2008 bmw ///M3 road and track test

[1320ride]

New BMW M3 road test

[mikecentola]

that is so awesome.

[Cavi Mike]

I'm mixed. I feel that BMW is starting to be like the Japanese. Instead of keeping the 3 series the entry level sports coupe like it has been, they've taken the approach of making the car grow up with you. They've begun to introduce the 1 series and have made the 3 series what the 5 series was. The new M3 is really the period at the of that sentence. Size of the old M5 and even powered by a V8 like the old M5 only with 2 doors lopped off. I like it as a car but I don't like what BMW has done to it.

The one thing I liked about BMW was that you would graduate from a 3 to a 5 then a 7. You were young, you wanted a quick nimble car that could perform like a sports car, and the 3 was everything you wanted. After a few years and well, now you're older. Married, a couple of kids, the 5 was the best of both worlds. Onto your mid-life crisis(hehe) and you reminisce of the old 3 you had but you need something much less, um, juvenile. That 3 just didn't have the luxo quo you yearn for now that you're mature. The 7. But don't forget the 6 for us ultimate bachelors. Oh yeah, that's my next bimmer.

Back on track, I think the last M3 was as big as BMW should have let the 3 get. They've gone too far. The 3 isn't a 3 anymore. Therefore, I'm torn.

Blah, sorry for the rambling.

[mikecentola]

The fact that he said 50K pounds worries me because that would mean the new m3 is up around 70-90K which would suck ass.

I think its a great looking car, but however as I've been saying I'm pretty sick of bmw's because everyone and their mom seems to drive one now. Every day I see some 40yr old woman driving one lol...

Either way I wouldn't mind an m3 as my next car, but who knows what I'll get

[1320ride]

im still waiting for jesse to chime in on this thread... thats going to be funny

[beepbeep]

DJ & I looked at M3's for me...not to many for used around us (esp not to many in my price range. lol)

New one looks awesome tho!

[JClark]

New M3 is a fat pig, just like all of its competition (Audi RS4, etc). Expect the price to be $70k plus. Every generation cars get a little more expensive and a little more techno-savvy. Gotta keep in competition with the rest of the world so all the cars weigh close to the same, same power, same technology, etc.

That's why BMW is bringing the 135i over. 285whp twin turbo stock, 3050(ish)lbs, and a fixed-caliper brake setup 6 piston front and 4 in the rear. There's your entry level sports car.

But if its just your street car, you're never going to really feel that the M3 is heavy especially with 420bhp. It's going to haul ass and thats all anyone cares about when they are getting groceries. If you're hitting the track with it, I can think of 650lbs of dead weight you can pull out of it with basic hand tools.

Not feelin the look of the new 3 coupes (E92). Concept photos of the M3 4-door look wicked tho.

[mikecentola]

Latest autoweek said it was coming at a base price of $62.5K. Regardless thats definitely pricey for what it is.

What are the details for the 135i ?

[Eatyellowsnow]

135i--> BMW 135i OFFICIAL PRESS PHOTOS | BMW Blog

[mikecentola]

Originally Posted by Eatyellowsnow

135i--> BMW 135i OFFICIAL PRESS PHOTOS | BMW Blog

oh wow, thats a pretty freakin sweet car!

[JClark]

Originally Posted by mikecentola

Latest autoweek said it was coming at a base price of $62.5K. Regardless thats definitely pricey for what it is.

What are the details for the 135i ?

These cars are all the same for pricing. The base price can never be attained since it doesnt include leather and other things that EVERY single one on the lot will have. Expect 70k+ realistically.

The price is right where it should be. Almost equal with the Audi, less than the base 911, and more than the base C6 Vette.

[xceebeex]

Originally Posted by JClark

and more than the base C6 Vette.

Sorry to say, but at that price it is just about at C6 Z06 territory (starts at 70k) and I would take a C6 Z06 any day of the week over an M3.

[JClark]

That's why I said C6 Vette, which it competes with. The Z06 is always nearly the same cost and faster....but its a Chevy. ...Yeah...

[Captain Moai]

Originally Posted by xceebeex

Sorry to say, but at that price it is just about at C6 Z06 territory (starts at 70k) and I would take a C6 Z06 any day of the week over an M3.

You can have build quality and refinement or raw performance. Chevy is better than it was, but still nowhere near the complete package the M3 offers.

[JClark]

The Z06 is AWESOME! It handles like a champ too. But if I'm going to spend 70k+ on a car I'm going to drive everyday, I dont want it to feel like a hooptie when I sit down, look around, close the door, turn the wheel, etc.