[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by vegnomeat

I passed my bike test 35 years ago (I'm old), Current ride is a Yamaha Tracer and the previous was a Monster 1100 Evo. I also did a bit of racing; http://www.visordown.com/reader-arti...mbrey/702.html

After riding very quick bikes (2004 R1 and a Blade) there aren't any obtainable cars that feel really fast.

Regards

I'm 38 and passed mine about 6 years ago. I agree, having been riding 1000-1200cc bikes, any car for me is now prioritised in terms of creature comforts and looks rather than pure speed.

Currently got a 2009 Kwak Z1000 - before that was a BMW K1200r, a Fazer 1000 and a 600 bandit

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

You do realise the M "chassis" is no different to the E9x right?

Its the same car.

It has some tweaks to its suspension parts, flared arches and whatnot, but its largely the same machine. In the same way a 318d is largely the same machine as a 335i, it just happens to have a different engine in the front.

I'm not sure i've actually seen many people "turning their car into an M3" either. Folk happen to own 335i's (or any other E9x model) and have modified them as they see fit.

If i happened to have a 318d SE and decide that i dislike the manky SE front bumper and install a nice looking 1M bumper instead, does that mean i'm "trying to turn my car into a 1M"? No, it means i dislike the look of the standard horrible bumper, and want to make it look nicer. Doing that using factory parts from a better spec car will often give a high quality "OEM+" finish, rather than what would result if i bought some fibreglass "bodykit" from ebay, so ofcourse it makes sense that i might elect to use factory parts from an M model or whatever.

My own 330d currently requires some suspension arms on the front end. I'll almost certainly buy M3 front arms for it instead of the stock parts, because they cost the same and provide improvements to the handling. Thats not because i want to turn my car into an M3, its because they're a simple viable upgrade to improve the car, and i'm changing them anyway.

gaza01 hit the nail on the head in post #28.

Plus one.

I initially wanted an m3 but couldn't afford it.

If I were to "upgrade" now, the e92 M3 will never be on my list. No matter how much I like it and how much better it looks compared to other e92s, it's just not fast enough when you come from a tuned 335i.

[KiwiRD]

Originally Posted by vegnomeat

I can see I have touched a raw nerve with you Kiwi. I have owned a mapped 335i, I adored the car and loved the punch that came from the twin Turbos. The Torque was amazing. Also, I don't view my M3 as some unobtainable holf grail of Automotive engineering but I do view the M3 as a properly engineered performance car way above the standard E9x chassis.

If you care to read my previous comments, I lust after the M4 and it's easily modded engine. It will be my next ride but at this moment in time I can't justify the cost.

I will leave you with your inferiority complex that you really shouldn't have, keep on telling your mates that your 335i is faster and cheaper than an M3 and that you have saved thousands of pounds/dollars and are such a clever boy.

Regards

Lower that handbag, old son. I should think if there's one type of complex shining through here it isn't one of inferiority. Ending a post with "no offence intended" pretty much says it all. I think the mistake here is yours in assuming people aspire to something that in reality they may not. you know what they say about assumptions....

[Russbmw]

[jayblue]

Interesting discussion here. As a former owner of a tuned 335i and a current owner of a naturally aspirated V8 car i can see both sides of the coin quite clearly.

The 335i is a gem of an engine in standard form, more so once tuned. Effortlessly powerful whilst retaining more than reasonable fuel economy and running costs for the performance on offer. For 99% of people its all the performance you will ever need.

On the other hand my Italian V8 offers slightly more horsepower but less torque, so the overall performance is broadly similar in a straight line. It is hideously thirsty in comparison (think around 1/2 the mpg of the 335) and has the potential to hurt my pockets deeply should the wrong thing break!

So on balance the 335i should be my favoured car then? Well some times i do miss her but overall its the V8 that has got under my skin and ticks all my boxes. It is still plenty fast enough, sounds much better and delivers its power in a more exciting way. Its all well and good being able to boast over being a car length or two quicker than some other car but which one puts the bigger smile on your face?

Point to point i could drive the 335i just as quickly and probably put less effort in to do it too, but i never found myself turning around to have an admiring look at the 335i after a spirited drive. Could i live with driving my V8 on a daily basis and the costs that would go with it - no. If i was choosing a car for special occasions or occasional driving then the V8 takes it for me. For a daily driver no contest the 335i.

