BMW 335i (E90) vs M3 (E46)

nails1

Hi, has anyone driven both of these cars? How do they both compare to each other, in terms of power, handling, running costs etc? Is the newer 335 (around 2007) a better overall machine than the previous generation M3?

Supergurrier

E46 M3 is a High revving Non turbo sportscar engine and probably the last of it's kind

E90 335i is arguably the best mix of comfort and performance there is.

Decpends what you want out of a car really.

Max Power1

If you are deciding between the two, go for a later years e46 m3. They were sold as recently as 2006 afair.

Every man and his dog can have a 335, while it is a very fast machine it just isnt an "M" car.

tossy

Max Power1 wrote: »

If you are deciding between the two, go for a later years e46 m3. They were sold as recently as 2006 afair.

Every man and his dog can have a 335, while it is a very fast machine it just isnt an "M" car.

I think you typed that backwards?? with the second hand value of E46 m3's these days anyone can buy one which is why there are so many dog rough examples out there. Where as 335's are still holding decent value (i assume haven't looked lately)

However while the 335i may get top trumps on power it simply isn't an M car.

Max Power1

tossy wrote: »

I think you typed that backwards?? with the second hand value of E46 m3's these days anyone can buy one which is why there are so many dog rough examples out there. Where as 335's are still holding decent value (i assume haven't looked lately)

However while the 335i may get top trumps on power it simply isn't an M car.

Certainly didnt type it backwards

e90 335i= fast car
e46 M3= sportscar

I know which I want tbh

Max Power1

Max Power1 wrote: »

Certainly didnt type it backwards

e90 335i= fast car
e46 M3= sportscar

I know which I want tbh

I think his point was every man and his dog can have an e46 m3 as they are going cheap nowadays while 335's are more expensive so you don't see scobes driving them.

Max Power1

Yamileth Flabby Public wrote: »

I think his point was every man and his dog can have an e46 m3 as they are going cheap nowadays while 335's are more expensive so you don't see scobes driving them.

Not many (any) scobes do I see driving m3's tbh

bazz26

Max Power1 wrote: »

Not many (any) scobes do I see driving m3's tbh

Not many scobes driving 335i's either.

Max Power1

Max Power1 wrote: »

Not many (any) scobes do I see driving m3's tbh

I've seen a few interesting looking characters driving m3's an also seen a few that have obviously had a tough life and some that have some awful body mods.

335's always appear to be driven by respectable looking people and most by people in their 30's+ and nearly all look well looked after etc.

I'm not saying the m3 is better or worse than a 335 just commenting on affordability etc. personally given the choice id probably go for the 335 over the e46 M3, I think it would be a nicer ownership experience (I've also owned an e46 coupe already for a good few years, so I've done the e46 thing)

Max Power1

Jaysus lads ye are gone mad today in here, must be the past few days of sun.

How could someone reccomend a 335 over an m3?

Ardennes1944

**** what the drivers look like, they're both beasts. Id have to have the M3 though, its legendary in e46 guise.
335i would be much easier to live with but if I had a bottomless money pile it would be M3 all day long

Eric Cartman

In reality these cars will not be around forever , the M3 is an iconic piece of BMW function and design coming together to form a perfect driving machine no matter what body style its in.

OP if you are in the lucky position to afford to buy and maintain an M3 , I dont think there's any other option here , You only have 1 go at life , and governments across the world are making it harder and harder to own machines like the M3 every day, do it while you can.

thecomedian

Wait until you find a clean M3 that's been looked after, have a nice bit of money put to the side if anything goes wrong.

The 335 is a very good car, but the m3 would be my pick.

Henry Ford III

M3 all the way baby!

dgt

M3 all the way, avoid the wastegate issue on the 335i

MetzgerMeister

dgt wrote: »

M3 all the way, avoid the wastegate issue on the 335i

And what about the rear subframe issues on the M3??

OP - I've never driven the E46 M3 but I do own an E92 335i and I absolutely love it. Fine, it's not an M car but with a remap, you will burn a normal E46 M3 time and time again.

There's a few 335i's for sale at the moment (all automatics on carzone, mine was the only manual at the time I bought it) but look out for wastegate rattle. That's an pricey thing to sort out as it requires replacing both turbos. With that said, it's not too bad, each turbo is about €500 and you send BMW back your old one.

