/4, so "easily" is a strong word.

I am not dissing this car though, My dad had one 96' with Dinan chip, exhaust, carbon intake and EVEN had the head ported and polished. Before this my dad drove an NSX, and before that a 300ZX TT with a 400 hp jim wolf kit (so you can tell it was among tough competition). The M was fun to drive, but something was missing, it was/is the best car for the $$$, but you did have to rev the hell out of it to get it to go.

When my dad went to sell it, he put in on one of our "lots" (he later got a CLK430-mistake, but now is on his second CLK55) to sell it, he had our head mech look it over, this guy use to work for BMW and was very familiar with the e36, before he even popped the hood, he pops out of the car and says "wow, I have driven a lot of these, but this is the fastest I have ever driven" The other wierd thing was that when he took delivery of his CLK430, he and my bro raced each other and would switch and race each other again, they were DEAD even everytime. The odd thing is that the CLK is a 6.1-6.5 car, the racing was NEVER done with reving the M to 5ooo RPMs and drop the clutch (like some do) so perhaps that was the problem???

The E36 is a cool car, but in this day and age, The Z is a much better package.

rai

Who said what?

Beat the 350Z at what?

The last e36 M3 (Manual) C&D tested sep 99 ran 14.6 @ 95mph in the 1/4 and 0-130 in 33 sec.

The 350Z ran 14.1 @101 mph and 0-130 in 26 sec.

I know there are different times out there and this is a slow time for an e36 M3, but this M3needs to pick up 7 seconds (to 130) just to tie the 350Z let alone "easily beat" the 350Z. Show me a number you have that shows the e36 M3 beating a Z.

All other measured data for the 350Z is better than the M3.

LIL RAJA

both you and RodH make good points. But my arguements was just don't go by what the magazines can achieve. Go test drive both cars and see which one you can take to it's limit and which one is more practical for you. I have owned simulat. both m3, 330ci and s2000. Although the s2000 was faster on than the 330ci on books, I could never outhandle the 330ci (that is me driving both cars) with my s2000. Also my course time on the s2000 is slower than the 330ci. Given the same cars driven by professionals, the s2000 would perform better.

So yeah, back to my point. Don't go by any figures as they are just to give you ref. point but go by which car you can take to what limits and which car fits your need more.

Well, I better keep on attending driving school to better my performance driving.

As for the new Z, it's looking very promising and I intent to get one soon.

LIL Raja

rodH

iTrader: (2)

LiL, that is why I brought up the CLK430 race with the modified M3.

S2000 losing to a 330 on a road course??

I don't know about you, but the S seems very easy to drive, I had one for a weekend to "play" with, and it was easy to drive, the controlled power slides were very fun. Then again the car wasn't (technically) mine, so perhaps I took it further to the limit, than I normally would??

silverstone_350z

Umm. not!
the Z06 will spank the M3.

M3 territory is more like the WS6 and the regular Vet. the Z06 will stomp on an M3.
just wanted to clarify that since i raced 3 of them already..

Traffic

These BMW guys really are pretty pompous. Seriously though, my good friend has the E46 M3 and I think it's a great car, although he needed to get the tranny replaced after 3400 miles. I considered an E46 M3, Boxster S, S2000 along with the 350Z before eventually settling on you-know-what.

Let's just post actual specifications so people don't keep getting them wrong:

330Ci:
0-60: 6.4,7.0
1/4 mi.: 14.8

E36 M3:
0-60: 6.0
1/4 mi.: 14.5

E46 M3:
0-60: 4.8
1/4 mi.: 13.4

350Z:
0-60: 5.4
1/4 mi.: 13.9

I can see this is going to turn into one of 'those' threads like the 350Z vs. Z06 one.

LIL RAJA

excatly, I am so careful when driving the s2000 it's not even funny. I know BMWs have traction control DSC etc to protect me, but with s2k I have no recourse if I push too far. :-)

But again I am not the best driver in the world. Improving slowly day by day...

LIL Raja

rai

Well those M3 numbers may be accurate for one specific example, but the usual time for a e36 M3 is more like 5.6 and 14.2 sec.