[dance171]

Originally Posted by jayblue

Interesting discussion here. As a former owner of a tuned 335i and a current owner of a naturally aspirated V8 car i can see both sides of the coin quite clearly.

The 335i is a gem of an engine in standard form, more so once tuned. Effortlessly powerful whilst retaining more than reasonable fuel economy and running costs for the performance on offer. For 99% of people its all the performance you will ever need.

On the other hand my Italian V8 offers slightly more horsepower but less torque, so the overall performance is broadly similar in a straight line. It is hideously thirsty in comparison (think around 1/2 the mpg of the 335) and has the potential to hurt my pockets deeply should the wrong thing break!

So onbalance the 335i should be my favoured car then? Well some times i do miss her but overall its the V8 that has got under my skin and ticks all my boxes. It is still plenty fast enough, sounds much better and delivers its power in a more exciting way. Its all well and good being able to boast over being a car length or two quicker than some other car but which one puts the bigger smile on your face?

Point to point i could drive the 335i just as quickly and probably put less effort in to do it too, but i never found myself turning around to have an admiring look at the 335i after a spirited drive. Could i live with driving my V8 on a daily basis and the costs that would go with it - no. If i was choosing a car for special occasions or occasional driving then the V8 takes it for me. For a daily driver no contest the 335i.

A car length or 2? Try 10-12 with my mods and its still cost me less than yours and it now has the looks to match like I said it's all about the cash for me I have a much better engine plant with a lot more potential for the dosh! The ops question is why buy a 335 to turn it to an m3

The answer is if your buying an m3 ur interested in good performance with looks! With the 335 you can get much better performance with the same looks after its modded whilst saving ALOT of cash! If your not interested in mods or fast cars don't buy either. It's simple

[essex_lad]

I agree that there's no point also, even though you can make a 335 as fast as the m3 you still don't get the lsd, gearbox, lightweight parts and all the other bells and whistles you get with it which make the car that hole lot better. A set of coilovers and a few other bits will still never bring it close to the driving experience of the m3. The m3 is a track car the 335 is a fast road car.

Trust me on this iv been there and done it and wish I just bought the correct machine for the job.

[Sparky68]

You hit the nail on the head, M3 is the better track car, tell that to the M3 owner when he gets smoked on the road which lets face it, 99% of the time is where it is.

You want a track car, there are plenty of options.

[essex_lad]

Unless you have the balls to rip an m3 through the lanes rather than on a big straight motor way and that's when you think to your self fuk me this car is amazing with a massive smile on your face instead of a pair of messed boxer's because the 335 almost kills you around the bends. My 350z tt almost had me a few times down the lanes and was fukin scary where as my lotus which was slower was just so much fun because the driving experience is so much better and it wouldn't kill you lol, just made bends fun and you can loose almost anything around them when you got the machine built to do it lol.

[Sparky68]

Cant speak for others but, my 335 is pretty much setup for exactly that, to hard for a daily but i love it. I have a daily blast on my commute with a M3 that [unknown to me] turned out to belong to an old school friend. He hasnt beaten me to Milton Keynes yet.

[Aragorn30d]

The issue with "racing" (and i use the term loosely) on the road or down some country lanes, is that it stops mattering about the car, and basically becomes a matter of whos going to be the more reckless, or in pub-speak, who has the "bigger balls"

I've been "done" by people driving much slower cars down a backroad, simply because they've been prepared to take more risks than me. Similarly, i've sat on the bumper of a 997 GT3 down a lovely backroad thru the hills in a car with about 1/2 of the power of the Porsche, because that guy wasnt prepared to drive as quickly as i was.

If your actually reaching the point, where the difference in handling between a tweaked 335i and an M3 is becoming apparent, on the road, then your driving way way beyond acceptable limits anyway.

[vegnomeat]

You can put a pretty pink frock on a pig, but at the end of the day it's still a pig.

And that's where I leave this conversation.

[Russbmw]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

The issue with "racing" (and i use the term loosely) on the road or down some country lanes, is that it stops mattering about the car, and basically becomes a matter of whos going to be the more reckless, or in pub-speak, who has the "bigger balls"

I've been "done" by people driving much slower cars down a backroad, simply because they've been prepared to take more risks than me. Similarly, i've sat on the bumper of a 997 GT3 down a lovely backroad thru the hills in a car with about 1/2 of the power of the Porsche, because that guy wasnt prepared to drive as quickly as i was.

