E46 M3 vs S550

[mustang_guy]

I love how people find this topic opinion based. I WORK WITH THEM FOR A LIVING. :lol: I think id know more then repeat owners what the norm is for these cars.

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[BluByeU]

Whats great about unreliable and ridiculous maintenance schedules? Ive built 1000hp cars that don't require that kind of maintenance. Its not maintenance, its unreliability.

Since it was my first and only German-made car, i.e. Bimmer I thought that is simply part of owning/driving one until I heard a 50ish old female complain about coming in regularly spending 2-3 k on maintenance/reliability issues. Bottom line it got old real quick...The Ultimate Driving Machine :lol:

 

[Simon]

The Ultimate Driving Machine :lol:

More like The Ultimate Money Spending Machine .

 

[Glenn G]

I notice this alot. Here in Germany you ask a group of 20 BMW guys how reliable thier cars are and you have 2 or 3 guys yelling at the top of their lungs how great their car is and how they never had a single problem. 3 will say they had some minor issues but won't get specific, the other 10 will just look at their feet and not say a word.

They are crap! I had 2, a 7 series and a 3 series, and I'll tell you NEVER AGAIN!. When I had my 3 series and would meet up with the same guys and wasn't an outsider trying to tarnish the brand, EVERYBODY complained of expensive repairs. The second your warranty is out you can expect 2-400 euro services every 10000 kms and 2-3000 euros of repair every two years (not counting wear items like clutches and brakes which are a fortune in and of themselves)
Even if you really have 0 problems the running costs are absurd.

I came to the conclusion after doing some research and talking to owners that American cars are not as bad as I thought but the people with problems are overly vocal, and that German cars are Worse than people think but the Owners with problems suffer in silence to avoid embarrassment. German cars are all about Image after all

 

[sm32589g]

E46 M3'S are a pile of junk. I can say it. I work for bmw. Infact bmw as a whole are piles of trash. out of all the dealers ive worked at I can say without certainty, they are the most unreliable cars ive delt with. If the bmws been made in the past 25 years, its junk.

Completely untrue, and biased.

If you take care of BMW's they will take care of you.

Dealership technicians always think they know it all that's why they make the big bucks.

 

[GNS]

Where there's smoke, there's usually a fire. I hear about BMWs being so unreliable so many times that you just have to wonder about it. My sis in law has a BMW, and it already had to have some unscheduled service done to it a few months ago. Brother said that he would never buy a BMW again...

 

[SteveS]

Well I like my 320. Over 6yo, 43k miles on clock, drives like new(ish) and so far no major problems. They may be expensive to fix, sure, but in the UK we get screwed over on most things so why should they be any different.
Looking forward to the Pony arriving but all being well it'll share its stable with the BM.

 

[Impulsed7]

Driven both, owned both, raced (tracks with turns) both.

I would go e46 if you were looking more race car (more parts available now), and Ecoboost if you were looking for DD that you could track. If you are just looking for a fast, nice, powerful car, get the S550 GT.

 

[sm32589g]

Driven both, owned both, raced (tracks with turns) both.

I would go e46 if you were looking more race car (more parts available now), and Ecoboost if you were looking for DD that you could track. If you are just looking for a fast, nice, powerful car, get the S550 GT.

This is accurate.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

I liked the E46. Great handling car. But damn how do you compare 15 year old technology to today's? How do you compare 333hp to 435? Or 262ft pounds of torque to 400? Even the most rabid bimmer nut hugger will have to pick the Mustang.

 

[mustang_guy]

Completely untrue, and biased.

If you take care of BMW's they will take care of you.

Dealership technicians always think they know it all that's why they make the big bucks.

Put the drugs down. How am i biased? I wouldnt put YOUR mother in a bmw. You are not an authority on this topic. I am. I have zero reason to lie. I gain nothing. Infact i lose customers by turning them away. Which i always try to turn people away. I work at bmw because unreliable cars are what make me money. Not reliable. Bmws are the pinnacle of unreliable and a status symbol. Bmw is a shell of what it used to be. If you want a GOOD bmw by an e30.

 

[mustang_guy]

I cannot in good conscience pretend these are great cars for people. If someone asks about these cars i tell them. The best and only way to own a bmw is a lease. After the warranty is over, run as fast as you can. our cars have some of the worst resale value you will ever see. Which is partly why i reccomend lease.

 

[Autoguy]

I have owned a BMW and know what to expect cost wise for maintaining. It will cost a lot of money. But to me the way the car drives is worth it.
My question is about the driving experience of the two cars. BMWs are amazing cars to drive regardless of horsepower. Will an S550 meet those expectations?

 

[mustang_guy]

Yes. go drive a base with a pp. I doubt youd be disappointed. it is faster all around then a e46 M3. The e92 m3 as well. The 2015 gt pp has better track numbers then the 302 boss. The pp is actually almost as fast as the m4 around a track.

 

[Impulsed7]

I work at bmw because unreliable cars are what make me money. Not reliable. Bmws are the pinnacle of unreliable and a status symbol. Bmw is a shell of what it used to be. If you want a GOOD bmw by an e30.

Used to be a ford mechanic for the same reason. My friend was a Porsche mechanic, for what he said was the same reason. When its all you work on all day, you only see the broken, bad side. Grow up.

When I go down the list of all the BMW's I've owned over the years, they were some seriously reliable track cars. My Fords I've owned have been some seriously reliable cars/trucks. When well maintained, and knowing what to expect in the maintenance dept. you can expect your cars to be reliable.

On that note, I put my vote back in for the eco S550, manual, recars, PP. no other options. Also, unless modded, its almost as fast as an e46 M3. Modded a bit, it will be fun.

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