Parts are cheaper for the 335 also, compared to the M3. A lot of M3's that are being sold cheaply require expensive work. My 335i was the same, needed new turbos but I had no problem spending the money because I'm holding onto it for as long as I can.

There's a hell of a lot more M3's for sale than 335i's so you'd have a rare enough motor with the 335, especially if it's manual transmission.

copacetic

Max Power1 wrote: »

Jaysus lads ye are gone mad today in here, must be the past few days of sun.

How could someone reccomend a 335 over an m3?

I think people were really just pulling you up on the inane idiotic 'every man and his dog can have a 335 and not an M3' comment. When the M3 is more common and cheaper, it's just a stupid thing to say that makes no sense and has no relevance anyway.

Matt Simis

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

OP - I've never driven the E46 M3 but I do own an E92 335i and I absolutely love it. Fine, it's not an M car but with a remap, you will burn a normal E46 M3 time and time again.

Youre not going to be burning any M3s, the two cars have fairly similar weights and peak power so they put in fairly similar performance. While the tuner in me likes the modability of the 335i, if it was me, Id feel like a chump racing against an older car with solid lifters and a 8000rpm Race derived engine and just putting in "as good as" performance with not one, but two crutches (turbos)!
Thats just me though.

copacetic wrote: »

I think people were really just pulling you up on the inane idiotic 'every man and his dog can have a 335 and not an M3' comment. When the M3 is more common and cheaper, it's just a stupid thing to say that makes no sense and has no relevance anyway.

I kinda agree with him. While the outright purchase isnt more (usually), the cost to run, maintain and insure is more while the "wife approval factor" is lower on the M3 .. which is why most people go for a safer option. We have seen countless similar threads here, someone starts out with "Im getting an M car!" but ends with "I was too scared to get an M Car!" It is way easier to simply decide to get a 330/335i etc.. they are normal road cars with the reliability and low/easy maintenance perks you would expect.

Supergurrier

Get 335i
Get stage 2 remap to 400bhp with some small changes

Laugh your ass off.

Matt Simis

Matt Simis wrote: »

Youre not going to be burning any M3s, the two cars have fairly similar weights and peak power so they put in fairly similar performance. While the tuner in me likes the modability of the 335i, if it was me, Id feel like a chump racing against an older car with solid lifters and a 8000rpm Race derived engine and just putting in "as good as" performance with not one, but two crutches (turbos)!
Thats just me though.

The only thing better than a turbo is two turbos

That said the one car that trumps both in this conversation is the e92 M3 now that's a car, a lot more wedge though!!

Supergurrier

Only thing better than twin turbos is a two stage twin turbo 1 big 1 small

Eric Cartman

Supergurrier wrote: »

Only thing better than twin turbos is a two stage twin turbo 1 big 1 small

but if you have an N/A car that outperforms twin turbo's , then you put twin turbos on it....

Supergurrier

Eric Cartman wrote: »

but if you have an N/A car that outperforms twin turbo's , then you put twin turbos on it....

Pish, supercharger if anything on a good N/A engine

Ardennes1944

Supergurrier wrote: »

Pish, supercharger if anything on a good N/A engine

but superchargers are even worse for mpg?

Supergurrier

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

but superchargers are even worse for mpg?

I never saw mad max worrying about MPG even when he used to have to kill like 20 people for a jerry can of petrol !

TouchingVirus

I made my choice last January and picked up decent example of an E46 M3 for just over €6k. It was a bargain at the time as the owner was emigrating the following Tuesday. Best money I have ever spent, honestly. I've drove an E46 320d, E46 325i, a mapped E90 330d and an F10 M5 but I still prefer the M3 - The F10 M5 could be in the running if I could afford it :P

You'd swear by some of the posts here you need a massive amount of cash to support an M3 in parts, you don't unless you buy a ragged one. After tax & insurance I don't have a lot left to spend on the car but good examples don't need a lot - since January I've gotten new filters (Air/Oil/Fuel), full oil change, rear tyres (265/30/19s), brakes & discs all around for €1100. I did the labour myself. The most expensive things (Discs & tyres) won't have to be done again for a good while. Parts come at a premium but it's not all that bad tbh.

There are a few things I'm not a huge fan of like the Nav/Radio/CD Changer/Dice Mediabridge, obviously great for its time but the sun has set on those days. The SMG box is a thing of beauty but the fully auto mode is a complete pain the ring; the software isn't smart enough to choose the right gear most of the time. But these are things you can improve on (the ICE/Nav) or live with (SMG) and are just part of the experience.

