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08 M3 or 08 S4?

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ViviTheMage said:
What are the differences exactly?
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- Newer B8 chassis is a lot better dynamically than the old B7. The weight distribution is slightly better and the placement of the weight is significantly bettery (moved more items behind the front axle).
- Default Power deliver is now 40/60 in the B8 giving it more of a RWD feel to it.
- Torque vectoring rear-diff adds weight, but greatly increases the RWD feel of the car (according to mags...I have not driven one with this tech). I believe this tech mimics what was used in the last generation RS4.
- New supercharged V6 in B8 gets WAY better gas mileage and has way more torque. To top it off, you can upgrade the engine cheaply by chipping it with APR...then you'll blow away old S4 and likely M3's of the line.

Regardless, I'd still buy the M3.
 
Would be nice to be able to change modes...competetion = more power to rear, normal driver = 25/25/25/25.

I might wait another year to get an M3 at the price I want, and give me time to see if I can find one locally...nothing even close to MPLS!
 
Minnesota = snow. How is RWD with all-season tires? Still bad? I absolutely do not want to change out the wheels twice a year... I went with all-seasons on my AWD, but NY is not MN.

The other question is... are summer tires really necessary for casual but occasional spirited driving in an M3?
 
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RichUK said:
Eeewww - the rear lights look awful, plus it's a four door.

Go with an e92 M3.
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so agree... I got to stare at those E90 M3 taillights for a few years with my neighbor across the way. So unfitting. The coupe version is 10x better. He had a family though.
 
rh71 said:
Minnesota = snow. How is RWD with all-season tires? Still bad? I absolutely do not want to change out the wheels twice a year... I went with all-seasons on my AWD, but NY is not MN.

The other question is... are summer tires really necessary for casual but occasional spirited driving in an M3?
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Necessary? Probably not? Much better? Definitely. Worthwhile? I think so. To me it makes no sense to drive a performance car like an M3 on all-season tires. Snow tires are pretty much essential here in MN if driving a RWD car, but I would argue they are worthwhile anywhere that it snows a few times a year, if you want to drive a performance car all year (I do not presently have snow tires for my M3, which is parked in the winter, but I definitely use snows on my 330i). It's not like it's a colossal hassle - swapping out my wheels takes me less than an hour, by myself, using my floor jack in my garage.
 
rh71 said:
Minnesota = snow. How is RWD with all-season tires? Still bad? I absolutely do not want to change out the wheels twice a year... I went with all-seasons on my AWD, but NY is not MN.

The other question is... are summer tires really necessary for casual but occasional spirited driving in an M3?
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It's just colder in MN. Spend a year in Buffalo and then tell me that MN winters are worse.
 
Don Vito Corleone said:
Necessary? Probably not? Much better? Definitely. Worthwhile? I think so. To me it makes no sense to drive a performance car like an M3 on all-season tires. Snow tires are pretty much essential here in MN if driving a RWD car, but I would argue they are worthwhile anywhere that it snows a few times a year, if you want to drive a performance car all year (I do not presently have snow tires for my M3, which is parked in the winter, but I definitely use snows on my 330i). It's not like it's a colossal hassle - swapping out my wheels takes me less than an hour, by myself, using my floor jack in my garage.
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This^^^.

I had ExtremeContact DWS on the back of my M3 for about a month, they absolutely suck. I can't imagine they're any better in the snow at 255mm. Right now I'm cruising around on 215mm blizzaks and even that freak storm last week wasn't a problem (with DSC off)
 
Hrmmm, maybe play it safe, get a 335xi since this is my DD in MN weather. This year I would have felt stupid putting blizzaks on, we haven't had any snowfall, haha!
 
ViviTheMage said:
Hrmmm, maybe play it safe, get a 335xi since this is my DD in MN weather. This year I would have felt stupid putting blizzaks on, we haven't had any snowfall, haha!
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No. M3 or S4. Only. Don't pick up a lesser BMW in order to get four-wheel drive. That's the S4.
 
Safeway said:
No. M3 or S4. Only. Don't pick up a lesser BMW in order to get four-wheel drive. That's the S4.
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spec wise 335xi is more of a performer then the S4 which is depressing, so it's more of a 335XI vs M3 now ... I can also get a 08 335XI for 25k~ or less.Which could give me 5-10k to spend on mods.
 
ViviTheMage said:
spec wise 335xi is more of a performer then the S4 which is depressing, so it's more of a 335XI vs M3 now ... I can also get a 08 335XI for 25k~ or less.Which could give me 5-10k to spend on mods.
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You can pick up a 2008 M3 sedan with low miles for $35k or less. No mods necessary. Keep the car stock. Buy a cheap set of rims and nice snow tires. Keep a pair of chains. Put on your nicer rims and tires for the rest of the year.

If you buy a 335XI, sure, it might have better snow performance. But what percentage of the year is there snow coverage? You will yearn for more power. Believe me. The M3 is a great car. With the added body contours and moldings, it looks roughly 100 times better than a 335XI, which looks rather beige in comparison.
 
Safeway said:
You can pick up a 2008 M3 sedan with low miles for $35k or less. No mods necessary. Keep the car stock. Buy a cheap set of rims and nice snow tires. Keep a pair of chains. Put on your nicer rims and tires for the rest of the year.

If you buy a 335XI, sure, it might have better snow performance. But what percentage of the year is there snow coverage? You will yearn for more power. Believe me. The M3 is a great car. With the added body contours and moldings, it looks roughly 100 times better than a 335XI, which looks rather beige in comparison.
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LOL :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Where can I pick up an 08 M3 black on black with low miles? Where's the best sites to look for that on? Just ebay/autotrader?
 
If you're going to buy a 'real' sportscar then looked for something decently maintained from a private party. You might have to pay ~5% more, but it's worth it to not have to deal with previously leased trash.
 
JulesMaximus said:
It's just colder in MN. Spend a year in Buffalo and then tell me that MN winters are worse.
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interesting, I spent 4.5 years in Buffalo. I always thought MN was bad-er.

But still, if I have a nice car, I'm driving it year round. I dont' know how people park it all winter and switch to their lesser vehicle. It's like you wake up and get ready for work... walk outside to your car and get let down. My neighbor did that too... from an M3 to a late 90s Sienna for months on end. Oh wait no, that was his wife's. He had a little Toyota Yaris. How do you do that?

Safeway said:
You can pick up a 2008 M3 sedan with low miles for $35k or less. No mods necessary. Keep the car stock. Buy a cheap set of rims and nice snow tires. Keep a pair of chains. Put on your nicer rims and tires for the rest of the year.
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Ahh fresh out of manufacturer's warranty & maintenance. Check their service history and good luck!
 
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I believe in snow tires and summer tires. However, around here (we don't get snow) many BMW'ers are buying the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+. 500 treadwear and they insist the difference in grip in their Continental SportContacts or Mich PS/2's isn't that noticeable. I don't like the thread pattern, but it may be an option.

I love my Pilot Super Sports (PSS).
 
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