If your actually reaching the point, where the difference in handling between a tweaked 335i and an M3 is becoming apparent, on the road, then your driving way way beyond acceptable limits anyway.

Exactly.

[Kerr]

The 335i is one of the best value cars on the market. It's a great real world car that does everything well.

You can tune a 335i to be quicker than a M3, however when are you really even going to need it, or find out?

The 335i doesn't handle as well as the M3, but it does appear we are purely talking straight line speed.

The thing the 335i doesn't have is the kudos of the M3 badge, and let's not pretend that doesn't mean anything to many people.

That's part of the reason so many people pin M badges on their car. Lots of people like to make their car look more than it is. People put twin exhausts on their 3 series to make them look like 335 models. Many people go much further and make their car look like M cars.

They'll say it looks better, but they are trying to make their car look more than it is. I've never once seen a twin exhaust car without the badges removed when it's not a 335.

I've never seen a replica M3 without the M3 badge either. The badge on the boot means as much as anything to many.

Having the kudos of owning a M3 is often more important than the hypothetical races down B roads. I'm sure they are hypothetical as there's no real way you can be racing on B roads on the level people try to suggest.

Just enjoy your car and be comfortable with it.

[E9xfan89]

Originally Posted by vegnomeat

You can put a pretty pink frock on a pig, but at the end of the day it's still a pig.

And that's where I leave this conversation.

Haha this explains the whole point of your original post. How could anyone possibly have a car better than your beloved m3!

There are 1000s of non m3 e92s out there that would make your m3 look less than 'normal'

[Sparky68]

Originally Posted by vegnomeat

You can put a pretty pink frock on a pig, but at the end of the day it's still a pig.

And that's where I leave this conversation.

Wont matter to you what the pig is wearing, you wont see it for dust, get over yourself and your "M3 " worship, it aint that special!

[KiwiRD]

Ha ha precisely. Nothing like a thinly veiled ego stroking request.

Originally Posted by E9xfan89

Haha this explains the whole point of your original post. How could anyone possibly have a car better than your beloved m3!

There are 1000s of non m3 e92s out there that would make your m3 look less than 'normal'

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

The issue with "racing" (and i use the term loosely) on the road or down some country lanes, is that it stops mattering about the car, and basically becomes a matter of whos going to be the more reckless, or in pub-speak, who has the "bigger balls"

I've been "done" by people driving much slower cars down a backroad, simply because they've been prepared to take more risks than me. Similarly, i've sat on the bumper of a 997 GT3 down a lovely backroad thru the hills in a car with about 1/2 of the power of the Porsche, because that guy wasnt prepared to drive as quickly as i was.

If your actually reaching the point, where the difference in handling between a tweaked 335i and an M3 is becoming apparent, on the road, then your driving way way beyond acceptable limits anyway.

SPOT ON!!!

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by vegnomeat

You can put a pretty pink frock on a pig, but at the end of the day it's still a pig.

And that's where I leave this conversation.

Are you referring to the m3?

Because, at the end of the day....remove the lsd, the suspension, and the v8. It is still a 3 series ....

[zltm089]

Off topic, anyone know if the m3 chassis is different from a normal 3 series?

If the m3 fans could list all the parts that make the m3 different, that would be helpful ( Obviously, engine wise it's a v8).

[cs225]

Agree with op. I'm in the market for a 335 having been put off by cost of M3 same years.

My hope is I'll find a mint low milage 335 and cherish that confident that money saved will help for rainy day.

If anyone knows of someone who is prepared to sell really well looked after 335i please let me know...

[ndj]

I takes months of owning an E90 M3 to truly understand what it's all about. Appreciate it's talents, and what makes it such a complete package. From the sound of the V8 on the cold start cycle to nailing it from 6K in second or third and punching through the rest of the DCT box in M mode.

Throwing it into bends that make even your "hardest" mates shit their pants when you know it could handle another 30 or 40 mph.

I have no problem with what anyone chooses to buy and do with their cars subsequently, but some of the garbage spouted in this thread about the M3 can only be from folks that have never spent any quality time driving and living with one.

I was left for dust in my M3 on a dual carriageway recently by a modified Golf with an exhaust the diameter of a wheelie bin and trailing a cloud of smoke and partially unburned fuel. I just pissed my pants laughing