I love almost everything else about the car; the stance, the sound, the SMG break-your-neck shift changes, the stink of the brake pad dust after giving the car some boot, the raw engine power off the line , how it turns heads in 2nd or 3rd while driving handy enough and yes, even the soft top :pac: When I take the walk to the car park I get excited, like a kid going to Smyths . The road is my playground, the NA I6 3.2L 8250rpm engine is the soundtrack to my life and it is hands down f*cking amazing. I live for it, and I never thought I'd say that about any car.

Right now the only car I'd consider upgrading to is an E92/3 M3 but even then it's hard to justify the considerable price difference.

Supergurrier

Wow a decent E46 M3 for just over 6k, hope to see it at a futire meet.

Last year i flat ruled one out because of the initial cost stretching me paired with the stuff you listed above, good find

TouchingVirus

I'll be at the meet on the 23rd, you can see it then if you're coming along. I was looking for a facelift 325ci M-sport at the time, a classic case of things escalating quickly

MetzgerMeister

TouchingVirus wrote: »

I'll be at the meet on the 23rd, you can see it then if you're coming along don't find another thousand excuses not to. I was looking for a facelift 325ci M-sport at the time, a classic case of things escalating quickly

FYP

Supergurrier

Some fecker you are

166man

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

FYP

Didn't see you at the Glendalough meet...;)


SG travelled across the country for it.

Ardennes1944

Supergurrier wrote: »

Some honest fecker you are

.

Supergurrier

166man wrote: »

Didn't see you at the Glendalough meet...;)


SG travelled across the country for it.

Ardennes1944

166man wrote: »

Didn't see you at the Glendalough meet...;)


SG travelled across the country for it.

He never said he'd go though did he? Despite the several invites he received, says enough :pac:

166man

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

He never said he'd go though did he? Despite the several invites he received, says enough :pac:

I'm just taking the mick and also pointing out that SG travelled all that distance and ended up missing the meet...:D

daRobot

TouchingVirus wrote: »

I made my choice last January and picked up decent example of an E46 M3 for just over €6k. It was a bargain at the time as the owner was emigrating the following Tuesday. Best money I have ever spent, honestly. I've drove an E46 320d, E46 325i, a mapped E90 330d and an F10 M5 but I still prefer the M3 - The F10 M5 could be in the running if I could afford it :P

You'd swear by some of the posts here you need a massive amount of cash to support an M3 in parts, you don't unless you buy a ragged one. After tax & insurance I don't have a lot left to spend on the car but good examples don't need a lot - since January I've gotten new filters (Air/Oil/Fuel), full oil change, rear tyres (265/30/19s), brakes & discs all around for €1100. I did the labour myself. The most expensive things (Discs & tyres) won't have to be done again for a good while. Parts come at a premium but it's not all that bad tbh.

There are a few things I'm not a huge fan of like the Nav/Radio/CD Changer/Dice Mediabridge, obviously great for its time but the sun has set on those days. The SMG box is a thing of beauty but the fully auto mode is a complete pain the ring; the software isn't smart enough to choose the right gear most of the time. But these are things you can improve on (the ICE/Nav) or live with (SMG) and are just part of the experience.

I love almost everything else about the car; the stance, the sound, the SMG break-your-neck shift changes, the stink of the brake pad dust after giving the car some boot, the raw engine power off the line , how it turns heads in 2nd or 3rd while driving handy enough and yes, even the soft top :pac: When I take the walk to the car park I get excited, like a kid going to Smyths . The road is my playground, the NA I6 3.2L 8250rpm engine is the soundtrack to my life and it is hands down f*cking amazing. I live for it, and I never thought I'd say that about any car.

Right now the only car I'd consider upgrading to is an E92/3 M3 but even then it's hard to justify the considerable price difference.

Silver one, with Smg replaced?

Great example at that money. Would have bought it myself if I had somewhere too keep it.

Max Power1

copacetic wrote: »

I think people were really just pulling you up on the inane idiotic 'every man and his dog can have a 335 and not an M3' comment. When the M3 is more common and cheaper, it's just a stupid thing to say that makes no sense and has no relevance anyway.

