[mkaaes]

This is more a question to any 335i owner who has or is moding their car. With the amount of money it costs to mod the 335i has anyone here wished they just got an M3 in the first place. I was looking at the costs recently an excluding wheels I think I'm at close to 7500.00. Tune, exhaust, suspension, fmic, CAI or DCI so on and so on...I unfortunitly was impatient and had to have the E92 335i when it came out. So now 4 years later and an extra few grand I started thinking hmm maybe I should have just waited for the M3. Anyone else have this thought?

[josephr25]

That's why I stopped after wheels.

[scollins]

That could be a factor, other than you can spend your money incrementally on upgrades over time.

Also, I doubt that you'd leave an M3 stock too, so you'd have to factor in how much cash you'd drop on mods there. And I'm sure there is the "M3 tax" for those mods.....

[JayKay335i]

Why? I got a 335 because I like the 335 and I like forced induction. I don't want an M3. I enjoy the low down torque of the 335. While I think the M3 is a cool car, I dont particularly want one.

[uberschnell]

Not sure if you are a BMW noob, but you must also consider the cost to maintain factor. If you plan on holding on to a car past 50K then you should familiarize yourself with the expected maint costs.

M are often time prohibitively expensive to perform maintenance on. Often time 30 to 50% more for the same service as a non-m car. Add to that the M mark-up on top of the BMW mark up on aftermarket parts prices.

Gas prices are also a consideration, they wont get any cheaper. Insurance is higher also.

That said, owning an M should not be about being "money wise". It's about being a connoisseur of fine cars. The M is a work of art. How do you put a price on that?

In any case, owning a car is much more then the sticker price.

[mkaaes]

Actually I used to have an E36 M3, it was fairly inexpensive to maintain and I drove it over 100,000 miles. The biggest thing I miss is the LSD. I buy my cars to appreciate it while I drive it. I feel fortunite that I'm able to afford spending the extra money "upgrading" my car, I was just thinking about what if I just waited for the M3 instead.

[josephr25]

Originally Posted by mkaaes

Actually I used to have an E36 M3, it was fairly inexpensive to maintain and I drove it over 100,000 miles. The biggest thing I miss is the LSD. I buy my cars to appreciate it while I drive it. I feel fortunite that I'm able to afford spending the extra money "upgrading" my car, I was just thinking about what if I just waited for the M3 instead.

I feel the same as you, but I was in a rush for the 0.9 APR they offered in June '08. Then they extend it for another month, then they offered it... on M3s.

Whatever; I am happy with my car. I would rather have an M but the money I saved went to mods, and more importantly, savings and investments. It makes me more anxious to get an M next time (should I get one).

[uberschnell]

Originally Posted by mkaaes

Actually I used to have an E36 M3, it was fairly inexpensive to maintain and I drove it over 100,000 miles. The biggest thing I miss is the LSD. I buy my cars to appreciate it while I drive it. I feel fortunite that I'm able to afford spending the extra money "upgrading" my car, I was just thinking about what if I just waited for the M3 instead.

In that case wait for the M, you only live once.

[UAP1]

Nope. No regrets here.