Here is what is what I see with equal cars being too close to call:

330Ci (5.8-6.2 sec)

350Z, e36 M3, S2000, Boxster S (5.4 - 5.7 sec)

e46 M3 , C5, NSX, 911 (4.5 - 5.0 sec)

Z06, 911 turbo, 360 modena (4.0-4.5 sec)

LIL RAJA

this times are valid yet i have seen time of 5.8 0-60 for 330ci and low 5s for e36 m3s. Again the e36 m3 i have seen at the track pull high 12s as well with no mod. With the same token I can see the 5.4sec and 13.9sec improving over time to even lower.

You know what this is so close that fraction of a sec. does not even make a difference to me anymore. I drive the car and see how it handles and if it's fit for me.

But by any means I do not think the Z is ready to compete with the e46 M3 or Z06. In fact I think the e46 is not good enuff to be matched with a z06, perhaps a c5...There are plently of endless discussion about this on bmw boards and corvette. I guess it's a never ending battle.

LIL Raja

LIL RAJA

Phil,
you just answered this question for all of us with the classification and catagorized. I could not agree with you any more.

rodH

iTrader: (2)

rai, Thanx for adding some logic, EVERY e36 time I have seen was between 5.4-5.6 (sounds like familiar territory ha??) and the 330 is almost as quick in the 5.8+ range (the "+" if for various versions of the car, Cab, 4wd, auto, etc.....but the fastest is 5.8).

rai

I was looking at the 330Ci mostly because of the C&D test of 5.8. That was an eye opener. I have never before seen a non-M 3 series faster than 6.1 sec. BMW quotes 6.4 sec for the 330Ci.

I was talking to my friend who has an M3 about this and we came to the conclusion that this particular 330Ci was putting out MORE than 225 hp.

Anyway the 330Ci convertible is several hundred pounds heavier than the 330Ci coupe or 350Z. So it is not going to perform or handle as well. For me (as well as the extra $$$) I would not go for the 330 convertible.

The choice between the 350Z and the 330Ci coupe is a different story. The Z is cheaper, but it is possible to get both in the $35-$36K range. That is the range I am looking for.

The 330Ci is a better daily driver, more convienent with trunk and back seat. Also free scheduled maintance for 4 years.

the 350Z is a true sports car, may be more fun to drive, exciting new style.

LIL RAJA

yes, a dyno will show you that most 330ci(s) are putting out more than 225hp. They are quiet conservative when it comes to posting their numbers. Several dyno(s) have shown the power closer to 240hp or so... anyway, both should be solid cars.

LIL Raja

loki

Think of what you want in a car and go from there. Will 2 more seats, a bigger trunk and nicer interior and convertible mean more to you than a slightly faster car and sportier feel? Not to mention the price difference between the two which is a big factor IMHO.

Try and wade through all the numbers being thrown around and the egos being defended and figure out what YOU will want and enjoy in a car, keep it in perspective.

Ask those questions and I think that will narrow the list down quite alot. I enjoy the M3 but that doesn't mean I wouldn't consider another car if it makes more sense.

Cheers,
-loki

JdMfREaK

iTrader: (1)

wow the 330 is stupid slow...my old hatch beat the p.o.s please dont compare homosexual cars to the z thanks

hardrock905

Then you probably shouldn't talk like the authoritative voice on vehicles you have happened to driven.
It seems you don't "push" the cars and you say yourself you're not the best driver in the world.
You really shouldn't speculate on a cars performance if you if you haven't pushed it to see what it is actually capable of.

Magazines aren't the most relaible sources at times but they do have professional drivers who actually push the cars.

Built2shredZ

I actually believe magazine times more then your average car enthusiast who used his stop watch... Or even guys who have time slips.. Why, because people who go to the track will usually slap on slicks, or remove back seats, spare tires, etc.. to lose weight and then add performance bolt-ons to improve there times, to me there cars are not longer stock and do not qualify to be compared to the completely stock cars magazines test.

What I do is take the different magazines 0-60 times and 1/4 miles and average them out, that will usually give you the best idea of what the car is capable of doing in stock form.


EDIT: LOL, just noticed this thread is like 2 months old....

FairladyZX

iTrader: (19)

^ haha yea that is a 4 years old thread got brought back 2 life.....

dutchboy350Z

iTrader: (5)

Talk about a blast from the past. This has got to be an all-time record of reviving one of the oldest threads in the history of my350z.