Thought it was pretty clear tbh

Whatever about more common, certainly isnt cheaper! And it is a class above the 335i.That isnt up for debate, it just is a class above.

It would be like me arguing that my e60 535 is in any way comparable to an e39 m5. Now the 535 is a fast car with two stage twin turbos just like the 335, but it is nowhere near an e39 m5. Because why? Because the m5 is a sportscar with a sportscar engine and performance. And the 535 is what? A very fast car. No more no less. Got that now? I dont see what the difficulty was in what I wrote first tbh

Bohrio

Oh well, I love both cars, hard to chose one, it will depend of what is it that I am looking for. If you want to feel you are in a racing car get the M3, if you are looking for a more settled (but still quick), more modern and comfortable car get the 335.

I would go for the M3 but of course I barely use my car, if I had to use it everyday I would probably go for a 335i, although, if I had to do lots of miles everyday I would probably get a diesel (aaaarrgghh) :S.

Its really up to what you want to feel when you are driving it, forget about which one is quicker, in my experience, a few hp wont make much of a difference to be honest, in the end is all up to who has the biggest b..lls! (or the least common sense)

listermint

Ive an M3, no you cant have it. Its mine for keeps.... last of its kind and il be keeping it.


Never fails to turn heads and theres nothing better than cleaning its body lines, pure classic design.

Samuri Suicide

Max Power1 wrote: »

Thought it was pretty clear tbh

Whatever about more common, certainly isnt cheaper! And it is a class above the 335i.That isnt up for debate, it just is a class above.

It would be like me arguing that my e60 535 is in any way comparable to an e39 m5. Now the 535 is a fast car with two stage twin turbos just like the 335, but it is nowhere near an e39 m5. Because why? Because the m5 is a sportscar with a sportscar engine and performance. And the 535 is what? A very fast car. No more no less. Got that now? I dont see what the difficulty was in what I wrote first tbh

Comparing a diesel 535 to an e39 M5 would never ever be a comparison.

MuppetCheck

Does anyone remember a while back on Piston Heads the guy with the remapped 335...:D

dgt

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Does anyone remember a while back on Piston Heads the guy with the remapped 335...:D

Or this....

Max Power1

Samuri Suicide wrote: »

Comparing a diesel 535 to an e39 M5 would never ever be a comparison.

My point exactly

Samuri Suicide

A 335i and an M3 are comparable unlike a diesel 535 and an e39 M5..

imo from a motorhead point of view the m3 wins. from an image point of view the 335i wins. I would agree with what another poster has said - there are a lot of dodgy-looking chaps driving m3's around these days as the price of cars has fallen (both e36's and e46's). because of that I'd go for the 335i, it has great performance in a classier-looking package.

Ardennes1944

I just want to clarify my MPG comment was 100% sarcasm

TouchingVirus

daRobot wrote: »

Silver one, with Smg replaced?

Great example at that money. Would have bought it myself if I had somewhere to keep it.

That's the one yeah, SMG replaced at 40k by a previous owner. An opportunity I'm very happy not to have passed on

CianRyan

glasso wrote: »

imo from a motorhead point of view the m3 wins. from an image point of view the 335i wins. I would agree with what another poster has said - there are a lot of dodgy-looking chaps driving m3's around these days as the price of cars has fallen (both e36's and e46's). because of that I'd go for the 335i, it has great performance in a classier-looking package.

That is the stupidest reason to buy a car, EVER!

listermint

glasso wrote: »

imo from a motorhead point of view the m3 wins. from an image point of view the 335i wins. I would agree with what another poster has said - there are a lot of dodgy-looking chaps driving m3's around these days as the price of cars has fallen (both e36's and e46's). because of that I'd go for the 335i, it has great performance in a classier-looking package.

True, because i buy my cars based on looking at the appearance of others driving the same model


Insert Rolls eyes


BTW i havent seen a single M3 driven by what i would deem as a 'dodgy character' and i spot them often because i keep an eye out.

So i call tripe on your statement.


tripe.


Good day to you sir.

Matt Simis

I think a lot of people confused tarted out 320D's with $hit stuck to them and M3 badges with actual M3s. I see maybe 1 legit M3 a week and they seem to be driven by normal people. Certainly seem to behave better on the road than me.

Ronnie Beck

CianRyan wrote: »

That is the stupidest reason to buy a car, EVER!

Especially a 'drivers car'.